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IRL!

(Tuesday, August 9th, 2022)

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"Ugh, I don't think I can walk, I'm stuffed full." I groan, leaning back in the Waffle House booth.

Rhea rubs her stomach, dropping her work. "I agree."

Damian shakes his head at all of us, still eating away. I desperately needed this meal and it did not disappoint.

"I don't think I can take another bite." Denni whines, staring at the chocolate chip waffle on her fork.

"Whatever." Rhea waves her off and I nod in agreement rolling my eyes.

"You ate half your plate." I point at Denni's plate, raising a brow. And she'll always offer me the rest, which I'll take sometimes depending on how full I am from my own. She hardly ever takes food to-go.

"Wha- I ate more than half!" She defends, shoving the piece in her mouth.

"Like a champ." Rhea chuckles.

"That's weak, this is my third plate." Damian points to her, sipping his water.

"Okay." Denni says mockingly, rolling her eyes. "You're like double my size!" She exclaims.

I laugh, grabbing my water lazily as I stretch out further, pushing into Rhea's legs with my own earning an soft elbow in the arm. "She's got a point."

"Well in that case." Damian reaches across the table and scoops up her plate.

"Heyy- eh, alright." Denni slumps in defeat, happily finished eating.

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"Ugh, can you just carry me?" I sigh to Damian as we slowly make our way through the airport. Denni had to take care of finalizing some photos so she was checking out of our hotel later and Rhea had a different flight than us so Crimson and Damian's week has officially started.

"I could, but I don't think that'd be us moving through the airport lowkey if I throw your ass over my shoulder." Damian smarts off and huff, yanking my suitcase along.

"You're lucky you're coming home with me or I'd leave your ass here."

He smirks down at me. "Oh, would you? Then who would carry your bags for you when you get coffee?" Okay, fair point... "Mm-hmm." He hums at my silence. Ugh, rude. He is carrying my backpack for me right now though... I guess I can't complain.

"Now don't push it." I point my index finger at him before the delicious smells of coffee and baked goods fills my nose. "Okay, you're forgiven." I chirp, nudging him along. "Yes, lets go."

He shakes his head, biting back his smile. "And what would you do without me?"

"Cry." I shrug, blowing him a kiss over my shoulder leaving him in the dust.

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"Ah." I settle further into my seat once we're on the plane, sighing in contentment to finally be relaxing as I lean my head on Damian's shoulder. "Missed this."

"Me too." He also lets out a sigh. When two people know each other so well, just simply being in their presence is peace. And getting to be around Rhea and Damian again after working and training and planning so hard to get here... it's more than peace. It's home.

"Thank God you're finally on the main roster." Damian says after a few minutes of comfortable silence as we take off. "We were going crazy without you."

I chuckle, smiling like a kid on Christmas. "Can't wait to run around causing chaos and being menaces backstage like we were on NXT." The thrilling excitment of what we could get into, and that nobody could stop us, buzzes through my veins, gnawing at my insides and licking old wounds.

This is different. I knew it would be when I got the call. It seems fucking dramatic, I mean everyone wrestler gets the call and the new home of Monday Night's or Friday Night's, right? Yes. But... that doesn't mean they're always done well, or utilized at all. Over the past few years there's been almost like this curse. And a lot of NXT wrestlers that have left NXT are shown little to no time at all, pushed to the back or forgotten all together. And with some? You can just tell. Tell that they should stay on NXT or tell that they're going to be gone in a few months.

And it's nothing against NXT, at all. NXT was the beginning, it was my first. It opens the doors and it is entirely it's own brand and should be. NXT can stand up with the big dogs so to speak. And  should be seen as such. There was a point in time where NXT was the brand. Where it was seen as the main roster, the show to watch, the best night of the wrestling week. NXT was no longer seen as the stepping stone to Raw or SmackDown, it was the top. And I am utterly grateful, and still in awe, that I got to be apart of that. But it seems as though once that last group of wrestler left, Shayna, Rhea, Damian, Johnny, the Undisputed Era, Bianca... shit me I guess, when they all left NXT almost felt empty, and seemed to fall back down until it's original way. Not even it's original way... I would never admit this out loud to anyone because I still love NXT and think those like Cora, Carmello, are some of the only few to keep that old spark truly alive, but I think the NXT died with the end of the black and gold era.

