Years in the Making

Chapter 9

Everything had been going so well. Seth's flight was smooth and there hadn't been any trouble with his luggage—a miracle in itself, given how often wrestlers had their luggage get lost or delayed—or his rental. When they got to the venue, they were both delighted to learn that Joshy and Jen's tickets had been given to a cancer patient and her wife. The VIP area had plenty of space and great acoustics, and Becky couldn't remember the last time a concert had sounded so good. She got so lost in the music that she barely realized Seth was there, let alone that they were on their own together.

She had such a buzz from the concert that she didn't even think about the obvious until Seth brought it up. "Are you sure you're cool with me staying at your place?" To his credit, he tried to keep his voice casual, but she could see the uncertainty in his gaze. "There's a few hotels in your area, right? And I don't think there are any other big events on tonight, so I shouldn't have a problem getting a room...."

"It's fine, Seth. I even stocked up on coffee," Becky added, "and you wouldn't want me to end up throwing it away, would you?"

Seth's lips twitched. "Cesaro would never forgive me." As they got in his rental, he added, "Breakfast is my treat tomorrow too. As part of your birthday present."

It almost made it sound like a date. It certainly almost felt like one, but Becky tried to push those kind of thoughts out of her mind. Seth was just being a good friend and gracious guest, nothing more. "You're just saying that so I won't sleep in tomorrow," she quipped. Life on the road meant she had a pretty reliable internal clock, but she still enjoyed sleeping in when she could, especially when she was in her own bed—Make that 'at home', she corrected herself. "And yes, you're taking the bed. End of discussion. You're way taller than me, and I don't want to hear a bunch of griping tomorrow about how your knees are all stiff because there was no room for you to stretch out on the couch." She didn't want to keep hiding behind humour, but it remained her best defence.

"Fine. Just remember that the next time you're in Davenport," Seth countered.

Becky rolled her eyes. "Because there's so many reasons for me to go to Iowa. Plus you have an actual house. You have spare rooms. That's different."

"I hope you know you just broke Kevin's heart."

"Well, I mean, if Kevin wanted me to come visit," Becky laughed, "I'd probably consider it. And I suppose popping in at Black & Brave wouldn't hurt. The female students would probably appreciate a woman's perspective."

Seth nodded, trying not to laugh. "I'm sure they would." Then he started talking about his current group of students and Becky listened eagerly, though with a tinge of guilt. She knew his wrestling academy was an easy way to distract him and steer the conversation in a different direction, but she was also genuinely interested in how his students were faring—and proud of him for his dedication to the school. Their road schedules were hard enough as it was, but he always tried to spend as much time at Black & Brave as he could.

By the time they arrived at Becky's apartment, she knew the names, goals, and grades of all Seth's current students, along with his take on their chances to succeed in professional wrestling. "Forget NXT," she declared. "In ten years, WWE is going to be all Black & Brave graduates. You and Marek are doing a great job."

"Thanks." Seth triple-checked that the rental was locked, then laughed at himself. "Sorry. You'd think I'm in Chicago enough that I'd be comfortable in a big city, but...."

"It's not a bad habit." Becky knew her neighbourhood was mostly safe, but she tried to stay on guard too. With Seth there, though, it was easy to relax a bit and not second-guess every shadow she saw out of the corner of her eye. As they walked up to her apartment, Becky cleared her throat. "So... um, did you want a coffee or anything? Or did you want an early breakfast tomorrow?" She tried not to think about the fact that Seth's gaze was probably level with her ass as he kept pace behind her.