Not that bad // Rhea Ripley

92 - Gorgeous Nightmare

 "You're such a gorgeous nightmare"

Escape The Fate

Our day started way too early for our liking, but oh well, not like we had any say in it. I got in the shower while Demi was slowly awaking. As she got in the bathroom, I went to prepare some breakfast for the both of us. As I was concentrating on not burning my eggs, I felt her sneak behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Slept well?" I asked simply, trying to hide my blush.

"Mh, you?" She groaned, still half asleep.

"It was okay, but I'll sleep better tonight." I turned around to kiss her forehead. I have to admit that I kinda like being slightly taller than she is. "Now let's go get some protein in."

She smiled and let go of me, to get the plates and everything from the drawers and cabinets.

She was fairly quiet all morning, but even more when we stepped into the venue, and saw the ring at the bottom of it. We sat in the bleachers for a good while, just sinking in the atmosphere, and occasionally being photographed, and interviewed.

"Can you believe we'll be wrestling there in a few hours?" She finally asked, after a long silence.

"Honestly?" My leg was shaking in anticipation, my anxiety on full display. "I don't really believe it no. But it's true. We'll be on the grandest stage of them all. And to be fair, I'm happy to have this moment with you."

"I'm really happy about that too." She said softly. "I really want to kiss you right now, and I can't, and it's frustrating, you have no idea."

"I want to kiss you too." I admitted. "I'd say I'll steal you a kiss when there's no one around, but let's face it, there will always be someone around."

We both laughed a little, before finally climbing down the bleachers. I had to resist the overpowering urge to just link my hand with hers right now, and man I couldn't wait to be alone with her again. Maybe it was just the honeymoon phase talking, but I felt closer to her than anyone else. And I feel like I fell harder for her than I ever had.

"Hey, earth to Roxanne?" I heard one of the technicians say. "Are you ready, you're on to soundcheck in 20 minutes, your band just arrived."

"Oh, what, yeah!" I said excitedly, realizing my friends were here.

I asked for the directions to go and meet them. Demi came with me, as her soundcheck wasn't for another hour, since the band hadn't arrived yet. I feel like that's the fastest I walked in my entire life. As soon as I spotted Michael, I straight up jumped on his back.

"Wow wow, I love you but you're heavy!" He whined.

"Are yous saying I'm fat?" I put my hands on my hips, falsely annoyed.

"I'm saying you could lift two of me with one arm, that's all." He smiled. "In fact, put those muscles to use and help us unpack, please."

I made a military salute, and joined the rest of the boys in the truck, waiting for their instructions. Some techs came backstage to help them plug, and have some settings already done. Demi left to see how the entrance looked like from the bleachers, and soon, I had to prepare in the gorilla, just like I would in a few hours. The music played, I ran down the ramp, my name was announced just like it would on a normal night. But even without the audience, this felt so much bigger, and so much more important. The stress just got up another notch once we were backstage. I got congratulated, but this just made everything feel even more real. And all the doubts Demi expressed last night were dawning onto me now. Was I really a fraud? Did I get in there only because I had the right connections to the right people. My stomach started hurting, and I swear, at that moment, I thought I was sick. Demi must have noticed, because she came to pat my back, and gave me a soft smile.

Everything all went so fast after that, way too fast for my liking. Demi had her rehearsal too, and got to spend some time with the band, which was adorable, as she's a big fan of them. I sneaked in a few pictures of them together, hoping she'd be happy to have those memories. I didn't get to spend as much time with the band, or Phil and Scott as I would've wanted. Soon we had to go and get ready, and then again, everything was so fast. Without even realizing, we were down the ramp, and on the ring. Even the match felt like it passed in the blink of an eye, when in reality it lasted for around twenty minutes. I finally got out of my daze, when I heard the bell ring, and the referee lifting our hands. Fuck, did we really do it ?? Did NXT superstars really win the tag team championship in a main roster? When Rhea's music echoed through the room, I threw myself in her arms, resisting the urge to just kiss her the and there. She held me back tightly, and I felt a tear on my shoulder. This felt so good, everything felt fucking amazing right now.