Chapter 10: Late Night Shenanigans

Raw is War was airing live from the Pacific Northwest, at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. It's a beautiful location, the birthplace of the grunge music movement. After getting myself settled, I found an empty space in the bowels of the arena and sat down on a long trunk. Once again the look was business casual, in blue jeans and a black tank top with a sweetheart neckline that showed off some cleavage. A tan blazer, tan shoes, and a statement necklace completed my look. My hair was down around my face in soft waves, getting in my way to the point that I wished I had thought to grab hair ties before leaving the Divas locker room. I sat alone on the trunk, working on ideas; I learned earlier in the night that my No Mercy title defense was going to be a fatal four way against Tori, Kat, and Jackie. I was having some trouble, but I was determined to have some killer promo stuff written down by the end of the night.

"Hey, you. What are you doing back here in the middle of nowhere?"

I pulled my headphones off and turned to find Shane standing behind me, dressed in a white button-down shirt and dark blue jeans. I let my headphones rest around my neck. "Hey," I greeted. "Never mind me - what are you doing back here? Don't you ever work?"

"Not if I can help it," he answered with a grin. "I'm just sneaking a break. Mind if I take a seat?" I shook my head and swung my legs over the side of the trunk so he had a space to sit. He took his place beside me, his eyes falling on the notebook. "What are you working on?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Just some promo ideas."

"Can I take a look at what you've got?"

"Well, if I did that, it would just kill the surprise, wouldn't it?" I teased. Shane shook his head. We were quiet for a few moments. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ears. "I'm sorry about this morning. I know breakfast was kind of awkward..."

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Noa. It wasn't your fault."

"Are you two friends?" I asked. Shane shrugged.

"More like acquaintances. He puts a lot of people off around here. He seems like an idiot, but he's as calculating as anyone else here. I like to keep him close so I can keep an eye on him when it comes to Stephanie."

"You're protective of your sister." He nodded.

"Of course I am. The name McMahon put a target on us, and there's a lot of guys back here that would love to get their hands on the Billion Dollar Princess. I mean, shit, I let my guard down once, and she ended up with Hunter. You understand, right?"

"I'm an only child, but Chris looks out for me the way a brother would, so I guess I get it." He nodded. "I'm sorry if I pushed and made you uncomfortable this morning. You just...you seemed out of it for a moment there."

"It's okay. I have moments here and there, but don't we all?" he said with a smile.

"Were you thinking about her?" Shane's head snapped to me. "Jackie told me about it a little while ago," I told him sheepishly. "I'm not going to push you, but I just want you to know if you ever need to talk, I'm not hard to find, okay?"

"Thank you. I appreciate the offer. Really, I do. You know how it is – some days are just worse than others." I nodded. I wrapped an arm around him and gave him a quick hug. He looked so sad. "Thank you."

"I'd give you a better one, but people like to talk around here," I said with a sigh. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Just going back to the hotel. I don't feel like doing the party thing today. How about you?"

"The guys and I are continuing the Women's Champion Party. You are invited."

"Thanks, but I don't think I'm in the mood tonight." I smiled.

"Cool. If you change your mind, I think we're heading to a place in town called Magma."

"I've heard of it." I got off the trunk. Checking my watch, I huffed. "I hate to cut our time short, but I need to go do that photo shoot." There was a beat of silence between us. "Seriously, if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to hit me up. You always seem to know where I am anyway," I teased. He blushed and looked down at his hands. "I'll talk to you later. Keep your head up, okay?" He nodded, and I felt bad about leaving him, but I did.

After changing into my ring gear, I went to the photo area and took my place in front of the white paper backdrop. With the Women's Championship over my shoulder, I struck a variety of poses. The only thing that didn't change was the smile on my face. It's taken a while, but I've finally gotten to a point where my photos don't look so awkward and uncomfortable.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the door at the back of the room open and Shane walked in. He didn't look happy. I felt him staring at me but I kept focus, but I could see him moving to sit down in a chair, a smile now on his face. My photo shoot lasted about twenty minutes, and I was honestly relieved when it was over. I've never been much for modeling. When it was over, I approached Shane.

"Sometimes I swear you're always two steps behind me," I teased.

"Can we talk?" he asked. I nodded. Following him out of the room, we began walking down the halls.

"What's up?"

"What do you think of Kurt Angle?" he asked.

"As a person?" I asked. He nodded. "This is between you and I, right? In confidence?"

"Of course."

"He creeps me out. There's something about him that's just...really sleazy. I can't put my finger on it. But he makes me kind of uncomfortable."

"Does he know where you're going tonight?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Unless one of the guys let it slip, but I don't see why they would. What's going on?"

"Just...keep an eye out for him, okay?" I cocked an eyebrow. "I have it on good authority that he is a little more than infatuated with you, and I just want to warn you in case you have a boyfriend or a husband at home..."

"I have neither, but thank you for letting me know." I stopped. He did the same. "Did he tell you this?"

"Not in those exact words."

"Oh. Say no more." I examined him. He looked exhausted. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I am. I'm looking forward to going back to the hotel. I was gonna drive to the next town, but I just feel exhausted all of a sudden," he confessed. "Have a good night tonight, Noa. Be safe out there."

"When I'm with the guys, I'm always safe," I promised. We said our goodbyes and separated, both of us turning to look at the other before disappearing from each other's view.

