Phenomenal ▹ STYLES [COMPLETED]

• Chapter 4 •

Later That Same Night...

After AJ showered and got changed into something a little more decent (which I did as well), he showed me some kindness I thought I would never see from a man. He escorted me to the rented black SUV, held the door open for me, and smiled every time I even glanced over at him.

Despite his very kind acts towards me, he was starting to act seemingly weird. I think it's been ever since he took off his old wedding ring earlier in the night before his match. He was acting more happy and put together.

Did that ring carry some kind of disease when he wore it? Unfortunately, that's called heartbreak in his case. It was just there to be that constant reminder of what could've lasted forever.

"You think you'll ever get married again if you actually fall in love with someone else?" I suddenly found myself asking AJ, which literally fell right out of my mouth. I didn't mean to come off as that and by the deflated grin on his face, I know that I shouldn't have asked to begin with.

"Well," he breathed out, probably not expecting that to be one of the first things I ask him as we're up and going to dinner. "I don't think it's possible." With that already said, I sighed and my heart fell down to the pit of my stomach. "Then again, anything is really possible." I tried to hide the huge grin I held on my face.

"I didn't mean to ask like that," I tried to explain myself and previous action. "I feel that I might of come off a bit too harsh, y'know?"

"Nah, don't worry 'bout it," he waved it away and it seemingly mellowed me. "But, the way I look at it, Britt, is that I'm thirty-eight years old – on the verge of being thirty-nine in June – and was married for about twenty years. I have four kids with her and the youngest is only two years old." He paused to take a breath and to put on his turn signal to go left. He swept his hair out of his face as well. "I made the stupid mistake of choosing my dream in the WWE over my family, I guess. Well, that's how Wendy looked at it as, anyway."

Before I knew it, he was turning into a packed O'Charley's parking lot. In all honesty, I don't think I would've replied to him even if I have had the chance to do so, considering the fact that I didn't know if what I wanted to hear next would be best.

AJ actually ended up finding a parking place and soon ended up turning the vehicle off. He took off his seatbelt and made his way out on his side. I began to open my door until I saw AJ standing there, opening it the rest of the way for me. Since the truck was more higher up, AJ offered his hand to help me out. I happily accepted, of course.

A matter of fact, after he locked the rented SUV, he offered me his whole left bicep arm. I looped my hands all around it and easily melted into him like butter in a hot baked potato. Although his arms were covered by a short-sleeved plain black t-shirt, I could still easily see his biceps peeking out.

He was about to open the door for us when a small group of people came out instead. They shuffled passed us laughing and talking rather very loudly. Despite that, we shook them off quickly and made our way inside where a few people were sitting around waiting in the lobby area.

We stood in line patiently and the hands I had around his bicep began to slip. My left hand returned back to my side while my right hand literally slid down towards AJ's hand, which was without gloves or his wedding ring. I brushed it against his accidentally and smiled up at him as an apology. He smiled back, of course, like it didn't affect him at all.