My life is an open book... read with caution. @caramara3 - Tumblr Blog

May 27, 2025

CHANGE MY MIND

SUMMARY: Josh and Alina are great friends most days. Other days, they want to tear each other apart. Some days, they’re in love with each other, but neither of them will admit it.

*DISCLAIMER: This is a multi-part series. I do not own any of the characters in the writing except for the OC. The book uses actual names of wrestlers. Josh is Jey, Jon is Jimmy, Trinity is Naomi, and Alina is Alina. The book is not realistic and does not take place during real events, but some actual events (matches, storylines) could pop up in the story eventually. I DO NOT GIVE ANYONE PERMISSION TO TRANSLATE OR REPOST MY WRITINGS ANYWHERE. THAAAAAANKS. *

PAIRING: Jey Uso x Black OC

TROPE: Friends to Lovers

WARNINGS: Language/Fluff

WORD COUNT: 4.6K

PART FOURTEEN

PART FIFTEEN

Josh needed an early morning gym session after the events of last night. What was supposed to be a peaceful night with his lady after a long week of traveling and house hunting quickly became emotionally heavy. Alina had lost her best friend, someone she considered a sister, behind her ex, and was struggling to process it. Twenty years of friendship were gone in a night, in sixty minutes. Alina would eventually fall asleep in his arms last night, passing out from the amount of crying she had done.

“Do we need to come up there?” Trinity asks, curled into the corner of her couch. Jon’s head was in her lap as he lay on the sofa with their smallest pup, Tank, sleeping in his arms. “We can be on the first flight out.” She adds.

As if the couple could see him, Josh would shake his head. “Nah, I got her.” He grumbles. “I just hate seeing her like this.” He confesses. His woman was hurting, and there wasn’t much he could do about it outside of letting her feel her feelings and supporting her.

“Shit, you know how I feel about the whole situation,” Jon grumbles, causing his twin to roll his eyes. There he goes talking about fighting again. “Keeping the peace doesn’t matter if he’s robbing you of yours. Defend your damn house when it’s under attack.” He finishes.

Josh props his arm up on the door, leaning his head and weight onto it. He sighs softly, his eyes closing in the process. He knew his brother was right, but he also knew that Alina wouldn’t want that. He had to think about her now, it wasn’t just him anymore. “I know, bruh, I know.” He says, opening his eyes. “Let me get in this house. I’ll talk to y’all later.” He says.

“Alright, love you,” Trin says.

“Love y’all too.”

The call ends, throwing Josh back into deafening silence. His brother’s words lingered like smoke, forcing him to sit with them for several moments. Jon was right, as much as Josh didn’t want to admit it. Theo was robbing his home of peace and had no care about how it made them feel. He was the center of arguments, the cause of Alina’s traumas, and now the reason Alina’s oldest and most important friendship was no more. He was the reason for her tears, for the pain she was feeling currently, and Josh didn’t like that.

As a man, Josh believes it is his duty to protect the ones he loves most. If someone harms someone he loves, however that may be, he has to handle that––that was always how he’s done things. The fact that he isn’t allowed to touch Theo angered him. After everything he’s done, he should be able to whoop his ass, but again, Alina didn’t want that. She never allowed anyone to fight her battles for her, especially if she couldn’t control the outcome. But this was no longer just her battle; it was now his. They almost broke up behind him.

Josh would sniff, his face briefly twisting as he does. He leans forward, shutting off his vehicle. He falls back into his seat, his eyes fixated on his home. He’s never felt so conflicted. He was both equally pissed off and sad for Alina. All he wanted to do was protect her. Just respect her wishes, Uce, his conscience says. She’s been through enough. He hums to himself, his head tilting to the left side. She has been through enough. He needn’t add to her load.

His hand grabs the door, pushing it open for him to get out. He exits the vehicle and quickly walks up the sidewalk towards the front door. His eyes, hidden behind thick lashes and furrowed brows, are fixated on the ground as he tries to avoid the harsh afternoon Georgia sun, blinding him. He climbs the steps of his porch, his hand outstretched for the doorknob. With ease, he unlocks the door, twists the knob, and pushes it open. Upon entry, his eyes dart around the room, hoping to see his girlfriend.

