January 8, 2016

Despite having a perfect Christmas Break with Rami, Eleanor couldn't knock the feeling in the pit of her stomach that had developed the second they had stepped foot back in Orlando. Now that Rami was back into having matches in NXT, she knew he would be back on 'the grind' of travelling, of training, of doing interviews and appearances and being 'Sami Zayn', not Rami, her Rami. In a way, she was spoiled when he was injured, because he was around all the time, and their relationship was able to grow stronger at a period where other relationships faltered or failed altogether.

She kept reminding herself of the talk she and Rami had back in August about him wanting her to be happy. It was always in the back of her mind – anytime work got really stressful and she felt like she couldn't handle it; anytime she and Rami had a romantic date night in and each moment was more perfect than the last – but she hadn't come to any conclusions. Truth be told, thinking about it made it worse. She was more confused about it than ever.

She didn't think many people at the Performance Centre noticed. Everybody was readying for the Royal Rumble and Eleanor being in a sour mood wasn't going to throw anyone off his or her game. Even with her being in almost constant contact with Paul, he didn't seem to notice either. He had flown in last night so he could spend the entire day going over storylines and the next big event on the horizon: NXT Takeover, which would take place in Dallas the Friday before Wrestlemania. Eleanor knew she would have her work cut out for her that weekend.

There was also the issue of Paul being in a really secretive mood lately. She wasn't really one to keep up with what dirt sheets were saying online, but the latest rumours made their way onto her phone and desk – that AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, and other huge stars from Japan were now signed to WWE. Paul told her nothing about it, so she didn't know what to believe. If the rumours were true, and all the stars had really signed, that would make her decision a hell of a lot harder – who wouldn't want to be backstage witnessing a wrestling renaissance composed of what was arguably the most stacked roster of superstars in recent memory?

As she went about her day and finished delivering coffees to Matt Bloom and Sara Amato, she felt her phone buzz in her pocket and knew it was from Paul. She took out her phone to read his message. 'Meet me in my office please ASAP'. She hurried back to the offices and didn't bother knocking, knowing he'd be waiting for her.

"Sit," he said, motioning to the chair. She went to sit down and noticed he had creative scripts in front of him. He put his arms down on the table and they covered any headings or writing she could see.

She waited for him to give her a command – "Go give these to Matt" or "Tell Regal I need such-and-such", but he just stared at her, as if he was waiting for her to say something too. "What do you need me to do?" she finally asked, unsure of why he was so quiet.

"You seem a bit down lately," Paul said, finally speaking. "And don't deny it, because even though I haven't been here, I've heard it in your voice for like a week now. What's the matter?"

Busted. Eleanor bit her lip, wondering if she should even tell him. He had much better, more important things to worry about right now, with the Royal Rumble approaching and everything else. She didn't want to cause him more stress or be more of a burden. "It's nothing, Paul. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not letting you leave this office until you tell me what's wrong," Paul said sternly. "I know I'm your boss but I also like to think of myself as a friend. You can tell me things, you know. I'm here for you as much as you are for me."

She knew it. There was no way she was getting out of this; Paul would have her in here for hours until he got everything out of her. "It's just that…with Rami cleared and working with NXT, it just got me thinking about what's going to happen when he starts to go on the road again," she confessed. "Back in May, we never really addressed it because things happened so quickly, with the injury and everything else, but now that things are serious between us – not that they weren't serious then, it's just different now – it needed to be addressed," she rambled.

"And?"

"And…" Eleanor shrugged her shoulders. She thought again about the heart-to-heart she'd had with Rami when she confessed these same feelings to him, how he promised they would work through it, how she was worth it to him. "I guess I'm going to have to get used to it. Suck it up and make peace with seeing him two days a week, if that. That's the life I chose being his girlfriend."

Paul looked down at his hands, which were twiddling with a pen. He had a serious look on his face. "You act as if there is nothing I can do to help," he said finally, in a quiet voice.

"What do you mean?"

He looked at her. "Eleanor, I'm not so naïve as to think you'll be in this position, as my assistant, forever. I know you're going to move on to bigger and better things."

Eleanor stared at him, wide-eyed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I can easily make you a travel-based assistant. And if you don't want to keep that up, all I have to do is make a phone call and next thing you know, I'll be looking at the new social media co-ordinator, or charity co-ordinator, or what have you. You just tell me when," Paul said, smiling slightly at the end.

Eleanor was shocked; so shocked she felt like crying, like letting out all the emotion she had been keeping inside since coming back to Orlando. "You'd do that for me?" she asked.

Paul smiled warmly. "I don't like a lot of people around here, but I like you."

"Paul…" her voice cracked, her emotions getting the best of her. She stood up from her chair and walked around the table, her arms outstretched to hug him. He fully embraced the hug, patting her back. "Thank you. Thank you."

"You're a good girl Eleanor, and you're one of the smartest people here. With what you've done to help NXT…hell, I'd let you run it if you really wanted to, and you convinced me with one of your fancy PowerPoints," he joked, causing her to laugh. He held her an arms length away by the shoulders. "Is everything settled? Are we good?" he asked. "This wasn't exactly the longest talk but I hope I've made things a bit easier for you."

