Years in the Making

Chapter 5

Wrestling in the main event of WrestleMania was the dream of most professional wrestlers. Becky knew she wasn't alone in that. For thirty-four years, however, the main event had always gone to the men. It had also taken about thirty years for the women to get the same thirty-member, over-the-top Royal Rumble match the men had. Even in her wildest dreams, Becky didn't imagine the possibility of being in both in the same year, but after she and Asuka had the first match on the card, it suddenly felt a lot more real.

Not winning was never easy, but Asuka was an incredible competitor and there was no shame in losing to her. Becky didn't even have time to reflect, however, before she was whisked into Creative and told that she would be participating in the women's Royal Rumble after all, taking the place of Lana, who had been injured during the pre-show match. And you're going to win. The words kept echoing through her head as she walked down the corridors. She wouldn't be the first woman to win the Royal Rumble—that honour went to Asuka, and deservedly so—but winning the second-ever women's Rumble match would be pretty sweet too, especially since it guaranteed her a title shot. Winning by eliminating Charlotte was just going to make it that little bit sweeter.

She had already made a bit of history in the first women's Royal Rumble, being the second to enter, and starting off with Sasha had made the moment even better. The walk to the ring had seemed long then, but this time, in the wake of the injured Lana, it seemed endless. It was hard to focus over the roar of the crowd, but Becky did her best, arguing with Finlay to give her Lana's spot while knowing it was already decided. Just before Finlay told her to go, Becky glanced down at Lana and saw the woman smile. Having been passed over so many times herself, Becky wished everything could have happened differently, but she hoped to make it up to Lana someday. Maybe when I become champion, she thought as she entered the ring, I can get her a title shot.

It was an odd spot, technically being number 28, in Lana's spot, but coming in after Carmella, who had won the right to come in at 30. You're not like Shoehorn Charlotte, she told herself as she entered the ring and headed straight for Nia Jax. Late substitutes could often be booed mercilessly, but the crowd seemed soundly behind her and Becky did her best to ride that momentum, selling the hell out of near eliminations. When it was finally down to her and Charlotte, though, time seemed to slow down, crystallizing into a moment practically custom made for an entry in her journal. "You've taken enough from me. You're not taking this!" Her voice was ragged and she hoped she was loud enough for the microphones to catch it over the thunderous crowd.

Everything blurred. The crowd chanting became a battering ram of noise, propelling her forward; when she glanced out at the fans, she couldn't read a single sign or see if Jeff—her now ex-boyfriend—had shown up or not. Even tossing Charlotte out, as satisfying as it should have been, felt slightly hazy. None of it really felt real until she made it to the back and the congratulations started pouring in from all sides. And none of those really sank in until she had finally found Seth. "The Man came around," he declared, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off her feet in a big hug. "Congratulations! You're gonna challenge Ronda, right?"

Becky nodded, trying to slow down her breathing. She would have loved to have blamed her racing heartbeat on her match or the thrill of victory, but she knew those weren't entirely responsible. "Of course. Someone has to save RAW."

Seth's grin was as bright as his eyes. "Well, I might be able to help out with that. I'm winning the men's Rumble tonight. Hunter just told me."

"That's awesome! I—" Becky wasn't quite sure what she meant to say next. I'm so proud of you? She certainly was, but that was nothing new; she was always proud of him. I broke up with Jeff? She certainly had, through neither of them had announced it publicly yet. I want to kiss you? She certainly did and she had for a while now, and the fact that Seth hadn't set her down yet wasn't helping quell the urge at all. Do it, she told herself. Royal Rumble is like WWE's New Year's Eve. They would both win one of the most important matches in their careers that night; what better time to celebrate?

At least I don't have to go on tiptoe. It was her last coherent thought before she leaned in and kissed him. His arms twitched around her waist, so she instinctively tightened her grip on his shoulders so she wouldn't fall. When he adjusted his hold on her, his hands definitely strayed lower but Becky didn't mind in the least. His mouth was incredibly soft and even though it had been a while since she had kissed anyone with a moustache and beard, it didn't take her long to remember how to avoid the worst of the burn.

"Becks?" Seth's voice was soft, but still enough to make her finally open her eyes. Their noses were almost touching and he hadn't set her down yet, but it was hard to focus on anything except his eyes, glittering dark and deep like a mine. "Um... what was that?"

He kissed me back. For a moment, Becky felt like a teenager again, twirling with excitement when she had learned that the boy she liked also liked her. But a relationship with Seth would never be that simple. "Sorry," she murmured, straightening her legs and lowering her feet to the ground. "I just—I was happy for you and for me and I broke up with Jeff and it's almost my birthday and—"

Seth's eyebrows dipped. "When did you and Jeff break up? I thought he was supposed to be here...."

"He is, but...." Becky forced herself to step back, and she immediately missed the warmth of Seth's arms, their strong, steady weight on her hips. "I mean, he was. I haven't seen him, so...."

"Becks." Seth gently tilted her chin up so she had to meet his gaze. "I'm flattered, I am, but...."

But you're not interested. But you're hoping to get back together with Sarah. But you don't want to date a wrestler. Her traitorous mind had a seemingly endless well of brush-offs to taunt her with.

"But you're my friend. One of my closest friends." His voice was warm and genuine and Seth swept her into a hug, but Becky couldn't help but think it was mostly so he didn't have to look her in the eye when he rejected her. "You've always said you didn't want to date a wrestler again, so I don't think that would be the smartest road for us to take...."

"Sorry. I shouldn't have.... Becky couldn't quite bring herself to say You're right, mostly because it was too big a lie. As kisses went, it had been short, but she couldn't remember the last time a kiss had knocked her so off balance. She patted Seth's arm as she stepped back, out of reach this time. "Forget about it. Go out there and kick ass and enjoy your moment. And don't forget to point at the sign." Even though she felt like she was nervously shaking from her teeth to her toes, Becky couldn't help but smile. Pointing at the WrestleMania sign was a time-honoured tradition and no matter how many people mocked it, it was still a big moment for most wrestlers. A match at WrestleMania was rarely guaranteed, so to get one was still a huge deal.

"Becks, I'm not mad...." Seth took a step forward before stopping himself. "It's just—well, you know my track record with relationships. You mean too much to me to put you through that."

"It's fine. I understand." Becky waved and turned, walking away as fast as she could without looking like she was running. She didn't stop until she got to Catering, where she grabbed a water bottle and drank half of it in one gulp. There were probably interviews she was supposed to do, promos she was supposed to cut—winning the Royal Rumble always involved a lot of camera time. Talking was one of her favourite things, so she generally didn't mind that aspect of the job. That night, though, it was an even bigger blessing, because it would help keep her mind off the catastrophic kiss.