"YOU'RE finally here!" Candice LeRae cheered before throwing her arms around my neck and dragging me down to her level. "I can't believe it!"

"Believe it," I choked out since she had such a tight grip around my neck. "But, um... I'm gonna need you not to choke me right now, Candi."

"Oh! Sorry," she quickly apologized and let go of me, scratching the back of her neck. "So, have you been by your newest apartment yet?"

I shook my head and answered: "No, not yet. I came here first, hoping to find you and I did."

Candice LeRae was, by far, one of my closest friends that I have ever had. We met years ago in the Independent scenes of wrestling. Not only did I meet her, but I met her now-husband, Johnny Gargano, too. I've met a lot of people along the way that are now here in the WWE as well.

Other than being close to Candice and Johnny, I was also very close to other Independent wrestlers, too, such as Chelsea Green. She was my other-half, but, unfortunately, she wasn't here in WWE with Candice and myself. She was still in the Independent scenes, but she was doing some successful work, though. I admire her.

The doors to the Performance Center opened wide and, somehow, there was this bright light that followed before a dark figure stood there. Candice and I just stood there, somewhat confused and nervous, waiting on the sun to clear for us to see who it was.

"Oh... Ladies!" The woman exclaimed this before we could see who it was. She came inside, closing the double-doors behind herself, and posed. "Did you miss me?"

So, other than Candice and Chelsea, there was Bianca Masterson. Otherwise known as just Bianca Butterfly, believe it or not. She and I looked a lot alike, mistaken as sisters all the time. None only was I signed to NXT recently, she was, too, so I wouldn't be all alone.

Although I have a whole lot of girls that are my friends, I also have a lot of guy-friends, too. People include Johnny (of course), Joey Ryan, Adam Cole, and Ricochet. I never have really fought with any girls in the ring, only guys, which leaves me with the question of rather or not I will be doing the same here or not. I have to change it up eventually, I guess.

"Nicole!" Bianca exclaimed and ran over to me, running over like she was trying to avoid imaginary lava on the ground. She nearly ambushed me, like Candice did, and helped me before I fell back on the ground with her. "Show Candi your ring!"

"Oh, yeah," Candice immediately agreed with her eyes lit up. "I haven't seen it in person yet! Let me see it!"

"Yeah, well, I—"

Before I could finish what I was saying, Bianca snatched my left hand and threw it into Candice's view. However, the ring wasn't there and they both immediately looked up at me in confusion.

"Where's your ring?!" Bianca panicked, thinking the worse already.

"Well, if you had let me finish what I was just trying to say," I began, talking to her like a child, "I was going to tell you that I took it off earlier because I didn't want to lose it."

"Oh," Bianca breathed out in a sigh of relief, wiping off invisible sweat from her forehead. "I was 'bout to say..."

Unfortunately, they didn't know the truth and couldn't, either. My dear fiancé was probably somewhere around here when he's not in the U.K. He would question it — if he even notices, that is. It'll be a miracle if he does.

When I'm not really around anyone, including him, or wrestling, I never have it on. It's not because I don't like it — because I do. It's just that I don't want everyone and their brother to know I'm engaged just yet. I love Pete, but our business is just that — our business. Not everyone needs to know just yet.

"Speaking of which," Candice squeaked out with her hands on her hips, "where is your lovely fiancé, anyways?"

I shrugged and stammered out: "Don't know. He said that he'll be here around two or so. It's only — what? — one-thirty now?"

"Yeah," Candice agreed after glancing down at her phone's time. "So, since being engaged, how has things been for y'all?"

That was a question that I couldn't answer without telling a little white lie or telling the bloody and brutal truth. Pete and I were fine — and that's what scares me the most. We've never been so good and it's scary since I'm just waiting, at this point, for him to snap and say that the engagement is off. His moods were fast and scary sometimes.

"We're good," I decided to somewhat lie with a careless shrug. "How are you and Johnny?"

"Oh, we're—"

"Awesome," someone answered instead and it was Johnny, who came up and placed his arms over Candice and myself. He kissed my cheek, like he has always done to tease me, and grinned. "Nicole, you're here!"

"I'm here," I giggled, always feeling automatically silly around Johnny. "You scared me, by the way."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," he apologized before he kissed my cheek again and, then, his wife's, so she wouldn't feel left out. He took his arms from being on us and straightened himself, noticing Bianca as well. "B, you're here, too. That's awesome."

"In the flesh," she commented with this imaginary bright halo over her head. "Now, where's Ricochet at?"

All in one exact motion, I managed to roll my eyes, huff and puff, and slap my face with my hand. Bianca was absolutely dead drop gorgeous, could have anyone in the world that she wanted, and, yet... She continues to choose Trevor Mann, otherwise just known as Ricochet.

Don't get me wrong, I love Ricochet. He's one of my closest friends from my days in the Indies. He's not exactly the problem. Bianca is the problem because she continues to try to get with him when she knows good and well that he isn't interested. It's only because he has always seen her as just his "really good friend." His words, not mine.

"Working out in the other room," Johnny answered innocently with a careless shrug. "Why?"

