The Bodyguard
April Mendez (aka) AJ Lee was barely 19 years old and her life had already hit an all time high AND low. AJ was a young, pop star sensation. She captivated the country with her amazing voice, great dance moves, and her obvious beauty. She became an instant phenomenon when her first song dropped and became the #1 hit single in the country. The iTunes sells increased rapidly over the weeks and she quickly became the up and coming star to look out for. Her fame increased rather unexpectedly but she was so proud of herself for being able to entertain people with her voice.
Of course, in reality AJ was a teenager and she had her personal life to deal with as well. After she graduated high school early, she went straight to start her singing career. That was clearly going well, but unlike any other young pop star, the fame would get to her head sometimes. There were times when she acted snotty and that also came with the fact that her parents spoiled her. Even though her parents, Jessica and Jorge, gave her everything she wanted, they were still strict. AJ was sometimes snotty, bossy, and a bit stuck up. For the most part though, she was kind to all the people who worked for her. The 5 maids that kept the mansion she and her parents lived in clean. Their drivers that took them everywhere, the men that worked the grass, gardening, and the overall yard work. AJ appreciated them all and everything they did for her and her family. AJ had an older brother who was a in the army so he was stationed somewere far away from their home in L.A. She also had an older sister but she lived in Purto Rico where her parents were born. She missed her siblings dearly but she tried to keep in contact with them as much as could
There were many people out there that had the impression that AJ could do anything she wanted and had all the freedom in the world. Boy were those people wrong. Her parents always needed to know what she was doing on her free time and that annoyed her. There were times where she wanted to go out with her friends but her parents would decide against it. She had her own car but she barely drove it as her parents always had one of their personal drivers take her to her destinations. She understood that her parents just wanted her to be safe. Sometimes they did too much. One reason why her parents became like this was because, just like any other famous person, AJ started receiving threatening tweets on twitter and sometimes fan mail too. AJ was pretty used to it so it didn't freak her out...until someone actually took action.
AJ was finished with one her biggest concerts at the Staples Center in L.A. (which is where she lived) The crowd was always huge there simply because she lived in that city. As far as security went, AJ's parents always had their faith in the security team of whatever arena they were at. They also had an escort that would be with her when she arrived and left in between the arena's and her hotel, or in this case, her home. On her previous concerts at the Staples Center, there was never any problem until tonight. She got cleaned up and ready to go home so she was escorted out. On their way to her limo, she passed by many fans that showed their love and appreciation for her. She stopped to give some autographs and take pictures for a brief while until heading over to the limo. As she walked away though, someone in the large crowd grabbed her arm rather roughly and wouldn't let go. AJ struggled to get free and security along with her escort immediately approached the scene once they noticed what was happening.
AJ's eyes grew wide once she noticed the creepy guy take out a small knife and attempted to cut her arm. The security guards came just in time to jerk AJ away from the man. While the other guards took care of the man, AJ's escort rushed her through the sea of fans and they entered the limo quickly. The limo rushed out of the building and tried to make it to her house as soon as possible.
"Are you okay Ms. Mendez?" AJ's escort, Big E Langston questioned with concern.
AJ took a deep breath and took a sip of the water bottle that Big E provided for her. "Yeah, thank you Mr. Langston."
"This is the first time something like this happens. I don't think your parents are going to be calm about this."
"I know. I'm not looking forward to them overreacting." AJ responded and rolled her eyes. Yes, the creepy guy freaked her out but with an escort and other security, AJ had faith in them and knew she was safe. In this case, it was her fault because she decided to take pictures and give autographs without consulting with Langston first. She always had to let him know so he was aware of the fans and on foot of where she was.
Once AJ got home, Langston walked her inside where her parents were waiting. Her parents would always go to her concerts when they were in L.A. but ironically this time, they didn't make it as they had a huge dinner party with their friends and employees from the design company they owned.
"There's my talented little pop star! How did the concert go sweetie?" her dad, Jorge approached her and kissed her cheek.
"It went great dad. You know, the regular crazy fans."
"Of course, they are always like that here in L.A." her mom Jessica spoke up as she approached them. AJ only nodded in response.
"Mr. Langston, I take it that everything went smoothly right?" Jorge asked their personal escort.
AJ and Big E looked at each other before AJ spoke up. "You know, I'm pretty tired so I'm heading to bed." she kissed her parents goodnight and headed up the stair case on the left side. The mansion had two sets of stairs. One on the left and the other on the right. Each side had 5 rooms and then there was a small living room under the stairs. There was another set of 5 rooms that were located on the other side of the house. 3 of those were used by their maids and the others were vacant. The mansion also contained an underground pool, a workout area, a theater room, basketball courts, and a gaming room. AJ loved to spend time in there playing video games on her free time.
Anyways, AJ knew she had to leave because she was sure Langston was going to notify her parents about the incident with that creepy guy. Langston was required to tell AJ's parents everything when they weren't there. She made the excuse that she was tired so she wouldn't have to listen to her parents freak out again. She would have to deal with that in the morning.
She entered her rather large bed and set her purse down on her bed. She grabbed a towel from her walk-in closet and headed inside the bathroom to take a much-needed shower. She had to admit that she wanted to wash her arm around 50 times. That guy was just plain creep and he looked like a pervert. Once AJ got showered she stepped out and went back to her closet t retrieve comfortable pajamas. She slipped them on and sat in front her mirror to brush her long, black damp hair. As she did so, there was a knock on her door.
"Come in." AJ said as she continued to brush her hair.
"Hey you..."
"Hey Vickie." AJ smiled. Vickie was the main maid of the household. She had worked for AJ's family since day one so she had a special place in AJ's heart. They always talked and AJ loved having personal conversations with her. They were basically great friends.
"I brought you s late night snack." Vickie smiled and place the silver tray that contained milk and cookies on AJ's nightstand.
''Aww thanks Vick." she gave her a hug and walked over to her bed, making herself comfortable.
"Always sweetie pie. So, how was the concert tonight?"
"It was good. You know the L.A. crowd is always crazy. I'm tired though. The adrenaline wore me out." AJ yawned.
"Yeah, you should get some sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow."
"I do?" AJ furrowed her eyebrows.
"Well yeah. After the incident that happened after the concert, your parents are going to be all over you. Then, remember you have a meeting with your manager about your next concerts coming up. Plus, you're also probably going to need to talk to your publicist about the incident as well.''
AJ sighed and laid down on her bed completely. "You're right. Might as well get as much sleep and rest as I can. Thanks Vickie." she smiled as she covered herself with her bed sheets.
"No problem. Goodnight." Vickie turned the lights off and exited the room. She loved having conversation with April. She was like the daughter she never had.
Just like every night, AJ stayed up for a while to recall all the events that happened that day. The first part of her day was merely boring so she just skipped right to the concert. She closed her eyes and imagined all those people who were there just to see and hear her perform. Up until this day, she still couldn't believe how much success she had and continues to have. As the weeks went by, more people wanted her on their talk shows and entertainment shows wanted her to make appearances. One would say that it's too much for 19-year-old to handle but AJ enjoyed it. She loved performing, getting interviewed, and having the chance to see her fans. Without her fans, she would be nothing.
AJ then remembered about the asshole tha attempted to cut her mom. She raised that same arm up in the air and noticed there was bruise forming. Great! Now my parents are going to overreact even more. AJ thought. She was surprised that her parents hadn't gone up to talk to her about it. Maybe Langston or Vickie told them to leave it alone for that night. AJ knew that she would hear about it in the morning though. She wasn't looking forward to that.
As AJ began to fall asleep, her cellphone vibrated. She unlocked it and saw it was a text from her best friend Kaitlyn. She asked her if she wanted to go to a club once the weekend arrived. AJ immediately texted back and said yes. She loved having fun with her group of friends so she couldn't wait for the weekend. She was glad that she had no appearances or performances for the rest of the week. Not to toot her own horn but AJ's life was going to great...for now.
AJ woke up the next morning and she was extremely tired. She quickly got showered, dressed. She combed her hair and pulled it up into a tight ponytail. She had all types of expensive jewelry that her mom bought her scattered on the mirror/dresser. She never wore much of it though unless there was special occasion, interview or performance. She headed downstairs and entered the dining room. She saw her parents, manager, publicist, and also Langston already having breakfast.
"Morning." AJ greeted everybody as she walked in and took a seat directly across from her parents.
"Morning. How did you sleep honey?" her mom asked.
"I slept like a baby. The concert really tired me out." she answered. She thanked Vickie when she placed her breakfast in front of her.
"You killed it like always April. You only get better and better." her manager, Mike Mizanin spoke up.
"Thanks Mike." AJ smiled and she started eating her breakfast.
"As you know April, the incident that happened with that so called fan, hit the entertainment news rather quickly." AJ's publicist, Maryse said.
AJ sighed eeven though she knew it was coming. The media always made a big deal out of nothing. She was use it now but it still annoyed her. "I don't see the big deal. I've said millions of times since last night that nothing major happened. Langston got there in time." AJ shrugged.
"On the contrary April. It's a very big deal. You better be thankful that Langston got there in time." her father Jorge said sternly.
"Ok ok. Next time, I'll let him know with time what I'm doing."
"Well actually, there won't be a next time with Langston." Jessica, her mom said.
AJ furrowed her eyebrows and looked over at Langston who just gave her a weak smile. "Oh hell no. You didn't fire him did you?! I told you guys it was my fault! Don't fire him!'' she raised her voice.
"Watch that tone April. We didn't fire him. He's just not going to be your escort anymore. He's going to be your moms escort from now on." Jorge explained.
AJ frowned. She had to admit she was disappointed. She loved having Langston as her escort. He was always caring about her safety and they always had goofy conversations. She actually enjoyed him being around. "So, what about me?"
"Well, since we need to keep our house and more importantly us, more safer after last nights incident, your mom and I decided to hire a whole security crew to take care of the house at all times.''
"How are they going to take care of the house at all times dad? They would have to live here." AJ laughed as she joked. She stopped laughing when she saw her dads serious face. "Oh my gosh...you're gonna have them live here?" she said annoyed. She wasn't too excited about having strangers living in their home. Lanston and the maids were the only exception of course.
"Yes we are. That's the only way they can take care of the house. And we should be appreciative that they are willing to live here just for our safety."
"They probably don't have lives." AJ rolled her eyes. Her snotty attitude was coming out into full force.
"April stop. We are going to meet with them tomorrow and make sure they are the right guys for the job. If they are, they are going to arrive here right after so ou better respectful. If you appreciate these people..." her dad pointed to the maids, manager, and publicist. "Then you have to appreciate them too."
"Whatever but still, what about when I leave for a concert, CD signing, or something?"
"Ah yes, the last thing we decided to mention to you. We also decided to hire a personal bodyguard to be with you at all times while your out of the house."
''What?! No! Hell no. I don't want a bodyguard." AJ stood up and crossed her arms.
"Well too bad. We are getting one and he is going to be living here as well. "
"This is so unfair. I don't want some guy to be following me around everywhere. That's annoying!"
"Well too bad. Our decision is final. You go to a talk show appearance, he'll be there. A CD signing, he'll be there. Even if you go out with your friends, he'll be there too. No matter where you go, he is going to be there to take care of you. You'll get use to him since he's living here as well." her mom said sternly
AJ growled in frustration. Her parents were taking it too far in her opinion. She didn't want some guy to be with her all the time. The incident wasn't even that big of a deal. It was bad enough that Langston wasn't going to be her escort anymore. Now she had to get use to someone new. The thing that really ticked her off was that the new bodyguard had to ber with her when she went out with friends as well. It's almost like she wasn't going to have freedom at all anymore. She hated this. She really did.
"This will be a good thing. Trust me April. You'll be safer and we can prevent another incident that would obviously be blasted into proportions by the media again.'' Summer explained.
AJ looked over to Vickie who just nodded in response to what Summer was saying. "Fine, whatever but just because I say ok doesn't mean I'm okay with it. So annoying..ugh!" she sat back down her chair and let her hair loose from the elastic that held it together. She flipped it over her shoulder and laid back on her chair.
"We can live with that. We are going to interview several guys tomorrow as well and if we find someone, he will also be moving in immediately."
AJ only nodded and rolled her eyes again before going back to eating her breakfast.
"Eat up hun because Jill is on her way. You gotta get your vocal cord exercises done right today." her mom said.
"She's right AJ. As you know, you got another concert in a couple of weeks in New York so you gotta be prepared. I would advice you to rest your voice but Maryse told me you have a couple of appearances next week. Try to talk as little as possible." Mike suggested.
"Jeez okay. Can I eat my breakfast in peace now?" AJ said in a snotty tone.
Vickie shook her head at AJ's attitude. Once she was in this snotty and bad attitude, she was rude to everybody and it took someone a while for her to get back into her normal mood. Everybody in the household was use to it though so they never felt bad about it. Vickie along with her parents wished that AJ was more understanding.