And those who now leave NXT either make it, and shine, like Rhea and Damian, Bianca, or they just... don't. They seem to fall flat. NXT was the right path, and I will forever return to it in a heartbeat, but I've always known it was temporary. I've always dreamed of making it to Raw or SmackDown. I hoped, and prayed, and begged that I would make it, just make it, and have my chance. That I could get ou-

"You okay?" Damian nudges me, abruptly snapped me from my thoughts.

"Hmm?" I snap my head up to meet his eyes shining with a glimpse of concern as does the crease in his forehead. "Yeah. Yeah, why?" I ask, wondering what he means.

"Your fingers are digging into your leg." Damian answers, brows furrowing in concern and I'm suddenly hyper aware of my sweatpants bunched in my fingers and relax them. "Talk to me, CK." He tilts his head, his gaze comfortably settling into mine.

I kick my lips. "Just... thinking about wrestling." I admit. If anyone gets it, he does.

"Better not be doubting yourself." He states strongly. "You know you belong here, on SmackDown, on Raw, with us." He's no stranger to the worry or the thoughts of doubt that creep into your head, hell he knows them well as if they're old friends at this point.

"No, I know." I nod, tracing my finger along the arm rest before letting out a chuckle, looking back up at him. "Just wondering how I blinked and we got here so fast from where we started." The corners of my lips curl up as he smiles knowingly.

"Yeah, we're no longer those pains in the asses running NXT, huh?" He chuckles, wrapping his hand around the finger that's tracing mindlessly. "We've made it. You've made it." I swallow as he speaks so seriously, just as I have to him many times before, especially when him and Rhea debuted on Raw.

No matter how good you are on the mic or in the ring... there's always going to be that little voice in the back of your mind wondering if you went out and gave it your all that week, if you're gonna get that call into the office being told it was your last... and Damian and I both know where we've came from... and that there's no way in hell we were ever going back.

I nod slowly, letting his words sink in. "No. No we are not." I agree, flashing of us mouthing off on NXT every night, his North-American title around his shoulder, my NXT women's championship curled tightly beneath my fingers. We could do it again— we will do it again. "We're going to be so much worse." I grin, wrapping my finger still in his grip tighter around his hand before leaning my head into his chest, sighing contently.

You can relax, Crimson. You've made it.

And this is only the beginning.

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𝟶ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀʙɪsᴄᴜɪᴛ𝟽sᴘᴇᴀᴋs!

Hey, heyyy!! Welcome back to Crimson Ustulationnn!!

Mmm, okay wow, I feel like I saw this every time lmao, but this is DEF one of my FAV chapters for this book so farrrr!! The vulnerability of Crimson & Damian's conversation & the raw realness of her thoughts... 🤌🏼 my gosh I'm SO happy with how this chapter turned out. I just started writing her long tangent of thoughts about NXT & everything & it just flowed right on out!!!

Anywayssss, I hopped y'all loved this chapter as much I dooo!!! I'm very excited to her & Damian's time & to slowly creep into more Crimson lore with y'all... I'm loving dropping subtlety comments & clues here & there, like in this chap ;)

Also, even tho we have a longgg way to go before catching up into real time with wrestling... Crimson will most DEFINITELY be joining the War Game match this yr ;) so that's something to look forward to for the future of this bookkkkk!!  (And the only thing keeeping me going for the PLE bc Sami w/ the Bloodline is ABOUT to run my mf patience into the ground...)

Well, until next weekend for Survivor Series... stay tuned & don't forget to comment y'all's thoughts, questions, & reactionssss, mwahhh!! 💋💋💋

AND HAPPY 7 MONTHS TO THIS BOOOKKK!! <3333 (yes we're ignoring it's technically after midnight bc I fell asleep for a hot min after NXT lmao, okay byeee)