Keep Up

Chapter Five

I was the only occupant of the indoor pool that night for a good amount of time before I heard the door open. I turned and saw Seth step through. His eyes immediately met mine and he smiled in earnest.
"You came," he said happily surprised.
I frowned at him in confusion. "What are you talking about?" I asked even though he was the last person I wanted to utter a word to.
"I texted you," he told me. "I wanted you to meet me here so we could talk."
I shrugged not having the energy to tell him that, one, I came here of my own accord and, two, I deleted and blocked him from my phone.
He dropped his towel on the same chair mine was resting on and dipped himself into the pool. He swan close to be but kept a safe, acceptable distance all the same.
"Hi," he greeted tentatively.
I inclined my head in a hello. "I thought you wouldn't be here for a few days."
He shrugged. "I wanted to come early." He gazed longingly at my face. "I see I made the right choice."
I restrained myself from punching him in the face. How could he just stand there and casually start a conversation with me when he beat my boyfriend within an inch of his life?
He reached out to touch my face but I turned away. "I miss you," he whispered. "If I knew things were going to be like this, maybe I would've thought about it more."
"Of course things were going to be like this," I said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world which it was. "What exactly were you expecting?" When he didn't answer, I turned to another subject. "Dean said that most of you guys' fights were about me."
"Yeah," was all he said in response as he gazed into the water at his feet.
"You never just loved me as a sister," I stated. "Did you?"
He shook his head. "No. Even as I told you that, it wasn't true. I guess I wanted to believe it was because you're Dean's girl and we were friends then." He looked up. "I want...." He trailed off. "I don't want us to be like this," he said instead.
I shrugged. "Well, you should've thought about that before you raised that chair over your head," I told him. "After all Dean and Roman have been though with you....." I bit my lips. "I should go."
"Wait," Seth said, getting in my path. "Let me make this up to you, okay? I really want us to be friends, Chelsea, I really do. Please," he interlocked his fingers in prayer to emphasize the word, "give me a chance. A small one."
I thought hard about it. Looking at his face, he looked so much like a child, innocent and vulnerable. I knew he was anything but.
"I'll think about it," I said, knowing he wasn't going to let me out of the pool if I didn't at least say that.
His face flooded with relief. "Thank you," he sighed happily.
He smiled at me and moved in for a hug making me stiffen. The door opened.
"What's going on here?"
Seth froze, his arms outstretched on either side of him; his jaw clenched.
"N-nothing, Dean," I stuttered as I quickly scurried out of the pool. Dean glared at Seth's rigid back before turning that cold stare onto me.
He kicked the door open, rather roughly, and pointed out. I grabbed my towel and shuffled in that direction.

"What were you and Seth doing?" Dean asked as he slammed the hotel door leaving it shaking on its hinges.
"For the last time, nothing," I said through clenched teeth.
He chuckled but it was far from being genuine. "Chelsea," he said falsely happily. "I'm not going to ask you again."
"Good," I snapped, turning to our room, but he snatched me up by the arm.
"I don't want you near him," Dean said sternly.
"Dean, let me go," was all I replied with.
"Dean, what are you doing?" Roman asked in tired irritation as he trudged out of his room. "I know you're mad about what's going on right now, but don't take it out on Chelsea."
"She was in the pool with Seth," Dean stated, ignoring the comment.
Roman perked up, his eyebrows lowered in a stern, parentally reproaching frown. "Chelsea?" he said in a fatherly voice.
"Will you guys just shut up!" I shrieked, snatching my arm free. "If you guys want to be mad about me over nothing-it's not like I was making out with him, we talked-then fine. But you are not going to tell me what to do or lecture me like I'm a child. This conversation is over."
The room was deadly quiet and both men looked at me blankly for a moment before exchanging the looks with each other. Without another word they departed into their rooms. I made to walk into ours, but Dean slammed the door in my face. I heard the click of the lock snapping into place.
"Dean?" I called out, knocking on the door. I tightened the towel around my body as the AC kicked on. "Dean?"
I turned to Roman's door and rapped on it a few times. "Roman?" No answer.
"Dean," I whined turning back to my door. "Come on. I need clothes, it's freezing."
He swung the door open and tossed clothes at me before slamming and locking it shut again. I looked down at the heap that had bounced off my face and fluttered to the ground: sweatpants and a T-shirt. Trying to dry off as much water from my bathing suit as possible, I slipped the clothes on and grabbed the car keys from the coffee table.
The elevator stopped a few floors down from mine on the third level. When the doors parted, Seth looked up from the floor and smiled when he saw it was me. He quickly stepped onto the lift and stood next to me.
"Hi," he said almost shyly.
"Hey," I replied, a small smile playing across my lips, but I quickly wiped it away.
"Where ya going?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Don't know," I mumbled with a sigh.
"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.
"You got me locked out of my bedroom," I stated blankly. "Thanks a lot."
"I'm sorry," he said genuinely. "If you want, you can crash on my bed and I'll take the couch." I shook my head. "It's crazy that he locked you out." Seth shook his head in disbelief. "If I was your boyfriend, I would never do that no matter how mad at you I was."
I rolled my eyes at the remark as the elevator dinged and the doors opened up into the lobby. "Wanna grab something to eat with me?" he asked.
"What place?"
"IHOP?"
I shrugged. "I guess that's okay."