(The Next Day)
AJ woke up and she was still in her snotty mood. She got up, showered and got dressed. As she was combing her hair, she got a text from her dad saying that they hired the security crew and her personal bodyguard. He asked her to be ready to meet them when they all get there, in an hour. AJ rolled her eyes and replied with a simple "ok" She was not looking forward to this. The pop star turned her flat screen TV on in the mean time and flipped to the E! Network. She immediately saw E! news talking about the incident.
"Sources tell us that the man tried to kidnap AJ Lee and threatened her with a knife and gun." the news anchor said. "We are being notified that the popstar sensation is doing alright.''
"Oh come on!" AJ couldn't believe what they were saying. Like always, twisting the story around into something that wasn't true. Who were these ''sources" anyways? Already feeling annoyed, AJ turned the TV off and threw the remote on her bed. She grabbed her phone and texted her friend/ex-boyfriend, Dolph. Their relationship didn't end on a bad note so they stayed friends despite Dolph's wishes to get back together. AJ thought it was better to stay friends with him. Dolph notified her that he Kaitlyn had also invited him to the club and that he said yes.
"Great. Can't wait to see you guys. I need a break from my house." she texted back. Once she finished her conversation with him, she left her room and went to the kitchen.
"Vickie! I hate this!" she whined and sat down on a stool, settling her elbows on the counter.
''C'mon April. It might not be as bad as you think. Remember it's better to be safe than to feel uneasy." Vickie said an handed her a cup of tea.
"Yeah but I still don't like it. I'm 19 Vick, I don't want some guy to be following me around; but I guess i have no choice. I'm going to wait outside for them." AJ said ans walked out, with the cup of tea still in her hands.
She walked out and began to analyze the flowers that were growing pretty rapidly. AJ loved flowers she just would never admit it.
"They are growing pretty fast aren't they?" the main garden worker asked.
"They sure are. You always do a great job with them though, that's why." AJ smiled at the gardener, Rey. She suddenly turned around when she heard the large gate in front of their house open up. She saw two black SUV's drive inside and park on two of the many parking spots they had to the side of the mansion. She walked over as she saw her dad get off as well as other men in black suits.
"Ahh, what is this? The Men in Black?" AJ said sarcastically and crossed her arms.
"April stop. Men, this is my daughter...the main one that needs to be protected in this house. You protect the house, you are protecting her. We already went through the rules and explained to each of you your positions around the house. Go ahead and walk around the place and get familiar with it. Once that's done, I'll show you guys to your rooms and I will provide you all with earpieces and cellphones so you guys can communicate with us and with each other. Go ahead...and make yourselves at home." Jorge concluded.
All the men stepped out of the straight line they were in and began to walk around.
"Where's my personal bodyguard? You changed your mind right?" AJ said smiling.
"No." her dad said and her smile faded away. Turning into a scowl. "I asked him to stay in the car until I introduced you to everybody else. Punk, come on over!''
"Punk? What kind of name is that?!" AJ said laughing. She couldn't believe her dad would hire someone named Punk. Her father lifted his index finger up to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She watched as the figure inside one of the cars came out and stepped in front of them.
"You're kidding me right?!"
AJ couldn't contain her bubbly laughter. She couldn't believe that her dad hired this man to take care of her. Her dad and the stranger just looked at her confused. "Dad...this is who you hired to take care of me? He looks like a criminal himself." AJ said more seriously and pointed to the guard.
"April..." her father said with authority.
"What? Look at him. He has a lip piercing and tattoos all over the place. You really trust him?" AJ chuckled and studied the guy up and down. He wasn't even wearing a suit like the others. He had on a plain t-shirt and faded blue jeans on. "He's also not dressed appropriately." AJ continued. "Oh and by the way, did your mom really call you Punk? Because that's a stu-"
"That's enough April!" Jorge raised his voice. "His name is Phil Brooks but he prefers to be called Punk. And just so you know, he has trained in wrestling, MMA, jiu jitsu, and self defense. He has a lot of training under his belt and I haven't provided him with the suit yet Be more respectful."
AJ rolled her eyes and looked back at the man who would "take care" of her. He had a smirk on his face that almost looked sarcastic like. AJ was wondering why this guy was smirking after she just insulted him.
Punk was smirking but on the inside, he was fuming with anger. This little brat insulted his name, his appearance and pretty much everything about him. He was not looking forward to taking care of a snotty, stuck up person like this little girl but he needed the money to provide for his grandmother and sisters. It just bummed him out that he only had Sunday off to go visit them. Nonetheless, the job of being a bodyguard actually excited him. As far as the stuck up spitfire, he knew he could handle her with no problem. At the end of the day, he was just as sarcastic and insulting as she was. Their personalities were bound to clash soon.
"I'm sorry for my daughters' rudeness Punk." Jorge spoke up again and glared at AJ.
"It's alright. I can understand her concern on my appearance. Ms. Lee, I offer my full service to you. Never be hesitant to ask me for anything, especially for help. As long as you coƶperate with me, you'll be safe. Don't let the tattoos fool you. I take my job very seriously." Punk said sincerely. He had to say this and act cool in front of the dad to make a good impression. At the same time though, it was his job and he needed to stick with that. He wanted nothing more than to insult her back but he couldn't; not with her dad standing there. Yup, this job will be fun.
"Yeah whatever...I guess" AJ rolled her eyes. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
Jorge sighed and shook his head. "Ok umm, Punk you can go ahead and look around, get familiar with the house. Once you're done, I'll provide you with the equipment you need. You may grab your luggage afterwards and I'm sure April here, will be more than glad to show you to your room. Right April?" Jorge said and looked down at his daughter.
AJ gave a fake smile that was easily noticed and then nodded. Jorge shook Punk's hand and thanked him one last time. He explained to him that work official started the next day. AJ waited until her dad was gone to finally speak up again. "This is so stupid. I don't need you." AJ crossed her arms and tilted her head.
"Clearly you do sweetheart because you almost got your arm cut up last night." Punk responded. "With me, no creep would even get withing 3 feet from you." he grinned.
"So cocky aren't ya? Look, I have rules okay. Don't get into my personal stuff. When I go out, make yourself unnoticeable and don't annoy me more than what you already do."
"So bossy." Punk responded shaking his head sarcastically.
AJ growled and walked away. This guy was already getting on her nerves.
"I'm a huge fan of your music by the way!" Punk yelled. AJ shook her head and ran back inside the house. Her new bodyguard could only laugh at how easily he could get to her.
After Punk saw the whole mansion, he headed inside to look for AJ. He wanted to get to his room and unpack already. He entered the kitchen and saw her seated on a stool.
"Mr. Punk? Can I offer you a glass of water?" Vickie asked, unsure of what name to call him by.
"No thank you. I'm fine for now." he responded.
"So...you know this place by memory now?" AJ asked as she took a bite of her apple. She actually sounded nice.
