Best for Business

I love photoshoots. I’ve always loved having my picture taken. I spend a few hours at the summer photoshoot WWE organized. Usually, I’m there with multiple Divas. It’s mostly just me today. Alicia was there briefly.

My photoshoot ends around 3:30. I know it’s late for lunch, but I text Seth win I’m done. I tell him my photoshoot ran late and if he wants, we could still hang out before my 6pm flight to Chicago. He texts me back relatively quickly, asking if I just want to meet for coffee. I gather my things and get the address from him.

We meet each other about thirty minutes later. I’m the first on there. I order myself an iced green tea latte and sit in a chair near the door. Seth comes in soon after. We greet each other as I grab my cup. Seth orders himself a black coffee and we wait for his drink.

I sip from my cold beverage and ask him how his day is going. “It’s pretty good,” He says. “I was in the gym for most of it, but it was great.” I nod, knowing exactly what he means. Training takes a good part of the day away, but it’s so worth it. “How is yours?”

“It’s going well. I had my photoshoot and that’s it.” The barista hands Seth his drink. He thanks her, and we sit down to the table I picked out. “Should we take a picture? Stephanie said to post on social media too, to make it more believable,” I say, referring to our storyline.

“That’s a good idea,” Seth says. I position our drinks together and tell Seth to smile. He smiles, somewhat awkwardly because it was on command. I take a few photos and we go through them, choosing the one he likes the most. I post it on my Instagram. The caption is simple. It reads: coffee date with this stud. I put in a few emojis and tag him. Once I’m satisfied, I show him the result.

“Not too bad,” I say, grinning.

“It looks good,” He comments. We drink our coffees in a comfortable silence. I almost wonder why Seth invites me out with him. He’s not saying much, so I don’t know what’s going through his mind.

I decide to take control of the conversation. Maybe Seth’s just shy. “Why’d you invite me out?”

Seth shrugs, but he’s got a soft smile on his face. “I want to know more about you. We had a great night the other night, and I want to know more.”

“What do you want to know?” I ask.

“I don’t know. Everything, I guess. Oh, how was your Monday? After the storyline started.”

I give him an unsure smile. “I liked most of it. The parts with you were great. I know I was nervous going into it, but it was better than I thought. I liked being ringside for you.” I try to keep it as professional as possible. Focusing the conversation on he and I will keep me from talking about the conflict with Dolph.

“Most of it? What was the bad part?”

“It’s nothing to worry about,” I try to reassure him, but he insists that I tell him. I take a big gulp of my tea, trying to put the words together. “One of my friendships was severed.”

He gives me such a sad look. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”

I just shake my head, giving him a more confident smile. “It’s really okay, Seth. I got just a small taste of what you go through. I can handle it, though.”

He runs his hands through his hair. “What happened?” His voice sounds concerned. I immediately feel bad for telling him. This is something that’s my problem, not his.

“One of my friends didn’t like that I’m working with you. His close mindedness is something I don’t really want to deal with.” I shrug, trying to play it off cool, for Seth’s sake.

“Is there something I can do?” Seth asks.

I shake my head. “No, but thank you. You’re sweet, Seth.”

“Can I at least know who it is?”

“Dolph Ziggler,” I sigh. I feel bad about the whole situation. I finish off my drink and push it off to the side.

“I don’t know why he doesn’t like me. But, if you want, I can request a match with him for next week. I’m sure the bosses won’t mind.” Seth offers me a small smile, but I shake my head, letting him know that’s not in my best interest. He grabs my hand and squeezes it. The notion is meant to be comforting, but it sends butterflies in my stomach.

I realized how attracted I am to Seth last night, and now he’s grabbing my hand? I can’t help but feel something from it. I try to rid my head of the thoughts. We’re supposed to be friends and nothing more. I can’t help myself, though. I’m interested in Seth in a way I can’t explain.

“Monday’s your hometown show,” Seth says, changing the subject.

“Yeah,” I grin. “I’m so excited to be home. I know I haven’t been here long, but I’ve been doing so many promos, I haven’t even had the time to be home.”

“No, I get it. I really do. You get homesick while traveling, and, when you are home, you’re only there for a day or two. It hardly feels like you are home.”

“Are you going to stay in Chicago or go back home?”

Seth shrugs. He finishes off his coffee before speaking. “I think I’m going to stay a few days. Unless I get a random promo scheduled, I’ll probably spend the week visiting the city. Why?”

“I was just wondering. Maybe you can stop by my apartment? I don’t know who you room with, and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” I know it’s a long shot, but I figured I’d go for it. Part of me asking was to get to know him better, but my attraction for him is taking hold.

“I actually room by myself most of the time. Hunter knows that I don’t have many friends so they made an arrangement for me.”

I squeeze his hand and offer him a smile. “You can stay with me, if you want.”

He chuckles, running his free hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

Our conversation takes a lighter turn. We talk about our favorite things. We know so little about each other that lighthearted conversations matter so much. We listen to similar music. He was surprised to hear my favorite band is Escape The Fate, but I don’t blame him. My entrance music has a very pop feel - an instrumental from The 1975, to be exact - and I know I don’t look like a girl who enjoys pop music. Not only do we listen to similar music, we share the same tastes in food. I may not like black coffee like he does, but we both have an incredible love for sushi.

We don’t like much of the same movies and tv. The only thing we have in common is a love for horror films. I tell him my favorite is Rob Zombie - he can do anything and pull it off. Seth laughs so hard he can’t breathe. “His movies are cheap. His music, well, that’s not so bad.”

“I disagree. I love his music and his movies. Everything he does is fantastic.”

Seth shakes his head. Another laugh escapes his mouth. “It’s almost cute how wrong you are.”

This time I laugh. “Is this our first fight? How cute.”

“I don’t think we’ll ever get over it. This is some life changing stuff.” Seth says. He caught my joking manner and immediately took part.

In the middle of our laughter, we’re stopped by some fans. They approach but Seth and I for photos, but don’t say anything else. This is the first time I’ve been approached in public by a fan. It’s exciting. After posing for pictures, the trio of fans walk away. “That was the first time somebody’s recognized me in public.”

“Isn’t it a great feeling?”

“It really is.” I check the time. I have to check out of my hotel and get to the airport soon. I tell Seth this. We throw away our trash. “I have to get going. Think about what I said about Chicago?”

Seth walks me outside. He pulls me into a long hug. “I will. Am I going to see you Thursday?”

“No, I actually have the rest of the week off. I’ll see you after?”

“Of course. I’ll let you know when I’m in town on Sunday.” I leave Seth with butterflies in my stomach. They don’t go away until my plane ride home. I know I’ve said this so many times before, but I’m so excited about whatever is going on with Seth and I, whether it be friendship or a little bit more.