"Johnny, NO—"

"Thanks, Johnny," Bianca smiled from ear to ear before she spun around on her heel and legitimately flew away before Candice or I could catch her.

"Dammit, Johnny," I cursed before hitting his chest and he flinched, holding it with his mouth wide open. "You shouldn't have told her."

"Why?" Johnny asked innocently, eyebrows together in question. "She wanted to know."

"So that she could go and bother him," Candice spoke before I could, preaching the truth here. "She's legitimately in love with him and he won't give her a chance because that's just his friend."

"Well, so—"

"She just keeps going back to him, hoping he'll change his mind every time," I growled, cutting Johnny off before he got started, and rolled my eyes afterwards, having my own hands on my hips now. "He won't, by the way."

"Why not?" Johnny asked, obviously in the dark about all these past years, apparently. "Maybe I could take to him about her and—"

"What are you gonna say, genius?" Candice cut him off now and rolled her eyes, too. "'Oh, Trevor, man. Look at Bianca. She's hot, huh? You should get with her before I do.' You're married, you idiot."

"What? No, I wouldn't say that," Johnny tried telling his lovely wife now. "I would just try and convince him that she's grown-up a lot lately and he should finally give her a chance."

I seen the good in Johnny's heart, like I've always have, but he just doesn't get it yet. "Okay, Johnny, thank you, but," I paused for a second, "don't you think we've tried that already?"

Johnny shrugged before crossing his arms over his chest and asked: "Well, have you tried telling him that you're finally gonna get with her if he doesn't?"

As soon as the words fell out of his month, my mouth hit the floor before I slapped his arm as hard as I could. He started laughing really loud before he ran away before I could chase him. He's disgusting sometimes.

"I can't honestly believe that you're married to him, sometimes," I rolled my eyes to Candice and crossed my arms over my chest. "How did he convince you to marry him again...?"

She smiled and chuckled: "It just happened, I guess."

"I suppose," I quickly mumbled and shook my head.

"Like with you and Pete," she suddenly blurted out, which surprised me. "You're 'bout to join the marriage club with myself and Johnny."

"Yeah, but you and Johnny were legitimately made for each other," I pointed out with a sigh. "Pete and I... Not so much."

"Oh, I know that you guys have had your problems before, but," she paused to get some stray hair out of her face, "he proposed to you, Nik. That's gotta mean something, y'know? He wouldn't have done it if he didn't want to spend the rest of his life with you. Maybe he's finally grown-up, too."

"Maybe," I sighed and shrugged, now looking away. I didn't want to face or even discuss my problems, especially with Candice — who has the perfect marriage compared to any relationship that I have ever had. When I say that those two were made for each other, I freaking mean it, too.

"Speak of the devil...," Candice suddenly said before I looked up and seen the doors to the Performance Center open up.

Pete was walking in with his good buddy and on-screen rival, Tyler Bate. His hair was pulled back in a man-bun type of ponytail. He looked up and noticed that I was standing there, so he left his current conversation with Tyler to float over to me while I remained standing by Candice.

"Hey," he breathed out to me before slowly expending his arms before he wrapping them around me and giving me a squeeze. I allowed him to wrap me up and hold me, while my head laid on his shoulder and my arms wrapped around his stomach.

He suddenly let go of me and I fell back for a moment before he caught me by the wrist and brought me back to where he was. He leaned in and kissed me so deeply, lasting approximately five or so seconds long. He kind of caught me by surprise, to be honest. "I'm glad that you're finally here," he smiled and his right hand grabbed ahold of both of mine, squeezing them.

"Me, too," I tried convincing him and innocently shrugged. Pete, my fiancé, was the reigning and defending U.K. Champion of WWE. When he's not in the U.K., he's over here in NXT and having matches with others here. So, all in all, I'll see him more now.

"When yah gonna go to your new apartment?" Pete asked, continuing the conversation further. "You haven't been there yet?"

I shook my head and told him: "I haven't, no. Wanted to come here first and see Candice."

"Oh, okay," he muttered back and slowly nodded. "I'm gonna go work-out for a little bit. Let me know when you go."

"I will," I quickly claimed and nodded, too.

He leaned back in and pecked my lips quickly. "Alright," he said as his farewell before turning his back on me and walking away with Tyler beside him. He didn't even notice that I didn't have my ring on. No surprise there.

Finally, after he and Tyler left, I turned back around to face Candice. "Sorry 'bout that," I apologized with a heavy sigh. "Maybe we should go with them to go in there and save Trevor from B."

"Yeah," Candice quickly nodded with a smile. "Let's go do that now."

• This KINDA OF sucked, but... It'll all come together soon, I promise. So, I decided at the last minute that Nicole's nickname for her actual name would be just 'Nik' and 'Nikki' — which is really cute. Also, can we pretend in my own little world that Ricochet isn't with/engaged to Tessa. Wait... Are they engaged now or just dating? Either way, in my little world here, let's pretend that they're not together and... Tessa doesn't exist, even tho I love her very much! Alright? Cool! LOLZ 🦑 All the love .xx •