"Not yet...I'm not that quick." Punk answered sternly.
"That's for sure." AJ laughed.
"April, be kind and show him to his room. C'mon, go." Vickie said and gave her a light push.
AJ stood up from the stool and walked passed by Punk without saying a word.
As they walked up the stairs to the vacant bedrooms, AJ walked confidently but also snotty, if that was even possible. Punk could only roll his eyes. That little brat was getting to him and fast.
"Well here it is. You get the room with a single bed. It's all yours. For some reason, you get the special treatment." AJ pointed to the farthest room down the hall.
Punk ignored her comment and walked in to immediately see his suit laying on his bed. He turned to the dresser and saw the earpiece that was required, along with the cellphone. He settled his bags down on the bed and then turned towards the door to see AJ standing there.
"What?" AJ asked with attitude.
"What are you still standing there? I can handle the rest myself."
"Yeah I doubt that...whatever." AJ said and skipped down the hall.
(The Next Day)
Early in the morning, AJ woke up to go have breakfast with her best friend Kaitlyn. She woke up earlier than usually in hopes of ditch that stupid bodyguard. She quickly got dressed and headed out the door without running into anybody. She approached her car and then realized that she didn't have her keys. She was trying to remember where she placed them but her memory was vacant.
"Looking for these?" AJ heard a voice say and she turned around to see Punk wearing his suit and shaking her car keys in the air. AJ growled and rolled her eyes.
"Give me my keys. I'm driving." AJ said and approached him.
"Don't think so. Your dad made it very clear that I am to drive you everywhere." he said and adjusted his tie.
"I don't care. This is MY car so I'm driving it. Give em to me." AJ tried to reach for the keys but Punk raised them above his head. Out of frustration because she was too short to reach them, AJ stomped her foot down and walked over to get into the passenger's seat of the car.
"Nice try though." Punk said as he got in the driver's seat.
"What?"
"Nice try on trying to ditch me.''
"Whatever."
"I don't blame you though. If this wasn't my job, I would try everything in my power to ditch you too."
"Excuse me?" AJ parted her lips.
"Well yeah, it's my first day and taking care of a spoiled brat is harder than I thought." Punk chuckled and started to drive.
"I am not a spoiled brat! Why are you even talking to me? Shut up and do your job. And remember, make yourself unnoticeable."
"With pleasure superstar."
Throughout the rest of the car ride, it was completely silent. AJ told Punk the name of the restaurant and that was it. Once they arrived, they sat in the car in silence.
"What are you waiting for?" AJ said.
"What?"
"Come open my door. That's part of your job." Yeah, the snotty attitude was in full effect again.
"Such a brat!" Punk growled and got off the car. He walked over to the passenger's side and bent down to be at eye level with AJ through the open window. "My job is to make sure you're safe, not be your slave." he said sternly and stood straight up.
AJ got out of the car and slammed the door shut. "This is fucking torture!"
"It's a walk in the park for me sweetheart." Punk smirked. That little smirk got on AJ's nerves. AJ was about to reply with another remark but fans and paparazzi were starting to appear.
"Move a side." Punk said as he began to walk AJ through the fans and flashes of cameras. It was a pretty large crowd and even Punk was surprised that he was able to handle them.
"Alright, let go of me." AJ jerked her arm away. Punk laughed and sighed at her rudeness. Yeah, he was being rude too but he was just returning the attitude. He would not let some pop star diva push him around.
'Whose the dude in the suit?" Kaitlyn approached as she asked.
"Bodyguard. Dad's orders" AJ did the only thing she's been doing lately...she rolled her eyes. It irked Punk when she did that.
Kaitlyn and AJ began to walk to their table, Punk behind them. He noticed they were whispering but he didn't try to listen to what they were saying. He was doing what she said, staying out of her personal business. In that, Punk agreed with her. He was just there to make sure she was safe. As they reached the table, AJ turned to him.
"You don't have to stand by the table. Go stand over there." AJ pointed in the direction of the entrance. Punk only nodded and turned on his heel to find a spot where he could get a clear view of AJ. Once he did, he turned around and glanced to the table. It was empty. AJ wasn't there anymore. And neither was her friend.
"Great! My first day and I already lost her." Punk ran his fingers through his short hair. He wasn't so sure he could handle the spitfire anymore. He started looking around, trying to find her.
In complete panick, Punk walked all over the restaurant trying to find the vicious AJ and her friend. Once he searched every inch of it and didn't find them, he decided to go outside and look around. He looked to the left of the street and saw nothing. Then, he turned to the right and saw a huge crowd down the street, on the sidewalk. He instantly knew that, it was AJ and Kaitlyn in the middle of the crowd. He ran over there and concluded that he was right. There were fans begging for pictures and autographs. Paparazzi flashing their cameras in her face. AJ was even being pulled by the fans. She looked at tad bit annoyed and did know what to do.
"Aright, that's enough! Move aside. Ms. Lee can't sign anything right now. Move along..excuse me." Punk moved the people aside to finally reach AJ and Kaitlyn. He shook his head and grabbed both of them by their arms. He walked closely in front of them as he put his hands up and walked through the fans who couldn't reach AJ anymore because of Punk's tall built. The defeated crowed started to fade away and one they reached the cars, there were only a few people still taking pictures of AJ.
"Well that didn't work. I'll see you later at the club AJ!" Kaitlyn yelled and left to her car, fleeing the scene.
Punk grabbed AJ by her arm and put her inside the car, slamming the door. He walked over to the driver's seat and got in. He was furious. 'So, you don't need me huh?"
"No I don't!"
"Oh stop bull shitting AJ, April, whatever your real name is! Are you trying to get me fired or something?!"
"That wasn't my initial intention but I would be glad if it happened!" AJ yelled and crossed her arms. ''I can't stand you!"
"The feeling is mutual." Punk spat out. "It's my first day and you already tried to ditch me twice. It didn't work and it will never work. Give it up you little brat!"
AJ lifted her hand to slap him but Punk grabbed her arm just in time to stop her. For the first time, they locked eyes. Green on brown. Both filled with anger and annoyance.
"Again, nice try." Punk let go of her arm and broke the gaze. "Remember what I said. Cooperate with me and you'll stay safe. More importantly, we won't have any problems." he said more calmly as he started the car. He really needed to stay calm in order to keep this job. Even though, he really wished he could just quit. He was never a quitter though and his family needed him. He would have to keep the job and deal with AJ.
"Yeah, yeah...just drive." AJ said annoyed.
Once they arrived back at the mansion, AJ went straight to her room and Punk went to go find her father.
