Chapter Four – The Fallout
Cody was officially losing his mind.
He sat in the locker room, phone in his hand, scrolling through the absolute chaos on Twitter.
Everywhere he looked, people were freaking out.
•"HOLY SHT, IS CODY RHODES DATING A WWE MEDIC?!"*
•"This is the kind of storyline I live for. Don't let me down, WWE."
•"Cody really said 'Kiss the medic, get the girl.'"
•"Damn, not even a concussion stops The American Nightmare from pulling."
Cody groaned and tossed his phone on the bench.
This was insane.
Across the room, Seth Rollins laughed his ass off. "Man, you're so screwed."
Cody glared. "You're enjoying this way too much."
Seth grinned. "Oh, absolutely."
Cody leaned back, rubbing his face. "I didn't even know I kissed her. I was concussed. I don't even remember it."
"Yeah, well, now you're the internet's new favorite couple. Congrats."
Cody let out a frustrated sigh. "And WWE is forcing this into a storyline."
Seth shrugged. "Could be worse. At least Maeve's hot."
Cody threw a towel at him.
Meanwhile, Maeve was not okay.
She was pacing in the medical office, ranting while Sarah sat back and enjoyed the show.
"I mean, can they even do this?" Maeve demanded. "Like, legally?"
Sarah sipped her coffee. "You did sign a contract saying WWE can use any backstage footage at their discretion."
Maeve groaned. "Of course I did."
Sarah grinned. "On the bright side, Cody's a total babe."
Maeve stopped pacing long enough to glare. "Not helping."
Sarah smirked. "Come on, Mae. This is great for you."
Maeve crossed her arms. "How? How is this great?"
Sarah wiggled her eyebrows. "Because now you have to spend time with Cody."
Maeve threw a medical glove at her face.
By the time Monday Night Raw rolled around, Maeve was beyond stressed.
She had one job. Walk down a hallway. Act surprised when Cody showed up. Exchange one awkward look. Walk away.
Easy.
Right?
Wrong.
Because the second she stepped on screen, the crowd lost its mind.
Cody walked up behind her, the camera catching his hesitant expression. "Maeve."
She turned. Looked at him.
A beat of silence.
And then—the audience chanted.
"KISS HER! KISS HER! KISS HER!"
Maeve's stomach dropped.
Cody looked mortified.
Maeve looked ready to commit murder.
The camera lingered on the tension for a few more seconds before she shook her head and walked away.
Cody watched her go, jaw clenched.
And just like that, the first segment was done.
Backstage, the second they were out of camera range, Maeve rounded on him.
"Did you hear them?!" she hissed.
Cody, still looking like his soul had left his body, muttered, "Oh yeah. I heard."
Maeve groaned. "This is gonna be a nightmare."
Cody sighed. "Welcome to WWE."