Best for Business

I live in a small, overpriced apartment in the heart of the city, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. When I moved to the main roster, I got a pay raise. I haven’t used any of the money to improve my home, though. Truth be told, I love living in small areas. I like apartments with just four rooms. I love the cozy vibe. I’m also on the road most of the time, so the size of my home really doesn’t matter.

I absolutely love being home, though. The constant noise outside my window is comforting. I also have knowledge of my surroundings, which is different than when I’m always traveling. The only thing I don’t like about being home is the isolation. Alone time is essential for everyone, but I always feel more content when I’m with a person or two.

That’s part of the reason I asked Seth to come. I mentioned Brie staying over, too. She wants to spend as much time as possible with her husband, so she declined, which is completely understandable. I also told Nattie and TJ that my house is open to them because they’ve always told me the same thing. The two are having problems again, so TJ declined, telling me that, for my sake, the two should work it out alone. I also understand this. I don’t want to hear the fighting between the two either. Those two are so good to me, but they have more problems than couples should.

I hope Seth comes to stay with me, mostly for selfish reasons. I don’t want to be alone. I also want any awkwardness between us to fade. He’s also nice to look at, which is a bonus.

As soon as I get home, I unpack and take a much needed shower. I go through my kitchen after, disposing of the expired kale and berries in my nearly empty fridge. I make a mental note to go grocery shopping later because I’ll be home for a few days. I order myself a salad from a place down the street and have it delivered because I’m lazy today.

While I wait for my food, I look for a movie to watch. I decide on watching Sweeney Todd. I have an uncanny love for musicals and horror films, so a combination of the two is absolutely perfect for me.

My meal comes rather quickly. I spend my afternoon home munching on my food, watching the movie, and checking my social media. I’m particularly interested in people’s reaction to my photo of Seth and I. Reading through the comments, I see a very split reaction. Some people are happy for me, whether I’m dating Seth or not. Others say that I’m too good for Seth. I want to respond to the nasty messages and tell them they’re wrong, but I hold back. I don’t want to cause any unnecessary drama, especially with fans.

The next few days are very consistent as my afternoon here. I hit the gym everyday for about half the day. I went to the store and bought enough groceries for the week. I spend my off time having movie marathons and shopping a little.

I watch Smackdown on Thursday. No major event happens. I watched Brie and Nikki win a tag match against Nattie and Naomi. I always pay the most attention to the female division because those are my matches. The outcome a Divas’ match may affect me. Those are always the most important matches for me.

Seth didn’t have a match, and I think that was because I wasn’t there with him. He did have a speech though. I know his speech was him in character, but it still gave me butterflies. Seth talked about him being champion - and one of the best champions in the history of the WWE. He then moves on to talk about me. He talked about having the most beautiful Diva in the locker room by his side. I know he might have not meant it, but hearing him talk about me like that gave me feelings I’m not used to having.

The only inconsistent thing to happen is Dolph texting me Sunday morning. ‘It’s only business, huh?’ is all it says. I know immediately he’s talking about Seth. Reading his message immediately upsets me. I decide not to respond. My life is none of his business, friend or not.

I don’t let Dolph bring me down. I carry on with my afternoon like nothing happened. I go to the gym and take my frustrations out on a punching bag. After a few hours training, I check my phone. I have a message from Seth. He tells me he’s made it to the city and wants to know if he can come over before his hotel check in. It’s from an hour ago, but I text him back and let him know he definitely can if he still has time.

He sends me a message back once I’m home. He tells me he’d like to stop by still. I give him my address and tell him he’s free to come by in an hour. I need to shower and change. After I shower, I put my hair in a loose braid and slip into a tie-dye crop top and gray yoga pants. Almost immediately after I’m dressed, there’s a knock on my door.

I open the door. I see Seth, armed with a smile. He’s wearing a Bring Me The Horizon shirt and shorts. He looks kind of sweaty, like he just got out of the gym. “Hey!” I smile, welcoming him inside. We take a seat on my couch. “Did you just get out of the gym?” I ask.

“Yeah, I had Crossfit. I didn’t want to sit around and wait. Is that okay?”

“Of course. I was just wondering. How was Smackdown?”

“It was great. Crowds cheer for me more when your name come out of my mouth,” He chuckles.

I cross my legs on the couch and face him. “I meant behind the scenes. How was it?”

“Just as it always is.” He sounds like he’s trying to sound indifferent. I give him a look and he hesitates. He looks like wants to tell me something more. “I do have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” I ask, suddenly nervous. It’s never easy hearing somebody say they need to inform you on something, especially if the person hesitates.

