______________________________________________________
Adam was distracted by his thoughts as he got dressed for his upcoming match for the night. He couldn't rid his mind of the memories - the ones from six years earlier as well as from mere days ago.
Matt Hardy's voice suddenly issuing in his and Jay's locker room cut through, and the tall blond man looked up, startled. He'd been so absorbed he hadn't even realized Jay had opened the door - or that anyone had even knocked, for that matter.
"Guess what? I got great news!" the dark-haired man said excitedly. Then, as the two blond Canadians eyed him expectantly, he continued. "Amy just signed a contract with the WWE! She's gonna be a diva!"
Adam nearly flinched at his friend's words, but the gesture went unnoticed by both Matt and Jay.
"That's great, Matt!" the shorter blond man was saying. "She's really cool, and I can't wait to see her ring work."
All Adam could think was that now he'd have to deal with seeing the redhead all the time - now that she was with Matt and therefore unavailable, it would be too painful for him.
As much as it tore at his heart, the blond man knew he was still in love with Amy. Despite the number of years that had passed where they hadn't seen one another, despite the fact that she had a child with another man, he still loved her.
Amanda... Thoughts of the little girl brought a smile to his lips and made him momentarily forget his heartbreak. She was one adorable kid. One thing was for sure - she looked absolutely nothing like Matt. Yet, little Mandy called the elder Hardy brother 'Daddy,' and he now knew Amy had been with Matt for a few years...
"Adam?"
The tall blond man looked up, his reverie broken, at the sound of Matt's voice.
"Huh? Oh, sorry," he stammered, running a hand quickly through his long hair. He'd really zoned out there, and he was embarrassed.
"Are you gonna come with us tomorrow?" his friend repeated, and when Adam gave him a questioning look, Matt sighed and continued. "Tomorrow morning, a few of us are gonna go to the arena to train. Amy's first match in the company is gonna be a dark match for SmackDown, and I wanna be able to prepare her for it."
"Oh..." The Canadian nodded absently, his mind focused on the beautiful redhead. He wondered if he would get to help her prepare as well. "Sure... yeah, sure, I'll be there."
"Cool." After awhile, Matt said he had to return to his locker room, as he and Jeff would be having their match soon.
"What is with you?"
"What?" Adam turned his head sharply to face Jay, the short-haired man's question coming the moment the Hardy Boy had left.
"You just seem to get spaced out or something lately," the blond man elaborated. "And now that I think about it, that always seems to happen whenever someone mentions Amy - or whenever she's around." He cocked his head as he regarded his best friend speculatively.
Adam's heart nearly stopped, and he knew Jay had some ideas about him and the redhead swirling through that head of his. His friend was just too damn sharp for his own good - much to *his* chagrin. He steeled himself for the third degree he knew was coming.
"Why is that, Adam?"
The taller man somehow managed to meet Jay's eyes squarely.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"C'mon - we both know that's a lie. What happened between you and her way back when?" the smaller Canadian pressed. There was a gleam of great interest in his blue eyes.
Adam swallowed hard, hating that he suddenly felt faint. If he told Jay the truth, would he promise to keep it quiet from Matt? He hoped so.
Clearing his throat, he began to explain.