A/N: It seems like it has been so long since I've updated. I would take the time to apologize but to be quite honest, I don't really feel that bad about taking the break. I love this story and I love writing but there are times when real life (full time jobs, ill family members, holidays, hospital stays) take over and you have to take a break to not only focus on your responsibilities but also get your mind clear so you can write a chapter that doesn't entirely suck. So thank you for those that reviewed Thirty Four. And for those readers that remain, enjoy the new chapter.

Thirty Five

The delicious aroma of pancakes infiltrated the air as Alani studied her reflection in the mirror sitting on top of her vanity. A forced half smile graced her full lips as she smoothed out the invisible wrinkles on her plain navy t-shirt and slim fitting jeans. Her phone vibrated on the vanity, slightly startling her. She grabbed the item and unlocked it, her tense smile quickly transforming into a genuine grin as she read the text she received from Seth alerting her he had made it back to Tampa safe and sound.

It had been a few days since Seth left to rejoin the tour and the moment his cab pulled away, Alani felt her mood plummet. He had been the one to keep her emotions under control and without him, she honestly didn't know how she could survive the remainder of her stay with her family by herself. The rest of her visit had been tense and awkward. With the exception of taking her father grocery shopping for healthier food choices and to the local gym to sign up for a membership (which had been as difficult as giving a small child a flu shot), she had remained quarantined in her room. Alani knew she vowed to Seth to make things right with her family but she simply didn't know how she could. Her mother and her siblings had did a wonderful job of avoiding her at all costs and Alani didn't know what was the proper way to approach them. Being the first person to stand up and apologize had never been her strongest trait, a result of her stubbornness and pride. But she knew if she desired to fix things she would have to make the first move.

Exhaling deeply, Alani pulled her door open and stepped into the hallway. She walked a short distance before arriving at her destination. After taking the time to work up some nerve, she knocked on the closed door and nervously waited for it to open. A few seconds later Alani's honey brown orbs locked with the matching eyes belonging to Lorryn.

"What do you want?" Lorryn crossed her arms over her chest and stared blankly at her younger sister.

"Hey, um I was wondering if we could talk."

"Alani I really don't have time. I gotta get to wor-"

"It won't take that long Lo. I promise."

A tense silence hovered over the sisters before Lorryn finally relented and moved away from the doorway, allowing Alani to enter. Alani walked to the middle of the room and awkwardly watched as Lorryn closed the door and turned to face her, her curious eyes boring a hole into her younger sister.

"Well what is it? I don't have all day."

Alani wiped her sweaty palms down the front of her jeans in an effort to calm her nerves and released a shaky breath. "I just wanted to apologize about the way I behaved the other night. I shouldn't have lost my temper like I did. After I thought about the argument, I came to the realization that there was some truth in what you said so it wasn't fair of me to become defensive. So I'm sorry for the way I acted."

Lorryn remained silent once Alani finished speaking making the interviewer squirm on the spot. A few seconds later, Lorryn's wry chuckle filled the room as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You can't be serious."

Alani's brow raised. "What do you mean?"

"Do you actually think you can come in here with this rehearsed, generic apology and that would make things amicable between us Alani? As far as I'm concerned, it's a waste of got damn time because it's not like shit is gonna change," Lorryn declared. "Sure you say you thought about things afterwards and saw there was some truth to what I said but what are you gonna do about it? Are you actually gonna make some changes to your behavior or simply continue to paint yourself as the victim?"

"Lorryn, that's not fair. I'm really trying here."

"You know what the fucked up part about this is? It's that you think that the entire reason there's this tension between us is because Marcus and I are jealous of you when that's the furthest thing from the truth. Alani, do you know how proud of you we are? The fact that you were able to buckle down and get the hell out of this environment that trapped us and caused us to become sad statistics? Every Monday we sit through a three hour program of scripted fighting just to see you for a few fleeting seconds so we can support you but you can't do the same."

Alani watched as Lorryn began to pace back and forth, running a hand through her hair, tousling it. "You always look down your nose at Marcus and I because we didn't go to college yet you seem to forget how we helped you while you were in college. If it wasn't for Marcus selling drugs on the corner you wouldn't have money for those expensive ass textbooks. Or how about all the overtime I used to work to buy you that used laptop so you wouldn't have to go the computer lab on campus late at night to finish your papers? Did you block out those memories just to replace them with this sob story of us being the evil older siblings that made your life a living hell?"

