LOVE LETTERS - SETH ROLLINS

two

Dear Hattie,
I'm so sorry I had to leave so soon this morning. You'll find milk in the fridge and a cereal box on top. Help yourself. I'll be back soon.

Her pale hands crumpled the piece of paper up, slipping it into the pocket of Seth's hoodie that wrapped around her.

For the first time in a long time, Hattie awoke to a ceiling above her head, fresh clothes covering her body, and food that was edible.

The heat from the radiators circulated her, removing any discomforting shades of purple her body usually carried.

Without hesitation, she made herself comfortable, pouring enough cereal for an army into her bowl. Neither her nor Seth knew how long this would last, so she may as well make the most of it.

Her tired frame fell into the sofa, grabbing the remote Seth had left on the chair of the sofa as he took her to the spare room last night. She couldn't recall the last time she even saw a remote, clutching it tightly in her hand.

Pressing the red button at the top, the television came on, the news the first programme. For Hattie, she didn't care what she watched, something was better than nothing.

It took just a little over an hour before a key in the front door to make Hattie jump. She peered round the corner, her hand still grasping the remote.

"Hey, you're awake." Seth peered around too, smiling as he caught her dark eyes. "Did you sleep well?" He took of his shoes, throwing the bag that was resting on his shoulders to the floor.

"It was the best nights sleep I've had in a long time."

"I'm glad to here it." Seth walked into the living room, smirking as he saw how comfortable Hattie had made herself. Her legs were crossed, two of the cushions had been thrown to the floor, her head resting on the arm of the chair. "I'm glad to see you've made yourself at home too."

A concerned guest, Hattie quickly stood, perfectly placing the cushions back where they belonged. "I'm so sorry," she shamefully whispered, fiddling with the hairband around her wrist.

"I'm only messing with you, it's fine. I want you to be relaxed here."

She couldn't have been more grateful, flashing Seth a wide smile. He returned the gesture, walking back out of the room.

Hattie looked confused for a second, waiting for Seth to reappear, a black box in his hands. "I took it upon myself to grab a few bits from the store, the assistant seemed to know what she was going on about. I told her I was looking to treat a girl." He handed her the box, which Hattie quickly ripped apart.

The first item she pulled out was a lacy red lingerie set, followed by a bunny ears hairband. "Where did you go to get all this?" Hattie sniggered, tossing both items aside. "Wherever you went, I'm not sure they had the same treat in mind that you did."

The shame was clear upon Seth's face, this wasn't what he'd hoped for in the slightest. "I thought maybe they'd fill it with some nice toiletries, a few nice items of clothing."

"There's massage oil if that counts." Luckily for Seth, Hattie saw the funny side, one by one showing him the rest of the things he'd shamefully bought. "Perhaps we should box this back up for when you next get lucky."

"Let's never speak of this again." Hattie agreed, still chuckling to herself. She placed the box by the storage unit just beside the television. Seth ran his hands through his hair, an anxious habit he had always carried.

It was early days, but there was something about Hattie that very quickly caught his eye. She had a twinkle of hope when she smiled, the biggest heart, and the cutest giggle. The last thing he wanted was to scare her away, the box not helping, his priority was helping Hattie get back on her feet. His feelings were going to have to be set aside this time around.

"I've got an idea." He spoke, drowning his thoughts away. Yet, as she turned around, her smile still wide, he found himself tongue-tied. "I'll m-make us both coffee, get to know each other a little bit better?"

"That sounds good." Seth went into the kitchen, composing himself with a deep breath. Hattie sat, patiently waiting, still sat in her seat on the sofa, waiting for him to appear with two mugs.

Seth sat on the opposite sofa, handing her a florally patterned mug, one he was sure she'd appreciate.

"Alright, Seth, tell me about yourself." Hattie had no idea where her sudden wave of confidence came from, but she was desperate to know more about her knight in shining armour.

Seth cleared his throat, "I'm Seth, Seth Rollins. I'm thirty two years old, Iowan born and raised, an only child, with the most incredible parents. At the moment I'm a professional wrestler for the WWE, but I also like to consider myself a bit of an entrepreneur. What about you?"

It took Hattie a moment to take in what Seth had said, as she steadied herself. Her left hand, which rested on her leg, began to shake ever so slightly.

"Only tell me what you're comfortable to share." Seth noticed her anxiousness, wanting for her to comfortable. "I promise I won't judge you at all, for anything you say."

"Well I'm Hattie, Hattie Lynch, a twenty eight year old failed athlete. I was born in Florida, but moved to Iowa when I was eighteen, but sadly things didn't work out the way they did for you, and very quickly I found myself losing everything."

"You were an athlete?" Seth asked.

"Technically I still am, it's not something you lose. I was set up for life, I was ready to go to the London Olympics, but then I suffered a torn ACL. I was dropped from the team, and soon began to crumble. I couldn't go home and tell them I failed in living out my dreams, so tried to build myself back up in Iowa, but quite clearly that didn't work out as planned." She chuckled lightly, trying to assure herself that things were fine.

"I know how that feels," Seth comforted, moving so he was sat beside her. "Not the homeless part, but the injury. I tore my ACL a few years ago, and my MCL, it's a hard injury to come back from."

Despite her attempts to hide them, a few tears rolled down Hattie's cheek. She managed to wipe them away without Seth even noticing. "I lost everything because of that injury."

Seth lifted his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders. The comforting touch of another human was enough for Hattie to break. She collapsed into Seth's side, the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm gonna fix you up Hattie Lynch, everything is going to be just fine."