The Newlyweds' Problem [4] » WWE

Chapter 11

Wednesday: June 15

The next morning, Seth and I are out eating breakfast in an outside café. I stir my spoon around in my cup of coffee, watching the creamy liquid swirl around as my mind still weighs heavily on the things Seth told me last night. Grandpa wanting him to work for the Headquarters wasn't where I pictured the next step of our lives going.

Seth sits across from me, pushing around scrambled eggs on his plate through a yawn. He didn't get much sleep, up tossing and turning with my grandpa's offer. He hadn't given him an answer yet because he wanted to discuss it with me, but we haven't really gotten anywhere on the topic. It's baffling. And the fact that Grandpa seems intent on him saying yes just makes that fact even more so.

I push my coffee to the side, interlocking my hands as I look at Seth. He's biting his lip as he scrapes his fork across his plate, the sound seeming to bring him some sort of comfort. After a few more seconds, he feels my gaze on him and lets his eyes drift up to mine. We share a conversation in that moment as the corner of his mouth lifts and he shakes his head. I unlace my hands, placing them palm flat on the surface. "What do you want to do?"

"That's just it, I don't know." He lets out a huff of breath, dropping his fork. "I guess it would be like what you did yesterday when you directed the show. Not something I expected to do, but the experience could be good."

"It could," I agree. "And I suppose there are worse things than being taken under Vince McMahon's wing."

"Plus, it would only be a month or so, and it would be easier since we're living in Greenwich for the time being." He runs a hand over his beard, then lets it fall to the table. "It's a lot to think about, Ash."

Feeling like I already know his unspoken answer to my grandpa's question, I reach across the table and clasp his hands between mine. "No matter what you decide, I'll have your back. 1000% and then some, agápi mou." [my love]

Seth nods, lifting my hands to his lips to place a light kiss on my knuckles. He says nothing else, and I know right now that silence is all we need.

- - - - -

Saturday: June 18

I'm the last to show up to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory on Saturday, all the boys already there before me. I say my greetings as I slide into the seat that's been left for me between Cody and Stone. "I'm surprised you guys didn't start without me," I tell them, slipping off my sunglasses to put in my purse, which I place on the back of the chair. "I know how cranky Dolph can get when he doesn't have his food."

"Well, if you had been any later, then I would've resorted to eating Cody over there. He probably wouldn't even notice." Dolph nods to Cody beside me, who looks to be worlds away. "He's been kind of out of it since he got here."

"It's probably because he was forced to listen to your jokes on the way over," Randy pipes up. "I told him to ride with me, but he insisted on torturing himself today, I guess."

"I'll have you know that he was like that before he got in the car with me, thank you very much."

Instead of chiming in with the usual teasing, I turn to Cody, nudging him with my elbow. "Hey." He turns to me, then blinks, as if he's just noticing that I'm here. "You okay?"

"Um." He clears his throat, then nods with an unconvincing chuckle. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about how it's been a long time since we've all been here together. It's nice."

There's something else there, but I decide to drop it, picking up my menu. "Yeah, it is," I agree, hoping that whatever is wrong will pass.

Stone, who had been quiet but not in a way that signaled anything was wrong, speaks up to say, "Almost as nice as when Cody tried to help us with our comic book."

That earns a genuine smile from Cody, and Stone and I exchange a knowing glance before turning back to him. Cody holds up a hand. "I appreciate you bringing that up, but we all know I couldn't draw more than stick figures."

"They were good stick figures," I assure him. I lower my voice to a stage whisper, "I mean, compared to Dolph's jokes, they were basically award-winning."

"Hey," Dolph exclaims.

After that, the table dissolves into a nice rhythm. We order our food and trade story after story, laughing as we reminisce. Stone falls into step with us quickly, picking up the banter in a way he used to do when we were younger. And even though we haven't hung out together in years, it doesn't feel that way at all.

I've taken the last bite of my mushroom burger and am debating on what I want to get for dessert when Randy casually remarks over his menu, "Man, this is fun. To think we could've done this a lot more if Asher and Stone hadn't stopped talking."

The table goes quiet. Randy doesn't look up, but I share glances with everyone else around the table. They look equally as shocked as I am. Before I can say anything, Randy snaps his menu closed, looking at all of us with an uncharacteristically wide smile. "Who wants cheesecake?"

Surprisingly, the lunch manages to get back on track after that. Randy doesn't bring up the past again and soon it's almost forgotten. When it's time to leave, we pay and place our tips on the table. Perhaps it's by design, but Randy and I are the last to leave the restaurant. We fall into a slow walk side-by-side as we head to our cars. "So, when did you find out?"

Randy rolls his shoulders, slipping his hands into his pockets. "At the wedding." I turn to him, wondering how he knew. He spares me a look, knowing what I'm thinking without me having to say it. "It was when I talked to Stone. The way he talked about his memories of you was very wistful."

"If you knew, why didn't you say anything when you saw us?"

Randy shrugs. "I figured you'd tell me when you were ready." He stops at my rental car, removing one of his hands from his pockets to brush it over his head as he looks off to the side. "Asher," he says on a sigh, turning back to face me. "If I ever made you feel like you couldn't tell me about this or had to hide things from me, I'm sorry. Believe me, that wasn't my intention."

"No, it's not that. The only reason I didn't tell you was because letting go of my friendship with Stone hurt," I admit. "And if I told you, you would've tried to fix it, but it was something I had to work through on my own."

"You're probably right." He chuckles, arms crossing over his chest. "God, I can't believe I'm the overbearing older brother. That gets annoying, doesn't it?"

"At times," I tease, then shake my head to let him know I'm joking. "You're a little protective, and that's fine. You're a lot like Dad in that way."

Randy narrows his eyes, considering it. "How long until I get my own sledgehammer?"

"You still got a ways to go before you get there."

"Ah, I can wait." He leans against my rental, staring out at where Stone, Dolph and Cody are across the parking lot still talking. Randy keeps his gaze trained on them for a few more seconds before he asks, "Do you ever regret how things turned out?"

"No," I reply with no hesitation. I think about how I lost my friendship with Stone and how much it hurt at first but am proud of how I bounced back. My right hand goes to touch my wedding ring absentmindedly, and I smile at the thought of Seth. "Everything I went through led me exactly where I wanted to be."