"Table for two," Seth told the waitress, holding up a pair of fingers.
She nodded, grabbed a couple menus from inside the podium and led us to a booth in the back of the small restaurant. We suppressed all conversation until we were able to find what we wanted. Not really in an eating mood, I ordered coffee and gave the menu back.
"So, what are you going to do when you get back?" he asked.
I shrugged. "I honestly don't know," I admitted. "Maybe find somewhere else to stay."
"Not your place," I added once I saw him opening his mouth. "Besides, I'm not that sleepy with the two days I've had."
He shrank in his seat guiltily. Then he straightened, a confused frown on his face. "Wait, what happened today?"
I laughed in his face. "Like I'd tell you."
"Oh, come on, I'm your friend," he said. "Right?" he asked when I didn't respond.
I shrugged. "I don't know what you are to be honest," I stated truthfully with a shake of my head. "I really don't."

"You go on ahead," I told Seth once he finished his food and got ready to leave. "I'll stay here for a while."
"You sure?" Seth asked, plopping $5 on the table.
I nodded and he smiled at me as he walked out.
Thunder erupted, seemingly shaking the restaurant, the coffee left in my mug trembling. I looked over to my left where a big window was just in time to see lightning flash across the sky. I sighed, sinking more in the booth as I drained the last of my drink.
"Hey."
I looked up and saw Paige standing at the head of the table in jeans and a leather jacket, her jet black hair up in a messy bun.
"Hi," I greeted halfheartedly.
"What's with the face?" she asked as if we'd known each other forever.
We've had multiple matches against each other in the past month and after each match, our friendship had gotten stronger. We realized that we needed to join forces for we were two of the best, most dedicated wrestlers in the divas division.
I shrugged at her question. "Well, I see you've forgiven a certain new Authority member," she observed looking at the door.
I shook my head. "Not really," was all I said.
"He's a lot different than what I remember him to be," she said.
"You knew him before WWE?" I questioned.
"Well, before the M.R. We were in FCW and NXT together," she explained. I nodded. "But enough of Seth. I have a feeling you and Dean are in a fight."
I threw my hands in the air, exasperated. "Does everyone know when we're fighting?" I asked.
"Pretty much," she replied. "It's not a bad thing, though," she reassured. "Not really. If you never have an a fight in your relationship, it's not real. You can't be with someone and be happy all the time. Not possible."
"My relationship must be really real, then," I said.
She nodded in agreement. "But don't worry. He'll get over it." She reached across the table and patted my hand.
"Yeah," I mumbled.
"I gotta go," she told me. "But maybe we can hang out sometime, okay?"
I nodded as she got up and walked over to the exit, her shoes thudding against the carpeted floor. She shot me a wave before disappearing into the pouring rain.
I got up from the table myself and slapped down five bucks of my own before opening the door.
"Finally ready?"
I spun around to see a hooded figure sitting on the blue bench beside the door. He was looking nowhere near my direction but I had a feeling the question was directed towards me.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
He removed his elbows from his knees and stood up, removing his hood.
It took me a good three minutes before I finally realized it was Dean and once I did, I got a sour taste in the back of my throat.
"How long have you been sitting there?" I questioned flatly.
"Ever since you walked through the door with Seth," he explained in the same tone. "So what, you guys dating?"
"Funny," I replied in monotony as I stepped out from under the awning, rain seeping through my clothes instantly.
"Where are you going?" Dean asked stepping off the curb with me.
"The hotel," I answered in boredom. "Don't worry, I won't try and get into the bedroom."
"The walk is, like, an hour," he stated. "Why don't I drive you back."
"Why do you care?" I asked, folding my arms over my torso. "You locked me out of our bedroom."
He scratched the back of his head as I sighed. "I'm sorry," he muttered.
"Me too," I said. "I'm gonna get another room for the week." His head snapped up from the ground. "See how good separation does."
"Okay, look," Dean quickly started to say, "you don't need to do that. If you want, I can take the couch-"
"No one's sleeping on the couch," I interrupted. "And it's not like we're breaking up. We're just distancing ourselves, that's all."
He jammed a fist inside one of his pockets and pulled a hand through his hair. "The rest of the week?" he asked.
"Yeah," I answered.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're not gonna change your mind?"
"Dean, I think we've been spending too much time with each other. We both just need some space."
"I don't want space," Dean grumbled.
"I'm gonna start walking back," I told him, ignoring the comment. "See you later, I guess."