Best for Business

After our day on the beach, Seth and I were brought back to reality. As much as I’d like to say everything has been easy and smooth sailing, I’d be lying if I did. Work has become the most stressful it’s ever been.

The rumors have only gotten worse. For the last two weeks, I haven’t been able to walk anywhere without facing judgemental glances. Some, but very few, people have even asked what it feels like to be a champion, but not deserve to be one.

I’ve told everybody that it doesn’t bother me. Saying that I used Seth to get to the top is unoriginal. If that’s the only thing people can come up with, I guess I’m doing something right. I walk around the locker room with a big smile on my face and the champion belt around my waist. I try my best to stay as confident and unfazed as possible.

Naturally, I am a little upset. I hate having people say things behind my back, especially because I called a majority of the gossipers friends of mine. I hesitate to admit to Seth that the situation upsets me. Seth is the most upset about this. Hearing the locker room say these things about me make him feel responsible. He isn’t handling the gossip well. Whenever we leave the arena for the night, he’s noticeably upset for hours. He continuously tells me I’m not handling things the way I should be, and it’s putting a strain on our relationship.

What Seth doesn’t understand is that I’m happy. Aside from all the unwanted stress at work, I am happy. I’m still traveling the world with the man I adore. I have an impressive winning streak and I’m champion because of it.

I do miss having more friends and seeing my coworkers outside work. I wish I could enter the locker room and not feel like I was just being talked about. But I know this will all change. I’ll be old news eventually. I just have to wait until there’s something else to talk about.

I haven’t been able to ask Seth about The Shield's breakup yet. He’s been so upset with everything else, I know it’ll only make things worse. I’ve been seeing Dean and Roman in passing, and the looks on their faces make me nervous. I always reflect back to them telling me to be careful, but I don’t know why they’re telling me to proceed with caution. Even though Seth and I are experiencing our first rough patch, he’s still provided stability for me.

I just got out of a meeting with Stephanie. She wanted to remind me of my title match at Summerslam next week. Seth is doing an interview a few rooms away, but he won’t be out for at least fifteen more minutes. For the first time in a long time, I’ll be walking backstage completely by myself.

I walk slowly to the locker room so I can grab my bag. The show just ended, so the halls are still full of people. I smile at a few familiar faces, but I try to keep from making eye contact with anybody. The women’s locker room is still full of Divas once I’m inside. Nikki, Brie, and Naomi are talking about restaurants here in Oregon. I try not to pay attention to them as I grab my bag.

“Shay, what are you up to tonight?” Brie asks. I know she’s trying to be friendly, but I look at the three girls, and Nikki looks upset I’m even involved in the conversation.

I smile politely as I sling the duffle bag over my shoulders. “I think Seth and I are going to go back for a movie night.”

“Oh, that’s fun. Do you want some company?” Brie asks.

“Of course. Feel free to swing by, babe.”

Nikki opens her mouth, but Brie cuts her off. “Are you leaving now?” She asks. I tell her I am, and she stands up. “Can I get a ride back with you?” I tell Brie we’re just taking a cab, but she can definitely come with us. Brie excuses herself from her group of people and leads me outside the locker room.

“Are you really coming by for a movie night?” I laugh once we’re alone. Brie is the only person I regularly talk to outside of my relationship. She’s one of the only people who has remained consistent with me. I know Bryan isn’t on the road with us tonight, and she’s probably rooming with Nikki, so I am a little surprised she’s leaving her sister’s side for mine.

“Yeah, why not? I can’t believe you’re staying in again though. You need to start going out more. You’re becoming a hermit, Shay,” Brie says disapprovingly.

“I know. Seth tells me the same thing.” I walk us over to just outside where Seth’s interview is.

I lean against the wall and pick at the pink nail polish on my index finger. “Have you asked Seth about The Shield yet?” Brie asks. I shake my head. She sighs dramatically. “Shay, what have you even been doing these past few weeks?”

“I’m working on these rock hard abs,” I say halfheartedly. Brie laughs and tell me they are coming along nicely.

Finally, Seth’s interview is over. I look up as he leaves the room. He looks surprised Brie is next to me, but he’s smiling. He’s probably really glad I’m socializing with someone other than him. “Hey girls,” He says.

“Hey babe,” I smile. “Brie’s coming to hang out.”

“That’s great. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you,” Seth tells Brie.

She shrugs as we start to walk. “I know. I was just telling Shay she needs to start coming out more. You too, Seth.”

Seth and Brie spend the whole ride to the hotel talking about getting out more. I can’t help but roll my eyes at the two. I know I’m not as social as I was weeks ago, but I’m not a hermit. Brie does tell Seth to come out more, too, which is nice. When I met Seth, he never hung out with anybody.

As soon as we’re back to the hotel, I’m able to change the subject. “Can we get margaritas at the bar before going to the room?”

Seth makes a face. “Tequila and I don’t mix.”

I roll my eyes and look over at Brie. “You know I can’t stop with one drink. I’ll be in Brie Mode tonight if we stop and get margaritas.”

