Just in case... [a Adam Cole story]

3 Does it still work?

Adam POV

I buried my hands deeper in my pockets as the cold wind blew in my face. It was much cooler than it usually was here in November. But probably it was more due to the wind and the fact that I was damn tired.

With every step I took closer to home, the more uncomfortable I felt. I was just sick and tired of arguing. And now I also had to think about Addison's words. Did we really have more problems than solutions? Was our relationship still working or were we just fooling ourselves?

As I thought about it, I couldn't even think of the last time we had a whole day without any arguments. But nothing came to mind. Then it must have been quite a long time ago. Because even when we were in different places, the arguments continued over phone calls or messages. One thing was certain.... There was no way it could go on like this. Neither of us deserved that.

When I finally arrived home, I prepared myself mentally for what would probably happen again. Maybe I was lucky and Britt was already asleep so that I was spared the conversation that we had to have a little longer. I would just like to have more time to think about everything without her driving me up the walls again.

But after I unlocked the door and went inside, I realized I wasn't so lucky. The angry expression on Britt's face alone told me she was ready for another round of screaming.

"Where the hell have you been? You just left me in the middle of our conversation, Adam!" she hissed with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"That wasn't a conversation, that was a fight. So I apologize if I didn't feel like continuing to have you yell at me. We can talk about it more when you've calmed down a bit." I said, trying to stay as calm as possible before heading towards the bedroom.

"You are not leaving me like that again! Get back here, damn it!" she screeched.

"What the fuck do you want? I'm trying hard to think about how to fix this, but you're not making it very easy. I'm getting more and more the feeling that you're doing it on purpose. Do you really want to break up? If so, be a grown up and say it to my face and don't expect me to do it for you," I replied as I turned to her.

"I... this... that's not... I never said that." stammered Britt now.

"Then what is it? Since I left WWE and came to AEW, you've been acting so different. I thought it would be great to have more time together. But clearly I was wrong about that. Instead, I feel like you're hiding something from me," I continued when nothing came from her.

"You're making a fool of yourself... I think your ego can't stand that I'm the bigger deal in the company. You're used to playing first fiddle and getting everything shoved up your ass, but now you have to start all over again and you don't like it," Britt finally said.

"Oh please! I've always worked hard for everything I've gotten. In every single promotion I worked for. Nothing has been handed to me. I earned it!" I growled, and I could feel my anger rising again.

That had been the reason I had left the house earlier tonight in the first place. So neither of us could say anything we couldn't take back.

But now to hear that I alone should be the problem.... that seemed to me increasingly like a excuse. Whether Britt wanted to admit it or not. My instinct told me that there was more behind it.

For a few minutes we just stood silently facing each other... glaring at each other. Neither of us wanted to give in. But my thoughts were spinning like crazy.

"It just doesn't work anymore, does it?" I asked quietly.

Because when I looked at the woman opposite me I felt that my feelings had changed in recent weeks or even months. However, so slowly that I did not even notice. It was a gradual process. Like the frog in the cooking pot that did not notice how the water was getting hotter and finally boiled him to death.