AJ entered her room and threw a fit. She threw pillows everywhere and clenched her fists. "I can't stand that stupid bodyguard anymore!" she said out loud to herself. She hated they way he smirked all the time, made sarcastic remarks and laughed at every insult she threw at him. Everytime she tried to ditch him, he was always one step ahead of her. AJ had so much anger inside her. She needed to get it out. She walked over to her nightstand and opened up the bottom drawer. She reached all the way to the back and took out her small journal and a pen. The pop star opened it up and wrote all her feelings down. She knew she was feel more relaxed once she was done.
(With Punk and Jorge)
Punk knocked on the door of Jorge's office. He heard him yell for him to come in so he opened the door and stepped inside. "They told me over the earpiece that you wanted to see me sir?"
"Yes I did. Please sit Punk." Jorge pointed at a chair placed in front of his desk.
"Is everything alright?" Punk asked curiously.
"Oh yeah, everything is fine. There's just something that I wanted to clear up with you. When I was giving you and the security crew all the rules, I said that everybody had Sundays off. That actually applies for everyone, except you."
"Oh?" Punk raised his eyebrows.
"Don't worry. You are guaranteed one day off every week except it won't always be Sundays. Since the others are taking care of the house, they get Sundays off but you are taking care of April. She travels a lot for concerts and appearances so most likely, timing won't always allow your day off to be a Sunday. So, we will balance it out and it depends on how AJ's schedule is. It will always be balanced out some how so you'll get a day off every week like everybody else." Jorge explained.
"I understand and that works for me. As long as I do get a day off because I would like to check up on my grandmother and sisters as much as I can."
"Yeah of course Punk, I understand. You guys have lives too so I wouldn't take you away from that. If there's ever an emergency and you need to leave, don't hesitate to ask me for some time off. Anything you need. You are taking care of my daughter so it's the least I can do."
"You're too kind Mr. Mendez, thank you." Punk smiled. He only wished that AJ was as understanding and nice as her parents.
"Great, so we have an understanding?" Punk nodded. "Awesome. So, I know that April went to breakfast with her friend this morning. Everything go smoothly?"
"Well..."
(Later that night)
AJ was watching a movie in bed until her dad knocked on her door.
"Come in." AJ sat up and rested her back and the backboard of the bed. "What's up dad?"
"Do you have any plans for the next couple of nights?"
"I'm going out with Kaitlyn and some friends on Friday night. Why?"
"Cancel those plans. You aren't going out for the rest of the week." Jorge said sternly.
"What? Why?!"
"Because you tried to ditch your bodyguard this morning so now you suffer the punishment. We got you a bodyguard for a reason and ditching him was not one of those reasons."
"That's unfair dad! I'm sick of you guys controlling me! I'm 19 years old! I have a singing career and you guys still treat me like I'm 10."
"Think what you want April. The punishment stands. As long as you live under our roof, you will follow the rules. Goodnight." he finally said and kissed her on the forehead. Before walking out, he turned back to look at her. "One more thing April, don't be disrespectful to Punk. He doesn't deserve it. He is doing this job for many reasons..including to make sure you are safe. It is his job." with that, Jorge walked out and closed the door. Hopeful that he got something inside that hard head of his daughter.
AJ didn't even hear the last part her dad said. She was so angry that Punk told her dad about her wanting to ditch him. She slipped on her slippers and walked out of her room to go look for that bodyguard of hers. She went to his room and knocked. No answer. She went into both living rooms, the kitchen, the theater room, nothing. She walked outside and went to the pool. Again, he wasn't there. AJ was getting more annoyed but she continued to look. She went back inside and headed for the workout room. She walked in and spotted him running the treadmill. She walked over stomping her feet.
Punk heard the stomps and he didn't even need to look up in order to see who it was. He stopped the treadmill and stepped off.
"You!" AJ said as she approached him.
"What now Ms. Mendez? Lee? What should I call you...seriously." Punk laughed.
"Oh hush. Why did you tell my dad about what happened this morning? Now I can't go out with my friends this week!"
"I had to. He ordered me to tell him if something unusual ever happened while you were out. Now, to me, you trying to ditch me isn't so unusual anymore but to your dad, it is so I told him. He asked me and I told him." Punk answered.
AJ probably heard half way through the explanation. She realized that Punk was working out shirtless and she caught herself staring at his tattooed bare chest and toned stomach that were glistening with sweat. She looked away before he could notice and then glared at him.
"Next time, don't be such a blabber mouth." she started to walk away.
"Hey..." Punk said softly and grabbed AJ's arm lightly...stopping her from leaving. He looked down at her arm and noticed the light bruise that obviously came from the incident at the Staples Center a couple of nights ago. "I don't know how many times I have to say this but...cooperate with me and these things, won't happen anymore." he brushed his thumb across the bruise. "It would really help if you stopped being so rude and snotty." he said sternly and release his grip from her arm. "That probably goes against every fiber of your being though." he chuckled.
AJ glared at him again before leaving. She rubbed her hand across her arm, where Punk had touched her moments ago. Then, she looked at both her arms and saw goosebumps she didn't even know formed there. Weird. AJ thought and went back to her bedroom and laid down. She replayed everything that happened that day and fell into deep slumber in no time.
After AJ left the workout area, Punk stopped working out all together and made his way back to his room. He took a shower and then relaxed on his bed. He began to think about his actions and about what he told AJ in the workout area. He wasn't sure why he grabbed he so gently...he just did. When he brushed his thumb across the bruise, he felt shivers down his spine and he wasn't sure why. In that moment, he just thought he needed to be gentle instead of his normal sarcastic self. Seeing the bruise on her arm almost angered him. AJ was so petite and her skin was so soft...he vowed that he would take care of that girl despite both their attitudes for each other.
Punk got startled out of his thoughts when his own personal cellphone rang. He looked at the caller I.D. and saw it was his sister Chaleen.
"Hello?"
"Hey Punk."
"Hey Chaleen..you sound weird. Is everything okay? Is grandma ok?" Punk asked concerned by his sisters tone.
"Don't worry, grandma is fine. She's actually feeling better."
Punk sighed in relief. "That's good. So why do you sound like that?"
"I'm just tired. Anyways, I said grandma was fine but we still need to get her the medicine she needs Punk. Without it, she's going to get sick again."
"I know. Believe me, I'm going to get it soon. I get paid this Sunday and it's my day off as well. I'll get her the medicine and go visit you guys." Punk said softly.
"Thanks Punk. I know grandma will always appreciate you getting a job to help us out. Hopefully I can find a job soon. It's not fair that you're the only one working your ass off."
"Yeah but no worries. I'm sure you'll find something soon. I don't mind helping out...you're my family. I would do anything for you guys." Punk responded. When he said he would do anything for them, he meant it. Even having to deal with AJ.
