Her Authority

four

Seth waited to pick Marina up from the Divas Locker Room after Smackdown. He leaned against the wall outside of the locker room and scrolled through Instagram. Keeping to himself proved to be pretty difficult with people walking around backstage. The door opened and out came the girl that he had been waiting for. He examined her body as she dragged her suitcase behind her. She wore oversized grey sweatpants, a Metallica tank top, her hair up in a high ponytail, and black socks. Her black vans were on top of her purple suitcase. Seth turned off his phone.

"Do you want me to take your suitcase?" He offered.

"No, I'm fine," she insisted.

"Alright if you say so," Seth chuckled.

She rolled her eyes at his comment and shoved him lightly.

He began walking to the garage. Marina followed a few feet behind. When they arrived at his rental car, she took her shoes off the top of her suitcase. He opened the trunk and put her suitcase inside of the trunk. She took her phone out of her back pocket and opened the passenger seat door. He closed the trunk and walked around to the drivers side. When he got in his seat he looked over at the brunette who was looking down at her phone and chewing a piece of gum. He sighed and started the car and exited the arena.

"Do you want to pick the music?"

"Eventually," she placed her phone into a cup holder before turning to look at him, "I would rather just talk for a while."

"I don't hate that idea at all, Maverick," he glanced over to her as she smiled, "by the way, where did that name come from?"

Marina clapped once before she began laughing, "my dad named his two sons the most generic boy names and named his only daughter after the manliest movie of all time."

"Top Gun?"

"Bingo, Lopez," she pointed at him as she pulled her knees up to her chest, "I wasn't even born in the year that movie came out. James, my oldest brother, was and I am pretty sure my mom decided his name."

"Have you ever asked her?"

Marina's mood shifted as she looked out her window, "I don't think I would even if I could."

Seth rolled to a stop at a stoplight, peering over at her as she picked at the polish on her nails, "I didn't mean to bring up anything," he sighed while she kept her focus on her nails, "I just figured that family is important to you and-"

"Family is the most important thing to me," she looked over at him as the light turned green, "my birth mother isn't my family."

They sat in silence for a while after that. Marina wasn't upset by Seth's comment, she just hadn't thought about her birth mother in a long time. Dwelling on what could've been had her mom stayed, wasn't something that Marina enjoyed doing. Instead, she focused on the amazing woman that her father married when she was 11. The mom that mattered to her was Victoria and no one could change that. Marina tied her hair up into a haphazard bun and looked at Seth as he drove. She couldn't help but admire his silhouette.

"I like your nose," she blurted out, earning a quick glance from him, "I always have. I'm surprised I never said anything about it before."

"I've always liked your eyes," he shrugged as if it was just a compliment that he always gave out.

Marina was glad that the lights weren't on in the car because she was blushing like crazy. Seth had definitely caught her eye down in FCW, but she never acted on anything because she was in a relationship. When the idea of disbanding The Shield first came up, she was worried that the creative team wouldn't know what to do with her. The prospect of her joining a storyline with Seth in The Authority definitely excited her. 

"I have another question," he spoke while keeping his eyes on the road, "why did you turn down the reality show?"

Marina chuckled as she adjusted herself into a criss cross position.

"You spend a lot of time with them and it surprised me when you said you weren't doing it," he continued as she leaned on the center consul.

"I never considered myself a Diva," she cleared her throat before continuing, "I also don't want to discredit them with what I'm saying, but I didn't join this business to be overproduced on a reality show."

"That makes sense," he nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"I joined this business because I don't know anything else," she looked over at him, "they've placed a lot of stock in me and my character and being fake on a reality show, never really crossed my mind."

"I hope they actually let you wrestle," he admitted as she rested her chin in her hand, "don't get me wrong, you are a great valet, but that's not why you're here."

"You've watched me wrestle?"

He did a double take when he glanced at her, "hell yeah," she covered her face as he smiled at her, "every match you've had on the main roster and developmental. You had potential and I was so frustrated when you sat on the sidelines of our matches."

"You have no idea how mad they would get when I did anything but stand at your side," she leaned back into her chair, "they hated when I took hits from your opponents."

"My favorite one that you took was Windham hitting you with Sister Abigail," he admitted as she reached over to grab his shoulder, "the way you sold it combined with Jon's reaction to it. That shit felt real."

"Oh my god," she squeezed his arm before letting go, "I remember afterwards, Joe tossing me over his shoulder and carrying me back to gorilla," she chuckled, "Windham came back and checked to make sure that he didn't cross any lines or anything and I told him-"

"I'd do it over again in a heartbeat," they spoke in unison before laughing.

"I love taking hits because," she glanced over at him as he merged, "I feel like it makes people see me as more than a valet."

"Yeah," he nodded, resting his arm on the center consul.

"I'm not just something for people to gawk at," she clenched her fist as she spoke, "and that's why I didn't take the reality sow offer. I love those girls, but I'm been seen in a different light than they are."

"I have always hated how they do the Divas matches," Seth admitted as he peered into the rear view mirror, "there is so much talent there and it's underutilized in this company."

"I wish other people saw things how you do," she reached into the back seat looking for her hoodie.

Seth glanced over as her shirt rode up, giving him a view of her lower back. The light turned green and he hadn't started driving again. Suddenly, the car behind him honked, forcing him to focus on the road as Marina settled back into her seat. He ran a hand down his face as she shrugged on her hoodie. This girl was going to ruin him in so many ways.

"Everything okay?"

"Yep," he emphasized the end of the word as he continued their drive to the next city.