Happy Thursday! It's so gross and rainy here today so I decided to share a new Chapter and brighten my day and hopefully all of your days, too! Happy reading!
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Chapter 7: Trial By Fire
"You know I meant it when I told you that what you were already wearing today would be fine for tonight," Seth commented as he leaned against the open door to the bathroom and watched Ren fuss over one particular piece of her hair.
She glanced over at him, just a cut of her eyes, before returning her gaze back to the mirror.
"He says as he stands there looking fresh and slick in an all black suit," she said, smooth and dry.
"I'm required to be in a suit. Tomorrow and Tuesday I'll be in sweatpants and a t-shirt or maybe jeans."
"Well to be fair I am in jeans, and I know you said it was fine, but I discussed this with Renee and so I changed. All I changed was my shirt and shoes."
"You changed your shirt three times."
She frowned and huffed and turned towards him, "you're a brat. Do you need help with that?"
She pointed at the tie in his hand and he glanced down at it.
"If you don't mind, you know how?"
"Of course I know how," she smiled and took the few steps towards him. She snatched the tie from his hand, an after effect of his previous exchange with her. "Stand up straight. One thing my dad made sure of when I was growing up is that I knew how to tie a tie. I can do bow ties, too and like three different knots. I'm a tie expert."
He stood up straight and looked down at her as she reached up to flip up the collar of his shirt. She had exchanged her converse for black booties that had a slight heel on them and she was slightly closer to his eye level than she usually was. He wasn't sure which height he preferred.
"You discussed what you should wear with Renee?" he asked, as if what she had said just processed in his head. "You look really nice, by the way."
"Thank you and yes," Ren smiled softly, keeping her eyes ahead of her and focused on her hands. "Not that I don't trust you but I needed a chick's opinion. I invited myself here so the least I can do is make sure I make a good impression on your people."
"To be fair there was a good chance I was going to invite you myself, you just beat me to it…"
"I tend to jump the gun sometimes."
"You're nervous."
"Is that a question or a comment?"
"Comment."
"I'm not nervous; I'm excited," she replied. She tightened the knot on his tie and patted it. She flipped his collar back down and smoothed it with her fingers before she met his gaze. She had realized throughout the course of the day that his eyes were surprisingly mesmerizing even with how dark they were. "This is a first, for me, and I'm excited; to see the show and to watch you be a bad guy, and meet Roman, and some of the other people you've told me about. I'm not nervous, though. People; I can do. I'm in radio, remember? I've never met a stranger in my life. I just…I'm trying not to fuck this up."
Seth cracked a smile at her recall of his words from earlier.
"Dean and Renee loved you; you aren't going to fuck anything up. There's nothing too fuck up…just be you; be Ren."
"Dean and Renee loved me because I told them a sappy story…"
Katherine and Seth were sitting across from Dean and Renee in small café that wasn't too far away from the hotel. Katherine had been a little taken aback when Renee had greeted her with a hug but it hadn't taken her very long to understand that Renee just had that kind of personality. They had exchanged tweets and comments with each other over the last couple of weeks, ever since Renee had taken it upon herself to follow Ren, and she felt like they were already old friends.
Much to Ren's relief, Renee had ordered a mimosa to go with her brunch and Ren had happily joined her. She had no intentions of drinking enough to even give herself a buzz but there was some kind placebo effect of knowing she was sipping champagne that steadied her.
She wasn't even anxious; her anxiety had disappeared as soon as she had seen Seth standing in the airport and she had hugged him. They had fallen in to their usual comfortable banter. It hadn't felt weird for her; it had felt normal. She had a nervous energy about her, though, mainly just out of excitement.
Seth, Dean and Renee had all done a good job of making her feel comfortable. They had tried to keep the conversation flowing and centered on things she could be included in and not just 'talking business'. She had gotten to hear about Renee's path to the WWE and Dean's path, as well as some of his and Seth's stories from their indie days. Ren already knew quite a bit about Seth; he was content to sit back and let his friends fill in some of the gaps, but he would jump in when she had questions.
"Okay, Ren, so I know you work for a radio station but I feel like I've internet stalked you enough to know the photography is your real love," Renee stated. Ren looked across the table at the blonde and gave her a small smile. "How did that happen? Was it just a hobby and you realized you had an eye for it or...?"