"So, how is the job anyways? Is AJ Lee nice or is she snotty like all celebrities?" Chaleen asked curiously. She wasn't a huge fan of hers but she liked her music. She couldn't believe her brother landed a job to be her bodyguard.
Punk smirked at the mention of AJ. "Her personality is just like mine so what do you think?"
"Oh shit, so there's been pipe bombs thrown and everything?" Chaleen couldn't even begin to imagine those two having a conversation. She knew Punk's hard personality very well and when you put someone like him on his side, nothing good comes from it.
"You can say that. She is snotty though. Not really surprising."
"Is she hotter in person?"
"Chaleen, what kind of a question is that?" Punk rolled his eyes.
"What? I'm just asking. Most famous people look better up close. Some look bad without the making and stuff...so?"
"She's...not too bad-looking." Punk answered. The truth was that he thought she was fucking beautiful. Even more so without make-up. He would never say that though. It wasn't his place to say or think those things so he always shrugged them off.
(Friday Night)
AJ wrapped herself in her bed sheets and laid down completely on her back. She turned her lights down to dim and waited. She knew her dad would come and check up on her. Since it was Friday, the day when she was supposed to go out with Kaitlyn, her dad would check to see if she sneaked out. AJ waited for a while until there was finally a knock on the door. She faintly said "come in" to make it seem like she was dozing off to sleep.
'Hey, sleeping already?" Jorge whispered walking inside.
"I was getting there." AJ faked a yawned.
"Alright, I just wanted to check up on you." Jorge sat next to her on the bed. AJ just nodded and brought the covers more up, all the way to her neck. "It's important to get rest this weekend. You have a few show appearances starting Monday."
"Yeah I know. I will." AJ said and smiled.
"Alright, goodnight."
"Night dad." AJ waited until her dad left the room. Once he did, she yanked the covers off of her and stood up rapidly. She checked herself in the mirror, making sure she looked good. She was wearing a tank top under a leather jacket, a short leather skirt and high heels. She put her hair down and shook it free. She combed it a little and then applied some perfume. Yeah, she was planning on sneaking out. No way was she going to miss out on hanging out with her friends. She almost felt bad herself that she had to sneak out. She was a famous pop star singer who has to sneak out her house to go have fun. How pathetic is that? AJ thought as she grabbed her purse and walked over to her balcony. There was an emergency stair case next to it...kind of like the ones they have on the side of buildings.
AJ stepped out onto the stairs and began to climb down. She looked down, slowly and quietly trying not to make noise with her heels. She still had a way to go. She looked down to try and not lose her footing. All of a sudden, one her heels got stuck to the stair and she was struggling to get out of it. She groaned when she couldn't and looked down again. She tried even harder with more force and finally go it free. She lost her footing though and before she knew it, she was falling off the stairs. AJ closed her eyes and tried not to scream as she was waiting to feel the hard floor hit her back. It never came though.
She felt someone catch her, almost bridal style instead. She turned to look at who caught her and saw that it was none other than Punk. They stared into each eyes for a couple of seconds. Their faces were close and they both felt goosebumps forming in their skin. As Punk held her bridal style, he brushed his fingers against her soft legs, without even realizing he was doing it. AJ didn't even realize that she had her arms wrapped around his neck. AJ broke the gaze first and jerked her way out of Punk's arms.
"What the hell?" she said annoyingly.
"What? You would rather fall the floor and possibly break your neck?" Punk crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't surprised at her attitude anymore. He wasn't even expecting a 'thank you' out of her. "Tyring to sneak out aren't ya?" he chuckled. He tried to hide the fact that he was nervous about the exchange of eyes and physical contact that just happened.
"Shut up. It doesn't concern you." AJ said adjusting her clothes. She was trying hard to make it seem like Punk's touch didn't affect her at all when it indeed did. Her palms were sweaty and she had goosebumps...again. She knew they didn't form because of the cold wheather night.
"It does actually. Even though it's late, I still need to make sure your safe when you're in my line of vision.
'Whatever." AJ said, making no eye contact. She tried to walk past him but he put his arm out in front of her. "Get out of my way."
"You really think I'm going to let you sneak out? Your dad would kill you and then kill me for allowing it. Or he would fire me."
"That wouldn't be such a bad thing." AJ shrugged her shoulders sarcastically.
Punk nodded and chuckled softly. "You're not sneaking out."
"You don't tell me what to do okay? I'm going to hang out with my friends! I wouldn't have needed to sneak out if it wasn't for you telling on me."
"Well, that's true. I'll tell you what. I'll let you go BUT, you have to let me do my job and drive you there. And also look after you."
"No way! Like I'm really gonna have my bodyguard at a club with me." she rolled her eyes at his proposal.
"Fine, then I won't let you go." Punk was even surprised at what he was saying. He could get fired for doing this but he really did feel guilty for messing up her plans. Despite the fact that he was just doing his job. "You won't even know I'm there. I'll make myself...unnoticable" he grinned. "I even promise to not tell your dad about this and not tell him that you were trying to sneak out." Punk pressed.
AJ bit her lip as she thought. She realized she wasn't going to be able to ditch the dude this time. Plus, what he was offering didn't sound too bad. It actually benefited her. "Ok fine but you better stay away from me in there."
"I promise. Unless I see that you are in danger. Look, I'm even dressed appropriately" he looked down at himself.
AJ barely nodded and handed him the keys. She didn't want to get caught staring more than she should. When they're hands and fingers brushed against each other, they felt sparks. Sparks that both of them made sure would not go noticed. They got in the car and Punk put the key in the ignition. It was a good thing that AJ's car didn't make much noise when turning on or when it was running. It was silent in the car as Punk began to drive and pressed the button on the steering wheel to open up the front gate.
Both of them in a club...that was going to be interesting and they both knew it. This would not go smoothly.
"You know you're not allowed to drink right? Technically, you are on duty...and you're driving." AJ spoke up after the dead silence in the car was driving her nuts.
"I know. I don't drink overall anyways." Punk answered as he kept his eyes on the road.
AJ looked over at him and furrowed her eyebrows. "You don't? Like, at all?"
"Nope. I'm straight edge." he announced.
"Oh, I see." AJ knew what the Straight Edge life was about but she had never met someone who actually lived it...until now. In the back over her mind, she always wondered what it would be like to know someone who was like that.
"So if you're straight edge...why did you insist on coming to the club?"
"To do my job and take care of you, duh. Plus, clubs give water don't they?"
"I suppose." AJ shrugged.
"Did we just have a normal conversation? At least now I know that you aren't bitchy ALL the time." Punk's sarcastic remarks came back.
