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"Hey kitten," Seth said. "Got my stash?"
You rolled your eyes, but gingerly placed the backpack you had brought onto the bed. "It's everything you asked for," you tell him. Seth was in his final round of physical rehab and doing quite well. If he was cleared today, he would be allowed to participate in Wrestlemania, though not as a fighter.
His “stash” was a bunch of protein bars and power snacks. Plus...
A bark came from your purse, and a furry little head popped out. “Kevin!” Seth exclaimed as the little dog jumped from your purse to the bed and excitedly kissed Seth. “Aawwww, I missed you, too, buddy.”
“I can’t leave him here with you, but he’ll be with me all day, and he’s going to have the best time,” you promised.
“I know, kitten. He loves hanging out with you. If it wasn’t for you, he’d have to stay home all the damn time.” Seth scratched behind Kevin’s ears. “You love Y/N, don’t you, buddy? Yes, you do!”
“Dogs aren’t allowed in here,” a cold voice said. You turned to find a nurse glaring daggers at you. She would have been beautiful if she didn’t look so hateful. No, she was still beautiful, even with the hateful look.
“Sorry,” you said softly, picking Kevin up and putting him back in your purse. He stuck his head out again, but thankfully stayed put.
“C’mon, Nurse Samantha,” Seth said with a charming grin. “Kevin’s not just a dog. He’s my dog! And he’s very well behaved.”
The nurse named Samantha, flashed him a brilliant smile while touching his forearm lightly. It wasn’t unusual for women to flirt with Seth, or for him to flirt back, but it didn’t make it any easier. “I know, sweetie, but rules are rules. Your...” She glanced over at you with a slightly disgusted look, but Seth didn’t see it. “Your girlfriend will have to take him away.”
“Well, that sucks. Ah, but she’s not my girlfriend. Just my friend.”
Even if you knew it to be true, it still hurt to hear that. Just my friend.
“Y/N, you’ll be by to pick me up later, right?” he asked, turning to you.
“Yeah, of course. We’ll meet you downstairs when you’re ready. Just text me.”
“You ok, Y/N?” he asked, peering up at you.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” you said, trying to smile, but Seth has always been able to see through that stuff. It was an annoying trait of his.
“I can tell something’s off. C’mon, talk to me.”
“One day, I’ll tell you.” You gave him a small smile before leaving the rehab clinic.
Kevin loved the dog park you found. There were a few other Yorkies for him to play with while you sat and texted with Bayley, letting her know where you were and asking if she’d like to have lunch with you and Kevin.
“Hey, Y/N!” you heard from behind you. You turned to see Sami and Cesaro walking along the path that surrounded the dog park. “What are you doing here?” Sami asked.
You checked on Kevin before jogging over to the fence to talk to them. “Taking care of Kevin,” you said, pointing at the little dog huddle. “He’s the slow one.”
“Kevin? Seth’s dog?” Cesaro asked.
You nodded. “He’s been missing Seth like crazy, and vice versa, so I volunteered to bring him. Nurse kicked us out when she found us though. So, here we are.”
Sami grinned at you. “Man, I wish I had a girlfriend like you. Seth’s one lucky guy.”
You felt your face heat up. “Oh... Seth and I... we’re not... he’s not my... we’re just friends...” you said weakly. Both men looked surprised. You try to hide your embarrassment by looking over at Kevin. He was trudging over to you, looking exhausted, but happy.
“Well,” Sami said, “He’s lucky to have a friend like you. Hey, you know, we should all grab some lunch. I know a great place nearby, and they let dogs on the patio. My treat?”
“Oh, I’d love to, but I’m waiting to hear from Bayley--”
Sami whipped out his phone and texted furiously. “Done, she said she’d love to meet us there. Come on, it’ll be fun.” He smiled brilliantly at you, and you couldn’t help but return it.
Seth smiled at the nurse. She wasn’t a fan of wrestling, but she was definitely a fan of his. Or at least of his looks. He had been flirting with her every time he came in, if only to make the visits easier.
