About You Now

Architect's Demon

The air was awkward in the NXT Hall. However, Seth and Echo's slow walk to get there was pleasant, almost peaceful by comparison. Seth had gained the courage to ask Echo to walk with him, hoping that by doing so, they could reconnect, talk about their troubles, move past them, and maybe even find a way to coexist. Both had months to think about everything, to find a way to move forward and truly understand what had taken place to rip them apart. To get the anger out, to allow the hurt to settle. They both had friends to support them. Seth had the majority of the original group gathered around him, helping to console his broken heart and understand the unknown. Whereas Echo had the Darklings around her, Finn, in particular, had become her rock, and Aleister remained at her side as a brother.

"I'm sorry, Echo," voiced Seth, allowing her to lead him through the maze of halls the large NXT Hall offered. After all, she knew her way around the hall better than the school staff. All the Darklings did due to Triple H giving them access passes and hiding them away within the building. "I promised you I'd never be the reason you got hurt; I promised I would care for and protect you when you needed me most. I broke both of them, hurt you the same way Lacey hurt me," he added, noticing Echo's silence, although he was unsure if she was listening to him or if she was up to something else. After all, she had actively avoided the conversation with him when she knew he wanted to bring it up. She'd avoided others when they suggested it as well.

"It hurt more; you didn't trust me enough to say something when it happened," she replied, at least being open to talking this time and revealing what had hurt her the most. Wasn't Seth cheating on her but hiding it from her as if he believed she wouldn't eventually find out? "Telling me from the get-go would have saved the pain and all the anger. Sure, I would have been pissed at you and likely would have kicked your ass, but at least it wouldn't have been weaponized, and there wouldn't have been any drama," Echo calmly added, deep down she knew what had hurt her more than that was both Becky and Seth denying it, was hearing the truth from Finn instead of the person she was dating. "I shouldn't have had to hear that from Finn, nor should you or Becky have denied or tried to hide it."

"I guess I thought I was protecting you by not saying anything," started Seth, quickening his pace to walk at Echo's side. Even when they were at odds, she was still someone special to him. "Now I see how much of a coward I was and how stupid I've been. I overlooked one of the simplest things about you," he continued, mentally taking a note of all the turns while silently questioning if Echo was leading him astray or if there was a destination in mind. "You're anything but ordinary Echo Black; I was a fool for forgetting that and for thinking you couldn't handle the truth, for hurting you the way I did."

"So where do we go from here?" asked Echo as she pushed open a set of double grey-painted doors and entered the hall gym. "It seems to me you have a fork in your path, Mr Rollins," she teasingly added, as if they had been escorted back to ancient times. Seth could only chuckle. A feeling of familiarity washed over him once more. Although he knew she was right, he did have a choice to make, but so did she, even if she was oblivious to it.

"As do you, my lady," replied Seth, playing along with the act as he would have done before. Not missing a beat while keeping up with her.

"Ah yes, you refer to the dear Archer of Infamy," she began. Again, uncertainty shone in her eyes, however not as prominent as it had been when it came to the pair of them. "That talk has already taken place. Damian was quite the gentleman about it, took it in his stride," added Echo, although she didn't give anything away with her chosen words. Just as she knew Damian acted no differently, thrust no one was none the wiser.

"You Darklings really are good at acting," commented Seth, tying his loose hair into a man bun at the top of his head, and stepped into the wrestling ring mere seconds later. Being inside the squared circle would help clear his head and shine a light on which path he should take. "I feel like I've been torn between both paths. My mind is telling me to give it a chance with Becky, but at the same time, there's guilt there," he worded, stopping in the middle of the ring after running the ropes a few times.