Robyn noticed that Roman was acting strange and had been for about a week now. Whenever a camera was around during their hospital visits, he avoided her like the plague. The same thing happened Monday morning. Usually, they stood next to each other behind the children. Today, he moved to one end of the children so naturally, she moved to the other, separated by at least 8 little bodies.
"So...what's up with all the space? You weren't this concern with putting distance between us when we were together and I was begging for it," she inquired.
He looked around, making sure no one was in earshot. "I don't want to create any problems at home."
"Wait, she doesn't want us around each other?" Robyn knew that working closely together would be awkward between she and Roman but she never thought about Galina's feelings about it.
"It's like this...she knows that we have to be around each other but right now it's kind of a sore subject and I'm trying to do my part to make her feel comfortable," he explained.
"Aww, how sweet of you," she cooed.
"Can't tell if that's you being sarcastic or sincere…"
"A little of both," she winked.
"So what's going on with you?"
"Joe, we've just gotten back on speaking terms so if you're trying to ask me if I'm talking to anyone, it's not really your business."
He put his hands up in defense. "It's just a question. The reason I distanced myself from you was none of your business either but I still shared."
"Well, if you must know, I haven't been in contact with anyone since we split," she replied and he looked relieved which induced an eye roll. "But I'm slowly getting over it so don't expect that to last."
"I think I've come to terms with you moving on and we're on the road 300 days a year so there's a strong possibility that it's going to be with a coworker," he sighed. "My only concern is you picking the right guy. Don't forget I'm in the locker room with them. I know how they think and act."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," she said, adjusting her top slightly. It was a casual move done unconsciously but it still caught his attention she noticed. She was now skeptical about the 'amazing, better than before' sex that he was allegedly having because if he was really sexually fulfilled he wouldn't be watching her every move like a horny, teenage boy. There was another issue. In the months that they were together, he never spoke on his sex life with Galina. He seemed too respectful for that so the fact that he blurted that out like it was nothing was suspect. If they weren't having sex, she couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for him because this is the path he chose.
"When you do get that point, can you drop a name to me before anything happens?" he requested
"What? I think you have me confused with Joelle. Just because I called you daddy a few times does not make you mine," her phone dropped and she bent to pick it up. As she knelt down, she looked over her shoulder and there it was, that look of burning need in his brown eyes.
Clearing his throat, he tried to suppress it. "Let's get out of here and head to the arena."
"Now I wish I'd stayed on Raw. You had me moved to be with you and now look at us. As scarce as the Raw women's division is I'd probably get a title opportunity faster there than on Smackdown. I also find it super strange that I start getting more TV time, won the Mania battle royal and secured a spot in the ladder match while I was dating you and the moment we broke up, I'm back to watching the monitors. Guess you were interfering after all especially now that I know the McMahons were aware…"
"For the last and final time, I had nothing to do with any of that. I'm sure it's because they're trying to figure out what to do with you. From what I understand you don't want your diagnosis used on screen so now you have to develop a character," he shrugged.
"You don't have a character and it's never stopped you from getting TV time," she replied.
"Excuse me?" he stopped in his tracks. "I'm the Big Dog."
"That's a nickname, not a character. I've never seen you bark or pee on a fire hydrant. You did hump my leg a few times in your sleep but that's about it," she teased.
"Okay, I'll let you have that one," he chuckled.
When they arrived at the arena, it became clear that she was receiving more attention than usual from the guys, some whom did a pretty lousy job of hiding the fact that they were checking her out. She had more conversations now in one evening with male superstars than she's had since she moved up to the main roster. What the heck was that about, she wondered.
Roman felt better now that things were better between he and Rob. On the other hand, it was bittersweet. Acceptance is the last stage of grief and her accepting the reconciliation meant that the book was finally closed on their own relationship.
When he entered the locker room, he heard various conversations taking place.
"...and she had the legs out tonight…"
"Did anyone else get socially awkward vibes from her?"
"Give her a break she just got out of a relationship…"
"Any word on who yet?"
"Ask Joe, he's the one who deals with her the most…"
His head raised. "Who? What are you guys talking about?"
"Robyn."
"Robyn? What about Robyn?" he asked, almost defensively. "Last time her name was brought up most of you thought she was a lesbian."
"Word around the women's locker room is that she was crying over some guy a few weeks ago which confirmed that she does in fact like men. Now it's open season!"
Roman's jaw tensed. He shook his head. "No, we're not going to do that, not with her."
"Why not? We have these conversations all the time and it's never a problem."
"That's not exactly true. We're men so obviously we're going to acknowledge attractive women. When it gets disrespectful, I always ask for it to be dialed back," he clarified. "Robyn is different in many ways than the other women on the roster so you can't pull the same bullshit you pull on them, on her. If she gets sick again tomorrow, show of hands, how many of you are going to be there mentally, physically and emotionally? How many of you are going to sit bedside if she has to be hospitalized? How many of you are going to take her back and forth to appointments? How many of you are going to come out of your pockets if the treatments cost is above her pay grade?"
He looked around the room and not one hand shot up. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Unless any of you are willing to step up to the plate, stay back."
Roman finished his match with a surprise that no one excepted and he didn't know about until minutes before his entrance. The Undertaker.
"The boys were kind of scared when he appeared," Galina laughed through the phone that he held pressed to his ear.
"Yeah, well, they wouldn't have made it back in the 90s or early 2000s when he as well as Kane were legit scary," he replied, stepping off of the elevator on his floor.
"So what are you about to get into?" she asked.
"My bed hopefully," he replied.
"Will you be needed on Smackdown or are you coming home?"
"I'm not sure but between now and early tomorrow morning I'll know."
"Well, whenever you come, I'm finally ready…" she announced. "I already told your mom to be on standby to pick up the kids for a few days."
She didn't know how relieved he was to hear that. While cheating wasn't an option, lately he found himself unable to control his sexual emotions and inappropriate thoughts as a result of this dry spell.
"G, that's…" he trailed off when he heard laughing up the hallway and a door open and shut. He found Naomi, Nattie and Robyn likely headed downstairs to the hotel bar. Robyn's backstage apparel changed to a much more provocative dress. Her hips swung with each step as she balanced her frame on her high heels. They maintained eye contact as she walked toward him. A faint smug grin creased the corners of her mouth. She knew she was sexy, she knew the effect she was having on him and was rubbing it in...he never wanted to see a person trip more.
"What up, Joe," Naomi greeted as they passed.
"Who is that?" Galina hissed.
"Just Trin...and Nattie," he turned around to get a look at her from the back. She looked over her shoulder and they locked eyes once again. She shook her head in contempt before going back to her conversation with the others. "Anyway, I can't wait to get home to you."
