Alicia falls asleep early on in the massage, remembering only distantly how Ricardo's hands on her skin had felt. She mulls over the memory as she leaves again that week, heading out for the week's events. She fights Nia Jax as hard as she can, desperate to get revenge for herself and her friend, but Nia gets the upperhand and keeps it, demolishing what's left of Alicia's chances at winning this match. She closes her eyes as she gingerly rests back against her pillows, trying to breathe. "Ow, ow," she sighs.
She's glad she keeps her phone nearby when it rings, leaving her gritting against the pain as she puts it to her ear and presses talk. "Hey, Ricardo."
"Hi, Alicia," he greets her gently. "Are you ok?"
"Maybe. I'm not sure," she exhales. "I don't think they're going to clear me to be on Raw tomorrow so I'm probably just going to come home a little early."
Ricardo's smile is clear through the phone. "Alright, it'll be good to have you home. It's quiet here, even with the zoo we've got going on over here."
She smiles. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's pretty quiet here too without you." She closes her eyes. "Besides, maybe we could do a repeat of the massage... and I'll try to stay awake longer this time."
He chuckles softly. "Alright. I'm good for that. Text me your arrival times and I'll come pick you up."
"Alright," she says through a yawn. "I'll do that. I need sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Ok, well rest, Alicia."
"You too," she murmurs. "Good night." Hanging up, she stares at the ceiling until she falls asleep a few minutes later.
-x
After she arrives back in Florida, Ricardo drives her back to the apartment and runs a hot bath for Alicia with her favorite bubble bath mix, leaning by the tub and watching as she half-dozes in the foggy water. "I keep waiting for things to get easier," he admits to her. "But they only seem to when you're here with me. I know it's a lot of pressure to put on you, and I'm sorry." He finds her hand in the water and lifts it, kissing it gently. "Thank you for being so patient with me."
"You make it easy," she murmurs. "You've been very sweet since my divorce proceedings began. I'd be lost without you too." She adjusts their hands and presses his palm to her lips, causing him to shiver when she kisses his warm skin. When he helps her out of the water and wraps a towel around her, patting her dry, she throws her arms around him and he swallows, hugging her back and feeling her warmth pressed tightly against him. He leads her towards the bed, hand solid on her lower back, and he lays her down on the sheets gently, staring down at her. "Are you still willing to give me that massage?" she murmurs, squeaking when he adjusts her position and starts massaging up and down her spine, kneading her shoulders down to her spine.
Alicia rests a lot the next couple of days, her back a mess even with lots of baths and massages. Because of this, she's alone when she reads the latest update in Paige and Del Rio's drama, gingerly getting herself up and finding him. She shows him the tweet Paige has sent out and watches the color drain from his skin. "Neck surgery," he breathes out, resting a finger against the cold screen of the phone. "I... I..." He looks oddly lost, looking up at her. "I need some time to myself. Alright?" He scrubs at his face. "If you need me, I"ll be down the hall." He quickly kisses her and escapes to his bedroom, leaving her standing there biting her lip and looking guilty and jealous all at once that Paige could still affect Ricardo like this.
It's not until Ricardo starts posting things on Instagram- the only social media account he has left that he uses regularly- that Alicia realizes. He's drunk. She ventures to his room and listens to himself mumbling under his breath and clinking bottles together. He's drunk, she thinks with some dread. She leans against the door and slides down to rest against the floor, her head pressed against the door. "I know you're angry and sad," she says. "You have every reason to be, but I'm going to stay here until you open that door, waiting to listen to whatever you want to say about the situation. Or if you want to just talk with the door betwen us, I'm fine with it. I have all night."
After a few minutes, Ricardo opens the door and sinks down to the floor so they're back to back, closing his eyes as he rests against her. "I'm just so tired," he mumbles, slurring a little bit here and there. "I miss Alberto, and I want to check in on Paige but I... I can't. She's so young to be going through surgery like this, but it's good she seems positive about it all, right?"
Alicia finds his hand and rests hers on top of it, squeezing gently. "Yeah, it's really good, Ricardo. She'll be alright. And you don't always need to be the one taking care of people. Let me take care of you." She stands and holds a hand out to him until he takes it. She smiles simply and leads him into the bedroom, easing him out of his shoes and jeans before putting a trash can by the bed just in case he gets sick after so much drinking. "I promise you," she breathes against his neck, pressing a soft kiss there. "Everything's going to be fine. One way or another." Snug against his warmth, she closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep.