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debbiechanclub · 4 years

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Best Two Out of Three, Part 22

Again: Y’all. @what-does-mine-say and I have feelings about this part. A lot of them. I’m sorry I’m posting it so late on a rasslin’ night... but there’s no way I could wait.

Best Two Out of Three

Part: 22/26

Pairing: Kenny Omega x OFC x Cash Wheeler and Adam Page x OFC x Matt Jackson (but it’s complicated)

Word count: 7.6k (yes, again)

Warnings: Language; angst; T E N S I O N

Tag squad: @freshlysqueezedmox @gabbynorth98 @librathepheonix13 @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch @exe-sadboi-exe @comeasyoudar

Catch up on previous parts here.

“Goddammit! We were that fucking close!”

Alex frowned as she helped Chuck limp over to the couch in their locker room, his knee wrapped in ice. Thankfully, he’d just tweaked it; but it didn’t lessen the sting of their loss in the gauntlet match. Now, FTR would face Kenny and Adam for the AEW World Tag Team Championship next Saturday at All Out. The thought alone was enough to give her stress hives.

“I know,” she frowned. “I’m sorry, Chuckie.”

“You two were watching,” Trent said to Alex and Orange as he collapsed onto a seat. “What happened with Hangman during our match against the Bucks? Neither of us saw it.”

“Yeah, I was on the floor dealing with my fucking knee,” Chuck confirmed, wincing as he adjusted himself on the couch. “I didn’t even know he was there until after we won.”

Alex stiffened. She exchanged a hesitant glance with Jim. She didn’t want to tell them. Even though Chuck and Trent had lost the gauntlet, she didn’t want to cheapen their win against Matt and Nick. But they deserved to know what had happened.

“Um, Nick was standing on the ring apron, and before he could do the Meltzer Driver, Adam came out of nowhere and grabbed his leg. He held onto him until you got the win.”

Trent’s eyes widened. “Shit. I guess he really isn’t friends with Matt and Nick anymore.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame him,” Alex breathed. And then, when all three of them looked at her, she realized she hadn’t just thought it—she’d said it.

“Did something else happen?” Chuck asked, his brow furrowed. He seemed genuinely concerned. “You know, other than Matt and Nick generally being self-involved pricks.”

“Oh, something else happened, alright,” she returned. “Callie officially broke up with Adam.”

That just seemed to confuse them further. “What does that have to do with the Bucks?” Trent pressed.

Alex ran a hand through her hair, anxious. For Adam’s sake, she really didn’t want to perpetuate any speculation about what might be going on between Matt and Callie. But, at this point, the situation was like Pandora’s box—there was no containing it anymore.

“Callie showed up at the house on Monday and packed what she could and left,” she explained. “And earlier tonight… Adam told me he found out from Britt gossiping to Penelope that she’s staying with Matt.”

There was a beat of shocked silence. Alex tensed, bracing for their reaction. And then Chuck gaped, “Callie broke up with Adam and now she’s staying with Matt Jackson?”

She nodded again. “Apparently.”

More silence. And then Jim said, “That’s a clear violation of bro code.”

“No shit,” Trent added. “What an asshole.”

“Of the highest order,” Alex agreed. “After Adam did what he did, Matt came barging in here to scream at me about how I must have had something to do with it.”

Trent blinked and shook his head, his eyebrows arched high on his forehead, like he didn’t comprehend what she’d just said. “I’m sorry, what?”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Matt thinks I put Adam up to sabotaging them,” she muttered.

“What?” Chuck shot. “Why?”

“Because he’s a dick,” she returned. “He said I had ‘every reason’ to do it and that I have Adam wrapped around my finger just like I do Kenny.”

Alex stared at the floor, anxiously chewing at her lip. Of all the awful things Matt had said, that was what had hurt her the most. She didn’t give a shit what he thought about her—but if there was even a chance that Kenny or Adam felt that way, like she’d manipulated them somehow… she wouldn’t be able to bear it.

“Okay, let me get this straight,” Trent said, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Matt violated bro code by shacking up with his friend’s ex-girlfriend—”

“Major violation,” Jim interjected.

“—and then when Adam retaliated, Matt barged in here and blamed you for it?”

“More or less,” Alex confirmed.

Trent stared back at her, stunned. And then he at looked Orange. “Jim, let’s go.”

He abruptly stood from his seat. Jim did the same, albeit much more lazily.

“What’re you doing?” Alex charged.

“Not letting Matt get away with being a complete fucking asshole to you,” Trent answered, and he went out the door, James right behind him. Alex jumped up and went after them.

“Trent, wait. I handled it!”

“I’m sure you did,” he returned. “And I’m gonna back you up.”

“I don’t need you to!”

“Well I’m gonna back up Adam then, how about that?”

Alex stopped, taken aback by his response. Pride swelled in her chest. Suddenly, she didn’t want to stop him anymore.

She hurried to catch up with them as they marched around the corner toward the Elite’s locker room—and she nearly froze again. Matt and Nick were approaching from the other end of the hall, and they both looked just as pissed as Trent.

“Perfect!” Trent proclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “Just who I was looking for.”

Matt’s brow lowered. “Oh yeah? For what? Come to gloat about your dirty win?”

“Yikes,” Trent winced. “Someone sounds salty.”

“What do you want, Trent?” Nick shot.

“That’s a great question, Nick!” They all came to a stop as they met in the middle of the hall, Trent across from Matt, Jim across from Nick. Trent’s eyes narrowed down at Matt. “I would like to know why the hell your brother thinks Alex had anything to do with Hangman screwing you two over when he’s the one who’s trying to screw his ‘friend’s’ ex-girlfriend.”

Matt balked. “Excuse me?” He turned dark, hostile eyes on Alex. “Is that what you told him? That I’m trying to—”

“Don’t talk to her,” Trent firmly cut him off. “I asked you the question, so you fucking talk to me.”

Alex held her breath. Matt glared at Trent. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Really? Because the situation seems pretty obvious to me.”

“Yeah? Well then put two-and-two together, Trent,” Matt spat. “You want to talk about screwing? Alex here is fucking one half of the tag team champions, and the other half wants to fuck her. Oh, and the guys who won the gauntlet? She was fucking one of them, too. Probably still is, I honestly don’t know. So yeah, I think she had a hand in screwing us over. More than a hand, pr—”

He was abruptly cut off when Trent’s fist collided hard with his jaw. He dropped like a rock to the floor.

Alex let out a gasp and jumped back. Nick started for Trent, but Jim pushed him and sent him stumbling over his brother so that he had to catch himself against the wall. Matt blinked on the floor, dazed. Trent loomed over him, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

“That was for Adam, too. And if I ever hear Alex’s name in your mouth again, I’ll hold you down so she can punt you in the dick.”

He gave him one final threatening glare, and then he turned and took Alex’s hand. “Come on.”

He pulled her back down the hall. Jim didn’t immediately follow them. Instead, he held up his hands, stuck up both his middle fingers at Matt and Nick, and then turned and walked nonchalantly away.

Alex was in a state of shock as Trent led her around the corner. “Holy shit,” she breathed.

“Are you alright?” He stopped and looked down at her hand that he still held. “You’re shaking.”

“I’m okay. Just… shocked.” She let out a breath, “At this rate everyone on the roster is gonna get punched in the face because of me.”

“No, Matt got punched in the face because of Matt,” he corrected. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I think you should’ve punted him in the dick then,” Jim added.

A grateful smile curled the corners of her lips. “Well, thank you. This time I’m not upset that someone got punched.”

Trent returned her grin and gave her hand a squeeze; but then he winced and pulled away. Alex frowned in concern.

“Is your hand alright?”

“I think so.” He flexed his fingers and looked at his knuckles. They were red and angry. “I should probably ice it, though. He’s got a hard fucking head.”

She smirked. “Well come on then, Rocky. Let’s get you some ice for that right jab.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Callie had left Daily’s Place immediately after the confrontation with Alex. There was no talking to Matt when he was that angry, and she didn’t want to be around Britt—not after learning that she’d blabbed about her staying with Matt in California. She just needed to be alone and decompress. So, she’d gone straight back to the hotel and ordered room service, including a bottle of sangria. She hadn’t had a drop of alcohol since flying out to Matt’s, and she needed it tonight. She’d already polished off half of it when her phone pinged with a text. It was Matt.

Hey, are you in your room?

She typed back. Yeah. Why? She hit “send” and took another sip of sangria as she felt her pulse start to pick up. She knew what his next text said before she read it.

Can I come over?

Callie bit her lip. Her fingers flew over the digital keyboard on her phone before her brain really knew what they were doing. Sure.

She set her phone on the bed and her glass on the nightstand and stood up to check her appearance in the mirror. She was dressed down in her pajamas and glasses, her hair thrown up in a messy ponytail. She tightened it as she leaned forward and checked her teeth, making sure there wasn’t anything in them; but then she stopped. Why was she bothering to look decent for Matt? He’d seen her at her most disheveled first thing in the morning back at his place. And besides—it was Matt. There wasn’t any reason to impress him.

Knock-knock-knock.

“Shit,” she cursed. She gave herself one last look over and opened the door. Matt stood on the other side in a black tank top and gray sweatpants, his hair up in a bun. But the first thing Callie noticed was his bruised and swollen lip.

“What happened?”

He rolled his eyes. “I pissed off one of Alex’s guard dogs.”

Her brow furrowed. That didn’t explain anything. “What? Come on, you should put some ice on that.”

She opened the door wider and beckoned him inside. He came in and sat down on the end of her bed while she got a washcloth from the bathroom and wrapped some of the ice she’d gotten for her sangria inside. She sat down next to him and gently pressed it to his lip.

“Does that hurt?” she asked.

His fingers grazed hers as he brought up a hand to hold the washcloth himself. He shook his head. “No. It’s really not that bad, he just hit me in the right spot.”

Callie pursed her lips. She had a feeling he was just trying to be macho in front of her. “And who’s ‘he’?”

“Trent.”

She arched her eyebrows expectantly, awaiting an explanation as to why Trent had punched him in the mouth. Matt let out an agitated breath and filled her in.

“Big surprise, Alex whined to him about me confronting her about Adam, so he and Orange came looking for me.” He shook his head. “He accused me of trying to get in your pants. But then I said some home truths about Alex and he didn’t like it, so…” he gestured to his lip.

Blood rushed to Callie’s head. “Trent accused you of trying to get in my pants?”

He nodded. “When he hit me he said it was for Adam, too. People can’t mind their own fucking business, apparently.”

Callie stared blankly at the carpet, the edges of her vision going blurry. She wasn’t stupid—she knew how it looked that she was staying with Matt. She’d known how it would look as soon as she’d bought the plane ticket. But she was starting to think that maybe she was stupid for telling herself that it was completely innocent. The way Matt had treated her the last few days, all the sweet little things he’d done for her… they weren’t the sort of things you did for someone who was just a friend.

“Callie.”

Matt grasped her hand in his. She looked up into his eyes, warm and brown. Her breath hitched in her throat. That wasn’t the way you looked at someone who was just a friend, either.

“You can talk to me,” he said. “I won’t shut off.”

Callie’s heart skipped a beat. She had to look away before she could speak. “This has just gotten so out of hand,” she breathed. “I didn’t want any of this to happen. I was just trying to do what was best for me, and now everyone thinks—”

“Who cares what everyone thinks,” he cut her off. “Fuck ‘em. Alex, Trent… even Adam.”

She frowned down into her lap. She pulled her hand from his and stood to get her glass of sangria from the nightstand, brought it to her lips and took a long drink. She sat back down next to him, a little further away that time.

“There’s actually something else I wanted to tell you,” he said.

She tensed. “What?” she asked, barely above a whisper. Worried what he was about to say.

But it wasn’t what she expected. “We kicked Adam out of the Elite.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Because of what he did tonight?”

He nodded. “It needed to be done. Honestly, it was a long time coming.”

Callie stared back at him. There wasn’t any remorse in his eyes. And, surprisingly, she didn’t blame him. “You’re probably right,” she quietly admitted.

Matt’s brow furrowed. “I figured you’d be upset with me.”

“Well, I’m not happy,” she returned. “But I understand why you did it. After everything that happened tonight… it’s probably for the best.”

It pained her to say that. But it was the truth. Things had been… off between Adam and the rest of the Elite for a while now. Months, long before their relationship had started to fall apart. And truthfully, she hoped that tonight had been his rock bottom. She hoped now that he’d been officially cast out, he would stop trying so damn hard to needlessly prove himself to Matt and Nick and Kenny. She hoped that he’d find happiness. Because when it all boiled down, that was all she wanted for him.

“Well, I just wanted you to hear it from me,” Matt said, drawing her out of her thoughts. “I’ll let you get some rest. We’ve got an early flight tomorrow.”

He stood from the bed, but then Callie blurted out, “Actually, I’m going back to Virginia tomorrow.”

Matt froze, obviously caught off-guard. He opened his mouth, but she explained before he could ask. “My car is still at the airport in Raleigh. I need to get it, and the rest of my stuff from Adam’s place. And then… I’m driving to California. I’ve decided I’m moving back. Permanently.”

His eyebrows arched. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I thought about Florida but… my family is in California. It’s just what makes the most sense right now.”

He nodded in understanding. “Do you want me to come with you? That’s a long drive to make by yourself.”

She gave a wry laugh. “I’d rather not do it alone, but you know it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to show up at Adam’s place with you.”

“I can wait somewhere else while you’re there,” he suggested.

Callie’s cheeks flushed. “I’ll be fine,” she insisted. She looked down into her glass and swirled around the nearly melted ice cubes, suddenly shy. She had a feeling he already knew what she was about to ask. “But um, would it be alright if I stayed with you a little while longer? While I look for a place?”

“Of course,” he said. “I meant it when I said you can stay with me as long as you want.”

She gave him a soft smile. “Thanks.”

She stood from the bed, set down her glass, and walked him to the door. And when he turned around and looked at her with those dark brown eyes in the dim light of the entryway, Callie suddenly had to fight not to ask him to stay. She knew better. It was too soon. It wouldn’t be right.

“What time’s your flight?” he asked.

“Early,” she answered.

“So… we can still catch an Uber to the airport together?”

She smiled again, wider that time. “Yeah, we can,” she nodded, and she pulled him into a hug. Matt wrapped his arms around her and drew her close, and she buried her face in his neck, breathing in his scent. He smelled like his hoodie that she’d pulled on the night she’d arrived at his place, comfortable and familiar. She wanted to sleep wrapped up in it like she had then.

But she couldn’t let herself. “Goodnight,” she said.

“Goodnight,” he echoed, lingering a second longer. And as he pulled away and went out the door, Callie knew that everyone else wasn’t wrong to be suspicious about Matt’s feelings for her. It was her who’d been wrong to lie to herself about them.

* * * * * * * * * *

Alex and the boys had left the arena as soon as they could. After the heartbreak of the gauntlet match and the chaos of the aftermath, they’d decided to grab some burgers, go back to the hotel, and just veg out in front of the TV for the rest of the evening. It was doing the trick; Alex felt a lot better now that she had a greasy bag full of Five Guys fries, even if she did have to share them with Trent.

“I still can’t believe I missed you drop Matt Jackson,” Chuck proclaimed as he bit into a french fry.

“Yeah, it was pretty bad-ass,” Trent casually stated as he sat next to Alex on her bed. “Alex was super turned on by it.”

Alex sputtered out a laugh. “What? I did not say that.”

“You didn’t have to,” he returned with a wink.

She pursed her lips and snatched the bag of fries from him. “You don’t get any more for that.”

“Someone sounds called out,” Jim remarked. Trent smirked. Alex glared at them both.

“You don’t think Matt will flex his EVP muscle, do you?” Chuck wondered. “Seems like something petty he’d do for getting knocked out like a little bitch.”

“I honestly don’t care if he does,” Trent said. “I’d punch him again given the chance.”

Alex bit her lip and reached for her drink, trying to ignore the blush that had suddenly colored her cheeks. But then there was a knock at the door.

“Someone’s at the door,” Jim announced.

Chuck sent him a flat look. “Thanks, Captain Obvious.” He started to get up, but Alex beat him to it.

“I’ll get it,” she said as she hopped off the bed. She had a feeling that whoever it was was there for her, anyway. Her suspicion was confirmed when she pulled open the door and found Kenny standing on the other side.

“Hey. Can I talk to you?”

There was a note of urgency in his voice. It worried her, but she nodded. “Yeah, sure.” She joined him in the hall and flipped the latch, pulling the door closed behind her. “Is something wrong?” she asked—but then her eyes widened in realization. “If this is about what happened with Matt and Trent—”

“It’s not about that,” Kenny quickly assured. “I only got Matt and Nick’s side of the story, but… from the sound of it I honestly can’t say I blame Trent for hitting him.”

“Oh.” Alex felt her face flush again. “Well, what’s it about, then?”

He seemed to tense at the question. It wasn’t a good sign. “Okay, I want to preface this by saying that I had absolutely nothing to do with it.”

Her brow furrowed. That definitely wasn’t a good sign. “Okay…” she returned, anxiety tightening her chest. She couldn’t have predicted what he said next.

“Matt and Nick kicked Adam out of the Elite.”

Her jaw slacked. “What? When?”

He shrugged a shoulder, uncertain. “Sometime after Matt yelled at you… and before Trent punched him.”

Alex swayed and fell back against the doorjamb. She looked up at Kenny, stunned and confused. “And you just let them?”

His shoulders slumped. “I had no idea they were gonna do it, Alex.”

“Well are you gonna do something about it?”

“What am I supposed to do? It’s done.”

“So?” she challenged. “Don’t you get a say in it? You’re his tag team partner! His friend! Aren’t you?”

“Yes! Of course I am, but…”

He trailed off. Alex’s eyes hardened. “But what?”

“But,” Kenny let out a sigh, ran a hand through his hair. “I think you know better than anyone that Adam hasn’t really been a part of the Elite for a while now. And after what he did tonight… it was the last straw.”

Alex felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Earlier that night, when Matt had tried to place blame on her for Adam’s actions, it had seemed like Kenny was on her side. But now, it didn’t seem that way at all. He didn’t seem upset that Adam had been kicked out of the Elite. He was only upset that it had come to this for it to finally happen.

“That’s not an excuse to kick him while he’s down,” she bit. “What’re you all gonna do next, literally stab him in the back?”

Kenny’s eyebrows arched. “He stabbed Matt and Nick in the back!”

“Because Matt is clearly trying to move in on Callie!”

“Come on, you don’t know that,” he breathed. “Matt and Callie were friends way before she ever met Adam.”

“What?” She nearly jumped she was so frustrated with him. “What happened to ‘no wonder Hangman threw the match’? What’s changed in the last three hours?”

“Nothing’s changed! But just because I think Matt’s in the wrong doesn’t mean that I agree with what Adam did! I don’t! At all!”

Alex crossed her arms and shook her head, looking away from him. She was at a complete and utter loss of what to say, what to even think. The entire situation was a massive train wreck, and she couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

“Alex,” Kenny gently gripped her arms. “Look at me.”

She glared up at him. He frowned.

“Let’s not fight about this. Like you said, Adam’s still my tag team partner. We’ll work it out. Okay?”

Her stubborn glare didn’t leave her face. “Have you even tried to talk to him?”

His frown deepened. “I went to his room, but he wasn’t there. He’s not answering my texts, either.”

Alex’s head fell back against the doorway, tired. She was so tired of this. Once again, it seemed that she would have to be the one to try to pull Adam out of his doldrums. “I’m gonna go find him. I bet I know exactly where he is.”

She turned to go back inside, but Kenny pulled her back. His brow furrowed with concern. “This isn’t your mess to clean up.”

Alex frowned up at him. He didn’t know what Adam had admitted to her, how messy things had become. And she didn’t have the heart to tell him. So she just said, “I feel like it is,” and pushed her way back into her hotel room, her stomach in knots.

* * * * * * * * * *

When Alex had gone back inside and told the boys that Adam had been kicked out of the Elite, they’d obviously wanted more details. But she’d hastily said that she’d explain later, pulled on her Chucks, and hurried right back out. Part of her hoped she was wrong about knowing exactly where he was, but she wasn’t. He was right where she’d expected to find him, sitting at a booth in the hotel bar, his ubiquitous glass of whiskey in front of him. She hesitated, suddenly nervous to go talk to him; but he looked up and spotted her. There was no abandoning him now.

She resolved herself and walked toward him, trying to think of what to say first—but anything she might have said abruptly flew out of her head. He wasn’t alone in the booth. Cash and Dax were with him.

“Oh. Hi,” she awkwardly greeted.

“Hey,” Cash returned, sitting up straighter. Alex fidgeted, suddenly self-conscious in her t-shirt and joggers. At least she hadn’t thrown her hair up in a bun yet.

“Let me guess,” Adam breathed, drawing her attention. “Kenny told you.”

He didn’t need to clarify what he meant. She nodded. “Yeah. He just came to my room and told me. I came straight here.” She specifically said that so Cash would know that she hadn’t been with Kenny. She wanted him to know that. “Can I sit?” she asked, motioning to the empty spot next to Adam.

He nodded. She slid into the booth, keeping her arms tucked into herself. The tension in the air was palpable. Dax cleared his throat.

“I hope there’s no hard feelings about us beating your boys in the gauntlet tonight,” he said to her. “It’s just business.”

Alex’s eyes darted to Cash. She wondered if he’d mentioned to Dax that she’d wished them good luck. “I know,” she returned. “You could’ve gone easier on Chuck’s knee, though.”

He smirked. “He’s tough. He’ll be alright.”

She just pursed her lips.

“So what did Kenny tell you?” Adam asked.

Alex’s brow furrowed. “Um, that Matt and Nick kicked you out of the Elite. He said he had nothing to do with it.”

Dax scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

Alex bit down on her jaw. She had half a mind to ask Dax if he’d had anything to do with Adam screwing over Matt and Nick during the gauntlet. But there was no point in opening up that can of worms now. The damage was done.

“Maybe he didn’t have anything to do with it,” Adam said. “But I’m sure he doesn’t give two shits now that it’s done.”

Alex frowned as she watched him take a drink. She didn’t want to admit to him that she felt the exact same way.

“Forget about them,” Cash said. “They’ve proven time and time again that they’re not your friends, man. Especially Matt. You’re better off not being in their superficial little club.”

Alex shifted in her seat. She didn’t miss the glaring irony in the fact that FTR, the number one contenders to the AEW World Tag Team Championship, were sitting across from one half of the reigning tag team champions and implying that he couldn’t trust his partner, just over a week out from the night they would challenge for the titles. She wondered if Cash was being genuine… or if he was just trying to sow more seeds of discontent between Adam and Kenny. She hated that she wondered.

“Speaking of Matt Jackson,” Dax spoke up. “I saw him sporting a pretty nasty cut on his lip when we left the arena. You know anything about that, Alex?”

He stared at her over the rim of his glass as he took a sip. Alex’s eyes narrowed. He was being awfully chatty. “Yeah, I do,” she confirmed. “Trent punched him.”

“What?” Adam asked. “Why? When?”

She let out a long sigh. “Well, after the Bucks’ match against Chuck and Trent, Matt burst into our locker room and started screaming at me about how I must have had something to do with what you did.”

“What?” Adam repeated; but Alex held up a hand. She wasn’t done.

“I told the guys and they didn’t like it, so Trent and Jim went looking for Matt. They found him and Nick, and when Trent asked Matt what the hell his deal was, he basically suggested that I’m a manipulative slut, so Trent pun—”

“He suggested what?” Cash interjected.

Alex blinked, surprised by the heatedness of his tone. Her cheeks colored. “He brought up how I was… involved with people in the gauntlet match,” she said, trying to put it as delicately as possible. “And according to him, that gave me all the incentive in the world to screw them over.”

She looked down, embarrassed, wishing she hadn’t said anything at all. She didn’t want to admit it, but Matt’s words had gotten to her, worked their way into her psyche. She’d started to think that maybe the implication behind them was true. Slut.

“What a fucking asshole,” Adam breathed.

Cash shook his head. Alex looked back up at him. His eyes were dark with anger. “He deserved to get hit for that.”

Her stomach fluttered, hearing how angry he was. Hearing how protective he was being. She tried not to think too much of it. “Well, Trent knocked him out, so. Yeah.”

Dax laughed to himself. “Good on Trent.”

Alex anxiously chewed her lip. She was debating whether to stay or go. On the one hand, she wanted to make sure Adam was okay. But on the other, she couldn’t bear to sit there a second longer. At least he’s not alone, she reasoned. And with that thought, she decided to go.

“Well, I just wanted to check on you. But I’ll leave y’all to it.”

She hastily scooted out of the booth, but Adam spoke up before she could bolt. “Hey, um. Callie texted me to say she’s coming to the house tomorrow to get the last of her stuff.” He paused, looked down into his drink. “I just wanted to let you know.”

Alex stared back at him, unsure what to say. She wasn’t sure why he’d told her that. She didn’t want to think about it. “Oh. Well, maybe it’ll be like ripping off a band-aid.”

She winced. That was a terrible response. But his expression remained blank. “Maybe.”

She hesitated, feeling bad for leaving now. But she couldn’t stay. So she looked at Cash, said, “Well, goodnight,” and hurried out of the bar.

* * * * * * * * * *

As Callie had boarded her flight the next morning, she couldn’t help but wish that she’d taken Matt up on his offer to come with her. He’d suggested it again on the Uber ride to the airport, and yet again as they’d stood in line to check in for their flights, when it was definitely too late to do anything about it. And as they’d said goodbye in the terminal, hugging far too long and far too tight for two people who were just friends, he’d asked her to please let him know as soon as she was on the road and to keep him updated every few hours. She’d told him of course she would. It had been hard to let him go; harder than she’d wanted to admit. And now, as she drove her car back to Adam’s, all she could think about was how little she was looking forward to making that cross-country trip all by herself.

Adam had taken a later flight than her, so he wasn’t home yet when she arrived at the house a little before noon; and honestly, she was grateful for it. Maybe she’d be in and out before he even got back. She knew it would be cold of her to do that, just disappear without a trace. But she wasn’t sure she had the nerve to face him. Not now, after she’d realized that everyone’s assumptions about her and Matt weren’t so wrong, after all.

But she tried to just focus on the task at hand as she moved around the house, filling up boxes that she’d bought on the drive there and taping them shut, taking them out to the car as soon as she did. And the more she worked, the more she realized that, aside from her clothes and personal items, there really wasn’t all that much there that was really hers. She tried to chalk it up to the fact that she’d lived there less than six months, but deep down she wondered if it was something else. Maybe this house had just never really felt like home, even when things had been good between them.

She was making one last sweep of the entire place when she heard the front door open. Her heart sank into her stomach. She’d been so close.

He found her in the den, looking at pictures that she didn’t intend to take with her. His eyes were turned down and sad, like they always were these days.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” she returned. “I was actually just finishing up. I had less to pack than I thought.”

He didn’t say anything in response, just nodded with a tight-lipped smile. It only made her want to leave that much quicker.

She moved past him, head down, and hurried back up to the bedroom to do one final check. Her nose burned, but she willed the tears to stay put as she hastily opened drawers and made sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. But the more drawers and corners she checked, the more she just wanted to leave. She didn’t feel comfortable there anymore.