The living room remained in the same state as the previous night: their luggage by the door and shoes beneath the coffee table. The house was quiet, just as he had left it that morning. He closes the door behind him, walking further into the living room. He peers towards the dark kitchen entryway before glancing at the staircase to his left. Has she not come downstairs today? He glances down at the watch on his left wrist to check the time. It is noon.

He knew she would be tired from all the crying last night, but he didn’t expect her to still be in bed this late in the day. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t heard from her all morning. She never answered any of his texts, but he didn’t stop to think about why she hadn’t. He walks towards the steps, climbing them in twos to get to the second floor faster. Once at the top, he walks down the hall toward the closed door at the end of the hall.

His large hand wraps around the cool metal doorknob, twisting it to the right. The door pops open, revealing to him a dark bedroom. He moves into the room, his eyes landing on the sleeping figure curled up in the center of the bed with her back to him. Alina was still in bed. “Lina,” He calls. No response. “Lina,” He repeats, louder than the last.

“Hm?” She unconsciously hums.

“What are you doing? The damn day’s almost gone.” He tells her, getting another half-sleep hum from her. He peers back at the light switch, semi-tempted to turn it on and force her out of bed that way. He returns his gaze to her, moving onto the bed as he does so. He pushes his knee into the mattress and leans over her sleeping frame to look at her face. His hands pressed into the mattress on either side of her body. “Baby,” He calls in a low voice.

“Hm,” Alina hums, almost instantly, a sign that she was waking up.

“You good?” He asks, receiving no response. He leans down, pressing gentle kisses along her cheeks, lips, and nose. Her face twitches at the actions, followed by groans of disapproval. “Alina Fatu.” He whispers to her.

“What?” She whines, causing Josh to smile when she doesn’t react to the name. Alina buries her face into the pillow she slept on, hiding her face from being attacked with more unwanted affection. In response, Josh presses a kiss to her bare shoulder. He wasn’t giving up that easily. He leans up to her ear, pressing a gentle kiss there as well. “You’re getting on my nerves,” Alina says against the pillow. Her hand goes up into his chest, gently pushing against it to make him move. Instead, he takes her hand into his own and pins it above her head, forcing her onto her back. She sucks in a heavy breath, sighing loudly at the man.

“Good,” He quips. “Why you still in bed?” He asks. Alina grows silent at his question, not because she was thinking about it—she wasn’t, but because she was falling asleep again. “You hear me?” He asks.

Alina’s brows would furrow in annoyance at the man speaking to and touching her. “Jey, I’m tired––.”

“That’s not my name.” He reminds her, causing the woman to smack her lips in annoyance.

“Bruh, I don’t care.” She responds, her voice gradually rising. “Get off me.” She says, pushing her free hand into his chest. He’d lift his free hand, catching hers with his and pinning that one above her head.

Alina glared at the man above her before turning her head slightly to look at the wall. “Shit, you can be mad all you want, but you’re tripping if you think I’ma let you lay off in this dark ass room feeling sorry for yourself. Get up.” He says, pulling her upright in bed as he comes off. “Come take a shower with me.” He tells her, pulling her to her feet. “You’ll feel better after.” He finishes.

“I don’t––.”

“Ay,” Josh starts, silencing her protests. He shakes his head at his girlfriend. “Let me take care of my woman.” He demands. Alina’s eyes, swollen and sore from crying, soften at Josh’s words. She leans forward, allowing her head to rest against his chest. “C’mon.” He whispers, gently pulling her into their bathroom.

Once in the bathroom, Josh drops Alina’s hands and walks to the closet. He grabs two towels, laying them across the tub. Alina stood in the center of the room, her arms crossed as she watched her man gather items for their shower. He moves by her, the smell of his cologne floating through the air behind him, making her turn with him. He opens the shower door and turns the shower on.

With his hand under the water, waiting for it to warm, Josh glances over his shoulder at Alina. She stood silently in a trance-like state, her eyes fixated on the outside. They were low, lacking the light that usually filled them. They were puffy from a mixture of crying and sleep, her under-eye area darker than normal. In the three years he’s known her, he’snever seen her like this. Alina didn’t deserve the pain that she was feeling, and it was cutting him up inside to see her in this state. It angered him, actually. But this isn’t about him, this is about her.

