It was clear to Seth that Renee and Dean were a couple. Even Roman started to notice things. Looks, touches, subtle behavior. Those two were always looking at each other. Even if they weren't looking at the other person directly, they were aware of what their significant other was doing. Maybe they were standing far from each other, talking to other people, but Renee always kept an eye on Dean and Dean always kept an eye on Renee. Seth stopped noticing those signs; he was aware of them. Yet they didn't seem helpful to him. So they were together. But what now?
Roman observed their behavior closely. He patiently waited to make a final conclusion. And when it could no longer be deniable that Renee and Dean were a thing, Roman accepted the truth. But so had to Dean. With the facts in hand, the only thing that Seth and Roman needed was Dean's confession. They could get Renee to confess the reality. It probably wouldn't take much to get her to truthfully answer their questions, especially if they separated her from Dean. But for it would be too easy to get the information from Renee, it wasn't interesting to them. Dean was a real challenge. They wanted to get him to admit the truth. Only when he told them openly what was going on between him and Renee could his fellow Shield members be happy. Roman didn't even talk to Renee as he had promised to Seth some time ago. That could be plan B, he thought. He was better than that. He wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than a total victory. And while Seth spent weeks trying to come up with something that would make Dean talk and had already given up, Roman was determined to prove his superiority. He already had a plan in mind. And he was confident that it would work.
The plan wasn't really complicated. And the goal seemed achievable. All that was needed was to get in the room with both Dean and Renee. And then . . . And then Dean's little game of hiding would come to an end. Of course, there was a chance that Roman's attempt to get Dean talking would fail, but he believed Dean's quick-tempered nature. Dean would act instinctively. Roman was sure of that.
So there he was. Roman was standing in the catering room with many other wrestlers. He wasn't talking to anybody; he couldn't be bothered. There was Dean in the corner, enjoying his solitude. Seth was getting some food and in the meantime he was chatting with Cody. The Shield wasn't present; Dean, Seth, and Roman were on their own.
Roman waited. His mission was already in progress, but his moment was yet to come. He was in the room with Dean, but he needed Renee to be there as well. Roman knew she would come. It wouldn't take much longer.
If somebody looked at Roman and observed his behavior, they wouldn't notice anything abnormal or strange. He acted the same as always. He was calm. Maybe he appeared a little hostile because there was no sign of a smile on his face, but it wouldn't take much to make him laugh. He was enjoying the moment and the waiting; he just didn't let it show.
And there she came. Wearing her pretty dress, she entered the room. Her long blonde hair was loose as usual. She didn't look at Dean but she knew he was there. He didn't look at her either. They knew about each other's presence, but the situation made them pretend to be strangers. Renee walked straight toward the coffee machine. She still hadn't made an eye contact with Dean. And he seemed to be busy checking his phone. There was no interest whatsoever.
Roman whistled at Seth. He, as an obedient hound that he was, turned around and came to him.
"What?" asked Seth casually. He took a bite of his toast as he waited for Roman to speak.
"Do you want to see how it's done?" Roman's grand show was about to start. And Seth was one person that would understand what he was doing and could appreciate his performance. Now it was a great chance for Roman to show off. And he believed in himself enough to feel confident about achieving what Seth couldn't.
Seth had no idea what Roman was talking about. "What exactly?" He was curious, though.
Roman didn't explain. But he was watching Renee getting her cup of coffee so Seth looked that way too. "Just watch and learn," he said quietly to Seth and started walking toward Renee. Her glancing at Dean and him glancing back at her was Roman's signal to go.
Seth did as Roman told him. He watched. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he felt excited. He looked at Dean, too. Dean didn't pay much attention, but Roman was sure that he would soon.
Since when Seth abandoned Cody they were in the middle of a discussion, Cody approached Seth, but Seth showed no interest and pushed him away. He couldn't be distracted. There was something spectacular about to happen, Seth believed, and he needed to focus on Roman only. Well, on Roman as well as on Renee and Dean. All played part in the show, although they had no idea.
Roman and Renee seemed to be talking. For Seth, it looked like casual, usual conversation. He wondered how this could grab Dean's attention. What was Roman's big plan?
Seth stepped back to reach the chair behind him and sat down. In his opinion this could take a while. So he thought that he might as well sit back and enjoy. He was curious to hear what they were talking about, but he soon realized that the subject of their conversation probably wasn't that important. If the essence of the discussion was what was supposed to make Dean interested, he would need to be able to hear them; for he was standing too far from them, that wouldn't make any sense. So was it the way he talked? The way he acted? It wasn't clear yet.
