NaNoWriMo Story Snippets

2. Flirting, part 2

"Oh, come off it, Rebecca! That's wrong and you know it!" Finn's joyous laugh carried across the mostly empty gym and Seth hated it, because that laugh was for Becky. Who called her Rebecca anyway? It wasn't like the difference between his stage name and Colby, or Cesaro and Claudio. What was Finn trying to prove? Everyone knew he had trained her. The WWE loved to bring that up every chance they got.

"Is not!" Becky replied, her equally strident voice carrying. "That's not the way I was taught." She crossed her arms over her chest and for a moment, Seth was surprised that she was wearing a tank top. He was so used to working out with other men, all shirtless. Becky fit in so well with their energy that it was easy to see her as one of the guys.

"Quin, don't lie. I taught you that move, and I know I didn't teach it like that." Finn positioned her at the centre of the training mat and demonstrated it again. "I have video of you doing that move perfectly back in Ireland. . . ."

Quin . . .I taught you that . . .I have video of you . . . Back in Ireland. Each little bit of closeness chipped away at Seth a bit, and he set his wall ball down on the floor before he missed a catch and it landed on his head. Now Finn had her in a modified version of Samoa Joe's coquina clutch, amended for her smaller stature. Of course, that also meant he was pressed against her from behind, one leg wrapped around—

"Rollins!" Cesaro's fingers snapped close enough to his face that Seth felt his eyelashes flutter in their wake. "What is up with you today?"

"What?" Seth went to take a step forward and almost tripped over his wall ball. "What? I'm fine."

"Really? Because to me, you just spent five minutes death-glaring Finn. Now, I'm pretty sure he didn't notice, because he's helping Becky prepare for her match," Cesaro added, keeping his gaze fixed on Seth's face, "but it's not a good look, my friend."

Seth rolled his shoulders, trying to dispel his frustration. "Well, I just thought we came here to work out, that's all. They can . . . wrestle at the arena before the event." He cringed when he heard the hesitation in his voice.

Laughing, Cesaro made a show of peering into Seth's face, grabbing his chin and turning it this way and that. "I guess I was wrong. I always thought your eyes were brown, not green."

"What are you talking about?" Watching Finn and Becky tumble around was bad enough; he didn't need Cesaro pestering him. "They are brown."

"I'm not so sure." Then Cesaro laughed and slapped Seth's back. "Green-eyed monster?" he said slowly. When Seth still didn't get it, he shook his head. "Jealousy! You're jealous, my friend."

"What? No." Trying to prove his point, Seth turned away from Becky and Finn, but that just left him looking at a wall mirror that showed them from a different angle. "They've been friends since they were teenagers," he scoffed. "Finn taught her. They aren't romantic or anything. Not that it's my business," he added quickly, grabbing his wall ball and heading for the equipment rack. This wasn't going to plan at all.

"Sounds to me that you want it to be your business." Cesaro's voice was mild enough, but his sparkling eyes gave him away. "A word of advice: Becky isn't the most subtle of people. You know that. I think she appreciates similar . . . forthrightness in others."

Seth rolled his eyes. "Forthrightness? Save the fancy words for your coffees." Becky was laughing again, pushing Finn with both hands. Did her fingers linger on his chest a little bit? Was that one hand a little lower than you'd touch on someone who was just a friend? At this rate, Seth's brain was going to get more of a workout than his body. "I'm going over to the kettlebells," he declared. wiping his hands on a rack towel before crossing the room. He could still accidentally hurt himself with the kettlebell, but at least its weight would be a constant in his hands, making him focus on something other than Becky.