- CHAPTER NINE -
"A BEST FRIEND IS THERE EVEN IN THE DARKEST MOMENTS."
"Thanks, Seth, for not answering your phone last night," Beth sarcastically spoke, harshly grabbing the keys to her rental car from the hotel table as he ate his complimentary breakfast. Though the smells were delightful, Beth was in no mood to eat after the events the night before with Finn.
Mid-chew, the wrestler shrugged as he responded, "I was busy."
"You were fucking my sister, Seth. I'm no idiot," the quick-witted nature rising inside of Beth. Finn had brought that out of her during their months of training together.
Seth had almost choked on his mouthful of eggs as Beth spoke, not expecting such an honest answer from her as she usually filtered her words unless she was out in the ring. He was taken aback by her behavior, knowing that some other environmental force must have caused it.
Judging by the bags under her eyes, he knew he was right.
The brunette furrowed his eyebrows at the girl whom he considered a sister. "What happened to you last night?" he asked, concerned for her well-being.
Beth's brown eyes rolled at the boy. "What makes you think something bad happened?" she questioned, agitation evident in her voice. As much as she wanted to hide her emotions, Beth Lynch was not the girl who could do so. One way or another, she was an open book.
"Beth, no offense, but you look horrible. Did someone do something to you? Someone on the roster? I thought you promised to come to me if they gave you any trouble," Seth worried, Beth feeling as if he was staring daggers through her.
As much as she trusted him with everything, she could not tell him what was wrong. It had to be kept a secret from everyone—including Becky. Beth and Finn would always have to keep the secret of their youthful relationship because it was against the law. She wasn't an official adult when the two fell for one another.
This idea hurt Beth because she knew that Seth was going to be there for her. He always had been. He had proven himself worthy of her trust—yet she still had to keep the secret.
But that's what the problem was: Beth was always going to be Finn's dirty little secret.
Beth was prepared to live a life full of lies if it meant she could call herself Finn's. She was prepared to ruin every friendship she had for that man. How long will it take before she realizes that it's not worth it anymore? That she wasn't worth it to Finn?
Beth swallowed thickly at the thought. "I just—I didn't sleep well last night," she slightly lied, praying that Seth was too caught up in his breakfast to realize. Her hope was unsuccessful. Seth's brown eyes stared into her own as she recognized his look, wanting her to drop the veil.
Luckily, Becky saved the day.
"Good morning, babe," her Irish accent spoke as she kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair. Seth hesitantly turned his attention away from the girl he considered a sister to admire his girlfriend.
Beth hoped that one day she would have a man that loved her as much as Seth loved Becky. She hoped that Finn would be that man. But, some dreams are just too far out of reach.
Becky turned and noticed her sister at the other end of the table. Nodding her head, she gave a quick introduction of "Beth" before turning her attention back to her boyfriend.
This wasn't unusual between the two of them. Though they were sisters, their communication has been even worse than before their latest fight. Becky had quite the temper but would generally get over things quickly; however her anger towards Beth didn't fade this time. For what, Beth didn't know.
Sighing, Beth decided that her presence was no longer needed at the table. She felt as if she was under appreciated, but shook the thought off. Becky and Seth were practically in a honeymoon phase, she needed to respect that.
That's what Beth did, she shook the thought off and replaced it with another one that made the situation less dire. She was too selfless for her own good, just like Finn thought.
"I'll see you guys in a few days," Beth spoke. "Becky and I will finally get to go home."
Of course, she was referring to the European Tour that the company ventured on every year. Dublin was one of the first cities they would be visiting for shows, and Beth could not be more excited to go home.
She didn't have the best memories of home: her mother died there. But, she had the thought of Finn, and everything they did together.
Beth Lynch did her damndest to find the beauty in even the ugliest of situations. Now, with Finn's disappointing answer the night before, she was relying on that more than ever.
Finn sighed heavily as he stormed through the door to the The Club's locker room. He was lost, confused, and not in the right mindset for their house show in just a few hours. Beth was the only thing on his mind.
He couldn't understand why he felt so guilty, so regretful of his words spoken to Beth. Finn Bálor wanted to rid Beth of his life forever to avoid another heartbreak—she was too selfless, she chose Becky over him. Why was he suddenly so ready to forgive her? Why did he want Beth back?
AJ had been the only one in the locker room at the time, only helping Finn's predicament. The southern boy knew that something was going on between the two, but he still was in the dark about what. In Finn's mind, he's the only one that could help him.
"You alright?" AJ asked, washing his hands at the sink as Finn's body plopped onto the couch. He hadn't given Finn's frustration much thought until he saw those blue eyes look distant. "Finn?" He asked again, trying to grab his friend's attention.
The Irishman remained silent, afraid that if he talked, he would lose control. The demons of his past were haunting him more than ever, blaming him for what happened—blaming him for feeling this way.
The shorter male threw the paper towel away before taking a deep breath and placing himself next to Finn, turning the television off in front of them to avoid any distractions. "Okay," he spoke, "what's wrong?"