Then Roman placed his hand on Renee's arm. He gently caressed it. At the same time he was smiling. "That son of a bitch" was one thing that crossed Seth's mind. He was flirting with her! Seth looked at Renee's reaction. She seemed a little uncomfortable. Then he looked at Dean. The phone no longer interested him. He was watching Roman and Renee. Dean didn't notice Seth looking at him, so Seth was free to observe Dean's handling the situation. His temper was rising.
Roman continued. He joked. He made her laugh. He asked her to feel his abs. Roman was having fun. And so was Seth who watched them from afar. Dean, on the other hand, was on alert. He was nervous. His eyes were striking Roman. Roman didn't look at Dean, but he knew Dean was watching and he didn't like what he was seeing. But Roman's theory was he could do whatever he wanted; as long as Dean doesn't admit Renee is his girlfriend, Roman doesn't need to ask for Dean's permission. And if Dean had a problem with Roman's behavior, he could always intervene. Of course, he would need to justify his action.
Dean was aware of that. He didn't know if Roman was testing him or if he was just doing what he thought was normal. Dean certainly didn't consider it to be fine. And Roman had never acted like that toward Renee before. So why now?
The room was emptying out. Only few people stayed. Yet those didn't watch what was happening before their very eyes. Even if they noticed Roman talking to Renee, and both Seth and Dean watching them, they didn't give it any importance; they couldn't understand. But although Roman was aware of the presence of other people, he didn't care. Even though he knew he would attract attention from his coworkers with his next move, he didn't hesitate. On the contrary, he got pumped with adrenaline, and it encouraged him.
So he took off his shirt. Dean stood up in anger. Seth's smile grew wider. Renee stepped back.
Renee's heart was beating fast. Roman wanted her to take a look at his tattoo. The one on his chest. It wasn't possible for her to see it with his shirt on. He asked her to touch it. It wasn't necessary to feel the tattoo as looking at it made more sense, but Roman wanted to see her reaction. Whether she was willing to erase the distance between them and touch his exposed body. But before she could make that decision, she noticed that Dean was on his way. He was biting his lip while walking briskly. He tried to look all right, but he was suspicious of Roman's intentions, and he could not hide that.
But Dean suddenly stopped. He changed his mind. He didn't want to let Roman win. He poured himself some water and tried to act casually. But he still breathed heavily. He still was furious and disapproved of Roman's behavior. But there was nothing he could do if he wasn't willing to admit the truth. Sure, Roman's actions were unusual, but who was Dean to tell him he should stop? He could intervene only as Renee's boyfriend. Was he ready to admit that?
Roman accepted Dean's decision. He knew it wouldn't be that easy and that he needed to try harder. He would. It was working just right for him. Roman got Dean's full attention. Now he was much closer. He would hear every single word. Of course, only if Roman didn't whisper into Renee's ear . . .
Now Roman looked directly at Dean who looked back at him. Roman made it clear what he was doing and what his goal was. He openly challenged Dean. The game was on. And Roman was winning. This was like a match to him. To be precise, it was an "I Quit" match. And he was having so much fun. He teased Dean. Dean did not like it. He was like an angry dog ready to bite. Fortunately, Roman was prepared to accept the punishment for his crossing the line. He wouldn't back off.
Dean was made to watch Roman placing his arm around Renee's waist. Why did she let him? Dean wondered. Then he remembered how difficult stopping Roman in getting what he wanted was. He had the confidence. He had the authority. Nobody could say no to him. That made Dean mad even more. He needed a plan. There had to be something to do.
But while Dean was trying to think of a plan, Roman was about to do something that would ultimately break Dean's self-control. He hugged his girlfriend. Shirtless. And although Roman only whispered it, Dean could clearly hear Roman calling Renee baby girl. There went the last bit of Dean's not giving a damn.
Roman gave Dean a what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it look. But Dean had just enough. He marched to his "friend." He quickly glanced at Renee who, although she would normally appreciate Dean's support, now got scared of him. Dean looked willing to kill Roman for flirting with his girlfriend. But Roman wasn't frightened. He was ready to face Dean. And he was ready to get him to confess.
"You've got a problem with that?" asked Roman and directed his question to Dean. Roman showed he was the one in control, not Dean. This would be played by Roman's rules.
Dean could lie no more. "I do," he admitted.
"I don't see why you should."
Dean's breathing reminded that of an angry bull. He clenched his fists and wanted to punch Roman's confidence away.
Meanwhile Seth decided to come closer. This was getting interesting, and he didn't want to miss a single word.
To be continued . . .