Best for Business

Brie and I have trained together before. She and I practice together in the ring when we practice new moves, but this is our first real match. I’m excited. We both worked hard for this.

Once I’m in the ring, I’m no longer nervous. It’s hard to explain how could I feel about being here. It almost feels like an adrenaline rush. I get to do what I love with people I enjoy being around for crowds that seem to really like me.

Inside the ring, it’s all business. I no longer worry about title opportunities or angry friends. I have no fear for the world being against Seth and I, or if he did the right thing asking me to be ringside. Everything goes away, and I can only focus on fighting with Brie.

My match with Brie was great. We’re about equals with each other. Our mutual respect prevented the other from not fighting fair. Our fight is about equal, but from the start, she had a bit of an upper hand. In the end, I’m able to get Brie to tap. I almost can’t believe I got her to tap.

Once I win, reality hits. I won. At Battleground, I could come out Divas Champion. I immediately hug Brie and tell her she did great. “You too! That was so close.” We walk backstage together. Usually superstars exit at slightly different times, but we’re both too happy to walk out separately.

We walk into the locker room. Everybody congratulates me on my win - even Nikki. I smile and thank the women. I want to ride out my high from the win, but I’m brought back my worries. “Did you guys see my moment with Seth?”

Brie nods, taking a seat. “It was kind of badass. It’s a weird contrast from seeing you two sitting in the lounge just talking.”

“Your character needs work, Shay. Sorry to tell you, but you’re still so you.” Paige comments.

“I know,” I sigh. “It just felt kind of awkward at first. I think it’ll be better in the coming weeks.”

Summer shakes her head. “Give her a break, Paige. It was her first time ever having to do that.”

“But she should have practiced and have it down.” She looks back at me, offering me a faint smile. “It’s nothing against you, Shay. But are you supposed to be cocky like Seth or innocent like you?”

“They said they want me to get Seth slightly out of his character. I guess I’m like a happy medium?” I groan, unsure of what to do. The women’s feedback is important to me, though. I know Paige doesn’t have anything against me, she’s just being honest with me.

Brie speaks up again. “Shay, are you supposed to be ringside for him tonight?”

“No! He went off script doing that.”

Paige laughs, clapping her hands together in excitement. “That’s fantastic! The bosses are either going to love that or absolutely hate it.”

I continue talking with the girls for a while. Paige, Alicia and I decide to walk around and explore the venue. Being in a full locker room gets claustrophobic after a while. Alicia grabs my hand and skips around like she always does. Paige and I can hardly keep up with her energy.

We run into Dolph, who I’m seeing for the second time tonight. He’s prepping for his match. “Hey, Dolph.” Alicia waves her free hand at him. “Good luck tonight!”

“Thanks,” Dolph says. He’s looks happy. Happy until his eyes lay on me, at least. His smile falters slightly. “Seth Rollins, huh?” He asks.

The question was obviously directed towards me, but I don’t know how to respond. I’m lucky that Paige is with me. Paige is extremely honesty and doesn’t take shit from anybody. Those are qualities that draw me towards her. “What’s the big deal, Dolph? What is that even supposed to mean?”

Dolph shakes his head. It’s clear that he didn’t expect Paige’s words. “I’m just surprised with her choice, that’s all.”

There’s a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Dolph and I have bonded since I’ve been here. We’ve become friends. We haven’t really talked about Seth or many of the other people in the building. When I talk to Dolph, we mostly talk about our lives outside of the job. I didn’t expect that Dolph would get upset over the job.

Is this what Seth gets on a daily basis?

“It’s business, Dolph.” I finally decide to say.

He shakes his head again. His disapproval is very apparent. “You could’ve said no. If that’s business, it’s with the worst person in this arena.”

I want to say something back, but Paige pulls me away. Anger runs through me. Dolph doesn’t trust my judgement, and I can’t help but take it personally. “Don’t worry, Shay. He’s just an asshole.” Paige says, trying to reassure me.

“I hope he loses his match tonight,” Alicia joins in.

I just shake my head. “It’s ridiculous. How can he not respect his coworkers? What Dolph needs to realize is that Seth’s a champion. He’s the face of the company right now. How can Dolph say anything bad about a wrestler who’s clearly much better than him?”

The two girls laugh. “That’s so true!” Paige says between her laughter.

Nobody else says anything to me about Seth. If we run into another person, our conversations aren’t business related. It’s nice to not hear anybody’s disapproval. I can’t wrap my mind around why anybody’s even disapproving.

I meet Seth just before the main event. When I see him, he’s jumping up and down, psyched for his match. “Hey Seth,” I say as I walk up to him.

“Hey, Shay.” He says, offering me a warm smile. “Ready?”

“I could be asking you the same thing,” I chuckle.

He gives me a small shrug, but he’s still all smiles. “I’m so ready.”

As soon as we hear Seth’s music, he grabs my hand. We walk out to the screaming crowd. His crowd has such mixed reactions compared to mine. Most of the crowd boos as we walk to the stage. It’s a little overwhelming, but I manage to keep a smile plastered on my face.

I’m not having a match, so it’s hard to have the same adrenaline rush I get walking to the ring. I still have a good feeling, but it’s not the same. Inside the ring, we wait for Orton’s music. Seth lets go of my hand for the first time to show off his belt to the audience.

When Randy comes out, I wish Seth good luck. Keeping our storyline in check, I remain close to him. I take the heavyweight title from his hands and over to the chair it’s left in during the match. I then walk over to Seth’s side of the ring.

The match begins. I’ve never been side stage, and it’s different to cheer for a person so up close. It is especially different cheering for Seth.

The crowd interacts with him differently than with me, but that’s not what’s different for me. As I see him wrestle alongside Randy, I feel an attraction to Seth. I knew Seth was attractive. But seeing him in the ring, doing what he loves, I feel more drawn to him than ever.

Randy has been able to put in a few moves, but Seth has dominated most of this match. It’s not surprising that he’s able to deliver the pedigree and get the pin. I slide back into the ring. Quickly, I raise Seth’s hand in the air. “Congrats, Seth!” I yell so he could hear.

“Thanks,” he smiles. Remembering that we’re supposed to be a new onscreen couple, I pull him into a hug. My arms wrap around his neck. His hands slip around my waist. His touch gives me goosebumps. Our embrace feels shorter than it is. I feel almost lost in the moment with Seth. I let go of his sweaty body after a few moments.

He turns and grabs his title from Lillian. Hand in hand, we walk backstage. “You did so great out there,” I tell him once we’re in a quiet space.

“Thank you, Shay,” He grins. I let go of his hand, but remain standing close to him. “You did great tonight, too.” He adds after a moment.

I thank him. I’m proud of both of our performances tonight. Hunter and Stephanie want us to be a power couple. According to tonight’s show, we’re proving to do exactly that. “What are you doing tomorrow?” Seth asks.

“I have a photoshoot and a late flight. Why?”

“I was thinking maybe you’d want to catch lunch or something?” Seth sounds a little anxious asking. It’s odd hearing him so nervous because of how confident he was earlier in the night.

I smile, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “I’d really like that.”

He tells me he’ll see me then and we part ways. I walk back to the women’s locker room with butterflies in my stomach. It’s been a great night. I’m leaving the arena with a new sense of confidence. Things are working out with Seth and I’m getting a title opportunity in a few weeks. It doesn’t feel like life could be any better than this.