NaNoWriMo Story Snippets

4. Flirting, part 4

"Hey, Rollins." Ruby Riott nodded at his bracelets as she approached. "Need a hand with those? I'm good with knots." Before she could wait to see if the double entendre had landed, she noticed something on his wrist. "Hey, I didn't know you had a tattoo there." She grabbed his forearm with one hand and his hand with the other to get a better look. "Nice."

"Thanks. Yeah, my bracelet usually covers that one. Between that and my watch," Seth added, "I sometimes forget I have it."

Ruby circled around to his back. "Can't forget that one, I bet, even though you can't see it." She touched a finger to the top character. "It's the bushido code or something, right? I remember watching a bit of your Superstar Ink episode."

"Yeah." It was a question Seth got a lot, so he could recite the virtues from memory: "Integrity, respect, courage, honour, compassion, honesty, loyalty." With a laugh, he added, "Though I've seen 'righteousness' instead of 'integrity' and 'kindness' instead of 'compassion'. Depends on the translation, I guess."

"It's really great line work," Ruby went on, tracing the line down his spine. "Really delicate. Almost like brushstrokes."

"It's not Braille." Becky's non-nonsense Irish lilt made both Seth and Ruby glance up.

"I know," Ruby replied, stepping back a bit. "I just wanted to see—"

"You better not try that in your match with me and Charlotte," Becky smirked, "because if you 'just want to see' some of her tattoos, you're going to get your ribs Flair-chopped for the effort."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Lynch. I'd say I'm surprised you don't have any ink, but I don't think it shows up too well on orange."

Seth chuckled softly as he watched Ruby head towards the women's locker room. ""If I have a problem with someone touching my tattoo," he said, looking up at Becky, "you know I'll tell them that myself, right?"

Becky felt her cheeks heat up, so she gave her jaw an extra stubborn set. "I know that. But sometimes guys don't feel right telling a girl off. Next time, you fend off the Riott Squad's awkward flirting on your own." She turned and went to leave when she heard Seth laughing again. "What's so funny?"

"You call that flirting?" Seth pointed the direction Ruby had gone. "She was just asking about my tattoos, that's all. Most tattooed people swap ink stories all the time. It's not a big deal."

"I'm pretty sure most tattooed people do it without groping each other," Becky retorted, "but maybe Charlotte and Paige and Bayley are the exception to some weird rule."

Seth raised an eyebrow as he stood. "You've met Charlotte and Paige, right? Charlotte would drape herself over you if you gave her half a chance, Irish."

Becky scowled and shoved his arm. "Don't call me that. Finn and Sheamus are Irish too."

"I know." Then Seth leaned close. "So was that flirting when you pushed me? I just want to be sure I'm understanding everything that's going on here, since you clearly think I'm incapable—"

"Oh, you wish, Rollins." It was weak and juvenile and the best Becky could muster at the moment, so she strode off before she could embarrass herself further.

"Maybe I do wish, Irish!" Seth's jovial laugh followed her down the hall and she did her best to ignore it, but it made the nerves in her fingers jangle like bells.

Becky turned just before she collided with a camera technician. "What are you on about now?"

"Your flirting game," Seth called back. "It needs a little work. Maybe it's an Irish thing? I can talk to Finn and Sheamus if you like. . . ."

"I will fucking gut you, Rollins!" The absolute last thing she needed was Finn or Sheamus knowing she liked Seth. Being teased in English was bad enough; being pestered in Irish and then expected to translate it for any friends who happened to be nearby would be mortifying.