An alert on his phone distracted him. Samantha was getting ready to discharge him and was busy looking over the paperwork, so he took a moment to check it. A Twitter alert from Sami. He almost ignored it until he saw a partial tag of Y/N’s Twitter handle. Glaring at the phone, he opened the tweet and saw a picture of you, Sami, Bayley, and Cesaro. Seth’s eyes narrowed even more as he noticed how Sami’s arm was around Y/N’s shoulders, though Kevin was acting as a barrier between her and Sami. Good boy, Seth thought viciously. She were his girl. Like hell he was going to give her up to Sami Zayn.
“Hey, Sam, can you give me a ride over to a restaurant? I want to meet up with some friends.”
“That little girl not able to pick you up?” she asked sweetly, but he could see the venom in her attitude.
“I ask a lot of her already. She’s one of the friends I’m meeting up with. Since we’re done so early, I don’t want to interrupt her lunch, just to make her drive back over there.”
Sam shrugged. “If you’re buying, I’ll give you a ride. Maybe you can give me a ride later on tonight,” she said, winking at him. He wasn’t particularly interested, but only smiled. He could always beg off later on the excuse that he was tired.
“So then I said, that’s no hover board!” Everyone erupted into fits of laughter from Sami’s joke. “Oh, hey! Seth! Pull up a chair, man.”
You looked behind you in surprise. Seth was there. And so was that nurse. She had changed into regular clothes, and, damnit, she was even more beautiful than before. You sighed mentally. It wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last. And it wasn’t like Seth was interested in you that way. Really, you needed to get over your silly crush on him.
Seth hopped over the railing with the help of his crutch, much to Nurse Samantha’s dismay. His knee seemed to be holding up well, however, so you weren’t sure what the problem was. Seth looked at the seats on either side of you, one occupied by Bayley, and the other by Sami, then took the seat directly opposite you. Kevin was sitting in your lap, and tried to crawl over the table, but stopped when he saw Samantha sit next to Seth. Apparently, he remembered the nurse had made him leave his daddy, and didn’t want to be near her.
“You just get out of your check up?” you asked. You checked your phone to make sure you hadn’t missed his text, but all you saw were Twitter and Instagram notifications.
“Yeah. Got the OK to be at Raw tomorrow. Sam here gave me a ride over. Saw Sami’s posts on Twitter that you were hanging out here. Thought I’d join you.” The waiter came and took Seth’s and Samantha’s orders. “So what I miss?”
“Not much,” Cesaro said. “We ran into Y/N while we were jogging past the dog park, asked her and then Bayley to come have lunch with us, and here we are.”
“This is so cozy,” Samantha said, leaning her head on Seth’s shoulder. “Like a triple date.”
You looked around the table, and realized it did sort of look like a triple date. Bayley and Cesaro. Seth and Samantha. You and... Sami? He was nice, but he wasn’t into you like that. Was he? His arm was on the back of your chair at the moment, and the way he kept smiling at you was--
“Nah,” Seth said. “It looks like a friendly gathering, that’s all.”
You were back at work the next day, going over your checklist, when Sami approached you. “Hey, Y/N, how’s it going?”
“Good, good, just running through some stuff. You ready for the show?”
“Yeah, totally...” He looked behind him, and you saw Bayley giving him a thumbs up. “Hey, I was wondering... Would you like to go out with me? Dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast? Whenever’s good for you...” He laughed nervously. “Sorry, I’m not very practiced at asking women out.”
“You’re...asking me out? On a date?” You really hoped you didn’t look as shocked as you felt.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been wanting to ask you, but I thought you and Rollins... But you said you weren’t, and now him and that nurse are together, I think...” He shuffled his feet, looking down. “I know you have feelings for him, but... I thought I’d give it a shot. It’s ok if you say no. I still want to hang out, even if it’s just as friends.”
“Oh...that’s...” You had never really thought of Sami in that way, but between yesterday’s lunch and just now... He may not be Seth, but he was sweet, and kind, and awfully cute. And you had just told yourself you needed to get over Seth. Maybe a date with Sami would help. “Um, I wouldn’t be opposed to a date... Just to see how it goes.” You give him a small smile. “I would really like that.”
