The Moment Before Christmas

The week before Christmas was always chaotic for WWE, but this year it felt especially overwhelming.

There were last-minute production adjustments to be made for the holiday special, final rehearsals, and media appearances that everyone needed to attend.

For Erica, it meant juggling her usual backstage duties with the unexpected but exciting task of contributing to the Christmas album. Every day had felt like a whirlwind, and though she loved the energy of it all, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something important was about to happen.

She wasn't sure if it was the season of change or the unspoken tension with Joshua, but something was shifting—both within herself and between them.

They had shared several quiet moments in the past week, casual conversations, exchanged glances, and even a few brief, almost-choreographed interactions that felt like they held more weight than they should. It was as if their connection had moved into a new, deeper territory, but neither had fully acknowledged it yet.

Tonight, though, Erica felt the pull of something different. The WWE Christmas special was just around the corner, and she had been assigned to help coordinate the backstage aspects of the show. She had been working nonstop, running from one task to the next, and she knew Joshua had been doing the same. But as the hours ticked by, she realized she was looking forward to the one thing she hadn't quite planned for—a quiet moment alone with him.

After the final rehearsal wrapped up, Erica was heading to her car when she saw Joshua across the lot. His figure was silhouetted against the soft glow of the arena's lights, his back turned as he spoke with a few of the production staff. She hesitated, debating whether to approach him or just slip away and avoid the familiar ache in her chest.

But before she could decide, Joshua turned and caught sight of her.

"Erica," he called, his voice warm despite the distance between them. "Hey, you heading out?"

She stopped in her tracks, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Yeah, I think so. I'm trying to get out of here before they drag me into one more thing."

Joshua chuckled, shaking his head. "I feel that. We all need a little time to breathe." He glanced around, then gestured to the empty space beside him. "Want to take a walk? It's been a long day. Maybe we can just—" He paused, his eyes meeting hers with a quiet intensity. "—catch up."

Something about the way he said it made Erica's heart race. Catch up. It sounded so simple, so casual, yet in the context of everything that had been building between them, it felt like the beginning of something more.

"Sure," she replied, her voice steady despite the flutter in her chest.

They started walking toward a quieter corner of the parking lot, away from the hustle and bustle of the arena. The crisp night air felt refreshing, the silence between them surprisingly comfortable. The tension that had lingered over the past few days had softened, replaced by a mutual understanding that neither of them quite knew how to put into words.

"I've been thinking a lot about the song," Erica said after a few moments, her voice breaking the silence. "The one we recorded with Trinity. You know, the Christmas one."

Joshua nodded, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. "Yeah, I know. It's different, right? Something about it hits a little deeper than I expected. Maybe it's the way you two harmonized." He shot her a sideways glance. "Or maybe it's just that you've got something special in your voice. But I get it, Erica. I get why it feels like the right time for something new."

Her chest tightened at his words. There was something so tender in the way he spoke to her, like he understood her on a level that was deeper than the surface of their usual interactions.

"I think..." Erica began, then stopped herself. What was she even saying? The words seemed to get tangled in her thoughts. She was trying to express something—something she had been thinking about for weeks—but she couldn't quite find the right way to phrase it. She stopped walking, turning to face him. "I think it's more than just the song. It's... everything this year. All of it."

Joshua stopped too, meeting her gaze. His brow furrowed in thought. "What do you mean?"

Erica hesitated, her fingers tracing the edge of her jacket. "I've been working here for a long time, Joshua. And I've seen so many things—moments that should have felt like the start of something, but they never did. I always kept myself busy, you know? Too busy to notice what was missing." She swallowed, her heart pounding. "But this year... it's different. I'm different. And I think maybe you are, too."

Joshua took a slow breath, stepping closer to her. "I know what you mean," he said quietly. "I've been feeling the same way. Like something inside of me is waking up, finally. After everything that's happened in my life... I used to think I was okay being alone, or just getting by. But when I'm around you, Erica... I don't want to be alone anymore."

Erica's breath caught in her throat. She felt exposed, raw. This was what she had been avoiding—this vulnerability, this possibility of feeling something real. But for some reason, standing here with Joshua in the cold night air, she didn't want to hide from it anymore.

"I think I've been afraid, too," she confessed, her voice small but steady. "Afraid of letting someone in, afraid of being disappointed. But... when I look at you, Joshua... I don't feel afraid. I feel... something else. Something I've been missing."

Joshua's expression softened, his eyes searching hers as if he were reading her soul. "Erica... I've always respected you. You're strong, independent, you've got this fire in you that draws people in. But I've always seen something else in you, too. Something that makes me believe that you're worth fighting for. That we—" He faltered, not quite finishing his thought.

"That we could have something real?" she asked gently, a small but hopeful smile curving her lips.

Joshua didn't answer immediately. He simply took a step forward, closing the distance between them. The world seemed to fall away as he stood in front of her, the night air between them suddenly feeling like the smallest of barriers. He reached for her hand, and Erica didn't pull away. Instead, she let him take it, their fingers threading together as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"I think we already do," Joshua finally said, his voice thick with emotion. "But I want to make sure we don't let it slip away. Not this time."

Erica's heart was racing now, her pulse quickening as his words sank in. This was it. This was the moment they had been dancing around, the moment when they both realized that what they had been searching for wasn't some fleeting, surface-level connection—it was something deeper, something that had been quietly growing between them for longer than either of them cared to admit.

She smiled softly, her thumb brushing over his hand. "I'm ready, Joshua. Ready to take this step. Ready to see where it leads."

And just like that, the distance between them was gone. Their faces were inches apart, and for a brief, heart-stopping moment, the world around them seemed to pause. Erica's breath caught in her throat as Joshua leaned in, his lips brushing against hers in a kiss that was gentle but full of promise.

It was a kiss that spoke of new beginnings, of the promise of what was to come, and of the love they had both been waiting for all along.

As they pulled away, Erica rested her forehead against his, feeling the warmth of his presence, the steady beat of his heart next to hers. It was the first time in a long time that she felt truly *seen*, truly understood. She didn't need to have all the answers. They didn't need to have everything figured out.

But what they had—right here, in this quiet moment—was enough.

"This year," she whispered, her voice full of certainty, "we're going to find it. Together."

Joshua smiled, his hands gently cupping her face. "Together."

And with that, they walked into the holiday season—not as two people uncertain of their place in each other's lives, but as two souls who had finally found what they had both been searching for all along: love.