Renee trailed off, leaving the question open and hanging in the air. Ren reached for her drink and took a small sip and then picked at her plate for a second with her fork.
"I guess you could say it was kind of a hobby and kind of a passion," she shrugged. She sat her fork down and wiped her fingers on the napkin in her lap and then sat back against the chair back. "Um, when I was younger my aunt lived with us, she was a photographer, and she traveled all the time taking pictures so she felt like it was a waste to actually own her own home. So my dad took her in. She did mostly freelance stuff, mostly landscapes, but she did some portraits, too, and fashion stuff. For some reason she fascinated me, I think it was because she traveled the world, and kid Katherine was just amazed by that. She was like this real life gypsy and I worshiped her and I also followed her around like a lost puppy when she was actually home. She taught me that it was more than just 'point and click'. There's something you have to see. She taught me how to work a camera, too, how to change the lenses, how to manually set a flash, how to develop in a dark room…she taught me all of it. I don't know if she ever thought I would turn in to her, I think she was just happy to have someone to teach…she didn't have any kids or anything, it was just us."
Seth had settled back in his chair, too. He had heard this 'story' before; he and Ren had already talked about it, but hearing her talk to their two companions was just like talking to her about it for the first time and he loved listening to her talk.
"So, I always had it as a hobby; I was the girl that took cool picture on vacations or trips or at concerts and that you could call when you were in a bind for your family Christmas card or your wedding. So I went to school in South Carolina and Chicago and then I moved back to Nashville about three years ago and my aunt passed away a couple months after I moved back and it was tough because I felt like I didn't get enough time with her at the end, that I missed out by being away. She left me all of her cameras, she had this huge collection of antiques, and all of her new stuff; and I just kind of made a promise to myself that I was going to put more love in to it. Maybe not…travel around the world like her but at least make it more of a priority in my life, professionally and personally, and I have. She always told me 'capture your moment' so I just tried to make sure I lived by that a little more. So that's where it came from."
Renee passed a warm and affectionate look across the table, "I think I want to marry you…like right now."
Her random statement and the seriousness and ferocity of how she said it caused everyone at the table to laugh.
"I'm sorry but I may have to fight you on that one," Dean finally commented.
Katherine shrugged, "I'm pretty sure I would lose that fight seeing as how you literally fight for a living."
"Yeah but they fake fight. I don't think he could even actually hurt a fly…" Renee teased.
"It's not fake it's scripted," Dean pouted.
"Did you bring your camera with you for this?" Renee asked.
"I did," Ren nodded, "I couldn't go on a trip and not bring one, but I did promise that tonight I wouldn't be lost behind a camera so I could take in everything."
"That one hates pictures," Dean nodded towards Seth.
"Oh, I've been warned," Ren responded brightly.
"It wasn't the sappy story," Seth rolled his eyes and turned on his heel as Ren moved past him into the room. "It's not even a sappy story; it's just your story. We all have one."
"Do I need to take anything with me?"
"You need your ID for security but if you don't want to take a purse you can put whatever in my bag."
"Thank you." Ren rummaged in her small messenger bag she had been carrying for most of the day and turned to him, handing over her wallet. Her gaze fell on the bed and then she gave him an amused look. "Do you really have to carry that brief case around with you?"
"Yes," he glanced at it and frowned. "It's a pain in the ass."
"All the time?"
"All the time and let me tell you that here is nothing I love more than walking through the airport with a goldish yellow dented 'Money In the Bank' briefcase. I'm very grateful for what it represents but I'm ready to get rid of it."
"Is there actually something in it?"
"No it's empty," he frowned at the briefcase again. "They did rig it up once so that it slimed me."
Ren snickered.
"Like…'you can't say that on television' green Nickelodeon slime. You were probably still dodging your living room on Monday nights when that happened."
"I hope it's on YouTube," she grinned.
"It's on the network…"
"Yeah, I keep forgetting that's a thing…" she made a face. "I still have a lot to learn."
"Well you're about to learn via trial by fire so are you ready?"
She smiled brightly, "yeah I'm ready."
