They returned from the break for Christmas on the first Monday of the New Year, and Seth was in a terrible mood. He'd called her a few days after their fight, but she didn't pick up, big surprise. Still he left a voicemail telling her he was sorry for losing his temper and embarrassing her, and that he was really just trying to get through to her somehow. By the end of the message his voice started doing that whiny, desperate thing again. He hated that. Maybe next time an email would be a better choice.

Brandon must've told their parents what had happened, they didn't mention anything about Sasha at Christmas. Once or twice he asked Seth if he wanted to talk about it. The answer was always no. Instead, he just spent most of the week feeling frustrated and unhappy. Attempts to get his mind off of her were useless, as he quickly learned after he bombed a game of Madden and read an entire book without any idea of what had happened in it.

Backstage at the episode of Raw, the Slammys, it was particularly hectic. Anyone who wasn't going to or coming from a match was dressed up, the clicking of high heels was echoing in his head as he walked back from a match with Sami.

A PA caught up to him, "Seth we need you in interview room 3 in 15 for your segments with Sasha."

"With SASHA?"

"Yeah the Slammy competition segments."

"Oh right, that." He'd completely forgotten they still had that to do. "I'll change quick."

He was still adjusting his tie as he ran into the interview room. The cameras were set up but Sasha wasn't there. Her music was playing on the monitor, she'd won Rivalry of the Year with Charlotte. The producer on duty ran through the segment with Seth, he vaguely remembered reading it in an email from Hunter.

"Alright positions, she'll be her in a minute."

Seth tightened his hair and leaned up against a production crate they'd brought in, pretending to have been watching the flat screen TV.

"and…rolling."

He scoffed at the tv and Sasha walked in with a smug look on her face. His throat plummeted into his stomach when he saw her. She was wearing the same tight lace dress she'd worn on their date.

"One nothing, Rollins," she said as she placed the Slammy down on the production crate.

"Easy, Banks, we got all night."

"Hmmf," she turned back to the monitor and he watched her before laughing himself.

"And we're off," the producer said, "alright we have to be all over tonight, but it'd be easiest if you both stayed here."

"Yeah," Seth said, pulling two chairs up from behind the camera guy. "No problem."

"Thanks," she said, pulling out her phone from her handbag in a corner and sitting down as the crew left the room.

"Yeah," he sat next to her, that frustration boiling in him again.

He could've congratulated her on the Slammy, or told her that her hair looked nice tonight, or even ask how her Christmas was. But Seth didn't say any of those things.

"You wear that tonight to torture me?"

Her head whipped towards him, with wide eyes and an offended scoff.

"I cannot believe you."

"Cause it's working."

"It's just a goddamn dress."

"You look beautiful tonight, is what I'm trying to say," his voice was low and soft.

She rolled her eyes and looked back at the monitor. Trying to keep her composure, she bit her lip but could feel his eyes unmoving on her. Eventually, she lost it.

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're thinking about the last time you saw me in it."

"I am thinking about the last time I saw you in it."

"Figures."

"You had a little chocolate sauce on your lip during desert."

"What?" her head turned. Looking him in the eyes for the first time.

"You got a little bit of chocolate on your lip," he repeated, "and when I told you about it you weren't embarrassed and you didn't try to wipe it away. You just licked it off, god forbid any chocolate sauce go to waste." He chuckled at the memory.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I knew in that moment that there was no use denying that I love-"

"Don't." Her voice was sharp. "You can't just go around using that word to get what you want."

"It's the truth."

"Well I don't believe you."

"What's it going to take?"

"Seth,"

"Tell me. Tell me and I'll do it." He turned towards her in his seat, leaning in.

"It's over, everything's said and done."

"Anything, Sash, I'll do anything. I'll cut Jenna out of my life, I'll delete every number of every girl I've ever spent the night with, I'll never look at another woman again."

She scoffed a bit again.

"I'll move to Boston to be with you, I'll get on one knee and ask you to marry me if that's what you want, just tell me-"

"Enough. You've heard my answer."

"Baby,"

"Stop. Can we just," she motioned towards the monitor, "thanks."

