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❝ I think we have a problem. ❞

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NXT Takeover: San Antonio

After giving The Revival their rematch on a weekly episode of NXT, DIY were preparing to defend their titles against the Authors of Pain the night before the Royal Rumble.

DIY would have Jordan in their corner, as they usually did. The Authors of Pain would have the legendary Paul Ellering in their corner. Based on the previous matches the team had had, Jordan knew she'd have to keep an eye out for Paul.

The Authors of Pain had torn through every team that had been in their path in the short amount of time they'd been in NXT, including beating TM61 to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.  They had an undefeated streak on their side.

Jordan stood backstage with Johnny.  Roderick Strong and Andrade "Cien" Almas were currently in the ring, and once they finished, the tag title match would commence.  The two of them were waiting for Tommaso to arrive.  Jordan wasn't actually sure where he was, but she didn't really question it.

"I should be in the Royal Rumble," Jordan thought out loud.

Johnny looked over at her, an amused yet confused look on his face. "What?"

"Tomorrow," She elaborated. "They should let me be in the Royal Rumble match.  I can come out at number thirty, shocking everybody."

"It's not that I don't think you could eliminate everybody all by yourself," He told her. "But I doubt they're going to let you in the match."

"Why not?"

"Well, to start with, you're in NXT," He said. "You're not even on the main roster, and you've only been here for a few months.  Not everyone is going to know you.  If they were planning on having another lady in the Rumble, they'd probably choose someone on the main roster.  Or Asuka."

"I've changed my mind," She said. "I want Asuka to be in the Royal Rumble, instead."

"It's not that I disagree with you," A voice behind Jordan said, and when she turned around, it was Tommaso, "But why would Asuka be in the Royal Rumble?"

"Why wouldn't she be in the Royal Rumble?" Jordan countered.

"Were you really expecting a different answer?" Johnny asked, a smirk on his face.

"One of these days..." Tommaso mumbled, shaking his head.  Jordan laughed.

A few seconds later, Andrade Almas walked backstage, and shortly after, Roderick Strong arrived, too.

"I guess it's our time now," Jordan said.

"It's always our time," Johnny corrected, and his hands found his way to the NXT tag title wrapped around his waist.

Then...

"And their opponents, at a combined weight of 400 pounds, being accompanied to the ring by Jordan Lee, they are the NXT Tag Team Champions: Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa -- DIY!"

X X X

"Here are your winners, and new NXT Tag Team Champions: The Authors of Pain!"

There was so much going on around Jordan that she couldn't make out any one sound.  Everything was happening at once, and all the noise around her was just a muffled buzzing.

It was like everything was moving in slow motion.  She watched as Akam and Rezar were handed the NXT tag titles, and they raised them in the air.  Paul Ellering joined them, standing between the two men.

She saw Johnny in the ring, on his knees, a defeated look on his face.  Tommaso still lay on the mat, as he was the one to be pinned.  Slowly (though, at this point, she couldn't be sure if he was really moving slowly, or if it was just her mind playing tricks on her), he also got on his knees, and he and Johnny both watched Paul Ellering and his Authors celebrate their newly won titles.

Jordan took a deep breath, and suddenly, everything went back to normal.

She became aware of the crowd booing.  Akam and Rezar were yelling, but since it wasn't in English, she wasn't sure what was being said.  Paul Ellering, on the other hand, was speaking English, and he was gloating.

She made her way around the ring, remaining outside of it, and stopped by where Johnny and Tommaso were.

Tommaso noticed her first, and he rolled out of the ring.  A second later, Johnny did the same, and when he was standing next to her, Jordan's heart nearly broke.

His expression was a combination of sadness and defeat, two things someone -- especially a wrestler -- hates to feel.

She thought about his face the whole time they walked up the ramp and backstage.

Once they arrived, they were greeted by Candice and Tommaso's wife, Jessie.  When Candice wrapped her arms around Johnny's frame, Jordan suddenly felt something new, something unwelcome: jealousy.

She knew it was silly to think; Candice was one of the sweetest people she knew, and she'd never seen Johnny as happy as he was when they were together.

But still, unwanted and vile thoughts began creeping into Jordan's head.

That should be Jordan hugging Johnny, comforting him, telling him how proud she is of him.  She should be the one he goes home to every night, the one he talks to about all his problems.  She should be the one he looks forward to seeing every morning when he wakes up, or the one that causes him to count down the minutes until they're together again.

She should be the one he was in love with.

Suddenly, all the noise around Jordan stopped again, like it had just a few minutes before, and the only thing she could hear was her heartbeat, which was going much faster than usual.

Up until that moment, Jordan had been able to distance herself from Johnny in her mind.  She had always thought, This is just a silly little crush.  It'll go away soon.

And for the most part, that had convinced her.  It was just like she was in elementary school again, and the boy across the classroom was cute.  But by the next week, she was already interested in someone else.

But that had never happened.  Every single week, she found herself thinking about Johnny, and only Johnny.  She never found herself daydreaming or just thinking about any other guys (or any other people in general).

Tonight, though, was the first time she'd ever thought the word love when it came to him.  She didn't flat out say I love him, but the fact that she even considered the word freaked her out.

And when she looked over at Candice, who had a concerned look on her face, Jordan knew she was in the wrong.  She had no right to like, or love, or whatever it was she was feeling, this man who was engaged.  He was engaged to someone who was perfect for him in every way, to someone who loved him more than anyone else. 

She was just the girl who walked him out to the ring.  That's all he saw her as, too, so she didn't know why she couldn't accept that fact.

After another deep breath, everything was back to normal, though Jordan could still hear her heartbeat.

She approached Tommaso, who was talking to his wife.

He looked over at her.  When he saw her face, he frowned. "Is everything okay?"

She thought she'd been able to hide her fear, but apparently she hadn't.

Jordan simply said, "I think we have a problem."

***

As we get close to the end of this book, I just want to remind y'all that Tommaso doesn't get injured in this + a few things will be happening at times that are different from when they originally occurred.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)