“Great! I’ll just... I’ll talk to you after the show,” he said, walking away backwards, smiling broadly and tripping over a box. He sprung up, completely unfazed. Bayley had joined you, and was trying hard to not laugh. “I’m fine!” he yelled, and ran off back to the locker room. You laughed, and didn’t see Seth behind you, glaring in the direction Sami had gone.
“Hey, I’m going to head out for dinner,” Seth said. The show had gone well, the crowd had gone nuts to see Seth back, even if he hadn’t competed in a match, though the CM Punk chants during Corey's interview with him had been in poor taste. And he had had a confrontation with Hunter, one that he had a) walked away from, and b) been able to call a win. “Can you drive? My knee is a bit achy. I want to rest it a bit, and Sam doesn’t like to drive.”
You look over to see the nurse fawning over Sasha Banks, who looked slightly annoyed. “Oh, um, sure. I just need to... It’s not a problem.” You had already agreed to drive with Sami, but you also felt bad about saying no to Seth. No, you have to be able to say no to him. Put on your big girl pants and tell him. “Actually, the thing is...”
Bayley popped up out of nowhere. “I can drive you, Seth! Cesaro, Sheamus and I are starvin’ like Marvin! And we got plenty of room in the Suburban. I’m sure Y/N just wants to get to the next hotel and sleep.” You were rather tired, and you still had a two hour drive ahead of you.
“Oh.” Seth looked over at you. “You ok to drive?”
“She’s driving with Sami,” Bayley said, grinning from ear to ear and hugging you. “They’re going to fall in love, get married and have the cutest babies!”
You laughed at that. Of course Bayley had already planned everything. She had done the same thing when you first told her about your crush on Seth. And now that she was seemingly helping Sami to ask you out...if only you could dispel the feeling of betraying Seth by agreeing to go out with Sami. “You do realize we’re just driving to the next town together, right?”
“Just the first step to true love!” she exclaimed.
Seth scoffed. “Sami’s not her type.”
Bayley stuck her tongue out at Seth, making you giggle. “What do you know about it?”
“I know it’s not Sami!” Seth retorted. “I’ll be waiting in the parking garage!” The two of you watched him storm off.
“Geez, it’s almost like he’s jealous or something,” Bayley said, leaning on your shoulder, her arms still hugging you. You had to agree with her, though you knew it wasn’t true.
Fucking hell! Seth thought, slamming the car door harder than necessary. Sam hadn’t taken the hint that Seth didn’t want her around, and he was trying really hard to not snap at her. It wasn’t the last time he’d have to deal with her, but he had been ready to burn that bridge to the ground. It had taken Sheamus and his special brand of bluntness to get her to leave, but that still left Seth without Y/N, and it was killing him to know that she’d be driving with Sami. Cute, flirty Sami. Bayley was right, any kids Y/N had with Sami would be freakin’ adorable, and that annoyed him to his bones. Any kids she had would be adorable, but he always envisioned them with black hair, not red. Not that he thought about it. A lot.
“What’s up with you then?” Sheamus asked.
“Nothing. Just hungry. Can we go now?” Seth snarled.
“What’s got your panties in a twist?” Cesaro asked, turning around from the front seat.
“Nothing.”
“He’s upset because Y/N is driving with Sami and going on a date with her,” Bayley said, jumping into the driver’s seat. “It’s your own fault for not asking her out yourself.”
“What? You and Y/N aren’t dating? Well, how you like that...” Sheamus muttered. “Would have asked her out meself if I had known.”
“You like Y/N, too?” Bayley asked, throwing the car into drive and taking off.
“What’s not to like? She’s a sweet kid. Completely devoted to her friends, apparently enough to make it seem like she’s in a relationship to one in particular.” Sheamus leaned back. “I’m going to text her.”
“She’s with Sami,” Seth growled, hating that he had said it.
“She’s nae gone on a date with him yet. I might still have a chance.” Sheamus pulled out his phone. “Best not let Enzo find out though. Little troll doll would jump at the chance.”
“I never realized Y/N was so popular among the guys,” Bayley said. Seth had been thinking the same.
