Phenomenal ▹ STYLES [COMPLETED]

• Chapter 3 •

— Ten Months Earlier —

"Hey, redneck, what's up?" I asked of my very best friend, AJ Styles, over a phone call. We were currently in two different places. I'm in Florida working under NXT while he's in the big leagues of the main roster. We called each other as much as we could, though.

"Hey, Britt," he said in a down and depressing tone. It's not one I'm familiar with when it comes to him. "Do you, maybe, got a minute to talk?"

I was currently at my apartment in Orlando, Florida, so I took a seat on my bed and felt fear enter my body. What was going on with him? "Yeah, of course. What's up? Are you alright?"

I heard him sigh and then answer, "Technically, I'm not, no. It's bad, Britt."

Oh, God. "Well, hey, you can tell me," I reminded him, trying to make my heart calm down in my chest. "You can tell me anything. What's going on, AJ?"

"It's horrible," he simply said and I heard him whimper afterwards. "I'm sorry. I'm just... Oh, God."

"Alan Jones, you better tell me what the fuck is going on right now or I'm going to hop on a flight and go where you are right now," I threatened, already hopping up and contemplate getting my stuff together. Suddenly, there's a knock at my door. "Hold on, AJ, somebody's at the door." I pressed my phone against my chest to avoid further conversation for the time-being.

I opened my door and was immediately greeted by somebody wrapping their warm and welcoming embrace around me. After a few seconds, I realized who the stranger was. It was AJ, himself, and in person.

"AJ," I breathed out his name and wrapped my arms around him the best I could. "What are you doing here?"

He began to whimper and actually cry on my shoulder, and I felt like I just couldn't do a damn thing to stop it at this point. I patted and rubbed his back as my attempt to sooth his pain. Nothing would help his broken heart, though. Not even me, admittedly.

I found out only a minute later that his wife of twenty long years had sent him the divorce papers for him to sign. She couldn't take it anymore with him always on the road. And no matter what he told and promised her, she wouldn't take him back, either.

• • •

— Present Day, Later That Night —

I watched as AJ twirled his old wedding ring around his finger. He's done that every day since the divorce, like it would make his wife come back. Nothing, unfortunately, would make her come back.

"AJ, Eliza," I perched my head up to see a man standing in the doorway of our locker room. "You guys are up for your entrance next."

"Alright, thanks," I went ahead and thanked the man, standing up. I sneaked a quick peek at my attire to make sure it looked good (see picture above). AJ stood up also, suddenly taking off his wedding ring and placing it gently in his backpack he always travels with. "What? No wedding ring today?" He always hid it underneath his gloves, so he wouldn't actually have to take it off.

He shook his head and held a flatline smirk on his face. "No, Britt, I think I'm going to try something new tonight and put it away for a while," he admitted and gulped afterwards.