Alani's gaze dropped to her feet at Lorryn's words, guilt gnawing away at her. While it was true she wasn't exactly close to her siblings, they did help her out when they could and weren't completely terrible. There were a few times when they showed compassion towards their baby sister and those moments managed to help her college experience whether Alani wanted to admit it or not.

"You're right," Alani mumbled.

"But you know what, I don't even care that you haven't shown your gratitude towards us. The shit that gets me is how you treat Ma and Daddy. Look nobody is debating that you are a busy woman Alani. But that doesn't excuse the fact that you can't even send them a quick text or call them up to see how they are doing. To ask Ma how her Bingo club is going. Or to ask Daddy about his last fishing trip when he caught his first bass in years. I know there have been times when you have been on the East Coast since you've gotten this job where you could've dropped by a visit. But no, you wait until Daddy has a stroke to finally grace us with your presence. What if he didn't survive Lani? What if he died before you got here? Would you have been able to live with yourself knowing that the last time you saw your father was damn near a year ago?"

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Alani exclaimed. Tears trailed down her face as the chilling thought appeared in her mind. Her hands shook as she brushed away the tears from her cheeks, shaking her head. "I get it Lorryn! I'm a horrible daughter and sister! I fuckin get it!"

Alani fell onto Lorryn's bed as a loud sob filled the room. Lorryn observed her sister with an emotionless expression before she finally cracked and walked to the bed and sat next to her. Tossing her arm over Alani's shoulder, she pulled her in for a hug and rubbed her arm comfortingly. Lorryn felt her hardened exterior crumble at the sound of Alani's gut wrenching sobs and she exhaled.

"You're not horrible Lani. You just have some selfish tendencies that need to change. Now I'm not saying we're perfect and don't have our faults because that's not the case. We all need to change a few things about ourselves if we want to grow closer as a family. Because what's the point of all this success if your family is in fuckin shambles?" Lorryn asked making Alani nod her head in agreement. "Now I apologize for the way that I treated you the other night in front of Seth. I was rude and a bitch and that was embarrassing. I don't like fighting with you Alani. I see so many of my friends have such a tight knit friendship with their sisters and I want that with you. I don't hate you like you might think I do. You're my baby sister and I love you with all my heart. But in order for us to obtain any bit of peace, you gotta own up to your faults and use some actions to back them up. Not offer some lame ass apology that won't mean shit once you go back on the road and become too busy for us and forget us again."

Alani sighed and sniffed. "You're right. I know I need to do a better job of being less self centered and painting myself to be the victim all the time. I know we're not gonna become the Brady brunch and we will butt heads. But y'all the only family I got and it's time I show y'all how much y'all mean to me."

Lorryn smiled at Alani's words as the interviewer turned to face her. The two sisters embraced each other in a tight hug, tears now trailing down both of their faces. A quick knock on the door interrupted the moment between the two and Gladys peaked her head inside.

"Lorryn, do you know what time it is? You betta get your butt moving before you're late for work."

Lorryn and Alani parted from their hug, wiping the tears from their face. As Lorryn scrambled to grab her belongings, Alani stood to her feet, wrapping her arms around her body. "How about we go grab something to eat after you get off so we can catch up Lo?" Alani hopefully suggested.

"Sounds like a plan sis," Lorryn replied with a small smile.

Lorryn scurried out the room leaving Gladys and Alani alone. Alani rocked back and forth on her heels as she cleared her throat, feeling her nervousness skyrocket once again.

"Ma, about the other night I just wanted to say-"

Gladys reached forward and pulled Alani into a hug. Alani buried her face in the crook of Gladys's neck, inhaling the floral scent of her perfume and immediately feeling comforted. Her mother pecked the top of her head as she rubbed her back in soothing, circular motions before pulling away. A smile eased onto Gladys's mouth, a warmth and love that could only a mother could offer their child radiating from her gaze.

"I'm sorry as well Lani. Now come on. You can eat breakfast and tell me all about this Seth guy that you're so undeniably crazy about," Gladys said as she curled her arm around Alani's shoulder and escorted her out the bedroom and towards the kitchen.

An agitated sigh tumbled from Dean's lips. "Is this truly necessary?"

"You damn right it is."

"I honestly think you're overreacting."

Roman raised a brow as he stared at his best friend. "Overreacting? Ambrose you tried to substitute a diaper with a plastic bag from Target. I think it's safe to say you need a lesson in properly changing a baby's diaper. Now quit your whining and get to work."