“You gonna take your clothes off or will I have to do it for you?” He asks, pulling her from her daze. Her eyes flicker to his as she slowly unwraps her arms from her body. Her fingers hooked into the oversized shirt she had on, pulling the article of clothing up and over her head. His gaze would briefly shift down to the sight of her body before he turned his attention back to the shower. He removes his hand from the hot water, moving to the tub’s edge to sit down. One by one, he’d remove his shoes and socks, standing to his feet once more to drop his shorts and boxers. In one swift move, he removes his shirt, tossing it on the floor alongside the rest of his clothes.

Without a glance in Josh’s direction, Alina steps into the shower, letting the steaming hot water cover her. She closes her eyes at the sensation, a small sigh leaving her lips. Her shoulders would drop, her body quickly releasing any tension it was holding. She runs her hands over her forearms before hanging her head beneath the water to saturate her hair.

Josh steps into the shower behind her, his eyes fixated on the back of her head. He watches as her hair, once frizzed from rest, becomes medium-sized coils of chocolate brown and honey blonde against the center of her back. Water would empty from her hair into a trail down the center of her spine. Without thinking, Josh would press his index finger to the center of her back, allowing the water that flowed from her to cover his finger. As a response, Alina arches away from his touch.

“Turn around.” He requests. Alina lifts her head, slowly turning to face the man standing behind her. She lifts her hands to her face, wiping the water from her eyes. With a few blinks, her vision will unblur, allowing her to look at the man towering over her. “We don’t have to talk about it right now if you don’t want to,” He starts. “But seeing you like this hurts me, Lina.” He confesses. At his words, Alina shuts her eyes, her tongue lightly dragging over her bottom lip. She’d gently sink her teeth into the soft flesh of her lip before gently shaking her head.

“I’m sorry.” She whispers.

“For what?” He asks, his brows furrowed. Alina’s eyes would open at the question, her gaze moving from his face down to the center of his chest. “You ain’t done shit to me––to anyone, if we being real.” He glances up at the bottle of shampoo sitting on the shelf behind Alina, popping the lid on it. “They chose their side long before the wedding, they just needed a stupid ass excuse to exit stage left.”

Though that might’ve been the case, Alina was having a hard time believing it. A majority of her life had been spent with Tasha, and having to figure out life without her was something she wasn’t ready to do. From middle school to college, to life after college––They were practically sisters, attached at the hip. Can’t call each other sisters if she willingly chose the ex that cheated on you over you, her conscience chimes in. And that was true. What Tasha did confused Alina. She should never have been comfortable enough to choose him over her, to say the things she did last night, to be the way she was toward Alina. “She was right, though,” she starts. “I should have told y’all about each other. So much could have been avoided if I––.” She whispers, gently shaking her head.

As she was talking, Josh would lift her head to look at him again, stopping her train of thought. “Nah, she could have said something too. Like you said last night, she had plenty of time to tell that man about me if she wanted to. You don’t owe him shit.” Josh tilts the bottle of shampoo over Alina’s head, gently squeezing the product from the bottle. He places the bottle back on the shelf, his large hands moving to her head. Thick fingers would push through her curls, scratching gently at her scalp to lather the shampoo.

Alina’s eyes fell shut at the feel of Josh’s fingers kneading at her scalp, her lips parting at the sensation his fingers brought on. To keep from falling over, she’d place her hands on his hips to steady herself. “Feel good, don’t it?” He whispers, making her laugh.

“Don’t say that.” She scolds him.

“I’m asking a genuine question, honey.” He argues, a grin spreading across his face just as wide as hers. “Better get your damn mind out the gutter.” He adds, making her purse her lips at him.

“Boy, bye.” She replies. “Focus on not playing in my hair.” She warns him. This was the first time she allowed anyone to touch her hair outside of herself and her stylist. She didn’t even let Theo do this. To allow Josh to do it meant that she trusted him. Now, if her hair is all tangled up after this, his privileges would be revoked.

“I’ma get you right.” He tells her. “Gonna have folks asking who did your hair.”

“That scares me.”

“You act like I didn’t used to have long hair.”

“And where is it now?” She asks, getting a lip smack as a response from him. She bites back a giggle.

