Ricardo has no clue at first. Everything seems normal enough- Alicia seems normal enough. And they're all focused on Heath and Maryse's having a second child, and everything that comes from that regarding Miz and Mrs, and Heath once more having to watch Miz claim another of his children. When Alicia starts staying home week after week, he doesn't think a lot about it- he'd had periods in his WWE career when he'd been kept off of the road, too, not even counting his suspension, so he assumes they're just back to not using her for whatever reason.
Then the phone calls begin, and she grows more and more frustrated with each ring, swiping at the screen until it quiets, offering him a strained smile before moving on with whatever they were doing or talking about as if the phone hadn't just interrupted. Again. He tries not to worry, but it's clear something's wrong. He sees some stuff online, but it's so hard to believe things on there- he'd been burned by rumors and innuendo before, on top of that, he just doesn't want to believe she'd keep something like this from him.
His chance comes mid-morning when she excuses herself, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek, and her phone lights up while she's out of the room. He stares at it, realizing she's put the phone on silent, and leans over to see the screen better. He still recognizes WWE's number, and it's only with a twinge of guilt that he leans over and scoops the phone up, answering it. "Hello?"
There's a short pause. "I'm calling for Alicia Fox, is she around?"
Ricardo licks at his lips, a mix of emotions overwhelming him as he realizes he's speaking to HHH himself right now. They'd never gotten along well, so he's not sure what to do exactly. "I'm her husband," he says slowly, careful not to give his name and figuring HHH wouldn't recognize his voice after all of this time. "She's not here right now. Why do you keep calling?"
There's another lengthy pause and Ricardo's eyes flicker towards the doorway, nervous. "Look, she... she's been doing stuff on the road we can't condone, and we've offered her help but she's refusing us at every turn." HHH sounds awkward, uncomfortable even saying this much. "Keep an eye on her, ok? Maybe she'll listen to you more than us. We just want what's best for her."
Ricardo's brows furrow together, fear and uncertainty warring deep in his gut. What have I missed? "Right," he breathes out. "I... I will."
"That's all I can ask, really. Thank you."
He hangs up without saying goodbye and Ricardo stares at the phone in his hand before reaching over and gingerly returning it to where it was before. When Alicia comes back in, she smells like the Texas wind and has a bright smile on her face, hopping back into bed with him and nuzzling close. He cups her face and searches her eyes for a long, long moment, wanting so badly to ask, but knowing that she'll just get defensive and mad over his answering her phone. "You good?" he finally settles for and her teeth flash as she grins at him.
"So good. Life is pretty perfect right now," she hums, leaning in and kissing him.
He lingers, tracing his tongue against her lips until she parts them on a sigh, Ricardo focusing on what he's tasting- toothpaste, he thinks, and... a bitter mix of something that he might not have noticed if he hadn't been focusing on it. He eases back and stares at her, unsure what exactly to do now.