One situation that Ren was fairly familiar with being in was being backstage for events; concerts, award shows, lectures, even fashion shows. It was familiar territory for her. With her pass hanging securely around her neck and Seth beside her to introduce her to people they encountered and somewhat lead her, she felt pretty comfortable and confident. She wasn't incredibly comfortable and confident in her ability to remember all of the names, especially since she realized there were quite a few people that went by their 'real' name and not their stage names which she somewhat already knew, but she would manage for now.
She couldn't help but snicker to herself a little bit at all of the St. Louis Blues logos decorating the underbelly of the arena, though. She had quickly explained to Seth that the Blue and the Predators were intense rivals; they hated each other. He had quickly made her promise she wouldn't vandalize anything. She knew he had been teasing her but it still made her laugh.
The only slight moment of panic she had felt had arrived when Seth was beckoned away for a creative meeting. He had told her it could take five minute or it could take an hour; they never really knew. She had sent him on his way and told him not to worry; she would take care of herself.
Taking care of herself was mostly just wandering the hallways and looking for a familiar face; Dean or Renee.
She got a whiff of food in the air and realized she was close to catering. She popped into the open doorway, scanned the room with her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted Dean sitting at a table by himself and his attention focused on his phone. She made her way through the tables and he smiled, his eyes lighting up slightly, when he spotted her.
"Hey, it's the little bird," he said, greeting her quickly. "What are you doing wandering around here alone? Did you get abandoned?"
He pulled out the chair next to him and motioned for her to sit as he took his own seat.
"Oh, no, I skipped out on him while he was in the locker room. I was really just trying to get backstage and find bigger and better things," she shrugged as she sat down.
Dean passed her an amused look at her quick quip, "I just want you to know that I'm going to tell him that you said that."
"Maybe it won't break his heart as much if it comes from you," she smiled.
Dean shook his head and laughed to himself.
"He had to go to a meeting and I told him I could fend for myself for a little bit."
"Well you're welcome to hang out with me. Nae is getting her hair and makeup done if you would rather hang out there but according to my last status update she's supposed to be finished soon."
"You're with the food so I think I'll opt for you."
"Good choice, I'm guessing you haven't eaten dinner yet?"
"No, I haven't…I hadn't even really realized it was dinner time. I kind of feel like I should wait for him, though."
Dean frowned, "no, no, no…you never have to wait for him. You'll be an old maid before you ever get to eat if you do that. Come on, you can be my dinner date until the blonde one shows up."
When Seth found Ren later she was still in catering, sitting at a table with Roman. She had a cup of coffee in her hand and she looked so relaxed. Whatever Roman was saying to her, it made her laugh, and he had to smile at the sight of her lighting up when she laughed.
Her eyes fell on him approaching the table and she continued to smile brightly at him.
"I hope that whatever he's talking about isn't a story about me…" Seth stated, coming to stand next to the table, across from Roman.
"Oh I've heard a lot of stories about you tonight," Ren said.
"Not from me, though," Roman added, "I was nice."
"He's been going all proud papa on me and telling me about Joelle. She's close to Lily's age," Ren finished piecing together their responses to Seth.
"And now that he's back, I'll put you back in to his hands. It was great to finally meet you, Ren," Roman said, standing up. "I hope you're around more."
Ren smiled and hugged him in a goodbye. Seth and Roman exchanged a quick nod at each other and then Seth watched him walk off.
He turned his eyes on Ren, his hands were buried in the pockets of his dress pants, and he gave her an amused look. "So you heard stories about me?"
"Nothing incriminating, I promise."
"That's a relief."
"I'm still here, aren't I?" She smiled.
He nodded and glanced around the mostly empty area before his eyes settled on her again. She could tell his wheels were spinning in his head a little bit and she tilted her head slightly, observing him.
"I guess you already ate?" He asked.
She nodded, "I ate with Dean and Renee and Nicole and Brie and I met a few other people during this whole little time. They're sweet; it was fun. It was entertaining."
"I'm sorry that I took so long," he sighed. "I...there's a lot going on with the show tonight and it just took longer than I really wanted it to take."
"Don't apologize," she smiled.
"No, I am. I didn't want to just throw you to the wolves and...I did."
"Seth," Ren said sweetly and stepped forward. She met his eyes and looked up at him with a serious, somewhat stern look. "You don't ever have to apologize to me for doing your job."
He inhaled sharply at the mixture of her comment and the look she was giving him.