Dean's blue eyes locked with Ethan's curious grey orbs. The baby giggled and reached for Dean's charcoal grey t-shirt, tugging on it while his small legs kicked the air wildly. With another exhale, he grabbed the diaper Roman handed him a few seconds ago and opened it.

"See mistake number one. You can't put the diaper on when the boy got poop and urine all down there. I don't want there to be any skid marks in my son's diaper."

Grumbling underneath his breath, Dean opened the pack of baby wipes sitting on the changing table and proceeded to wipe Ethan's bottom. Roman folded his arms across his chest as he watched Dean carefully. He pursed his lips to stop himself from interrupting Dean's concentration, deciding to not micro manage the other man. A few minutes passed before Dean eventually finished and turned to face Roman.

"See, not rocket science asshole."

Roman carefully inspected Ethan's diaper clad butt and held him up to smell and make sure he was truly clean. Once he was satisfied with the result, he cradled his oldest son in his arms and kissed his forehead.

"Now wasn't that much easier than using a bag from Target?"

Dean tossed his hands into the air as he watched Roman place Ethan in his crib and insert a pacifier into his mouth before quickly checking on a sleeping Isaiah. The two men exited the room and Roman softly pulled the door closed, leaving it slightly ajar. "Are you gonna hang that over my head for the rest of my life?"

"Just be glad I didn't tell Alyssa. I'm sure she would've chased after you with a big ass knife if she found out."

Roman chuckled to himself as he watched Dean shiver at the thought. The two wrestlers stepped into the kitchen and Roman made his way to the refrigerator to grab two bottles of water, one of which he handed to Dean. He took a big gulp from his own bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Anyway I can't have you welcoming your child into the world without actually knowing how to change a diaper."

"I swear you're almost as bad as Lex is. She's been researching all this information about baby proofing my place and shit I should know being a first time father. You two are about to overwhelm me with information," Dean said with a roll of his eyes as he plopped down into a chair.

Roman's ears perked up at the mention of his cousin in law, quickly reminding him why he invited his friend over in the first place. He hadn't spoken to Dean since the night he hauled off and punched Finn at the bar. Dean had just returned to Tampa the previous day and if Roman was being totally honest with himself, the lack of communication from Dean during the past couple of days made him feel uneasy. He just hoped the advice he offered Dean had managed to do some good.

"How are things between you and Lex?"

Before he could stop himself, a wide smile quickly spread across Dean's lips. His mind drifted back to the previous few days that consisted of him and Alexandria shutting the entire outside world out. After their intimate reunion after the Smackdown taping, the two decided to spend the next couple of days in Cincinnati away from everybody. And Dean had to admit, it was just what the doctor ordered. The couple got time to truthfully discuss everything they had been going through and own up to their separate mistakes. The time away helped them reaffirm their commitment to each other and their relationship and unlike their talk in Paris, Dean truly felt as if he and Alexandria were on the right track.

"We're getting there. I took her to Cincy."

Shock instantly appeared on Roman's face at the news. He knew how touchy of a subject Dean's childhood was. Hearing that he finally brought Alexandria back to the place he so desperately wanted to forget was something Roman hadn't expected.

"And how did the trip turn out?"

"Surprisingly well. Showed her my old wrestling school, places I used to hang out at when I was younger, the apartment building I lived in before child services dragged me away. I thought I would scare her away but she stuck by my side Reigns. She didn't judge me and I think it brought us closer."

Roman leaned against the edge of the countertop. "Really? How so?"

"She told me hearing about everything I went through showed her why I am the way I am. Now she sees I'm so reluctant at discussing my feelings because I was conditioned to be that way because of the way I grew up. She understands me a little bit better and knows just because I don't open up like she does doesn't mean I don't care for her."

"And what about the Balor thing? Are there any residual feelings there on her part?"

Dean shook his head as he sipped his water. "She says she made a mistake because she reacted emotionally. She had plenty of opportunities to leave me but she didn't. Hell like you and Jimmy said she could've kept this hidden from me but she told me the truth. This entire situation just got to her and she had a moment of weakness that she vows won't happen again."

"And you believe her?"

"Definitely," Dean replied without hesitation. "I can't explain it. Maybe it's me yearning to be optimistic but I definitely get the feeling that Lex and me are finally going to recover from this shit."

Roman nodded his head as he observed the truthfulness and hopefulness radiating through Dean's orbs. "That's great to hear Ambrose. I hope you two work things out because Lex is honestly the best person for you and you're the best man for her as well. I want you two happy with one another."