“Oh, yeah. She’s got that girl next door thing going on, not unlike yourself,” Cesaro said, and Bayley giggled, so Seth could only assume he had winked at her. “Ellsworth had a thing for her before he got signed to Smackdown. Ziggler...well, he makes a play for any female. Bray eyed her a few times as well. But again, no one made a move because they thought she was dating Seth.”
“Ziggler did,” Bayley said, “Before the brand split, but she’s not interested in him like that. He’s too much of a player for her to believe he’d be serious about her.” Seth felt a stab of guilt, though he refused to acknowledge why.
“She says she’d love to have dinner with me sometime,” Sheamus said, looking up from his phone, grinning madly. “She’s happy that I actually asked.” Another stab of guilt.
“Sami’s calling me,” Cesaro said and answered the phone on speaker. “Hey, man, what’s up?”
“Tell Sheamus to back off! I haven’t even had a chance and he’s already swooping in,” Sami grumbled.
“Hey, you snooze, you lose, fella!” Sheamus said with a laugh. Stab.
“I am not snoozing,” Sami insisted. “Could have at least waited to see if my date went well. Oh, crap, gotta go, she’s coming back.” They all heard the beep as Sami hung up.
“Hey,” Sami said, giving you a smile. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah,” you said, climbing into the passenger side. “Hey, Sami?” you asked as you buckled your seat belt. He shifted into drive as soon as you were settled.
“What’s up?”
“Um, this might sound kind of nutty, but... Well, between you asking me out, and now Sheamus... I just have to ask...why? Why now?”
“Oh...well...because you said you and Seth weren’t a couple. I kind of always thought you were, and now that I know that you aren’t... I jumped at the chance. Sheamus must have felt the same. I was surprised you agreed to go out with him as well.”
“Oh, should I not have?” You weren’t exactly Miss Popularity, and had never had to deal with multiple guys giving you attention.
“Nah, it’s fine. Just means I have to be the better man,” he said, giving her a wink. “Definitely not a burger joint then.”
You laugh. “I like burger joints. And pizza joints. Seafood joints. You know what, basically any place that can be described as ‘this joint’, out of the way places that serve amazing food. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives was one of my favorite shows on Food Network.”
“Better than a five star restaurant?”
“Yeah. Much better.”
“Simple tastes. I like that,” Sami said with a grin. “A woman after my own heart.”
Seth didn’t say a word to his carmates as he got his stuff from the trunk and went inside the hotel to check in. His suitcase was flung with force onto the second bed once he was inside his room, the need to punch something warring with the need to not be charged for property destruction. Again.
Normally, he’d call Y/N and she would talk him down from his rage. Why should now be any different? he asked himself, glaring down at his phone. She doesn’t need to know why I’m angry, that it’s because I’m an idiot that took her for granted and now may have lost any chance I had with her.
Seth snatched up his phone and was about to call when a knock came at the door. “Seth? Are you alright? Bayley said you were out of sorts when you arrived,” he heard Y/N say through the door.
Hurrying to the door, Seth opened it with an audible whoosh, leaving just enough room for her to come in. The scent of her body wash wafted towards him as she walked in, and he noticed her hair was still damp from showering. “I’ve been better,” he told her. Not only did he feel like emotional shit, he also felt gross and in desperate need of a shower. He also might have strained himself a little more than necessary when he confronted Hunter and Samoa Joe earlier.
“I brought you some cookies. Fresh baked, from an all-night bakery. Your favorite...” She handed him the bag. “Want to talk about it?”
Seth watched her, taking the bag of cookies and placing them on the dresser. “Not really. Can you stay a bit, or do you need to get back to Sami?”
She gave him an odd look. “I’m not staying with Sami tonight. He barely asked me out to dinner.”
“You’re really going to go out with him? With Sami Zayn?” Seth said a bit more harsh than he intended.
“He asked me out, and he’s a sweet guy, so I don’t see why not.” She folded her arms over her chest defensively. “Why is this such a big deal?”
Seth suddenly pushed her against the wall. “Because I’m worried about you,” he growled, “And I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Her eyes were wide with fear. “Seth...let me go.”