I let out a dramatic sigh to show my disapproval, but the two ignore it. We walk to mine and Seth’s room. It’s a little messy, so I pick up the few articles of clothing I’ve left out. Seth hands Brie the case of DVDs I put together, and she sifts through the large selection. I put the clothes back into my suitcase. Turning around, I see Seth right behind me. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses the side of my head. “Are you okay?” He whispers into my ear.

“I’m fine,” I assure him.

Brie tells me she found a movie. We turn around to see her holding up the disc to Legally Blonde. Seth groans, but Brie laughs. She hands me the disc and tells Seth that the movie is mostly background noise. “I want to get to know you more, Seth. I hardly know anything about you,” She says, smiling.

“What do you want to know?” Seth asks Brie.

She smiles at us both as she takes a seat on the hotel bed. “I don’t know. I kind of want to know everything. Shay doesn’t give her attention out easily, and you have her full attention. I’ll start with the basic questions that truly determine if you’re the perfect match for my best friend.” Seth raises his eyebrows and looks over at me. I laugh, grab his hand, and assure him she’s just having her fun. “Okay. What is your favorite drink? What is your favorite horror movie? How would you describe your personality to a stranger?”

Brie’s questions are extremely random, and put Seth off. “Don’t take her seriously. She asked what my favorite drink was thirty minutes after I met her,” I laugh.

“I drink beer. Mixed drinks aren’t my thing. Horror movies? I don’t know, Evil Dead, maybe. And, I would describe my personality as quiet and reserved, but quite confident,” Seth answers.

“You only drink beer? Ew,” Brie laughs. “Did you know Shay and I used to chase shots with beer? We were horrible when we were younger!” She laughs again as she reflects on our much younger selves.

Seth crinkles his nose, giving us each a look of disgust. “Really?”

“We were ruthless,” I can’t help but laugh too. I may only be twenty-three, but I had a fake ID when I was younger and in training. Brie and I spent quite a few nights partying and getting entirely too drunk too quickly. “There’s a great reason Brie and I don’t go out together anymore.”

“Dating Bryan changed a lot for Shay and I,” Brie says, still giggling.

“It sounds like a good thing,” Seth chuckles. “Were you guys always party animals?”

I shake my head. “Not really. We went out a decent amount, but Brie’s hangovers the next day always made me think twice about taking her out. We bonded over the gym and lunches and movie watching.”

“And I’m so glad she has you, by the way. I can’t handle constant horror movie marathons,” Brie says. We talk about the past a little longer. Brie gets into Seth’s roots, asking details of where he’s from and what he’s about. “Who do you even hang out with around here? I only see you with Shay,” Brie eventually asks.

Seth hesitates before responding. “I don’t exactly have a good rapport with many people in the locker room. I used to have a lot of friends, but now my main focus is Shay. I’m extremely close with Hunter, too. I consider almost everyone else an acquaintance.” His voice wavers. He sounds upset, and understandably so.

“I thought you were friends with Dean and Roman?” Brie asks. I know exactly what Brie’s doing. She’s providing me the chance to ask why The Shield broke up. Brie knows Seth doesn’t have many friends, but her playing dumb to that is offering an opening to me. I flash Brie a thankful look. Asking him myself has turned into a nerve wracking thing for me.

Seth shakes his head a few times. “No, not anymore. Once we broke up, they wanted nothing to do with me.”

“How did you guys break up? Like, how did it get so bad?” I ask.

“Yeah, you three were serious bros behind the scenes,” Brie pitches in.

Seth exhales. He looks a little sad. Seeing him like this upsets me a little, too. I hate seeing him pained. “Well, we were really successful. We were all friends, and I thought it would always be that way. One day I was asked by the bosses if I was interested in a title shot, and I wanted a run at the gold. When I said absolutely, they asked if I’d still do it if the only condition was to break up The Shield, and my answer remained the same. I guess Roman and Dean were also asked the same thing, but they both declined. They liked where we were and assumed the opportunity would come again. They seemed to take it as a betrayal because I didn’t think like they did. But I didn’t think it was a personal thing. If I were them, I would’ve done it, too.”

This time Seth squeezes my hand. I take my eyes off Seth’s sad face to look over at Brie. She looks a little sad, too. “I’m sorry, Seth. That’s weak,” She says.

“All good things come to an end. Maybe they’ll stop being bitter once they get another title opportunity,” I suggest. Seth shrugs. He doesn’t look like he agrees.

“It’s just... I’ve spent so much time trying to get these guys back on my side. They want nothing to do with me.” He pauses, and then shrugs again. “Can we go to bed? I’m exhausted. Sorry, Brie. Tonight was fun, though.”

Brie nods and hops off the bed. She gives Seth a quick hug. I walk her outside and pull her into the biggest hug I could manage. “You’re the best, Brie. I love you.”

“I love you, too! I feel awful for Seth though. He’s so... damaged.”

“He’s just hurt,” I tell her.

Brie nods once more. I verbally thank her for setting up my asking about The Shield, and she grins. “No problem, gorgeous. I like Seth. You two are beyond cute together.” I thank her and we say our goodbyes for tonight.

I walk back into my room to see Seth sprawled out on the bed. I lay down next to him. “Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.

He mumbles something I can’t make out, and I shake his arm. “Kinda,” He repeats.

“I have all the time in the world. Talk to me.”