Chapter 8

With the glow of morning light in his face, Seth opened one eye and rolled over. He reached for Amber and instead encountered cold sheets. Not again! He pushed up, raked a hand through his tangled hair and sighed. Just how long did she not sleep this time? A frown tipped his lips as he glanced around the room. Where was she?

Seth started to toss the covers off when Amber stepped out of the bathroom. She was already dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a dark blue sweater. Her hair and makeup were meticulous and she appeared as if she were ready to go somewhere. "Hey," he said feeling only marginally relieved that he didn't find her huddled in a chair somewhere. How was it she could look so broken last night, yet this morning appear as if nothing was wrong?

"Hey," she replied as she glanced at him and he noted the storm brewing in her eyes. Okay, maybe she wasn't as put together as she appeared.

"How did you sleep?"

She shrugged. "Better than in the last few days, but still not great."

That wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Why are you dressed like you're going somewhere?"

"Because I am," she replied as she pulled on her favorite black boots. "When I woke up I found a text message from Alan the head writer. He wants to meet me and Dean for breakfast before we head out."

Seth felt his heart skip a beat then speed up. Anything that had to do with creative couldn't be good. Not now. Not with this current storyline. Now he did fling the covers off him. "I'm going with you."

"Why?" she asked, her faced filled with confusion as she fixed her watch.

"Why?" he repeated. "Are you really asking me that? Have you already forgotten what happened last night?

She paused and he watched her eyes close as she appeared to take a deep breath. When she opened them again they were filled with resolve. "I haven't forgotten, but you're really making a bigger deal out of this than it was, don't you think?"

"Are you kidding me?" he asked, shocked by her attitude. "You don't think you vomiting up your dinner from nerves and crying against my chest on the floor of a public bathroom, isn't a big deal?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Seth,"

"No." He shook his head as he approached her. "Don't do that, Amber. Don't you try and play down this situation." He snagged a pair of jeans out of his suitcase. "If you won't do something about this then I will. I want Alan to know what this damn angle is costing you. I want him to find a way to put an end to it before something bad happens."

Her eyes widened and she turned toward him now. "Seth, no!"

He stopped in his tracks and stunned by her reaction could only stare at her for a moment, "No?" He arched a brow. "No?" He repeated as frustration and anger began to rise. "What the fuck do you mean no?" He lifted a hand and pointed to the mirror. "Have you actually taken a really good look at yourself lately?"

She blinked at him now, apparently confused at his statement. "I was just in the bathroom putting on my makeup. Of course I looked at myself."

He scrubbed a hand over his face as he struggled to keep his anger in check. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"No." She shook her head. "Actually, I don't know what you meant."

He grabbed her now, his fingers curling around her biceps as he pushed her against the wall. "Stop the damn denial. I know you can see it. The dark circles under your eyes. Your sunken cheeks from the weight you've lost over the last couple of weeks. The bloodshot eyes from too much crying and not enough sleep." He shook her now. "This fucking storyline is slowly killing you."

"Stop it!" Her high pitched squeal was enough to bring him out of his rage and he released her then took a full step back. Had he really just put his hands on her like that?

He scrubbed his hands over his face as he worked to reign back in his emotions. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, but damn it, Amber you can't tell me you don't see the damage this situation is causing."

She sighed now, the sound heavy and heartbreaking. "You don't understand."

"Then explain it to me. Make me understand," he urged. "Talk to me."

She stared at him for a moment before she nodded. "Okay. I have a few minutes before I have to meet Alan." He watched now as she stepped away from him and walked to the window. Her gaze focused out the glass to the world beyond. "I'm not special, Seth."

"Yes you are-" he started to argue only to have her hold up a hand, stopping him.

"I'm special to you, but not to the WWE Universe," she replied. "Not to management."

He wanted to argue with her that she was wrong, but now that she was actually talking to him, thought it best to let her finish. Instead he eased down onto to the edge of the bed closest to her and waited for her to continue.

She glanced at him, then returned her attention to the window. "This is all I know. Since I was a teenager it's all I ever wanted." She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "Stephanie told me I didn't have the it factor that would make me a star. I'm just another Diva and I can be replaced."

Amber turned her haunted gaze on him now and Seth felt her pain wash through him. "She said there were at least a dozen girls waiting in NXT for the opportunity to make the main roster and if I wanted to keep my job, I had to play along with this storyline."

He couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. Dean told him about the conversation with Stephanie, but he hadn't believe that she would actually threaten Amber's career. "She threatened your job?"

Amber nodded. "If I don't go along with whatever she wants, I'm out." She turned now and paced through the room. "She doesn't care about what this is doing to me or what it's doing to us. She wants what she wants."

Seth turned to her. "But it's not fair to you. It's not healthy. We'll go to Hunter-"

"And do what?" she cut him off as she stared at him with challenging eyes. "Hunter doesn't own the company, Seth. He can't do anything."

"Then we'll go directly to Vince with this." He'd heard horror stories when it came to Vince, but surely the man wouldn't want to do anything that might jeopardize his wrestlers.

"No." She folded her arms. "We won't."

"But-"

She shook her head. "We're not going to do anything that's going to cost me my job. This is just some sort of challenge from Stephanie. She's testing me to see if I can rise to the occasion and by God that's just what I'm going to do."

"At what cost?" he asked as he stepped toward her.

Her gaze drifted away from his as she looked down at the floor. "I can't lose my job, Seth."

He reached for her now, his hand shaky as he curled a finger beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him. If the implication of her statement meant what he thought it meant, they were in serious trouble. "But its okay for you to lose your health?" he asked and his heart broke just a little when she didn't reply. "What about your friends?" Again she only stared at him and Seth swallowed hard as the question burned his tongue and he whispered. "What about us?"

Silence met his question even as regret lit in her eyes. The crack in his heart grew and threatened to shatter. After a moment, he released her and stepped back. Unlike him, apparently she couldn't balance both career and love. He'd accidentally forced her into making a choice and apparently it wasn't him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she turned away from him and grabbed her purse and keycard. "I have to go."

The moment the door closed with a click Seth's heart shattered against his chest.