Rami drove home with a smile on his face. He was tapping his fingers in time to the music playing loudly from the stereo, and somehow managed to make it to his apartment without crashing, despite his thoughts being on anything but the road in front of him. He was replaying Olivia's smile over in his mind. When she saw the flowers he'd brought her; when he told lame jokes he knew weren't very funny; when she'd embarrassingly confessed she hadn't been to any of the theme parks yet due to her fear of being upside down. And when he'd kissed her goodbye. Where did that come from? he asked himself. He'd been overjoyed on Wednesday and kissed her forehead quickly out of pride in her performance, but he knew that tonight had been different. Tonight he'd kissed her because he'd not been able to take his eyes off her. He'd seen her in workout gear and not really noticed her. He'd taken a second look every time he'd seen her in her ring gear, with more skin on display and heavy make-up changing her appearance completely. Tonight, she'd just been wearing a casual shirt tucked into jeans, but she had looked different again. And it intrigued him. Like there was more to know.
It had got to 11pm very quickly. He hadn't wanted to leave, but he also didn't want to make things awkward and overstay his welcome. He had initially been surprised when Olivia had offered to cook for him at her apartment, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. She isn't the wining and dining, fancy meal type. And neither am I. A casual dinner just the two of us was perfect. They were able to talk about work without having to keep an eye out for anyone who might be a fan. And they were able to talk through Olivia's pathway which she'd present to Bill on Monday. He was looking forward to see how that went down; he sincerely hoped they'd let her do her thing and not stand in her way. He could predict some bumps further down the line, but here at NXT - developmental territory - there was every reason to be experimental.
He turned the shower on and let the warm water hit his skin. He ran his hands through his hair, clarifying his thoughts, when it hit him. She'll be focusing on the girls now; they'll be the ones she's working with every day. He dropped his hands and let the water run down his neck and shoulders, thinking the reality of that over. I guess that means we won't be working one on one going forward. He could feel himself frowning. Why does that matter? She'll still be at the PC; you'll still see her every day. This calmed him somewhat, but now a new question formed in his mind; why did it matter if he saw her every day or not? Just business, right? He'd been telling himself that for a while, but he knew that after tonight, that line had blurred slightly. And maybe it has for her too, given the way her cheeks flushed several times tonight. Of course he'd noticed; it had been hard not to. But she hadn't said or done anything that indicated there was any reason to read anything more into her invite. That's why he'd not gone with red roses. He knew red roses were the epitome of romance, and he didn't want to send that message. He had no idea what yellow roses meant, but their color and vibrancy had made him think of Olivia. That way, she could take them however she wanted to.
He climbed into bed, pulling his arms behind his head and looking into the darkness. His last foray in romance hadn't gone so well, and he wasn't in a hurry to try again. But, there was just something about Olivia; her drive, her humility, her humor. It had been on rotation in his mind for a while, but their time together tonight had him revisiting everything. Maybe I'm just reading into things that aren't there, just because I had a nice evening. He sighed, and rolled onto his side. I wonder what's on her mind right now…..
Bill took another look over the papers in front of him. "This is very thorough," he said, before looking up at Olivia. "Well, I've had a decade to think about it," Olivia said, tentatively. She wanted to remind Bill that she was as serious about her dream as the talent in the gym were about theirs. She had re-worked her wall chart on to a more formal-looking document to present to Bill, having removed her potential roadblocks and personal notes. She'd broken it down further into weekly developments and opportunities; working closely with the women, initially, during their training session; chatting to the current officials to further understand the role of a WWE referee, and gleaning dos and don'ts from them; liaising closely with Bill, Sara, Michael and Hunter in the lead up to events – dark matches first, then live events across the state, before building to being on television by the end of the year. If not before then, she hoped. She didn't want to look over-ambitious, over-confident. It's a learning experience, she reminded herself.
Bill nodded, chewing quickly. "I can see ways this could work, and ways we might have to change it up. And of course, while we'll do what we can for you, you know your appearance on television comes down to the office." Olivia sighed. She knew that. And while it sounded like Hunter had been genuine, she didn't know if that was just talk. And she also knew nothing about Vince, aside from the fact he'd not backed female referees in the past. "I know," she acknowledged. "And I don't want to be on TV just to be on TV, that's not what it's about," she implored. "I want to be the best referee around here, and there's absolutely no reason I can't be. Especially if I'm given the same resources and opportunity as the rest of them." Bill narrowed his eyes, and she wondered if he was contemplating if that comment was directed at him. "I will work my ass off here Bill, I promise you." He nodded again. "Good, because you're going to have to. Let's get you in the ring a few times this week, I'll call the matches. And I'll set up a meeting with Shawn, our senior official, and the two of you can work together the same way you've been working with Sami." Olivia swallowed a small grin; everything's coming up roses.
"Do you think there will be any animosity from them, the officials?" Olivia asked. It was something she'd asked Rami on Friday night, and he'd told her not to be silly. The NXT referees were all great guys, he'd said, and would welcome her into their group. Olivia was dubious; the number of matches wasn't increasing, meaning if she started to officiate women's matches, they would have less time in the middle overall. "If there is any hint of that, I'll be having a word with them," Bill said stoically. "I'd even suggest that they'd be okay with not being involved with the women's matches, to be honest." Excuse me? "What do you mean by that?" Olivia asked, trying to hide the indigence from her voice. Bill's face remained calm. "Look, I know that we're going to do great things for women's wrestling here, we really will. But good things take time, and just like the fans and the talent think a two-minute match is pointless, it doesn't do much for a male official either." Olivia wasn't satisfied with that answer, and her steely stare must've spurred Bill to continue. "Everyone wants the title match, the pay-per-view, Olivia. You're the same right?" he said, picking up her document as reference. "These guys, be it right or wrong, think they have bigger fish to fry than the Divas division. So, you'll have bragging rights eventually. You take the small matches off them, and they'll think you're doing them a favour. But they'll be the ones sitting back and watching you when we get a women's match main eventing television in the future."
