The Demon and Me

Chapter 3

Bayley nibbled on her slice of pepperoni pizza. The pair sat in an uncomfortable silence, each picking at pizza and judging the situation.

"Look, Pam." Fergal sighed, "What the hell happened to you?"
Bayley looked up into his eyes, before she knew it she was wailing, "It's Aaron. I saw him... in the bed.... the lady- with. He-He he was cheating." Bayley stumbled over her words.

Instantly, Fergal felt a mixture of emotions raging inside of him, threatening to explode. He was conflicted, he wanted to comfort Bayley, but he also wanted to beat the shit out of her scumbag boyfriend.
He went with the former, pulling her in towards his chest. He held her, deciding that beating up Aaron Solow could wait.
Something inside him stirred, he felt a desire to protect the girl crumpled in his arms. He focused on her ragged little breaths. Pulling her tighter as he tried to hug away her pain. His hands made slow circles on her back, his fingers played with a lock of her hair, his lips pressed softly on her forehead.
He didn't know how to process the new feelings he felt emerging for his best friend, but he knew that he wanted to hold her like this for the rest of his life.

"Fuck him." He muttered. "Pam, you deserve so much better. I-I promise you, this pain will pass."

Bayley could not utter a word in reply, she felt as though she had crumbled.

Gently, Fergal began to lift Bayley in his arms, he moved into the next room and placed her on his bed. "Look you can sleep here for tonight, I'll sleep on the sofa. You need some rest okay?" He pulled the duvet up over her, tucking her in.
Fergal found himself just staring at her tired, little face. Her bloodshot eyes, struggling to stay awake. With his thumb, he wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Fergal, just stay with me tonight? Please." There was despair in her eyes and her voice trembled.
He was dumbfounded, unsure quite how to respond to such a request. But her big brown eyes told so much pain. He couldn't leave her alone, not tonight.
"Okay." Fergal climbed into the bed, next to her. She reached for him, pulling herself over into his arms.

Before Fergal knew it, his best friend was lightly snoring. He knew however that her dreams would not be happy ones tonight and his heart hurt for her. How could good people suffer so much?

As he watched her pained expression, Fergal began to wonder why he had been hit by such emotion at seeing her so hurt. He reassured himself, 'it's just because she's my best friend, of course I care for her like a friend.' But the more Fergal watched her sleep the more he began to question his own thoughts. Maybe there was something else there. Maybe, he began to think, maybe he liked her in a way that was more than friendly.

He woke up startled. He slept? Fergal was confused, it was not like him to doze off so easily; insomnia had plagued him for years. Yet, with this fragile, broken girl in his arms; Fergal had slept all night. The sun shone through the cracks in the blind, leaking into the small room and illuminating it with bright light.
His attention was directed then to the girl in his arms, his best friend. Who was always so sunny and so positive, and who still only received pain in return. He sighed, the world just was not fair on Bayley.
She began to wake, her mind still foggy from the heartbreaking night beforehand.
"Hey." He whispered.
She plastered a half smile on her face, as she adjusted her eyes to the light.

He climbed out of his bed, heading towards the kitchen where he proceeded to brew some coffee and stick a few slices of bread in the toaster.
At this point he saw Bayley at the doorway. Her hair messy from sleep, her eyes bloodshot and tired, a emotionless expression on her pretty face as though she was still numb to the world.
He couldn't help but stare at her, she was still wearing his clothing. It dawned on Fergal that he was attracted to his friend. Immediately he felt pangs of guilt, his best friend was heartbroken and yet all he could think was how cute she looked in his t-shirt.

He buttered the toast, handing her two slices along with a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
"Thank you." She tried to smile, "Thank you for everything Devitt."
"Honestly, there's no need-" He began.
"I'm so sorry Fergal." She tried not to cry again, "I'm sorry you had to deal with this I-I."
"Why on earth are you sorry?" He was shocked by her apology. How could she feel as though she was in the wrong?
"I-I" Bayley's tears were now falling down her cheeks.
He pulled her into a hug, "Pam, you have NOTHING to be sorry for. If anyone should be sorry it should be that exboyfriend of yours. He didn't deserve you Pam." Fergal tried to comfort her, knowing fully that his best friend tended to blame herself for any bad situation. "I'm going to call Mercedes," He spoke of one of Bayley's closest friends, Sasha Banks, "You're going to get the next flight out to meet with her and the rest of the Raw roster. I know you Pam, as soon as you get in that ring you're going to feel ten times better."
She nodded, knowing that she needed direction; too broken to think logically for herself.
"I only wish I could come with you." He sighed, pointing to the injured arm that prevented him from returning to his work.

He broke the hug, pulling his phone from his pocket and calling Mercedes.