"Did you just call me a bitch?" AJ crossed her arms over her chest.
"Not necessarily. I was saying it in a form of attitude.''
"You make it sound like you're an angel. You're an asshole." AJ spat back. That normal conversation didn't last very much.
"Only because you are bitchy to me."
"Stop calling me a bitch!" AJ raised her voice. She was annoyed all over again. She knew it wouldn't last. She just knew it.
AJ crossed her legs and that caused her skirt to raise up just a little bit. Even though Punk had his eyes fixed on the road, he still noticed it from the corner of his eye. Luckily AJ was looking out the window when Punk couldn't control himself and glanced down at her soft legs. It was almost as if he could still feel her skin under his fingertips. He cleared his throat as he looked away and concentrated back on the road.
AJ looked away from the window and sighed. "Are you lost? Why is it taking forever to get there?" she turned to look at him.
"No I'm not lost. It only seems like it's taking forever because you're inpatient." As Punk spoke, AJ couldn't help but admire his tattoos. They were rather interesting and they looked rather good on him. Why the hell am I staring? Look away before you get caught! She thought to herself.
After a couple more minutes, they finally arrived to the club and got a parking spot despite struggling to get one at first. The club was packed more than usual.
"Keep your distance alright?" AJ demanded as they walked to the entrance.
"Sure thing..." he answered. AJ didn't know if he was being serious or sarcastic.
As they approached the building, they noticed there was a huge line outside the main doors but of course, AJ Lee never had to wait in line. She was AJ Lee. A few of the people in the line noticed her and snapped pictures. There were a few that stepped out of line just to get close to her. Punk immediately denied that as he gentle kept the people back as they entered the club. Once the bouncer saw that it was AJ, he opened the doors instantly.
Because Punk wasn't wearing his suit, the bouncer didn't know he was AJ's bodyguard to he blocked his was after AJ got inside.
"I'm her bodyguard. You have to let me in."
"What bodyguard dresses normal while they are on the job?"
"Brock, it's ok. He really is my bodyguard...let him in." AJ said as she stepped out from the door. Brock eyed Punk for a second before finally moving out-of-the-way.
"If I'm so bitchy like you say I am, I would have left your ass out there." AJ tried to make a point.
"Yeah...and why didn't you?" Punk stopped walking and grabbed AJ's arm, stopping her from walking too.
The pop star turned around to look directly into his mossy green eyes. She wasn't sure what the correct answer was. Honestly, she had no idea why she didn't just leave him out there. That was the most logical thing she would have done in the first place. "Just...I don't know." she jerked her arm free from Punk's grip. "RemeMber..."
"Yeah, yeah. Make myself unnoticeable." It was Punk's turn to roll his eyes.
"And keep your distance from me.'' she added.
"Unless I see you are in danger."
"Whatever." AJ responded and walked away. Punk shook his head and followed behind slowly, entering the last door that led to the inside of the club.
When he entered, his nostrils immediately picked up the scent of alcohol. One would immediately feel disgusted but Punk was used to the smell. When he was little, his dead beat father would drink all the time. He was used to the smell by now. He kept his eyes on AJ as he found a table to sit on. He ordered some water..still keeping his eyes on the petite girl. The heavily tattooed man watched as AJ approached a table where there 5 people sitting at. He was able to recognize one of the which was Kaitlyn of course. The others, he had never seen before. He noticed that when AJ greeted one of the guys that had extreme blonde hair, he dangerously had his hands low on AJ's body as he hugged her back.
Punk leaned back on his chair and carefully studied the interaction between AJ and the blonde guy. He saw the way he slipped his hand onto AJ's and pulled her down to sit rather close to him. The bodyguard didn't know why but it bothered him a lot that this guy was so close to AJ. The way that guy touched her in every way he could, there was not denying that he was attracted to her. By the look on AJ's face, it didn't seem like it was bothering her. It bothered her own bodyguard more than her herself. Looks like she's having a ball. Punk rolled his eyes. He knew he was going to have to keep an eye on them. That is his job right?
Once AJ was able to catch up with Kaitlyn, Dolph and her other friends...she started to glance around the club. She didn't know why but she wanted to trying to spot her bodyguard. She stretched her neck and tried to look over the people dancing until she finally saw him sitting on a table. She watched him as he took a drink from his glass of water. After he took put the cup down, he looked over at her direction and they locked eyes once again. The gaze didn't last long when some blonde girl approached Punk and stood right in between Punk and AJ's eyes.
AJ raised an eyebrow as she watched the blonde getting close to Punk and touching his tattooed arms. What made AJ shake her head was when she noticed that Punk was loving the attention. He was smiling ear to ear and he even ran his fingers down her arm. How could he like her? She looks like a total bimbo! AJ thought. She crossed her arms over her chest and continued to look at the interaction between Punk and that blonde. She could have sworn Dolph was saying something to her but she wasn't even listening.
AJ nearly fell out of her seat when she saw the blonde sit and Punk's lap. She growled as she trailed her eyes down and watched the way Punk wrapped an arm around her waist. AJ stomped her foot down and then grabbed her drink, swallowing it all in a hurry. She quickly got up and ignored her fiends yelling after he. She walked right up to Punk and that blonde.
"Get lost...he owes me a dance." AJ said to the blonde.
"I do?" Punk looked at her confused.
"Yes you do. Leave...now." she looked at the blonde again. She just rolled her eyes and left.
"What are-" Punk started but got cut off when AJ grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the dance floor. She groaned and grabbed his am again, pulling him through the crowd and then walked out the back way door of the club.
"What the hell was that?" AJ yelled as they stepped outside into the quiet night.
"What do you mean?" Punk said while smiling and studying her face.
"You! That blonde! You're suppose to be looking after me!." AJ scowled.
Her bodyguard let out a loud laugh. "Oh, so NOW you want me to take care of you? First, you say you don't need me and now you're angry because I wasn't looking after you? Even though I was."
"No you weren't. You...you were all over her." AJ mumbled. She couldn't believe the things she was saying or the way she was acting. Was she possibly jealous of that blonde?
"I figured you wouldn't notice since you were too busy with a certain blonde as well." Punk rolled his eyes.
"That's none of your business."
"And what I do is none of you business either." Punk responded back. Out of no where he smiled widely. "A little jealous aren't ya?"
"Excuse me? You wish I was! And plus, I could say the same about you." AJ looked at him from head to toe. Punk just laughed and did what she hated the most. He smirked.
AJ growled and tried to stomp her way to the door. When she passed by Punk, he immediately grabbed her by the arm and turned her around, pulling her up to his body. "Let me go!" she said and tried to squirm her way out of his embrace.