“You funny.” He mutters, pulling her head back slightly to wash the shampoo out. The twins both decided to cut their hair together when they went on hiatus with the company. They wanted to try something new, shedding their long black manes for big curls and mullets. Jon quickly gave up on the short style, returning to their signature long hair. Josh thinks he looks great with his mullet, and it was the best decision he could make stylistically. The contrasting appearances forced people to know who was who. No more Jey being Jimmy. No more Jimmy being Jey–– the way it should be. “One more wash.” He informs her, reaching behind her for the shampoo again.

Alina opens her eyes, immediately locking eyes with Josh. They stared at each other in silence for a moment before she spoke again. “When Theo cheated on me, she was the first person I called.” She confesses. At the mention of the troubling ex, Josh averts his gaze, putting his focus back on her hair. “I know you don’t want to hear about him, but he reallymessed me up,” she continues. “And she was there to pick up all the pieces.” Tasha helped Alina move out of that small apartment that she and Theo shared the night news broke. She made sure Alina kept going to work, that she took care of herself, socialized, hell, she was the one who encouraged her to take the job with the WWE. She thought it would be a fun experience for her best friend, and she was right. “We were supposed to be in each other’s weddings.” She whispers.

“That’s okay, Trin’s expecting you to ask her anyway.” He says, briefly glancing down at her. He squeezes the bottle of shampoo onto the top of her head again. “She’s gon be mad if it’s anybody else.” He adds, letting his right hand lather the shampoo while he puts the bottle back on the shelf with his left.

Alina stifles a laugh at the confession, closing her eyes again. “Putting me in a tough spot. I still got Cassie.” She hopes she still has Cassie. Alina was practically out of the friend group at this point. She barely came around because Theo was always present, now she can’t show up because it would be awkward for her and Tasha.

“Cassie’s not your sister-in-law.”

“Trin ain’t either.”

“She will be.”

Alina becomes quiet at his words, not having a response to him. Though the marriage conversation has never come up, Josh has been hinting at it more now than ever before. It was only a matter of time before he was down on one knee with a box in his hand. She’s been mentally preparing herself for it.

The idea of being a fianceé again stressed Alina out, she had to remind herself that Josh was not Theo. He was nothing like him. This love was new, never-experienced, suffocating, but in the best way. She never had to wonder if he loved her; she knew it. Even when he didn’t say it, she knew it. She was loved.

If she could go back in time to 2019 and tell herself to let that man sitting next to her at a random bar in Los Angeles take her out to dinner, she would. She could have had this love sooner––probably be married by now. She thinks about that a lot. It was probably one of her biggest regrets. “Do you ever wonder where we’d be if I had said yes to that date?” She asks after several moments. “You think we’d be standing right here today?”

“You want me to be honest?” He asks.

“I would prefer it.” She responds.

“I’m happy you didn’t say yes.” Alina opens her eyes, her eyebrows furrowed at the confession. “I feel I’m more prepared to love you now than I was then. We got to build a friendship––a real, deep, unbreakable bond with each other, you feel me?” He explains. His eyes would venture towards the shower door as he tried to piece together words. He looked at her again when he found the right words to say. “We were able to grow together while not being together, and I feel like that was necessary.”

Alina’s face would relax the more Josh spoke about them and where they could have been versus where they are. Her eyebrows unfurrowed, a slight smile spreading across her lips. “Regretting saying no sounds silly when you put it that way.” She says, laughing softly.

“You weren’t ready then, and I respected that.” He assures her.

“Thank you.” She says, her smile growing.

“You’re welcome.”

“Can you be honest with me one more time?” She asks as he tilts her head back to rinse the soap out.

“What’s up?”

“Were you chasing all my dates off on purpose?” It was a question she already knew the answer to, but wanted to hear it from his mouth directly. The first time he scared off a date, she thought nothing of it. After the second, she started to become suspicious. The third one confirmed her suspicions, resulting in her having to say something to him. That fourth one, though, that fourth one bothered her terribly––not because of the date, but the fact that he did it again and pretended he wasn’t aware of what he did for a week after.

Josh was a jealous man at his core when it came to Alina, something everyone became quite aware of in the time they’veknown each other. The question prompts his hands to pause in her hair, his eyes finding the bottle of conditioner he planned to grab. “Huh?”