"She was never supposed to come back into my life," Finn croaked, so quiet that AJ struggled to hear even in the silent locker room.
'She' was referring to Beth. AJ wasn't stupid. But it was what happened between Beth and Finn that was still a mystery to him. "What happened between you and Beth, Finn?" he asked, calmly.
Finn felt like he was on the verge of crying, yet he stopped himself because he was angry. Why had he acted the way he had? Why had Beth betrayed him? Why couldn't they have lived their own happily ever after? Why did he have to keep them a secret?
His icy blue eyes, strained with red from his tears threatening to spill, found AJ's. Finn's jaw contracted as a lump formed in his throat and he contemplated letting a secret out that he swore to secrecy to protect him and Beth. Finn Bálor was risking it all.
"I—I can't," Finn stuttered, his mind becoming crazed on too many ideas as his demons threatened to spill.
AJ had remained calm through it all. "Yes, you can, Finn. Trust me," he spoke. "I would never tell your secret."
Finn knew AJ was sincere. AJ had been with Finn through it all, knowing that he had his own faults just like any one else. AJ was a true friend.
The Irishman started slow, needing to warm up to the idea that he would finally spill his secret. He couldn't tell if the feeling he had was freedom or fear, but he continued nonetheless. Otherwise, Finn Bálor would not be able to continue on.
"Beth came to me to train when she was fifteen years old. I was twenty-five," his accent explained, his eyes wondering around the locker room again, not knowing if he should be ashamed by the next sentence he was about to speak. Finn's head turned to the ground, but looked back into AJ's eyes for reassurance as he said, "Beth and I fell in love when she was seventeen and I was twenty-seven."
AJ kept a straight face through it all, though the pieces were starting to connect as he realized the truth behind Finn and Beth—they were lovers with a ten-year age gap. The two had to swear to secrecy in order to protect themselves and their reputations, because Beth was not considered to be an adult. He wasn't sure how age worked in Ireland, but AJ knew that an adult was considered eighteen in America. Besides, the fact that he had been her mentor was a cause for concern as many people would begin to assume horrible things about the two of them.
He didn't judge Finn. For the record, AJ knew Finn hadn't been in a real relationship in a long time because his heart had been broken—the thought made AJ realize that Finn had avoided relationships for so long because Beth had broke his heart.
No wonder Finn had been treating her the way he had.
Finn's eyes began to let the tears slip one by one. "And then, Beth's mother died. And I promised Mary I would always be there for Beth—I promised," Finn's sad eyes pleaded with AJ, as if he had done something horribly wrong. "We went to Japan together—Becky wanted to stay in America and Beth had nothing left in Ireland. By then, she was eighteen, but I always worried about me, and how I would be perceived dating someone ten years younger, you know?"
AJ nodded his head, "I know." He understood exactly why Finn felt the way he had. The southern boy couldn't imagine how Finn must have felt loving someone that he couldn't show off.
Finn's pale hand wiped his face of the fallen tears, his heart pounding. The words continued to spill out of his mouth without thinking.
Finn told AJ everything. He told him how Beth had used up all of the money she received from New Japan and gave it to Becky for one last tryout with the WWE, instead of using it herself. Finn had paid for housing and hotel rooms, food, and so much more just so Beth could fly to America and tryout for the WWE. It had been her dream, just like Becky, but Becky had given up on it. Beth used Finn to help her sister, and ended up homeless because of it. She lied to Finn. She chose Becky over him.
"I've tried to forgive her for ten years, AJ, but I can't. Why does she still drive me crazy?" Finn asked, so confused with his emotions even after ten long years of dealing with them.
AJ had contemplated the idea for a few moments. Then, a smirk appeared on his face as his hand grazed his chin. "You still love her, Finn. And you know that," AJ smiled. "And I think a small part of you is scared that if you let her back into your life, Beth will hurt you again. But, you have hurt her, too. That's what love is, Finn. It's not perfect—you'll hurt each other. Love is about understanding and patience. She was young, Finn. Her selflessness is her best quality and biggest flaw. And you love that about her, even if it drives you crazy sometimes."
As AJ spoke Finn shook his head, as if what he was saying couldn't be true. He couldn't love Beth—but he knew he did.
Beth can't be his secret anymore.
AJ saw Finn as he searched his emotions and continued to reason with him. "Finn, you think that you would never deserve her in a million years, yet she still loves you unconditionally."
"What if I don't know what I want anymore?" Finn croaked. He was unsure if Beth was what he wanted; if he wanted to get heartbroken again. He loved Beth so hard. He continued, his lip quivering as he said, "what if I'm still scared that she'll hurt me again?"
AJ gave a small, straight-line smile to his friend, knowing that Finn went through a horrible heartbreak with Beth. Nothing has ever bothered him like this.
"It's okay to not know what you want, Finn," AJ reassured him. "But, it's been ten years. Beth loves you, but she might give up if she thinks you are over her for sure."
There was a pause, then AJ spoke once again.
"Sometimes, a love like hers destroys a person until there's nothing left."
...