Keeping busy helps. Ricardo trains, he does what he can for the trip to England at this time, and he meditates whenever he has too long just to sit and think. Alicia looks somewhere between guilty and ecstatic when she tells him she's officially cleared to wrestle her first match back in the WWE.

He stares at her for a moment before getting up from where he's sitting on the floor, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm happy for you," he sighs into her hair. She smiles and squeezes him back, her gaze locked on a spot somewhere outside. "I told you you'd be back to it soon, I'm happy I was right."

"I'll never doubt you again," she promises, pulling away and beaming up at him. "So how are your preparations for England going?"

"They're going," he sighs. "It's the one thing I don't miss about all of this travel, all of the redtape." She sits next to him as he russles through the papers, her eyes widening as she peeks through it too.

"Wow," she mumbles, reading through his information, the details of his trip. "That's extensive."

"Yeah. I'm lucky, though. When I went to India, CWE was very helpful. And now, the Knights have been extremely helpful in setting this all up." Ricardo sighs softly, leaning back against the couch and scrubbing at his face, feeling the weight of Alicia's stare on him.

"Have they mentioned Paige?" she wonders after a few moments, voice low.

"Nope." He runs his fingers through his hair, starts anxiously brushing his hands over his thighs, gaze far and distant as he reflects. "She tweets a lot about him, you know. He says nothing about her, but she just... clings." He closes his eyes. "She never acted like that with me, I don't... understand..."

Alicia's hand is warm on his back, stroking in soft, simple circles. "I'm sorry," she says quietly. "I wish I could explain, but we haven't really been close for a really long time."

Ricardo half-smiles, looking over at her. "You know, Paige and I probably would've been ok without Total Divas." He finds her hand and squeezes it, staring at her. "I'm glad you got out of that show. I know you were looking for career security when you agreed to join it, but you deserve better than following thier scripted nonsense. Maybe now you can focus more on your wrestling career instead of all of the obligations that Total Divas brings you."

Alicia smiles, considering it, before nodding. "I'd like that, yeah. Maybe win back the Woman's title at some point... It's definitely something to work towards."

He swallows and reaches out, playing with her newly blonde streaked hair, eyes gleaming. "I know I'm not going to be here for long, but if you want help training before or after my trip to England, I'd be happy to help."

Alicia smiles at him. "I'd like that. We'll set something up in the next couple of weeks."

Sadly, Alicia's match is on Main Event so Ricardo can't watch it since WWE has contractual obligations to their overseas broadcasts. He's in the middle of training with some friends when his phone vibrates. I lost, Alicia's text says and he grimaces in sympathy for her.

I'm sorry. Ricardo hesitates over the phone, not sure what else to say to try to comfort her. Ring rust can be a bitch, as soon as you're home, we'll work out some plans that you can try next time. How's that sound?

Alicia doesn't respond for awhile and Ricardo wonders if perhaps he said something wrong, but then she says, I'd like that, I'll take any help I could get. Thank you.

You'll be fine, he promises her, forcing himself to put the phone down and returning to the others to resume training. It's hard to focus when he can tell Alicia is so disappointed, but he continues on, aware he can do nothing for Alicia right now as they're in different states. He sighs, remembering all too well how she must be feeling, all of the bad matches and uncomfortable losses he'd suffered over the years still sticking with him.

When he can return to his phone and resume texting her, he feels relieved when her response sounds a little more cheerful and upbeat. I'll see you when I get home, she promises after insisting she's fine.

He swallows as a warm, fluttering feeling cycles through him, that almost feels like he'd swallowed a hand full of butterflies. He hadn't felt like this since when he was falling in love Paige, his heart a little too battered and his mind a little too exhausted to really consider it. Brushing it away, he turns his attention back on the students around him, trying to distract himself from the suspicious feelings he'd just realized.