Sofia finishes her work early on Sunday, which isn't difficult with Paige and Alberto both in Las Vegas and settles in front of the TV to watch Money in the Bank, not really interested in it but needing to see what happens to Alberto. She curls up on the couch and rests her head back, half-watching the first few matches until the actual ladder match begins, paying a little more attention as the six men brawl and break each other apart for an opportunity at the briefcase that would give them the opportunity to get a title match whenever they wanted.
When Alberto drops and isn't seen for the rest of the match, she bites her lips and waits for another sight of him, but there isn't one. She worries, especially when word hits twitte that he may have been injured. She considers texting him- or maybe, if desperate enough, Paige- but she eventually resists the urge and goes to bed, staring out into the darkness for the longest time.
When she wakes up early the next morning, the online rumors have become even stranger- pictures of Paige in handcuffs getting put into an ambulance are circulating social media. She frowns and goes about her daily duties, which usually consists of taking care of the staff and other minor household things, lost in thought. She blinks and finds that it's suddenly after 8 PM, Raw having started a good half an hour earlier. She grimaces and turns it on to find that Paige is scheduled to have a woman's title match, which she loses, but still. She looks fine so Sofia relaxes, deciding that things must not be that bad for either her or Alberto, once more heading to bed. This night, she falls asleep easily.
They arrive home mid-afternoon and Sofia breathes quietly, keeping her thoughts to herself as they make their way through supper, neither Alberto or Paige talking much outside of the usual 'please pass the...' kinds of comments. Once the meal ends, Alberto disappears into his room, limp barely noticeable. He had tweaked his knee but tests had come back clear so he'd be allowed to wrestle again come Smackdown, but WWE had wanted him to take it easy for a little bit.
Paige and Sofia stare at each other awkwardly for a moment before Sofia stands up, resting her hands on the table. "May we talk?" she finally asks stiffly. Paige nods vaguely and they walk side by side down the hall, Sofia expecting them to go into her room but Paige turns off at Ricardo's room instead, curling up at the bottom of his bed and Sofia's eyebrows furrow as she looks down at her. "What are you doing?"
Paige chuckles brokenly and buries her toes into the sheets. "You think I sleep in Alberto's room, don't you?" She shakes her head. "I don't. I've been staying in here for weeks now." Sofia looks so startled that it makes Paige laugh harder until tears fill her eyes and she stares down at her hands. "I hate this, you know? I hate that I ruined things. It... it wasn't supposed to be anything. You know me, I'm dumb and impulsive and I don't think things through... so, I just... I kissed Alberto once, and it just happened that a fan snapped a picture. I wasn't thinking. I was lonely, and I was so confused and scared that Ricardo was done with me, and Alberto was there, and he understood. He didn't judge me. But then Ricardo saw the picture, and..."
Sofia sighs. She hates it, but it makes sense, on some level. "And now? You spend so much time together?"
"I... I just, I can't be alone anymore," Paige breathes. "I was all by myself when Ricardo was off in India for six months, and I wasn't sure what our future was going to be. Now he's left me, understandably so, and I just... I need something. And he deserves better than me anyway."
Sofia sighs and leans forward hugging her. "I want to stay mad at you, but I can't," she mumbles. "Just... don't sabotage yourself too much. We both know Ricardo is very forgiving. What if he would be willing to try again, but you're wrapped up in whatever's going on between you and Alberto?"
She shakes her head. "I doubt he will. But... I'll keep it in mind." She smiles brokenly at Sofia.
"That's all I can ask for," Sofia sighs, patting her on the face. "Now... what's this about you getting arrested on Sunday?"
-x
Ricardo has a busy couple of weeks ahead of him. He's heading to Puerto Rico this weekend and Jamaica in early July. He takes a breath and continues training students in the dojo, locking up with each person individually, trying to help them cement their abilities in various moves. Training time is quickly evaporating and a couple of the students are aggravated but, the longer they work at it, the more things click and come together and he's just congratulated them all on a good session when he looks up and finds Alicia staring at him from behind the barricade wall.