"I know you're busy and I know how much all of this means to you. I know that from getting to know you, and watching you, and talking to the people you spend all your time with. If I have to occupy myself in catering, it's fine, I don't mind. I get free cupcakes and nobody can ever be mad about that." He cracked a small smile at her. "I get it and you don't have to say that you're sorry; at least not when you're here and you're on the clock."
"Thank you," he replied.
She could tell just by his body language that some kind of weight had just disappeared from him.
He motioned his head towards the hallway, "let me take you to the backstage entrance so you can go to your seat."
"Is it seriously almost time for the show to start?"
"Yeah, the pre show already started. You're missing all of the fun."
She fell in to step next to him and they were quiet for a few moments as they walked. Ren felt like he was still in his head a little bit but she wasn't going to push it.
"What did you think of the twins?" he asked, glancing at her. He had a mischievous smile on his lips.
"They were…sweet," she replied, matching his smile. "They're gorgeous and they were really nice to me and very sweet. They're um…I don't even really know what word I'm looking for."
"Neurotic?"
"No, I feel like that's a bit harsh…ditzy, maybe?" she gave a nervous laugh. "They are sweet, though."
"They're really good friends with Renee. They drive Dean crazy."
"I can see that. He's quiet."
"He is. I'm not totally sure how he and Renee even work, really. It seems like it just happened. One day, she was riding with us, and that was that."
"Opposites attract," Ren smiled.
"I've always kind of felt like that was a little bit of bullshit."
"You don't think we're opposites?"
He eyed her carefully at her question. "I said a little bit of bullshit, I didn't say total bullshit. I think too much opposite is a bad thing…I actually know too much opposite is a bad thing."
Ren was quiet for a moment as they continued walking and then she bumped him casually. "I have questions for you later. Not now, and they aren't bad questions so don't start getting in your head about them and end up having a bad night." She huffed out of frustration and shook her head, "fuck, I shouldn't have said anything."
"I'm not going to get in my head about anything, Ren. I figured if you ended up hearing stories about me that you would have some questions. It's fine."
They approached a curtain entry way and Ren could now hear the crowd that had gathered in the arena for the pay per view.
"You're right by the ring so I don't think you'll have any problems finding your seat and you can come and go as much as you want since you have a pass…shows can get kind of long sometimes. I'll have my phone on me."
"I got this; I'm going straight to the bar first," she grinned.
He shook his head, "don't buy any merch; I'll take care of all of that if you want anything…or if Amber or your brother or whoever wants something. And I promise after the show I'll have more time. We can order room service and you can ask your questions."
"I told you not to worry about time and being busy."
"I know. That's the last time I'm mentioning it," he laughed lightly at the glare she gave him.
"You worry too much," she huffed. She started motioning her hands in a shooing motion at him. "You're the one that needs to hit up the bar. Go and relax and eat a burrito, and also one of the strawberry cupcakes because they're delicious and just…do Seth Rollins things. I will be just fine."
"Yes ma'am," he gave her a little salute and winked at her.
"Ok well have a good show and…be safe tonight. Don't make me come all the way out to St. Louis just to watch you get hurt, ok?" Ren reached up to straighten out the knot of his tie and she gave him a poignant look.
"I don't get injuries; don't worry. And you invited yourself out here, remember?"
She rolled her eyes, "whatever. I'm going now."
He had cracked a small smile at her eye roll which almost prompted her to roll her eyes again. She shook her head and then without even really thinking about it she shifted to her toes and leaned up to kiss him. She startled herself; her mind immediately started racing and she could feel the butterflies and nervous feeling swirling in the pit of her stomach. What the hell was she doing? Then he reacted to her kiss, leaning back into it and bringing one hand up to caress her face.
It was a brief kiss, at least it felt brief; she wasn't sure how long it actually lasted. She was sure that she was blushing, though, when it ended. Her hands were resting on his chest and she smoothed his jacket before she let her eyes meet his. He was giving her an assessing look and she could still see a hint of surprise in his eyes; he almost looked amused.
"Ren…" he started to speak and she stepped back from him and shook her head, cutting him off.
"No, let's just…let's just leave that there in the open and I'm going to go to my seat."
She didn't give him a chance to say anything more. She turned on her heel and quickly headed for the curtains, pushing through them and letting them fall behind her as she disappeared into the arena.