Eleanor nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yeah. You've just made my day," she smiled.

"Good, because now I need to talk to you about something…serious," he said, sitting back down in his seat. "And I'm gonna need straight talk from you. No bullshit. Hurt my feelings."

"That's all I ever do," Eleanor said, walking around the table to sit back down in her seat. "What's going on?"

"I'm going to tell you something…something private, and you have to promise not to tell anybody. Not even Rami. This is concerning creative business, so I really mean it," Paul warned.

"I've never spilled before, I'm not going to start now."

Paul took a deep breath. "I'm winning the title at the Royal Rumble."

"What?!"

"We're setting up for me versus Roman at Wrestlemania," he revealed.

Eleanor's eyes bulged out of her head. "Paul, you've got to be joking."

"You think it's a terrible idea."

"Well, I didn't say that," Eleanor defended herself. "But I just…wow."

"We need to draw. Vince wants to beat the WWE attendance record at Cowboy Stadium. He's set on it," Paul explained.

"I figured as much."

"It's not like I want the belt on me. But Vince thinks it'll draw a bigger crowd. Fill the seats. Old guy versus new guy – the age old story."

Eleanor sat back in her seat, astonished by what Paul was telling her. "I can't believe they're putting the title on you. It feels like the early 2000s all over again," she said. "You know, when Vince announced that the Rumble would be for the title, I didn't expect this," she said honestly.

"What would you have done?" Paul asked.

Eleanor shook her head, not wanting to be pulled into creative matters. They had a team for that, and there was a reason she wasn't on it. "I didn't say I had a better idea. I just said I didn't expect this. I'm not in creative. I don't know what I would do. Is it set in stone?" she asked.

"Pretty much."

"Is it going to be you and Roman as the final two?"

"No. I'm entering at number thirty and eliminating him. We don't know who will be in there last with me," Paul said.

Before Eleanor could stop herself, the words, "It should be Dean Ambrose," escaped her.

"Jon?" Paul asked, surprised at her suggestion. "Seriously?"

Eleanor shrugged her shoulders again. "Roman's best friend. Fan favourite. Make the crowd think he's got a legitimate chance," she rationalized. "If you're returning as a heel you'll need a babyface in there. If you want it to be climactic, have you three as the last three."

Paul mulled the words over. "That's not the worst idea I've heard pitched," he said.

Eleanor rolled her eyes playfully. "Thanks, boss."

"I like it when you speak wrestling. Babyface. Heel. I've converted you," he smiled.

"You've corrupted me is what you did."

XXXXXXXXXX

Rami knew that since Paul was spending a full day at the Performance Centre that he'd be making his 'meeting' rounds with everybody. He knew it wouldn't be long – a five minute chat at most – but when Fergal was called before him, he knew something was up. Surely the NXT champion should be called last and get the longest conversation?

When he was called in, he saw Paul sitting at his desk. They exchanged formalities as Rami sat down in his chair. During a moment of silence, both men stared at each other. "Why'd you bring me in here last, Paul?" Rami asked.

Paul could tell Rami was nervous. He had no reason to be – there was no method to Paul's disorganized madness – but Paul wanted to end all the meetings on a good note, and meetings with Rami always did just that. He looked at Rami. "I want you to be one of the first people to know…" he paused dramatically. "We've signed Shinsuke Nakamura. He's coming to Dallas for Takeover."

Rami's eyes bulged out of his head. "Oh my God."

Paul paused again, twirling his pen between his fingers. "You're gonna be his first opponent."

Rami looked at Paul like he had two heads. "Me?"

Paul nodded his head. "Barring unforeseen circumstances, Dallas is your last NXT match. You'll be travelling with Raw full-time after Wrestlemania. I want to give you a proper send-off from NXT. Something you and the fans will never forget."

Rami took a deep breath in at the news. It would be his last match in NXT. His last match. It was the end of an era for him. "So Nakamura, plus this hypothetical ladder match?" he asked. Paul nodded his head, and Rami couldn't help but smile. "I'm gonna have one hell of a weekend."

"You don't mind that in your last NXT match you'll be losing?" Paul asked.

"Pfft," Rami waved off the comment. "When have I ever cared, Paul? It's no title. Plus it's Nakamura. I'll be good."

Paul smiled to himself at Rami's good attitude. Rami thought about what type of reaction the match would get and smiled to himself. "The fans are gonna go nuts."

"Dream match, bro! Dream match!" Paul lowered his voice comically, causing Rami to laugh. "We're going to announce it soon, so just sit tight."

Rami couldn't stop smiling. His Wrestlemania weekend was shaping up to be one of the best of his life. To think that last year, he expressed his worry to Eleanor about whether or not he'd ever get his own Wrestlemania moment like Colby – and here he was, almost a year later, about to participate in two highly anticipated matches on Wrestlemania weekend. He was living the dream. He truly was.