She went back downstairs and into the kitchen. Adam stood next to the island. She grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. He started when she moved to pick up her last box.

“Do you need help?”

“No, I got it,” she said, a little too curtly. She felt bad about it and added, “Thanks, though.”

Even still, Adam opened the door for her. Callie didn’t look at him as she walked out and down the steps to her car. He followed her out. She put the box in the backseat and turned around to face him. His eyes were so blue in the afternoon sun.

“So this is really it?” he asked.

Her nose burned again. She nodded. “It is.”

He nodded and looked away. When he looked back, his eyes were glassy. “Can I just ask… why Matt?”

A tear fell and she stubbornly wiped it away. “He’s just close to home, and I have nowhere else to go. That’s it,” she said, trying her hardest to believe her own lie. Adam looked away again. It was obvious that he didn’t believe it, either.

“I really do love you, Cal,” he said. “I’m sorry it wasn’t enough.”

Callie bit down on her jaw. But there was no stopping the next words that came out of her mouth. “It wasn’t enough because I’m not the only person you love, Adam.”

He didn’t react; she didn’t give him time to. She opened her driver’s side door, climbed behind the wheel, and shut the door on him. And as she started the car and pulled out of his driveway for the last time, his reflection grew blurry in the rearview mirror, smaller and smaller, until he was gone.

* * * * * * * * * *

Alex had to text Adam to check on him. The current weirdness lingering between them didn’t change the fact that he was one of her best friends; it didn’t change that she cared about him. He’d been on her mind all day, knowing what he was going through, knowing what was happening just two hours away. As his friend, she couldn’t in good conscience not check on him.

What she didn’t have to do, however, was ask him if he wanted company. Just for a drink or two, so he wouldn’t have to do it alone. But she did. She didn’t have to make sure she liked the way she looked before she left. But she did. She didn’t have to pick up his favorite pizza and beer on the way over. But she did. And she didn’t have to stay long after the pizza had gone and the sun had slipped beneath the horizon. But she did.

“So she really took everything?”

They sat on opposite ends of the patio couch. Her body was angled toward him, her legs crossed underneath her. He stared blankly into the fire, his legs spread wide, one arm resting on the back of the couch, the other holding his beer.

“Not everything,” he revealed. “She bought the bedspread that’s on the bed right now. I guess she didn’t care to take it.”

There was a thoughtful pause. And then Alex said, “So… should we burn it?”

A corner of his mouth quirked up as he looked at her. “The bedspread?”

“Yeah.”

He shook his head and looked back into the flames. “No. I like it.” And then his smirk disappeared, leaving her to wonder if she’d even seen it at all.

They returned to silence. She took another drink and checked the time on her phone. It was almost ten o’clock. She was on her third beer. She should really stop drinking and leave before she couldn’t anymore.

“She took her key, though.”

She looked back up at him, confused. “Like, she didn’t give you back her house key?”

“Nope. Not unless she left it somewhere I haven’t looked. But I don’t think she did.”

Alex frowned. “Do you think she just forgot?”

“I don’t know,” he returned. “I don’t care.”

She started to tell him he didn’t mean that, but he downed the rest of his beer and stood to get another before she could. When he came back, he sat down closer to her than he’d been before.

“Thank you for coming over,” he said. “You really didn’t have to.”

“Yes I did. You would have done the same for me.”

“Would I?”

She pursed her lips. “Yes. You drove to my house in a panic because I didn’t answer your texts when I was in Philly.”

She bit her lip, suddenly nervous. Back when he’d done that, she hadn’t thought much of it. But knowing what she knew now… it came across in a whole new light. Sort of the way Adam did right now, his hair in a bun and his glasses on. She studied his profile, the way the light from the fire danced shadows across his face. She’d known he was good-looking—she wasn’t blind—but she hadn’t thought about it in years.

She was thinking about it now.

“I was surprised when you asked if I wanted company.”

Alex’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

“Because,” he said. “You’ve been keeping your distance ever since last Saturday.”

He didn’t need to say anything more; she knew exactly what he meant. Last Saturday, at the bar with the guys, when he’d told her in the most roundabout way possible that he had feelings for her. And she trusted that he knew exactly what she meant when she replied, “It’s too much right now, Adam.”

He nodded, somber. “I know.”

Alex glanced down at the beer bottle in her hands, her chest tightening. That was her cue. Like the other night at the hotel bar, she just couldn’t stay anymore.

“It’s getting late, I should go.”

She uncrossed her legs and started to get up—but Adam caught her wrist. “Come on, you can’t drive back now.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“How many have you had?”

“Not even three.”

“That’s past your limit.”

“Adam—”

“Alex,” he gently urged. “I don’t want you driving two hours back home. Please just stay here tonight.”