Dean grinned at Roman's statement as he followed his friend into the living room. Around this time last year, he was certain the Samoan was aghast at the thought of him being with his wife's cousin. But just receiving his vote of approval proved how far their refurbished friendship had came.

"Speaking of happiness, can we just discuss how unhappy I was that you didn't confide in your best friend about your current drama?"

Roman's smile faltered as Dean's oceanic hued orbs narrowed while he stared at him. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he felt his body tense up. Roman felt his hands clench into fists as he tried to calm his temper. Despite him encouraging Alyssa to remain calm and promising her this scandal would blow over soon, he knew the news would reach his friends soon. And to be honest he didn't feel like talking about the situation more than he had to. But he knew Dean wouldn't let him get off that easily."You and Lex were going through your own shit and I didn't wanna add onto that. Anyway it's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?" Dean looked at Roman as if he lost his mind. "There are rumors circulating that you're cheating on your wife with her assistant. That's not a big deal Reigns?"

"No it's not because the people that matter know it's not fuckin true," Roman growled.

"Look I know that it's not true. I know there's no way you would cheat on Alyssa. But it would've been kinda nice if you clued me in man. You're always giving me advice and helping me. You're my best friend and as many times as you've been there for me, I can do the same with you. So what the fuck is going on?"

Roman exhaled deeply before he began telling Dean the entire story starting with his spontaneous meeting with Paul and Stephanie, to the story leaking on the gossip site, and finally ending with Alyssa's anti climatic showdown with Heather. The other man remained quiet, his facial expressions transforming from shock to disbelief and finally to empathy once Roman finished. Dean shook his head and released a low whistle while running a hand through his messy hair.

"Fucking shit Reigns, that's complete and utter bullshit," Dean stated with a shake of his head. "How is Alyssa handling all of this?"

Roman nibbled on his bottom lip as he thought about his wife. Ever since her encounter with Heather a couple of days ago, she hadn't mentioned the story or the junior hair stylist's name again. He kept a close eye on her, bracing himself for the inevitable blow up but it never came. Instead she immersed herself into her work and placed her focus on the twins once they returned home. On one hand, Roman was proud that she wasn't allowing the scandal to negatively affect her. But on the other, he knew her anger was building up inside of her simply waiting to explode and that scared him. Roman was struggling on whether he should push Alyssa to talk about how she was feeling or simply wait for her to approach him and not sour the rare quality time they had with Isaiah and Ethan with talk of the bullshit story.

"She's doing her best to not let it get to her," Roman finally replied after a bit of silence.

"But you're still concerned."

Roman chuckled dat Dean's astute observation and nodded. "Alyssa has shown tremendous growth and maturity since the boys were born. She's not as emotionally unstable as she once was when we first started dating because she knows she has to be more levelheaded for the twins' sake which I applaud. But I know Alyssa. And one thing Alyssa will not tolerate is somebody targeting her family. She continues to say she has a feeling that Heather is behind this entire story and that she has something else up her sleeve. I told her that I would make sure nothing else happens to fuck with our happiness but I'm not sure if I can keep that promise. I'm just afraid that if Heather pulls another trick then it'll set Alyssa off."

"Well you gotta make sure you don't allow that to happen," Dean advised.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to do that."

"Learn from my fuck ups. Stay alert. Avoid placing yourself in situations that Heather can twist to her advantage. You have an entire family to think about and you can't let Heather ruin that. Because I agree with Alyssa. Something is off with this entire situation and I would bet my last fuckin dollar Heather is behind it all despite her trying to play stupid."

"I just wish this nightmare would fuckin end. This shit would've never happened if I didn't help Heather that night. Why couldn't I just mind my own damn business?"

"Because you're the epitome of a knight in shining armor," Dean said. "I told you that you were too nice and shit."

Roman rolled his grey orbs, a tiny smirk on the corners of his lips. "Sorry I can't be a jackass like yourself Dean."

"Well it is a unique trait of mine that can't be duplicated," Dean cracked with a grin. "But I wouldn't even worry about Heather. If I learned anything from my stupid ass alliance with Summer it's that evil plans will always be revealed no matter how hard a person tries to ensure it doesn't. So trust me, Heather's conniving ass will be exposed sooner than later. For the time being, I would just ignore Heather. Continue to go out there and work and come back home to Alyssa and the kids. Yes, there's a chance Alyssa might blow up if things get too stressful for her. But you're here to calm her down if it gets to that point and I know you can do it because you've done it before."

Dean stood to his feet prompting Roman to do the same. "I gotta go run a few errands before my date night with Lex."

