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"This is the second time in three months that you've tried to pop my boobs, Becky."
The words were said with no inflection, no sarcasm, no hidden layer. Charlotte was simply making a statement as she catalogued the various aches and pains that she sustained from the TLC match with Becky and Asuka -- and there were many of them.
The worst, obviously, were her ribs -- a victim of another leg drop from Becky. She thought the one that her best friend had landed at Evolution had been bad, but this one was around five times worse: Becky had jumped from a taller ladder, and she appeared to fall faster. Becky had tried to land at her stomach, but falling from that height was an imprecise science and the Irish woman had hit the entirety of Charlotte's upper body before bouncing.
Becky moved closer to her, so that they were standing in front of the mirrors that lined the wall of the locker room. Most of the roster had left; even Asuka had been whisked away already, off to do press. The last they heard, she had a conference call with WWE Japan to discuss her triumph that night.
The recently dethroned SmackDown women's champion tilted her head, and met Charlotte's eyes through the mirror. "Your boobs still look fantastic," Becky said, sounding too cheerful for someone who had just lost her title. "Don't worry."
"I'm not worried."
"I'm just saying, I didn't do any damage," Becky continued.
"Of course not, I was just pointing out that - "
"I'm sure Alexa will be very appreciative of them tonight."
" Becky! "
Charlotte immediately whipped her head around the locker room, nervous that someone heard her best friend. Becky was smirking at her; she looked far too pleased with herself. The tall blonde crossed her arms over her chest, immediately regretting the movement when her ribs screamed in pain.
"How did you even know that I was gonna meet with… uh, her?" Charlotte demanded.
"I didn't," Becky said. "You just told me, this very moment."
Charlotte groaned, then turned away and began fixing her things. "Don't make a big deal out of this, Becks," she warned. "We were supposed to meet here, but then she wasn't booked tonight, so I just said, 'Hey, let's meet up at the hotel, for a drink.' Just a drink, nothing else. One drink, then I'm going, because I need to rest and -- "
"Charlotte," Becky interrupted. "Breathe, lass."
When Charlotte appeared calmer, Becky reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, okay? We're the only ones who know." She didn't need to specify that we extend to Sasha and Bayley; they still didn't keep secrets from each other. "I'm going back to Bay's place tonight, Sasha's already there. Keep me updated, alright?"
"Yeah," Charlotte answered faintly. "Hey, Becky. Are you okay?" It occurred to Charlotte that she'd been so busy panicking over this… meeting… with Alexa that she didn't even check on her best friend.
At her question, Becky's carefully crafted mask slipped a little, but she covered it up with a smile almost immediately. "I mean, I'm in pain, although probably not as much as you are," she said. "You were amazing, Charlie. You were the MVP."
"Oh shush. You were great, Asuka was great, we were all amazing."
Becky shrugged. "Well, what did you expect?" She lifted her bag, groaning as she did so, then stood on her tippy-toes to brush a kiss across Charlotte's cheek. "I'm heading out, okay? Have fun, don't drink too much, and if Alexa tries anything we're just a phone call away."
"She won't try anything." But maybe I will . "Have fun at Bayley's, tell them I said hi, okay?"
"They'll want details," Becky said as she pushed the door open. "See ya tomorrow, lass." The door closed behind her, but not even a second later, Becky was sticking her head back in. "Hey, Charlie." When Charlotte turned to look at her, Becky smirked again, and said: "Have fun. "
The innuendo wasn't lost on her. Charlotte debated throwing a hair brush at Becky, but she had already scooted away, and in any case, she needed to hurry too if she was going to make it in time for her… meeting… with Alexa.
*
Alexa visibly lit up when she saw Charlotte enter the hotel bar. She had been waiting for a while -- long enough for one cocktail -- but her brewing impatience evaporated when the statuesque blonde approached her.
"Hi," Charlotte said, sounding almost shy, before briefly embracing Alexa and kissing her cheek. "Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
"No, it's okay," Alexa replied. "I'm just glad you're here - and in one piece." She gave Charlotte a once-over, realizing that the other woman's ribs were taped. "You're hurt."
"A little." It was useless to lie, and in any case Alexa had obviously watched the match. "None of us held back."
"It was an amazing match, Char," Alexa said, smiling widely. "Match of the Night, again. Completely outclassed the men."
"What, like it's hard?" Charlotte said, and they both broke out into laughter. She signaled to the bartender and asked for a martini. "I told Becky I'd only have one drink."
"Where is Becky, anyway?" Alexa asked. She had half-expected the Irish woman to accompany Charlotte like some sort of chaperone; she wouldn't have been surprised if Sasha and Bayley had shown up, too. All three treated Charlotte like a younger sister who was dating for the first time -- ironic, considering Charlotte was the oldest of the Horsewomen. And all three eyed her with a clear distrust; Alexa wouldn't be surprised if she got a shovel talk from one of them -- or most likely, all three.
Charlotte shrugged in response to her question. "She's at Bayley's, with Sasha."
"Oh."
They were silent for a bit, before the bartender brought Charlotte's drink. Alexa took a deep breath as the taller woman took a sip of the martini; she was sure that Charlotte didn't mean for the act to look that sensual. She sipped her own drink in response.
"So -"
"Hey - "
Charlotte laughed, and then waved her hand. "It's okay, you were saying?"
Alexa had to take a deep breath again; what was she going to say? "Um… I just wanted to ask if… I mean, will you be around tomorrow? For RAW?" she asked. It was clear that both Charlotte and Becky would be heavily involved with Rousey moving forward; she just wanted to know if one of them will be coming to her show with regularity.
Charlotte smiled, baring that dimple on one cheek that Alexa wanted to memorize. With her tongue.
"I guess you just gotta be surprised, huh?" Charlotte answered.
"Ah, come on, that's not fair."
This time, Charlotte laughed out loud. "Seriously though, Lexi, I'm sorry. But I can't tell you." She pantomimed zipping her lips. "We're under strict orders from the higher-ups."
"Bet you Becky has already babbled to Sasha and Bayley, though," Alexa said, pouting a little. She hated being kept out of the loop.
Charlotte laughed again, and Alexa felt her heart tighten in her chest. It was a sound she wouldn't mind hearing, again and again and again. "Yeah, probably," the taller blonde said. "No secrets among us. First rule of the Horsewomen."
"So… they know about us, then?"
Charlotte had been in the middle of raising her glass when Alexa spoke. Delicately, she put it back down again, and reached out to grab Alexa's hand. "They know I'm with you right now, and that we talk regularly," she said, her voice soft. "What else can I tell them, other than that?"
Alexa gripped Charlotte's hand a little tighter. "What do you want to tell them?" she asked, her voice just as soft, just as tentative. "I mean… what are we doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." A beat. "I am asking you the same thing."
They found themselves locked in a staring contest for a few moments, before Alexa exhaled, then released Charlotte's hand. Charlotte felt her heart sink to her chest at the motion.
But then, Alexa drew a closer, so close that Charlotte could count the individual strands on her eyelashes. When the tiny blonde licked her lips, she felt her heart skip a beat. Two beats.
"We can talk about this, if you want," Alexa breathed. She was so close now; she could smell Charlotte's perfume, underlined with that smell of rope and leather and canvas that they can never wash away. "My room is right upstairs."
Have fun , Becky had said. Have fun . Charlotte hadn't had fun in a while, and maybe, after tonight, after what she put herself through, she deserved it.
As she looked into Alexa's eyes, she thought: I deserve that, and more. Definitely more.
She gripped her glass, and drained her drink. She smiled at Alexa, and took her hand again.
"Lead the way, Lex."