Olivia felt her chest swell with hope. Imagine that? Even on NXT, having a women's match close the show. Bill must've picked up on her thoughts. "That's what we're all working towards, you know. Hunter's not lying when he said we're going to break some moulds around here. My team is working hard to produce female wrestlers, not female performers or entertainers. These girls have been hand-selected to lead a revolution in this industry, and they're fully capable. And according to what I've been told, so are you. So. Get on board. Help us lay the ground work and your rewards will come." They exchanged a long look, and it didn't go unnoticed that this was the biggest vote of confidence Olivia had had from him. I'm on board. Don't you worry about that. Just as Olivia was leaving the room, Bill added one final comment. "Don't let those boys bother you; that's my problem." She closed the office door, smirking. Don't you worry, boys, I'll take those pesky little women's matches off you….
Olivia took herself off to the viewing room. She'd been slightly distracted during last week's review, but now, she wanted to stat studying what Shawn, Eddie, Danilo and Drake did in the ring. Their mannerisms, their expressions. Which angles they chose when delivering instructions, and if there was obvious difference between general chatter and specific directions. She pulled a notebook out of her bag and queued up the full three hour recording from last week. Homework time, she thought, unable to hold in the smile on her face. It all begins again, today.
Rami hadn't seen Olivia all morning. Even now, when the group was breaking for lunch, she was nowhere to be seen. He knew she was in the building as he'd seen her purple Beetle in the parking lot. He had assumed her meeting with Bill was this morning, so initially hadn't been concerned. He was hoping to catch up with her over lunch to see how things had gone. When she hadn't shown in the mess room, he'd taken his food with him and gone looking for her. Bill had been in the gym before lunch, so she wasn't still talking to him. He wandered the hall, trying to remain inconspicuous, when he noticed the lights were out in the viewing room. He peered through the window in the door frame, and saw himself on the big screen. He changed his angle, now able to see Olivia sitting cross-legged at the table, watching intently. A weird jolt went through his body. She's watching my match? A half-smile grew on his face. He pushed on the door, trying to be as quiet as possible, not to break her concentration. In an instant Olivia's eyes flicked towards the door. "Sorry, sorry," he said jokingly. "As you were," he said, motioning towards the screen.
Olivia reached to pause the recording. "Oh hey, I'm just doing some homework," she said, smiling at him. Rami's eyes deliberately looked to the screen, where Sami Zayn was mid-air over the top rope, and then back to her. "On me?" he asked teasingly. He watched as her mouth dropped open, and even though it was dark, he was pretty sure she blushed. She shook her head, flustered, before tapping her pen on a notebook in front of her. "No, no," she protested. "I'm actually watching every match from last week. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not paying attention to you at all." Rami cocked his head, unsure what else she would be watching one of his matches for. "You're probably going to think I'm a nerd," she continued, "but I'm focusing on the refs, and what they do during the match. Identifying trends in their behaviour that I'll need to replicate." He sat down on the chair beside her, looking at her in silence for a moment. "You are such a nerd," he confirmed, before chuckling. Olivia giggled herself, making Rami's smile grow. "So, you come to tease me or what?" she asked. I wanted to know where you were. "How'd it go this morning?" he inquired, taking a mouthful of his wrap. Olivia relayed the outcome of her conversation with Bill; that she would be in the ring with the girls under his instruction multiple times this week. Rami lifted his water bottle towards her. "Fantastic," he said, as she raised her bottle to his in a toast.
Olivia pushed play on the recording, and Rami started telling her what Shawn had been relaying to him in the ring during the match; time cues, praise from Hunter, changing spots. Olivia listened intently, making a few notes in her book. Rami watched her taking in the match. She is a nerd. Just like me. He'd spent hours studying his idols in his youth, and while he was sure she wouldn't list Shawn as her idol, he was where she wanted to be, so it made sense for her to be watching his work. It only endeared her to him more. Sitting next to him, paying full attention to the match, she looked captivated. And cute. He could see the Olivia he'd seen on Friday night, now he knew that she was in there. Suddenly, she turned her head and looked at him. Uh oh. Snapped. She'd caught him staring at her, red-handed. Now it was his turn to blush slightly. "I better get going, Dream doesn't appreciate us being late," he said, looking at the time to give him a reason to look away. "Have fun watching my matches," he teased, knowing it would bring that smile back to her face. Olivia scoffed, shaking her head jokingly, with a grin spreading across her face. Rami stood, and placed a hand gently on her upper back. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and expectant. "And hey, don't replicate these guys," he said, his head motioning towards the screen. "You do you. Do it your way, and do it better."
They exchanged grins, and as Rami walked out of the room, he could feel the goosebumps on his arms. He bit his lip softly. A concept he had been tossing around in his head all weekend had just been confirmed. I am going to return the favour. I'm going to cook for her. But I just need to have the right reason.
A/N: Things are going to change slightly from here on out – we've laid the foundation of Olivia and Rami's life at the PC almost day to day, but now, we're going to have a few time jumps to significant milestones on Olivia's wall chart. Keep an eye on the dates that will be appearing at the top of each subsequent chapter. (So far, we've been dealing in August-October of 2013). Reviews appreciated :) KS