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Chapter 6

If you can't go on last, go on first. Seth knew it was good advice. Back when he was in school and got nervous about doing presentations in front of the class, his mother had always suggested volunteering to go first. At the time, it sounded like madness, but when she explained, it made a lot of sense: not only would you get the presentation over and done with, you couldn't compare yourself to everyone else—and neither could the teacher. WWE wasn't quite the same, of course, but there was a certain cachet to being the first match—at least after the pre-show. You could either set the tone for a great night and give the rest of the roster a benchmark to meet, or you could make the fans wonder why they had wasted their money.

Seth still wasn't expecting to be the first match at WrestleMania, though, and he was so surprised by the sudden announcement that he didn't even realize Becky was there until she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "You okay?" she asked softly, glancing in the direction the assistant had gone. "What was that about? I saw him coming over and I didn't want to interrupt."

"I—yeah." Seth blinked rapidly, but it didn't help clear his thoughts. He was close enough to the main stage that he could hear the cheering for the pre-show match, but the crowd noise couldn't drown out the buzzing in his ears. "My match is on first now."

Becky's eyes widened a bit. "Since when? I thought you were second to last...."

"So did I." Seth tried to shrug, but his shoulders felt too tight. "Guess Lesnar wants to beat the traffic tonight or something." Glancing down at himself, he swore. "Shit. I still have to get dressed and wet my hair...."

"I'd offer to help with the hair," Becky said with a wicked grin, "but the way we get your hair wet would probably eat into your match time." She reached up to pull him down for a kiss, her free hand resting over his heart. "I don't want to distract you. Go do your thing and I'll catch up with you before you go out, okay?" He could feel the hesitation when she patted his chest and added, "Or not. I don't want to jinx you or anything."

The height difference between them was obvious, but it was usuallywhen Seth cradled Becky's face in his hands that she truly felt small to him. He kissed her until he felt her balance start to melt away, so long he was sure some assistant was going to race up and tell him he was going to be called out to the ring soon. "Of course I want to see you before my match. It won't take me long to change, so meet me over in Hair?"

Becky's eyes were still shining from the kiss and Seth felt a surge of pride at that; he couldn't remember her looking so hazily happy when any of her previous boyfriends visited her backstage. "Sure. See you in a bit."

Seth waited for panic to set in, but it never came. Throughout his whole routine—getting into his ring gear, stretching, checking his wrist bands—he felt curiously calm. Maybe this is a good thing, he thought. Going first—and on such short notice—meant he wouldn't have time to overthink things. When he spotted Becky coming around a corner, the last of his shock drained away, leaving him feel curiously light. She was still in her street clothes, face scrubbed clean in anticipation of her ring make-up, but she was still easily the most beautiful person in the room. "Hey." Since he hadn't been oiled down yet, he hugged her close. "Now we'll have more time to hang out between our matches rather than just passing each other in Gorilla." With the original schedule, they might not even have been able to hug before Becky went out to the ring. Going first meant he would have a long night ahead, especially while waiting for her match, but it was worth it.

"As long as you don't mess up my make-up," Becky teased.

"So you're saying I'd have to sneak you away right after my interviews are done? I could do that." Keeping his arms around her, Seth rested his cheek on her head and shut his eyes. For all her chaotic energy, Becky had a strangely calming influence on him.