"Date night?" Roman raised a brow. "See you're serious as hell about making things work between you two."

"Hell yeah. I almost lost her once and I'm not risking it anymore man. And you should do the same. Don't let Heather drive a wedge between you and Alyssa. Take some time to enjoy your life with the family you fought so hard for instead of worrying about Alyssa falling apart or Heather's scheming. The moment you let her affect your life is the moment she wins. Don't fall into her trap."

Dean landed a hearty slap on Roman's shoulder blade before bumping his fist with his friend's. Without another word, Dean grabbed his keys off the coffee table and headed for the door, leaving Roman alone to mull over his sage advice.

Zariah flashed a polite smile to the various wrestlers and divas she passed as she exited the women's locker room, hoisting her bag further on her shoulder. Her phone vibrated in her hand alerting her that she had received a text message. Instead of opening the message, she decided to ignore it already aware that it was either Randy or Cameron badgering her about stepping up her efforts to break up Alani and Seth. She was quickly realizing that joining forces with the veteran wrestler and diva to drive a wedge between Seth and Alani might've not had been one of her brighter ideas. Both of them were so hell bent on revenge and were salivating at the thought of ruining their foes' lives as quickly as they could. While she definitely wanted Seth as far away from Alani's orbit so she could have him, she was unsure if the way she was going about it was the proper way. For as long as she could remember, Seth had always been nice to her. Sure he might've not been her Prince Charming since the extent of their situation was strictly sexual but he never treated her like trash. If it wasn't for him, her wrestling career wouldn't have gotten as far as it had and for that alone she would always be grateful to him. But what merely started off as a mentor-student kind of relationship with sexual benefits quickly turned into something more for Zariah before she could stop it.

It wasn't as if falling for Seth was difficult. While others considered Seth to be too damn cocky and at times a pain to work with, Zariah simply saw him as her kindred spirit. The two of them had very similar interests and conversation flowed between them effortlessly (when they weren't busy ripping each other's clothes off). Zariah was definitely interested in seeing what being in a relationship with Seth was like and was confident the two of them could be happy.

But now he was happy with Alani while she was miserable and alone.

Zariah didn't know much about Alani. From what she could tell she only spoke to Naomi and the main hair dresser Alyssa. Besides the whisperings of her not so secret relationship with Randy Orton, nobody really knew much about Alani. The logical side of Zariah knew she didn't have a legitimate reason to dislike the other woman. But the rash and irrational part of her reminded her that Seth being enamored with the interviewer was all the reason she needed.

Zariah simply couldn't believe how Seth couldn't see things the way she did. He and Alani didn't make any sense. They didn't seem to have anything in common and their over confident attitudes surely caused issues between them. Hell, she was certain the brief attraction between the two of them wouldn't develop into anything more serious. But if she knew one thing about Seth it was that he was stubborn. He would force himself to make things work with Alani despite the big Blue's Clues staring him in the face and telling him to get the hell outta dodge. He refused to see that there were other women in the world that would be a better fit for him because he was so infatuated with Alani. In Zariah's mind it was up to her to show him the light.

Slipping her phone into the front pocket of her bag, Zariah's blue eyes scanned the large fitness area. She smiled as her gaze landed on Seth sitting on a bench texting away on his phone. A soft sigh fell from her lips as she studied his attire, a muscle hugging t-shirt and gym shorts hung off his frame and his messy bushy hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Pushing her earlier thoughts out the way and focusing on finally grasping the man she always wanted, Zariah sauntered towards Seth. Her steps were confident as she felt eyes watching her every move. Once she stood in front of him, she cleared her throat to grab his attention.

"Hey stranger. Long time no see."

Seth glanced up from his phone and locked eyes with Zariah. He ran a hand over his ponytail as he slipped the phone inside his gym bag before grabbing his bottle of water and taking a tiny sip.

"Hey Zariah."

Zariah brow furrowed at the flat tone of Seth's voice but shook it off. "I missed you at the house shows Friday and Saturday. Was hoping we could go grab a bite to eat to catch up."

"Yeah something came up so I had to take some time off," Seth replied.

"Well maybe we can go grab a bite to eat now. There's a pretty good cafe a few blocks away."