“I know you didn’t want this to happen, Dolph requested a match against me. Usually it doesn’t happen like that, to request a match and get it. But Hunter asked me about it, and I accepted. I told him for personal reasons, it needed to happen. It may not make sense for any outsiders, but I think it’s a good idea.”

I definitely didn’t expect to hear that. Why would Dolph do that? And why would Seth tell our boss it’s personal? I’m confused about the situation, but I don’t let him know. “It shouldn’t be personal, Seth. I don’t mind you having a match with him, but please don’t make it personal. It’s my business, and he’s just jealous.”

Seth sighs, grabbing my hand. “Your business is now mine.”

I hold back a blush and shake my head. “It is in the ring.”

He looks at me with an odd expression on his face. “Shay, I’m in your apartment. We’re friends. I’m going to worry about the people bothering you. If I have a chance to fix things, I will.”

I let go of Seth’s hand, but offer him a smile. “I know we’re friends, but I can take care of myself. We’re both independent people. I’ve been ignoring Dolph because of his ignorance, and that’s my choice. I don’t need you to fix anything for me.”

“We’re not even a week into this and you already have problems with your friends. I heard Brie talk about Nikki being mad at you. You told me Dolph bothered you. Let me fix what I can.” He pauses, letting out a sigh. “I think it’ll make me feel better to do this.”

“Just don’t take it too personally. That’s all I ask. There’s a really great sushi place a few blocks away. Do you want to order takeout and watch a movie? Let’s just relax today and focus on business tomorrow.” I felt the need to change the subject because I really don’t want Seth to worry himself with my problems. It’s sweet that he’s willing to, but I’m so used to doing everything myself.

“That sounds great,” He grins. I look for the paper menu kept somewhere in my kitchen and return with it. We scan the menu and I place our orders. I keep my DVD in a box near my TV. I motion Seth over and tell him to choose a movie.

He takes the DVDs out one by one. He stops on a few, shaking his head. “You surprise me, you know that?”

“How so?” I ask, curious.

“All I see are Disney movies, musicals, and horror movies,” He laughs.

I pick up a case and hand it to him. “I also have the third season of American Horror Story and every episode of True Blood ever made.”

He laughs again, looking over at me. “I’ve never seen True Blood.”

I gasp, putting my hand over my heart. “You have no idea how much that pains me. It’s the best series known to man.” He asks what it’s about, and I give him a brief summary. “You just have to watch it sometime. I don’t even like vampires that much, but I’m in love with the series,” I conclude.

“Let’s try it then. But if I don’t like it, do I have to watch it all?”

“If you don’t like it after season one, I’ll never ask you to watch it again.” I grab the box set and put the first disc in the DVD player. Seth sets all my movies back into the box and pushes it to the corner it was previously at.

Our sushi comes. We sit on my couch, stuffing our faces and watching the show. We spend hours like this. We’re both so comfortable. I sit near Seth, but hardly touch him. I’m paranoid of crossing a boundary. I also know that if I can touch Seth, even just leaning against him, I won’t be able to focus on the show. We’re halfway through season one when I check the time. “It’s almost 1am,” I inform him

He shrugs. “I like this show and I love spending time with you. I don’t care what time it is.”

“I told you you’d love it!” I grin. “I’d say you could crash here, but you don’t have any clothes for tomorrow.”

“I can get them tomorrow. I’m in pretty comfortable clothes, anyway. Let’s just watch another episode or two. If we’re not passed out by then, I’ll go to my hotel.” I tell him it’s a deal. I get up to throw away our trash. I also grab an extra blanket from my closet. When I come back, Seth has already swapped the DVDs. I tell him the blanket is for just in case, and he nods, agreeing.

We cuddle up on the couch together, engulfed in our show. My mind wanders as we watch. I’m leaning into Seth’s chest, my head resting on his shoulder. Is this what friends do? Did I cross that boundary? My focus is mostly on the television, but my thoughts wander back to Seth.

I’m friends with a lot of guys, but I question the friendship with Seth. Not for any bad reason, but because I’m so attracted to him. Seth has said he enjoys my being around me, but I’m still confused. Friends enjoy the company of other friends.

I don’t know if I’m letting our work relationship alter my perception of our personal relationship. I may be confused with what’s going on, but I’m happy with it nonetheless. Seth is a good person and I enjoy being with him.

Whatever this is, good friends or not, I really don’t want to mess this up.