Flames

Valentine's Day, part 4

Becky's room was on the tenth floor, so it took a while to reach by stairs, but she welcomed the distraction. The exertion helped clear her head a bit, but she still couldn't get Seth out of her mind. They had known each other for years. Where had all these feelings come from? The breathless feeling making her chest tingle wasn't just from her impromptu workout.

Once she got back to her suite, she took off her jacket and grabbed her phone. It was Charlotte's first Valentine's Day with Andrade, so she should call to see how preparations were going. Charlotte liked to celebrate on a grand scale and had been wondering if she was going overboard. Without thinking, Becky automatically made it a video call and she flopped down on the bed as she waited for Charlotte to answer. "Hey, Char. All done with your Valentine's planning?"

"Becks!" Charlotte's face was freshly scrubbed for the night, her hair up in a bun, and the familiar sight made Becky smile. In the ring, Charlotte was an absolute marvel, but Becky doubted many people knew just how sweet she truly was. "What's up? You look happy." Then Charlotte narrowed her eyes. "What's with the hat?"

"Huh? Oh." Becky reached up, but stopped just short of pulling the toque off. "Went out for coffee with some of the singles." Charlotte was her best friend, but Becky didn't quite feel like sharing her new, sprawling feelings just yet. "Fans kept recognizing my hair, so Seth loaned me his hat. I'll give it back to him tomorrow. So what are you and Andrade doing for Valentine's Day?" After a moment, she laughed and added, "Aside from the obvious."

Charlotte laughed too, the rich sound filling Becky's suite. "I got tickets to one of his favourite plays, so we're going to see that. Dinner, of course. And drinks. And then I was thinking. . . ."

Becky settled in, listening to Charlotte gush about Andrade and their planned Valentine's. It was nice to see her friends so happy, and she was thinking about calling Bayley and Sasha too when she heard a knock on her door. "Hang on. Someone's at my door."

"Go. I'll call you tomorrow," Charlotte promised. "I want to order something online quick before Andrade gets back anyway. Love ya, Becks!"

"Love you too!" Becky disconnected and left her phone on the bed as she went over to the door, looking through the peephole.

Seth.

Any sense of calm or objectivity she'd gained from taking the stairs or talking to Charlotte evaporated instantly. She steadied her hands as best she could before opening the door. "Hey. I thought we were going to talk tomorrow. . . ."

Seth's dark eyes were shining and Becky felt the shivery feeling creep through her chest again. "I forgot about my hat," he said, voice low. Before she could remind him that he was supposed to fight her for it, he reached over and slowly pulled it off her head, sending her curls tumbling back down. "And I forgot to give you something."

"What?"

With his free hand, Seth pulled her into a kiss, making Becky stumble. He eased her back into her room, but just enough that he could almost close the door behind himself. "I don't need to think about it," he whispered against her mouth as he stepped back, letting Becky settle back onto her feet. "But I can wait. Breakfast at eight?"

Becky was still catching her breath as Seth slipped out the door. "Yeah. I—Yeah."

The smile that curled Seth's lips should have been infuriating, but Becky couldn't be mad at his mouth just then, not when it could scramble her thoughts so easily. "Sweet dreams," he said, smirk still in place as he turned and headed back to his room.

"Sweet dreams," Becky echoed as she shut the door and flipped all the locks. Was there a way to lock herself inside so she didn't follow him? She settled for going to the bed and flopping back on it. Sweet dreams? She would be lucky if she got any sleep at all.