“No. I need you to understand... If he hurts you, does anything to you, you will tell me, and I will make him suffer. Anyone hurts you, and I will hurt them back.”
“Seth! Do you realize how crazy you sound?” she exclaimed. “It’s almost like you’re...” Her voice trailed off as she looked at him.
“Like I’m what?!”
Her voice was so soft. “Like you’re jealous...Bayley said it earlier, but... you’re not, are you? You can’t be... You don’t like me like that.”
Seth pushed away from her, leaving her to lean on the wall. “And if... If I did?”
“You don’t,” she said. “But... If you did...then I would have to wonder why you never said anything, why you kept me as a friend while you dated around...” She looked so sad to Seth’s tired eyes. “I’d have to wonder if it’s just because you don’t want your friend taken away from you.”
“If I were jealous, and you asked those questions, I would have to ask some of my own. Like, why are you asking in the first place? It almost sounds like you might have feelings for me that are more than just friendly,” he growled. “And if that’s the case, I would have to ask why you didn’t say anything.”
“Because you don’t date women like me. Quiet, bookworm, workaholic women. You rely on me for so much, but you don’t date women like me. You date badass women. And...yes, I do have feelings for you. Feelings that a friend shouldn’t have for another friend. Feelings that I need to get over, to move on from, which is why I said yes to Sami and Sheamus when they asked me out. If I want to continue to be by your side, I cannot be pining away for you--”
Seth grabbed her arm, but pulled her to him gently. Placing his hands on her face so that she couldn’t look away, he looked straight into her panicked eyes. “I didn’t think you’d want me...”
“Wh-- What?” you stammer. He touched his forehead to yours, and it was surprisingly cool. You had been nervous to come see him, your entire body feeling tense and slightly jittery.
“Go out with me on a date. Please,” he whispered. “Don’t go out with Sami or Sheamus or Enzo or Bray and definitely not Ziggler or Ellsworth.”
“Seth... what... why...”
“Because if I don’t ask you now...you could fall in love with Sami and I’d never know if it could have been me... I want it to be me... I haven’t been with anyone, not the way I want to be with you. Those other women, they were distractions and not very good ones. I never went home with them, and--”
“What about Nurse Samantha?” you asked.
“I was just flirting with her so she’d be nice to me while I was at the clinic. If she doesn’t like you, she’s a horrible nurse...”
“That...that sounds like something you should report,” you point out.
He chuckled. “Probably...but you’re dodging my question, and turning an interesting shade of red.” His thumb brushed along your cheekbone and then down to your lips. “So...how about it? Will you go out on a date with me?”
“I... Yes... I will...” Your heart is thumping wildly in your chest, and you have to wonder if it’s all a dream, but then Seth tilts your face up so that his lips can meet yours. If this is a dream, let me never wake from it.
“And you’re not going to go out with Sami or Sheamus?” he asked before kissing you a second time.
“I’ll tell them tomorrow...too late right now...left phone in room...” you somehow manage to mutter in between kisses.
“Want to stay here? We don’t have to do anything, we can just sleep... Just be together.” His voice was deep and rumbly in your ear. The tension you had felt when you first came in was long gone, and in its place was fatigue and sleepiness.
“Ok...”
He led you to the bed and tucked you in, kissing you again. “I’ll join you in a few minutes. Just need to take a shower.”
“M’kay...” you said, drifting off to sleep.
Seth stood under the water, his body and mind feeling lighter than they had in a long time. Y/N was in his bed, waiting for him to join her. One day at a time, he thought as he turned off the shower and got out to towel off. He dressed in just his sweatpants and pulled his hair back into a loose bun. When he got back out to the room, the light was still on and he slipped into the bed, pulling Y/N close. He was about to turn off the light, when an idea struck him. Grabbing his phone, he took a quick shot of the two of them, then sent it to both Sami and Sheamus, with the caption, “Back off. She’s not going out with you.”
Sheamus: Ruddy bastard >:(
Sami: Damn it :(
Seth chuckled at their responses.
“Mhmm, Seth? What’s so funny?” she asked, not even opening her eyes.
“One day, I’ll tell you,” he said, and flipped off the light.