Flames

Extreme Rules 2019, part 2

To hear Corey Graves tell it, Becky and Seth were going to crumble at the first sign of adversity. Becky knew that wasn't the case. They hadn't had any major fights yet—and she knew that was a big yet, given the nature of their personalities—but they'd had a few bumps in the road and managed to navigate them smoothly, if slowly. Brock's cash-in had nothing to do with her and she knew it, but she had no idea how to help Seth through the shock and sense of betrayal.

She had offered to drive back to the hotel, but Seth wasn't quite dazed enough to agree to that. When they arrived, though, she had to gently take the key card from him because he kept swiping it the wrong way. "Go sit," she said gently. "I've got the bags." Seth had his own way of unpacking, so she left his bag by his side of the bed, tucked against the wall. Hers she put on the bed, opening it to get the salve the doctor had given her for her head bump. Mercifully it wasn't a concussion; if she'd had to relinquish the belt all because Lacey Evans didn't know how to drop a chair properly, she would have gone on a rampage.

"Where's your belt?" Seth came up behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder.

Becky hesitated. He would never begrudge her the belt even if he went without a title shot for a full year, but it didn't feel right to have her belt sitting out when his had been unceremoniously stolen. "It's in here," she said, shoving her ring gear down deeper to cover it. "I just needed to get the stuff for my bump—"

"Take it out." Seth's voice was soft and bittersweet, and when Becky made no move to pull her belt out of her bag, he reached around her and rummaged around her things until he could free it. "You always set it out. It helps you sleep better." Her mouth opened but all her words failed her as Seth tucked the straps in and set her belt out on display the way she always did when they were in a hotel room. "There." Then he came over and hugged her from behind, taking a deep breath that ruffled her hair. "I'm gonna go sit in the hot tub for a bit."

"Okay." There had been no flirting, no request—or demand—to join, so Becky gave him some space, going about her regular routine. Her bump was still sensitive to the touch, so she put more salve on it while Seth was filling the hot tub so he wouldn't hear her wincing; he had enough on his mind without worrying about her battle wounds. Eventually there was nothing else to do except watch television or go to bed, and she was too wound up to sleep. She padded quietly into the bathroom and peered in, taking a moment to admire Seth with his eyes closed. He almost looked like he was meditating. "Hey."

"Hey." He opened his eyes slowly and the lingering desolation there made Becky ache. "What took you so long?"

Becky shrugged. "I wasn't sure if you wanted company," she replied, leaning against the door frame, "so I didn't want to intrude."

Seth raised a hand out of the water and extended it to her. "You're always welcome."

"Unless Game of Thrones is on," she quipped, stepping into the bathroom. Seth's gaze hadn't moved away from her, so she took her time undressing; it wasn't quite a strip tease, but she put a little finesse into it. When she was fully naked and had put her hair up in a bun, Seth leaned back against the corner to make room for her, but she motioned him forward instead. "I'll get your back," she said, sneaking in behind him.

"Is the water okay? Not too hot?" Seth's voice still had a flat, drained tone, but it was slowly getting better.

"It's fine." Becky hugged him for a few long minutes, burying her face between his shoulder blades. When Seth grabbed one of her hands and raised it to his mouth to kiss, she shut her eyes against tears. At least his back was already wet; he wouldn't notice a bit more water. "I'm sorry."