A squeak escapes from Alina’s lips at his response, her mouth dropping open. “Nah, ain’t no damn huh. You heard me.” She says. He looks down at her, his brows slightly lifted. He brings his hand to his ear, pointing at it.

“I got some water in my ear.” He starts rubbing at it, scrunching his face up as he does so. Alina gasps, shoving at the man’s chest. He lets out a loud laugh before grabbing hold of her arm. “Damn, girl, wait––.” He starts, only to be silenced by Alina’s words.

“You think everything’s a damn joke.” She says, pulling her arm from him. “Get off me.”

With a large smile, Josh lifts his right hand, turning it upright at her. “Girl, bye.” Alina let out a loud laugh as well at his choice of words. “Are you going to let me finish washing your hair, or what?” He argues. “Hell, I’m tryna finish my job so I can clock out.”

“Clock out of where, Joshua?” She asks loudly.

“This is a salon at the moment and the damn water ain’t going to stay hot forever.”

“Alright,” She says, turning to grab the conditioner from the shelf behind her. Josh reaches over her and grabs the bottle instead. “Josh––.” She

“Whatchu doing?” He asks. “I’m doing this, not you.” He says as she spins back around to face him. She reaches for the bottle, and he lifts it above their heads, spitefully moving it out of her reach. “I said I’m doing this. Back your fine ass up.” He repeats. Slowly, Alina begins to step back from Josh. He tilts his head up at her, looking at her through low eyes. “That’s what I thought.”

Alina pauses at his words, her brows lifted. “I can leave.”

“And I can be very annoying if you do. Think about it.” He counters, stepping towards her. He flips open the top of the conditioner bottle, squeezing product into his hand. “Now, come on, you running my water bill up.” She scoffs loudly at him.

“My water bill.” She corrected him. Josh smacks his lips at her words, pulling his head back into his neck. His top lip pulls back and up, revealing his top teeth as he grimaces.

“Shut up, you haven’t had to pay a bill in a hot ass minute.” He mutters, pushing the conditioner through her hair. “You got it made.” He tells her, finishing up finger-combing the conditioner through her hair. “There,” he starts, dropping his hands. “Leave it curly for dinner tonight.” He says, casually mentioning that he was getting her out of the house. He was always doing something to get her out of her feelings when she was upset. Even before they dated, he did what he could without overstepping boundaries. Just to see her smile was the motive. She deserved nothing more than to be happy.

Alina places her hands on his chest, leaning in to place a single kiss in the center of his chest, a silent thank you. He wraps his arms around her in a tight embrace, kissing the top of her head. “I told you I got you, I meant that shit.” He says against her hair. His arms didn’t stay wrapped around her long, he reluctantly reached for her loofah. “You want me to wash you?” He asks. She looks up at him, her eyes narrowing into squints.

“You must not care about that water bill anymore.” She says. His lips part slightly as he tilts his head to the side at her accusation.

“Didn’t you hear? The salon is a spa now.” Alina unlatches from him, snatching her loofah out of his hand.

“I’m good.” She says, earning groans and lip smacks from the man as she turned away from him. “You don’t even like shower sex.” She mutters.

“You act like a man can’t change his mind.” He says defensively, getting a loud scoff from Alina.

“Nah, I’m good.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Did I plan on uploading this at midnight, no, but it happens lol

I gotta get back in the groove of uploading regularly again. We're working on it. I really was in the mood for something cute. I really hope this lives up to it.

🏷️ list: @thesamoanqueen @whatdoeseverybodywant @headoftheetable @mzv11 @southerngirl41 @yana3sworld @wanderingreigns @wrestlingprincess80 @siriuslycee @vebner37 @astridxxxxxx @alichesmi @tshepisho @scarlettnoir01 @brokenglassslippers @reignsboy19 @sayyestoheav3nn @cyberdejos2 @empressdede @sisinever @truefant4sy @paigereeder @tbmotw @fearlesschimera @venusesworld @usoholic @sageispunk @bebesobrielo @jstarr86 @vibessonvibes @issahyland @fandomphasess @evilli0s @xoxoneah @clubsoft @caramara3 @cinnycinnamon

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

My life is an open book... read with caution.