The party at Magma was in full swing when I arrived with Chris, Eddie, Trish, Lita and the Hardy brothers. It was a club done in fire tones, with swirling lights and girls that danced in cages. We ordered drinks and found a table. Every part of me wanted to have fun, but all I could think about was Shane and the depression he was obviously feeling. I nursed my drink while the others went out on the dance floor. I watched them, Chris dancing with Trish.

"Hey, beautiful. Can I buy you a drink?"

Turning, I saw Kurt standing behind me, dressed in a tight black T-shirt and blue jeans. He sat down in the chair beside me before I could tell him that it was Eddie's seat he was taking. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm already drinking." I motioned to my Cosmopolitan. Kurt snorted.

"What's a pretty Diva like you doing drinking alone?" he asked. "Where are the others?"

"On the dance floor."

"Why aren't you out there?" he asked. I shrugged.

"I came for the liquor." Kurt laughed. I noticed he was drinking cranberry juice. "So, the All-American Hero is a teetotaller, is he?"

"I don't do a lot of things...I'm more or less a priest."

"Right." The word came out more derisively than I intended. Kurt was silent a second before he laughed.

"I like you," he confessed. "I feel like I can cut to the chase with you. So...what are you doing tonight?"

"After this? Sleep. I have an early flight."

"How early?"

"Early." The tone left no room for argument. I wasn't about to lay out my entire travel itinerary to Kurt Angle. I looked out at the dance floor. Chris and I locked eyes and his eyes narrowed when I took a sip of my drink, a signal to come and save me. Chris hit Eddie on the arm and I saw them leaving the dance floor.

"I think that's Kurt Angle," Chris said loudly. All of a sudden there were fans on him in seconds. I slid away undetected for a few moments before I ended up having to take pictures and sign autographs. Chris had given away my position but had created a break between the two of us, something I was grateful for.

"I'm heading back to the hotel before the crowd breaks," I said to Chris. He nodded and I managed to sneak out of a side entrance, making a beeline to my car. My hotel was a two-minute drive from the club, and I was grateful when I made it back to my room, ready to put the last twenty-four hours behind me.

The clock on the nightstand said it was twenty-five minutes past one. I noticed there was a blinking on the phone in the room; I had a message. I let it wait for a few minutes while I changed into my pajamas and cleaned off my makeup. When I was comfortable and settled, I sat down at the desk and checked the message, not at all surprised to find it was from Shane, looking to talk. I called him back, hoping that I wasn't about to wake him.

"Hello?" he asked. His voice was groggy.

"Oh, shoot. I'm sorry, Shane. Did I wake you?"

"Noa?"

"Yeah. I just got in and saw your message. I woke you, didn't I?"

"No, it's okay," he assured me.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. I mean, I guess. I can't fall asleep to save my life tonight. Am I keeping you awake?" he asked.

"I called you, remember?"

"How was drinking with the guys tonight?"

"Well, it was all fun and games before Kurt Angle showed up." I heard Shane make a noise. "Chris created a distraction and I got the hell out of Dodge. Which is fine; I wasn't really having the best time anyway. I guess I just wasn't in the mood to party tonight. How are you? What's on your mind tonight?"

He was quiet for a long time. For a second, I wondered if the phone call had been dropped. Then, he sighed. A long and drawn out sigh. "I'm not too sure what's on my brain tonight," he confessed. "I'm kind of in a hundred directions tonight if that makes any sense. I guess I'm a bit reflective tonight."

"Reflective about what?" I asked.

"I dunno. I get all weird when I'm alone these days. I think about things. How quickly everything falls apart. Sometimes I think about how I rebuild." It felt like there was more he wanted to say, but I didn't want to push.

"Sometimes those kinds of things take time. Sometimes it just happens so gradually," I told him. "The pain you feel isn't just going to extinguish like a flame, unfortunately. It's okay to just kind of go with it."

"I'm conflicted these days. Really conflicted."

"About what?" I asked.

"I've had thoughts of moving on, of getting things back together. It just...it feels like I'm betraying her memory."

"I don't think she'd think that, Shane. I think she would want you to be happy." We fell silent for a few moments. "What was she like?"

"I don't know how to describe it, but she was my world outside of all this madness," he answered honestly. His voice cracked and it broke my heart.

"Shane, I wish I could tell you there was a quick fix here. But you can't feel guilty about rebuilding your life. You're still human, and you still have needs. But it's okay to still be sad. I'm not saying to just get over it and rush into the first thing you find. But it's okay to just let life lead you for a little while."

He sniffled. "You're pretty wise."

"I fake it until I make it," I told him. He laughed.

"Thanks for listening to me. Chris was right about you. You really are somebody special."

"I don't know about that, but thank you."

"Don't ever sell yourself short." He sniffled. "Thanks for putting up with me the past month."

"Putting up with...what? No. I like hanging out with you," I confessed. "You're one of my favorite people to see."

"That means a lot," he told me. He yawned. "I'm going to try and sleep. I've kept you awake long enough."

"It's fine. Are you sure you're going to be okay?" I asked.

"I will. Just...thanks for listening, Noa."

"Anytime, Shane." I found myself yawning, too. We said our goodbyes and hung up, but I felt bad about leaving him by himself in his hotel room. Knowing there was nothing more I could do for him, I shut off the lights and crawled into bed. He had my phone number; if he needed to get in touch anytime, I knew that he would.