Alex pressed her lips together. Maybe it was the firm but caring grip of his fingers around her wrist. Maybe it was the look of pleading concern on his face. Or maybe it was just that she knew he was right. It would be better to stay.

“Okay,” she agreed. “But I’m gonna turn in now.”

He nodded. “That’s fine. I just don’t want you to go.”

She gave him a tight smile, and his hand fell away from her as she stood and went back into the house, straight into the guest room. She expelled a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as she turned on the light and closed the door, pressing her forehead against the cool surface. She needed to calm down; she was being stupid right now. She was just staying the night in Adam’s guest room because she shouldn’t risk driving home. She’d done that plenty of times before.

But it’s different this time.

She let out another breath. It was different this time. But she would just pretend it wasn’t.

She moved over to the bed and sunk down onto the mattress. She toed off her shoes, and then she realized that she didn’t have anything she needed to stay the night. No toothbrush or toothpaste. No lens solution or case to take out her contacts. Nothing to sleep in. And she did not want to sleep in her underwear.

She crossed the room and opened the door—and came face-to-face with Adam.

“Jesus,” she breathed. “You scared me.”

“Sorry,” he apologized. He held up a dark blue t-shirt. “I figured you needed something to sleep in.”

She gave him a surprised grin. “I was literally coming to ask you for that.”

He returned the smile and handed her the shirt. It was soft and worn. She imagined it would smell like him when she put it on.

Stop.

“I’d give you sweats or something, but they’d all be way too big,” he said.

“The shirt is fine,” she assured. “Thanks.”

He nodded. “I uh, also figured you’d want to take out your contacts, so…” he held up a contact case and an unopened bottle of lens solution that he’d had in his other hand. “It’s from a new box, so I haven’t used it, or anything.”

Alex stared at the case and bottle for a second before she took them from his outstretched hand. It was such a small gesture, but the fact that he’d even thought of it at all… it made her stomach flutter. And she couldn’t ignore it.

“Thanks, Adam.”

He nodded again. “Yeah.”

She looked down at the things in her hands, rocking back awkwardly on her heels. It felt like she should say something, but she had no idea what.

Adam cleared his throat and she looked back up at him. “Well, if you need anything else, I’ll probably be up for a while longer. And you know where my bedroom is.”

She nodded and looked away again. “Mhm,” she returned, trying not to read too much into his choice of words. It didn’t mean anything. He was just being a good host—a good friend.

“Goodnight, Alex.”

She met his gaze. Genuine, warm… but also undeniably sad. “Goodnight,” she returned.

He gave her a final tight smile and she closed the door. Alex tossed the shirt on the bed and set the lens solution and contact case on the nightstand. She unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, peeled them from her legs and kicked them away from her feet. She pulled her shirt over her head and threw it on top of her jeans, unhooked her bra and cast it aside. Then she grabbed Adam’s shirt and slipped it on. It was comfortable and soft against her skin. And it smelled like him.

* * * * * * * * * *

When Callie saw the “Welcome to California” sign as she crossed the state line from Arizona early Monday afternoon, she could have cried. She’d been driving for the last three days straight, pushing herself to go for as long as possible and stopping only when she needed gas, to use the bathroom, or sleep, staying at cheap hotels in Memphis on Friday night, Amarillo on Saturday, and Flagstaff on Sunday. She couldn’t believe she’d done it; she was proud of herself. Now, there were just three-and-a-half hours left to go. She pressed the gas pedal harder, the thought of seeing Matt again driving her forward.

He’d gotten her through the entire trip. Him and caffeine—but mostly him. He’d texted her every few hours to make sure she was alright. She’d FaceTimed him every night as she’d crawled into bed, secretly wishing he was with her. And with each morning that she woke up and got back on the road, she’d grown more and more eager to get back to him.

Those last three-and-a-half hours flew by. She’d texted him when she was about thirty minutes out, to give him some warning. But when she pulled into his driveway and cut the engine, she didn’t give any warning at all. She jumped out of the car, ran to his front door, and rang the doorbell, her heart hammering in her chest. And when he answered, a sight for sore eyes, she could have cried again.

He smiled. “It’s about—”

But she didn’t cry. She kissed him.

It stunned Matt. But not for long. He wrapped his arms around her back and drew her closer, parted her lips with his tongue, hungrily deepening the kiss. They were both breathless when they broke apart.

He smirked. “As I was saying, it’s about time.”

She playfully rolled her eyes. “Don’t.”

He kissed her again, short and sweet. “Are you hungry?” he asked.

She nodded. “Starving. But can we order in? I really don’t want to get back in a car right now.”

He smiled. “Whatever you want,” he said. And as he took her hand and led her inside, Callie finally felt like she could breathe.

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