Seth pursed his lips together and inwardly sighed. Since he returned to the road from accompanying Alani to Jersey, he had kept a somewhat low profile. He initially chalked it up to him not feeling sociable until he knew everything was fine with Alani and her family. But if he was being completely truthful with himself, Seth knew he was avoiding Zariah. After talking with Roman and Alani, he opted to take a look from his girlfriend's perspective. While Seth originally believed she completely overreacted, he realized that if he was in her shoes he would've reacted similarly. Now that the two of them finally admitted they were indeed in a relationship, Seth wanted to do everything in his power to make sure Alani knew she was the only woman for him. And if that meant cutting ties with Zariah once and for all, then so be it.

Seth shook his head as he stood to his feet. "I don't think that's a good idea Zariah."

"Why not?"

"I don't think my girlfriend would appreciate that."

Before she could stop it, Zariah felt her face immediately fall the moment Seth mentioned the word girlfriend. She felt her breathing become labored as her hands began to slightly shake.

"Girlfriend?" Zariah heard herself ask. "I didn't know things were that serious between you two."

Seth eyed Zariah, making a mental note of her reaction as he nodded and braced himself for her inevitable blow up. "Yeah they are. And I don't think it would be respectful of me if I continued to hang out with you."

"C'mon Seth we're just friends. You're allowed to have friends aren't you?"

"I am. But we both know that's not all we were. We were bed buddies and I don't wanna give Alani the impression that something is still going on with us or string you along. We can still be cordial to one another in public but as far as hanging out after shows like we used to do, that's not an option anymore Zariah."

Zariah's mouth fell agape as she stared at Seth. This is what she feared the most. Alani snatching Seth's attention and time away from her, making her irrelevant to the man. Sinking her well manicured claws into him and brainwashing him to believe she was the best woman for him. As she stood there, simply dumbfounded while her body trembled with anxiety, Zariah felt any lingering amount of remorse she felt for agreeing to Cameron and Randy's plan disappear. She suddenly saw red, her anger slowly unfurling.

"So what you get a new girlfriend and you drop your friends Seth? Is Alani forcing you to do this?"

"Nobody's forcing me to do shit Zariah. I'm a grown man and this is solely my decision."

Zariah rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Please don't insult my intelligence. I saw how she reacted at Cameron's cook out when she interrupted us. She doesn't want you to hang around me because she's jealous. I didn't know your little girlfriend was so got damn insecure."

Seth's jaw twitched as he clenched his hands into fists. He felt his anger spiraling, desperately begging to be unleashed. A conversation that he planned to be mature in nature had quickly turned ugly. And to be honest, he knew it would happen. He always had an inkling that Zariah's feelings for him were a bit deeper than his were for her. He saw plenty of times how friends with benefits situations with other wrestlers and divas turned murky but he foolishly thought theirs wouldn't. But as she stood there, fuming and disrespecting Alani, Seth saw he and Zariah had fallen into the same trap. She caught feelings while he caught feelings for someone else.

"Look I know you're hurting Zariah. And I apologize for that. But I'm not gonna let you disrespect my girlfriend. Your problem isn't with her. It's with me. So I would suggest you keep her name out your mouth when you don't know shit about her."

"I can't believe you're being so damn blind," Zariah said with a shake of her head.

"And what the hell does that mean?"

"It means you're completely ignoring the truth here! First Alani was with Randy Orton and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together and figure out that's how she got this job. But of course, his career is on the decline so she had to find the next best thing. And that's where you come in at. She has to remain relevant somehow and what better way to do that than attach herself to you."

A fleeting feeling of insecurity floated through Seth's body before he quickly shook it off. He hastily grabbed his gym bag and stood to his feet, shaking his head. "I'm fuckin outta here."

"She's just gonna hurt you," Zariah said making Seth's movements still. "Deep down you know the two of you together just won't work and you know what I'm saying is true. You need a loyal, endearing, caring, selfless woman by your side Seth."

"Shut your fuckin mouth!" Seth exclaimed, quickly losing his patience. A few wrestlers and divas turned at the commotion, curious as to what was going on. Seth stepped closer to Zariah, his chocolate brown orbs darkening as he talked through clenched teeth. "You have no idea what our relationship is about Zariah. If you think I'm gonna stand here and let you degrade Alani like you're the perfect angel Zariah, you're sadly mistaken. You call her insecure but from where I stand you're the only insecure woman I see. You're fuckin jealous that I caught feelings for Alani because you think that you deserve the spot. But you're showing me right here and now, you're the last woman I need in my life."

Seth quickly whirled around and walked away, pushing past co-workers. Zariah stood there struggling to keep her emotions in check as she watched the man she crushed on for months leave the gym and possibly her life for good.

Thoughts?