Slaughterhouse

Embarrassed

Carmen steps out of the Uber and smoothes down her dress. It's a little short, but she wasn't expecting a party and all she has otherwise is her gear, some sweats and pajamas. She looks at the house. It's huge, probably at least three stories, there's people walking around outside with drinks in their hands and she can hear the music from out back playing.

The house is pretty secluded on a hill. There's no neighbors around for a couple miles so they don't have to worry about being loud here. Carmen takes a breath and walks inside, not wanting to be a part of whatever is happening out back.

She looks around and sees Damian and Finn standing by the fireplace with Dom sitting on the edge of it. She sees Rhea sitting on the couch that's next to it, talking with a man sitting beside her. When she sees her laugh a little and shake her head, she realizes it's Buddy.

Carmen takes a breath but it catches in her throat when Rhea's eyes turn to her. The smile on her face fades a little and she has guilt in her eyes. Buddy turns his head to see what she's looking at.

Turning her attention away from them before he gets angry, Carmen clears her throat and makes her way towards the guys. She sits next to Dom on the fireplace and smiles at him.

"Hey. What'd I miss?" She asks.

"We were just taking bets on if WWE was real which of us guys would win in a triple threat." Dom smiles.

"Oh that's easy. Damian all the way." Carmen says.

"What?!" Dom and Finn shout at the same time.

Carmen laughs as Damian holds a hand out to her and she high fives it.

"Sorry boys. But Finn, he towers over you...and Dom? I'm sorry but...that just wouldn't even be fair for you to be matched up against them. You'd be out in the first thirty seconds." She explains.

Rhea chuckles from the couch as Dom pouts and Finn rolls his eyes in annoyance. Carmen looks over at her and Buddy. Her laugh catches and she clears her throat. He is watching Carmen closely. She looks down at her lap and scratches at her arm before looking back at the guys.

They're arguing over her observation now. Dom pleading his case that he could take either of them easily. She can feel both Rhea and Buddy's eyes on her as she sits there, but she doesn't look at them again.

That is until she feels a soft touch on her arm. She jumps a little and turns, seeing Buddy leaning down next to her.

"Hey. Can we talk a minute?" He asks in a whisper.

Carmen looks over at Rhea, who just stares back at her with a blank expression. She looks up at Buddy and nods before standing. He walks towards the stairs and she follows him.

Buddy opens a door and peeks inside before turning the light on and walking in. Carmen hesitates in the hall and rubs her arm. He turns around and offers a small smile.

"It's alright." He reassures her.

She looks around before walking into the room. A smidge of relief flushes over her as she realizes he chose an office rather than a bedroom to talk in. Boy would that have been awkward.

Carmen turns around and finds Buddy had shut the door. The anxiety immediately takes over and she starts feeling jittery.

"I just want to talk." He says.

She shakily takes a deep breath before speaking.

"I'm so sorry Buddy. I-I swear I didn't know. She never told me. If I knew I never would have done anything with her. God this is embarrassing. I swear if I had known-" She rambles.

"Hey," he cuts her off, "take a deep breath for me okay? I'm not mad." He speaks calmly.

Carmen blinks back tears and looks up at him. She takes a deep breath before speaking.

"I wouldn't blame you. I slept with your girlfriend. Why wouldn't you be mad?" She asks.

Buddy sighs and nods.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Carmen. I'm sorry. She never should have taken it there without explaining this to you." He says.

A look of confusion crosses Carmen's face. Explain what to her? What does he mean by that? She takes everything into consideration. Rhea telling her it's not what she thinks. Buddy not having an ounce of anger visible on his face.

Carmen looks at the expression Buddy has. The softness in his eyes. She shakes her head slightly and her shoulders drop.

"You knew? And you didn't care?" She asks.

Buddy sits on the edge of the desk and puts his hands next to him on it. He looks at Carmen and smiles softly.

"Rhea's had her eyes on you for a while. Professionally I mean. She's been keeping track of you on NXT. Watching you grow stronger and develop your character. She wanted you on the roster. When you showed up for her that night at NXT and took out Lyra? She wanted you personally too. We watched the replay of that night together. And honestly...I wanted you too." He says.

Shock settles in Carmen's core and she finds herself blushing. She doesn't know what to say or how to respond to that.

"So we talked and she told me about your flirting. And yes, I knew she was going to flirt back or make a move somehow. But I didn't expect her to not tell you about us before going that far with you. So don't feel like you have to have us both. Or either one of us for that matter. If you just want Rhea, I'll respect that."

"I...I don't know what to say." Her words come out in a whisper as she's still shocked.

Buddy smiles and stands back up. He reaches out and pats her arm softly.

"You don't have to say anything. It's a lot to take in and I know it's confusing. So just think about it. It's your decision." He says before dropping his hand and leaving the office.

Carmen takes a breath and looks around at the artwork on the walls. Trying to make sense of everything he just told her. That didn't go down as she expected at all.

Rhea wasn't cheating on Buddy. He knew all along about them. They both want her. As their third. As in a throuple.

She shakes her head and laughs a little, unsure of what to make of the mess she got herself into.