Roman's POV
The hallway smelled faintly of sweat and cold concrete—another day backstage. I was heading toward my locker room when I spotted my cousins, Jimmy and Jey, leaning against a stack of production crates.
"Yo, wassup, Ro?" Jey called out with a grin. "Ready for your match with the Big Show?"
I shook my head, rubbing my eyes. "Not really, Jey. I'm running on fumes. Drove here all damn night, and I haven't slept a minute."
Jey's smile faded. "Man... that's rough. Go crash for a bit. I'll wake you up before your match. It's late in the show anyway—you've got time."
I managed a tired smirk. "Thanks, Jey. I owe you one."
I kept walking, but as I turned the corner toward my locker room, a massive force slammed into me from the side. My shoulder hit the wall, and I stumbled down.
"OW! God damn it!"
A deep voice rumbled above me. "Oh—sorry, Roman. You okay?"
I looked up into the shadow of a giant—Big Show himself.
"I'm fine, Show. Just out of it. Haven't slept in... I don't even know how long."
He chuckled, that slow, heavy sound of a man who'd been in the game forever. "Well, you've got time before our match. Get some rest, big dog. You'll need it."
"Yeah... see you later."
By the time I reached my locker room, the exhaustion was hitting hard. "Damn... what a day, and it's only ten a.m.," I muttered. "Can't get any worse."
I tossed my bag on the bench and headed straight for the bed in the back. Shower could wait. Within minutes, the world faded, and I was gone.
"Ro... Ro... ROMAN!!!"
I shot up, heart racing. "AHHH! JEY! You don't need to scream, dammit!"
He smirked, unbothered. "Time to move, big dog. Forty-five minutes 'til your match."
I groaned, rolling off the bed. "Alright... thanks, Jey."
YOU ARE READING
"I hate you, right?"
RomanceEnemies in the ring... maybe something more outside it. Roman and Brock have always clashed-fierce, unrelenting, unstoppable. But when rivalry turns to something neither can ignore, desire ignites in the most unexpected ways. With Cody, a longtime f...