So they sat in silence for the rest of the show, waiting for their Slammy segments to take place. He sauntered out to accept Surprise Return of the Year, and returned to her dismissive chuckle. She grinned as her name appeared for Female Superstar of the Year, flipping her hair at him as she plopped it down next to her other one. At Superstar of the Year, he got to do the same, and told her it was down to Match of the Year.

As the camera crew left, he looked back at her.

"Nervous?"

She shook her head, "it doesn't matter."

"Yeah," he chuckled, "to you, it does."

She looked up at him with a softness in her eyes.

"You can't hide. Not from me," he said with a little smile.

For a moment it seemed like she might reach up and kiss him again, but she didn't. She shook her head once more and focused on the match on the screen.

Eventually the time came, the crew returned to their interview room and set up. Sasha fixed her hair, nervously.

"You look great," he said in a low voice.

She shot him a side glare and he didn't say anything else. They stood by the crate, arms crossed and smirking at each other as the cameras started rolling. Triple H came out on the monitor to announce the match of the year. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her breathing heavily, waiting to see if the fans had voted a women's match for the first time.

"And the 2016 match of the year is…"

He smirked at her once more, wondering if he really would hear his own name called. She was inevitably thinking the same thing. That moment lasted forever, the tension building in the room.

"AJ Styles vs. John Cena at SummerSlam!"

"What?" he heard himself say.

Her hand was up to her mouth as AJ and Cena came out to accept their award, her eyes watering.

"Hey," he took a step closer to her as she bit her lip and her eyes swelled with tears. "It's alright,"

In a moment of gutsiness, he place a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently while a tear started rolling down Sasha's face. Renee walked over from behind the cameras.

"Seth, Sasha, you're both obviously very upset you didn't win Match of the Year, can you tell me what's going on in your heads?"

"Renee," Seth said as Sasha shook her head, lost for words, "That's just how these things go sometimes. But Sasha and I have put on some of the greatest matches this year, there's nothing to be ashamed of."

She looked over at Sasha, who was not keeping it together well. He knew she'd start to sob if she opened her mouth and tried to put it into words, so he intercepted.

"Thanks, Renee, that's all."

The camera's cut. Renee smiled at them sympathetically and the producer gave them thumbs up as he left with the camera guy. They were left, all alone, in the small interview room, his hand still on her shoulder.

"It's just one stupid contest," he told her in a whisper, "most people don't even vote. There's still the rankings left to come out…PWI and all, you'll be on that list."

She began to sob finally, the tears running down her face. He rubbed her shoulder, draping his other arm around her as she leaned into him.

He chuckled, "it's okay, it's okay…" He kissed the temple of her head, and apparently gone too far.

She shrugged out of his embrace. A sting ran through his whole body and she turned his back on him to collect her stuff.

"I don't need you," she said through sniffles, "for anything."

"Saaasha…" he pleaded.

"This is dumb," the tears were still rolling. "This is stupid. It doesn't matter."

He walked over to her, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Don't, don't cut me off like that. You can be mad at me all you want, you can hate me, but don't do that."

"I don't…" she shook her head, wiping her eyes. "I don't hate you, Seth."

His stomach dropped. "Is there any chance? No bullshitting, just tell me."

"Not today."

"And one day? Any chance in hell that one day you'll forgive me?"

"I…I don't know."

"Because if there's the slightest chance, Sash, I'm not gonna give up on you. But I don't wanna get my heart broken day in and day out for something that is never going to happen. Please, just…"

"Oh your heart's broken," she said sarcastically, "I see."

"Hey!"

"You know you can be so self centered sometimes!"

"Baby," he softened his tone.

"No. Don't you dare-"

"Baby, listen to me."

"I am not your baby!"

"I will do whatever it takes to win you back."

"I'm not a prize for you to win, Seth."

"Sasha, please,"

"Fine, I won't lie to you," tears were in her eyes again. "There is nothing that I want more than to be with you again. But I'm not there right now, and I don't know if I ever will be. Walk away, Rollins. That's the right move. For both of us."

He stared at her for a moment, feeling the twisting in his stomach. Then he sighed, and did as she said, backing up towards the door. He paused right in front of it and made one last swing.

"I'll walk away, but I'm not giving up. I will never give up on this."

XXX

That's all for this one! If you guys are interested in a sequel, there are a few ideas I have for that, so let me know. Maybe Seth can have some redemption. Maybe.