Flames

High on the List, part 2

The Saudi Arabia shows always left Seth conflicted. His biggest goal, aside from being the best champion he could be, was to entertain the audience. He remembered how much fun he used to have at wrestling events when he was younger and he loved bringing those moments to the next generations. The Saudi audiences were no different. The government and the policies were another story. The McMahons even brought Alexa and Natalya over in hopes that they would be allowed to wrestle, but it wasn't looking likely.

It felt weird to be preparing for such a big event without having Becky to talk to. Even when they were just friends, they would bounce ideas off each other, eager for the other person's opinion. But she was back in the States with a schedule of her own, including an interview.

An interview that was already garnering a fair amount of buzz not because of what was going to be asked, but because of what was now off the table. When WWE first promoted the interview, they mentioned the usual suspects: Becky's meteoric rise, life as The Man, and her upcoming challengers. They also mentioned their relationship, and Seth would have been the first one to tell them what a mistake that was. Becky loved him; he had no doubt about that. But she in no way considered him or their relationship an accomplishment.

So of course, being Becky, she had fired her salvo on Twitter, stating that talking about her love life wasn't high on her list. And just like that, the original announcement was down and all further references to the interview contained no mention of Seth or their relationship. While they were visiting the hospital in Jeddah, Natalya pulled Seth to the side when it was safe to do so. "You saw Becky's tweet, I'm guessing?"

Seth nodded. He wasn't offended; he expected nothing less and, honestly, in her position, he would have done the same. They might have been a couple, but they were still two very different people. "She made quick work of that notion, didn't she?" Even he could hear the pride in his voice, and he was glad to see a similar expression on Natalya's face.

"She did." She paused for a beat before adding, "You know she doesn't mean anything against you by it, right? And no, she didn't ask me to talk to you, I swear. Renee either."

"Renee hasn't mentioned anything to me." Seth imagined it was only because it was hard for the women's contingent to get around without an escort, though.

Natalya seemed relieved. "Okay. Well, like I said, Becky never said anything to me, but I can imagine some of the worries she might be having, so when you have a chance, it might not be a bad idea to put her at ease." It was a simple enough suggestion, but judging from her expression, she expected to have to defend it.

Seth just nodded. "We tried to arrange a time for a video chat that works for both of us," he said. "I'll make sure she knows." Then he smiled, stopping himself before giving Natalya a hug. "Thanks for thinking of her, Nattie."

"I got her back." Then Natalya raised a warning finger. "You just remember that."

"Noted." Seth held his hands up in mock surrender as they were led to another ward in the hospital. To cut down on the time zone differences, Becky was staying at his place in Davenport while he was gone, which left him with a bittersweet feeling. Obviously he would rather be there with her, but there was also something alluring about the idea of her in his space without him there. He wondered if she would move through it in the same way, sit on the couch differently, sleep on the other side of the bed.

Jeddah was eight hours ahead, so it was afternoon in Davenport when he called; they both agreed it was easier for him to do the calling since his schedule was more involved than hers was. When she didn't answer right away, his first thought was that he had got the timing wrong, but he knew he had double-checked it. Maybe she just went out for coffee, he thought next. Becky wasn't really the type to linger at home and do nothing.