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Adam was still a bit jetlagged as he stepped into the arena, his wheeled suitcase in tow. The SmackDown and ECW rosters were in the United Kingdom for some tapings, yet the Canadian had a hard time focusing on that. Instead, his mind was on Amy and their time spent together the previous week.
"Adam!"
He turned around at the sound of the voice to see Phil entering the building from a slight distance behind him. The dark-haired man glanced both ways, as though crossing a busy street, and rushed forward.
"Hey, Phil."
"Hey, what happened to you last week?" the Straightedger asked. "You know, our movie night?"
"Oh. I stepped out for some air."
"You liar... You didn't 'step out' alone. What was that all about?"
The tall blond man stared at his friend for a moment.
"Jeez, Phil, dating a woman who loves to gossip has really rubbed off on you, huh?" he cracked.
"Shut up. So, are you gonna indulge me with the juicy details?" his friend asked. His eyes were nearly as wide as saucers by now.
Adam wasn't really amused. It wasn't that it was Phil's fault, or that he was annoyed by his prying, but the fact remained that Amy was off-limits to him. They were broken up, she was with another guy, and that was that. It sucked, but it was reality.
"Why don't you just call Melina and ask her?" Adam suggested. "I'm sure she's gotten all the juicy details from Trish or Mickie by now."
"Aw, c'mon, man... I'm not trying to piss you off or anything," the other man explained. "Just trying to have a little fun."
"Yeah? Well, newsflash - my life isn't here for your own personal amusement." The Canadian felt bad as soon as the words left his mouth. "Sorry, Phil... I'm just not in a good mood."
"I can see that."
The two friends walked in silence for a moment. Then, the dark-haired man cleared his throat and spoke up again first.
"I'm sorry, dude. I was just yanking your chain. I get why you don't wanna talk about it."
Adam turned to stare at him.
"You do?"
"Sure... She's your ex and you've still got it bad for her," he said. "But she's with somebody else now."
The blond man looked down at the floor. It was bad enough hearing those words in his head, in his thoughts, but hearing it verbalized was at least tenfold worse. He nodded.
"Yeah... That's exactly it."
Phil eyed him silently for a beat. He felt bad for his friend. After a moment, he gave him a friendly smack on the shoulder.
"Hang in there, man."
*
Amy sat alone in her living room in her Atlanta condo, reflecting over what she'd done a couple of days earlier. She'd really gone and done it. It had been in her mind for a few weeks at that point, but she hadn't actually considered doing anything right then and there. As usual, she had acted impulsively, acting before she'd thought things through. She didn't regret her decision, but she wished she'd done it in a more private place.
Shane had confronted her loudly, demanding to know the meaning of it. And she'd had no choice but to tell him the truth... And the truth was that she was no longer in love with him. But beyond that, she didn't know if she'd ever actually loved him. It had sounded harsh, callous, brittle and cruel... but it was the truth.
Amy bit her lip as she gazed steadily at the phone on the nearby end table. She wanted in the worst way to call him. 'Him' certainly did not mean Shane, as her newest ex was furious with her - so furious, in fact, that the future of The Luchagors was now uncertain.
She took a deep, full breath, exhaling it slowly as she edged closer to the phone. She picked up the receiver and quickly dialed a number she'd known by heart for years now. It started to ring on the other end.
"Hello?"
"Hello... Trish, it's me."
"Oh, hi, Amy!" the blonde woman cheerily said. "How are you?"
"I'm..." The redhead paused for a beat. "... Well, I'm not really sure how to answer that question right now."
"Oh, no... What's happened?"
Amy sighed.
"You mean aside from the fact that I broke up with my boyfriend?"
She heard Trish gasp on the other end.
"What?" she cried. "You did?"
"Yup," the redhead answered. "Two days ago, to be exact. It was anything but pretty."
"What happened?"
Amy explained the scene in the club, and the blonde was vocal in her reaction.
"I can't believe you broke up with him during one of your shows!" she exclaimed. "No wonder he was so pissed."
"Yeah... I know." And she didn't say so, but Amy knew she deserved Shane's wrath. She'd timed it all wrong. But she had to be true to her heart - and Shane Morton certainly hadn't been in it.
"So... Have you told Adam yet?" Trish suddenly inquired.
"No."
"Okay."
"Trish, what are you getting at?" she demanded.
"Nothing," the blonde woman replied. "I was just wondering."
"Well, he'll know soon enough."
The two women spoke a few minutes longer until Amy decided she had to go. After saying goodbye to Trish - whom
she would see again the next day at the houseshow - the redhead sighed and decided to take her little dog, MacKenzie,
for a walk.