Absolute Smokeshow

Meet And Greet

"Hey, is everything okay?" you answer your phone anxiously.
Upon feeling the insistent vibration in your pocket, you had checked your phone to see an incoming call from "Mami" on your screen and excused yourself from your small gathering of friends to take the call out of earshot. This was the first time she had called you out of the blue and you had no idea what to expect.
"Everything's fine," Rhea's voice assured you, "Better than fine, actually."
You faintly heard some excited chatter in the background.
"What do you mean?" you ask.

"The Judgment Day is going to be in your city next month!" Rhea says, putting on her best announcer impression before returning to her usual voice, "And I got you a backstage pass."
"Really?" you can't suppress the excitement in your voice.
"Yes, really," she chuckled, "Damian and Finn want to meet you. And Dom" - she said his name and the rest of the statement a bit louder and in a way that makes you think he's somewhere near wherever she is - "wants to apologize for how he acted when you first met."
More chatter in the background, still unintelligible.

"Here, I'm going to hand him the phone," she said suddenly. Your anxiety spiked slightly and before you could respond, there was a loud shuffling noise and a small cough, followed by "um, hey."
"Hey," you reply, trying to sound casual.
"This is Dom," he said, after a pause in which the only sound you heard was your slightly panicked heartbeat.
"Yeah, Rhe mentioned," you kept your voice level, unsure if his hesitation was from embarrassment, jealousy, or genuine regret.
"Well, uh... I'm sorry for threatening you. That wasn't okay." Dominik said before a small pause, "Oof! Oh, and sorry for the uh, slut-shaming."
"No worries," you respond, eager to end the interaction, "I appreciate the apology" - even if it wasn't genuine, you thought.

More shuffling noises, and you think you faintly hear "Priest!"
"Hey, chica," a new, lower voice comes on the line, "It's Damian. Can't wait to meet the woman who brought Rhea out of the closet - and helped put $50 in my hand while you were at it."
"Bastard," you hear faintly before the Northern Irish accent cuts to scuffling and comes back on the line, louder this time, "I'm going to be direct, lass: You owe me $50."
A sudden light behind you makes you turn to the open door one of your friends is holding open.
"Just checking in," they whisper upon seeing you on the phone, "Who are you talking to?"
I don't know, you mouth, holding the phone slightly further from your ear as - presumably - Rhea's phone loudly changed hands in one way or another.

"Sorry, babe," the Australian lilt greeted your ears again, relaxing you, "Everything between those two is a competition, I swear."
"No worries," you smile, giving your friend a silent thumbs up. They smile, nod, and close the door behind them.
"Anyway, I'll message you all the details about next month later," Rhea circled back, "And don't worry, you don't owe Finn anything; it was really just a matter of time before the money was Damian's."
The both of you laugh.
"I have to head out," she says, "Talk to you later, beautiful."
"See ya, Rhe," you respond before pulling the phone away from your ear.

Taking a moment to process the call, you hang back a bit longer before heading back to your group of friends. You were nervous about seeing the entirety of the Judgment Day face-to-face, but you couldn't wait to see Rhea again. At least Damian seemed to like you.
"That was her, wasn't it?" one of them said when you rejoined the group, causing the others to "Oooo!" in unison. A few laughed and you felt your face get warmer.
"You've got it bad, girl," someone said upon seeing you get flustered.
"Well hey, sex with someone who's that strong is probably amazing, right?" another asked before exaggerating a pout, "Not that you'd tell us."
"C'mon, stop," you say, stretching out the last word and smiling to yourself.
The topic changed, but your smile remained. In a few weeks, you would be in Rhea's arms again and the wait would be worth it.