His face lights up and he finishes speaking to the various wrestlers-in-training lurking around, clapping his hands. "There you go, guys. Good job. See you next time." As they drift off, Ricardo hops out of the ring and walks around the barricade to join Alicia. "Well, hello there. What are you doing back here?" he asks her, smiling.
She surprises him by gripping his hands and drawing him towards the exit, not minding that he's still sweaty from training for the last couple of hours. "I have a surprise for you," she chirps, pushing him towards the car.
"Can I take a shower first?" he demands.
"Nope," she says cheerfully, opening the car door and waiting for him to sink into the passenger seat. He watches incredulously as she dances around to settle in on the driver's seat, grinning over at him. "Now, before we go, I have one thing here for you..." She pulls out a long strip of cloth and he swallows as she inches closer. "May I blindfold you?"
"Wh- why?" he demands, worried about what she has planned... when she deftly wraps the soft fabric around his eyes, careful not to cover his nose.
"Can you see?" she wonders, ignoring his question.
"No," he breathes out quietly, his nails digging into his legs.
"Ok." She cups his hands with hers, trying to ease his nervous actions. "Trust me?"
"Alright," he sighs, focusing on the sounds, the feel of it, as she puts the car into gear and drives. She talks the entire way, careful to avoid talking about Paige or Alberto, going on and on about 4th of July, which he is going to try to be home in time for to spend with her, and it does help to give him something to cling to in the darkness.
When the car finally stops, she doesn't take the blindfold off, instead racing around the car and gripping his arms, pulling him up and guiding him towards something. He holds his breath as she opens a door and guides him inside, Ricardo's every sense playing with him until she reaches up and pulls the blindfold away, his breath stuttering out of him in a weird gasp as he stares around. "Oh," he breathes in awe. "I haven't been to Sky Zone in so long... I can't remember the last time."
She smiles. "Well, you were so much help with my dress shopping last week, I figured this was the least I could do." She takes his hand and experiments with jumping on the soft padded floor, eyes lighting up when she realizes it's actually fun. He chuckles warmly at her before guiding her further into the building, the two of them joining into a game of extreme dodgeball before racing each other into the ball pit and leaping into the soft puddle of felt shapes, Alicia laughing as Ricardo bounces especially high and lands next to her with a whoosh. Rolling over, she rests her hand on his shoulder and beams at him. "You alright?"
"Perfect," he sighs, out of breath but so very happy, his eyes sparkling with laughter for the first time in she's not sure how long. They fall quiet, staring at each other, before some emotion Ricardo can't grasp passes over Alicia's face and she's sort of rocking towards him, long nimble fingers brushing along his collar.
Their breaths are mingling when she hesitates, her fingers inching up to tangle in his hair, brushing it back away from his neck and throat. "I..." She shakes her head and buries her face in his shoulder. "I'm sorry." The moment's broken, his fluttering heart racing at a sickening speed as she loses herself deeper into his warmth. "I didn't mean to take advantage of the moment. You're still hurting from Paige, and I'm not ready for anything after Alex... I shouldn't have..."
He cups her head once the shock wears off and smiles sadly at her once their eyes lock. "Listen, Alicia, we're good friends. Nothing that happened here today is going to change that. I don't see anyone else lining up to bring me here, after all. You have nothing to worry about." He sits up, putting some space between them, and she breathes in and out. "We're fine. I promise you."
Again, that strange tingling feeling courses through his veins but he fights it back, not wanting to overwhelm her or take advantage of this moment. And she's right, a nasty voice in his head reminds him. I'm not over Paige... far from it. "Come on," he says, standing up and helping her to her feet as well. "Let's go kick some more ass at that extreme dodgeball game."
"Alright," she agrees, smile returning, forced at first but growing more sincere as she follows him through the rooms.