"Nah." he shook his head then pulled her in for a sudden kiss. He grabbed her by her waist and kissed her passionately. AJ tried to squirm away again but then she melted into the kiss and began to kiss him back. Her hands fell behind his head and pulled him closer. They simultaneously brought their tongues into the kiss and they entwined slowly.
Punk wasn't sure what exactly drove him to kiss her. He just knew he wanted to. They both finally got a feeling of each others lips, not realizing how badly they wanted it.
All of a sudden, AJ pulled away and pushed him. "Don't...don't ever do that again!" she stuttered on her words and looked away looking nervous. She had liked the kiss but she was not about to admit it. He was still an asshole at the end of the day.
Punk just laughed and shook his head. He knew that she liked it but wouldn't say it. Punk himself liked the kiss but just like her, he wouldn't say anything. They were still feeling the affect of the kiss and it was silent for a while. It became extremely awkward and AJ just walked back into the club...her thoughts all jumbled up in her mind.
(2 hours later)
Punk was literally carrying AJ out of the club. He went through the back way so the paparazzi and fans wouldn't see her in such a state. As he walked to the car, she was giggling into the crook of Punk's neck. The bodyguard wasn't sure how AJ got herself this drunk. He blamed himself because he didn't stop her from drinking too much. He was too distracted and was thinking about what happened with the kiss and all. Before he knew, she was stumbling all over the club. Luckily it was dark and nobody really knew that it was AJ Lee. The huge pop star.
"Wooooo!" she giggled again. "I fly...floating!" she unwrapped her arms from Punk's neck and threw them in the air, wiggling her feet like a child.
"AJ calm down please." Punk whispered as he approached the car. He unlocked it and opened the passenger's door. He was able to place AJ inside and put her seatbelt on. He closed the door then ran around the car to get in the driver's seat. AJ was still giggling as Punk put his seat belt on. He was going to put the key in the ignition but AJ suddenly unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed across the center of the car. She straddled Punk's lap and smiled at him.
"What are you doing AJ?" He asked surprised by her actions. AJ said nothing and just kissed him hard. Punk knew it was wrong but he kissed her back with the same force. He wanted to feel her lips again. They both stayed in that position, kissing each other hungrily.
Punk felt like he was doing so wrong by kissing AJ while she was drunk. He was practically taking advantage of that so he pulled away without wanting to. He never wanted her lips to leave his but he did it anyways.
"C'mon AJ, we need to get you home." Punk grabbed her arms and tried to place her back in her own seat.
"No!" she pouted like a child and then bursted out laughing. Fuck, Punk loved that laugh of hers even though he didn't hear it very often.
"Why are you laughing?"
AJ laughed even more and then got more serious. "I knew you liked it." she said with a straight face.
Punk looked at her confused until he caught what kind of game she was playing. "You faked being drunk?"
"Yup!" AJ smiled. She was going to get off Punk's lap but he stopped her by pulling her into another kiss. They kissed with more urgency and it didn't take long for their tongues to join the action. AJ moaned into the kiss and placed her hands on Punk's chest. He cupped her face and then pulled away. "You know...just because I like to kiss you doesn't mean I like you. You still get on my nerves." AJ said unexpectedly.
"Good to know we are on the same page. I hope you enjoyed that kiss because that will be the last time we kiss." Punk grinned sarcastically and he grabbed her by her arms, putting her in her own seat with ease.
"Asshole." she mumbled and put her seatbelt on.
"Yup that's me." He responded flatly and started the car. He began to driving back to the house without another word. As he drove in silence, they were both trying to figure out how it was possible to like kissing each other but still get on each others nerves and not get along. It was possibly the fact that they both had the "fuck it" attitude and they just clashed all the time. Both of them could still feel each others lips. They both realized something while they arrived back at the house.
They were falling for each other even though they couldn't stand each other at the same time. How does that even make sense? They both thought.
Once Punk parked the car, they sat there in silence. He was getting irritated so he unbuckled his seatbelt and reach for the door handle. AJ undid her seatbelt and then reached over and grabbed his arm, stopping him. She wrapped her hand behind his neck and yanked him forward. They both felt shivers as their faces where only inches apart. AJ leaned forward and stopped when her lips were only brushing against Punk's. She looked down at his lips and then up at his eyes. She could tell the urgency in his eyes. AJ bit her lip and then smirked. "Yeah, we definitely won't kiss ever again." she whispered and pulled away completely. She got out of the car and skipped on her way to the staircase by her balcony.
Punk quickly got out of the car and ran after her. He grabbed her just in time before she climbed up.
"Let me go you jerk!"
"I'm the jerk?! What hell was that all about?" Punk pointed to the car, obviously referring to AJ's teasing that took place in there.
"Teasing you." AJ admitted and smiled. "You said we would never kiss again...what I did in the car just proves that you can't last. You won't go a day without kissing me."
"Oh? And you think you can?"
"I know I can." AJ said flatly.
"You sound a little too confident there." Punk whispered and walked closer to her. "Maybe I should prove you wrong."
"W-what are you doing?" AJ was starting to get nervous when he came up to her and talked in a tone a voice that sounded sexy and seductive. It made her stomach flutter.
Punk didn't answer and just grabbed her by the hips and slowly pulled her more forward, their bodies pressed together. He saw the nervousness in her eyes and he loved that. It just proved that she couldn't last, like him. He bent down making it seem like he was going to kiss her on the lips. Instead, he trailed down to her neck and began to place soft kisses there.
AJ shivered but she had to admit that she loved the contact. She didn't want him to know that so she was confused on what to do with her hands. Biting her bottom lip, the pop star was trying really hard not to moan. She squirmed a little when he poked his tongue out of his lips while he continued to plant kisses on her neck. She felt the coldness of his lip ring and she wrinkled her face trying real hard to not make any noise of pleasure. She felt like she was going to melt right there in then. Bringing her hands up, AJ pushed him away but he quickly pulled her back roughly.
"Not so sure anymore are you?" Punk whispered as he towered over here. He was able to see how her neck glistened with the wet kisses he left there. The brightness of the full moon made it easier to see. They both inhaled each others scent that was heavenly to their nostrils.
AJ just pushed him away again and turned around to start climbing the staircase. It was 1 in the morning and she just wanted to sleep it all off.
(Sunday afternoon)
It was Punk's day off and he couldn't be more relieved. He wanted to just focus on his family today. He passed by the bank and deposited his check. After that, he went to the pharmacy and bought all the medicine that his grandmother needed in order to stay healthy. He bought her and his sisters some food and drinks that would last for two weeks. He did this because he knew he would be busy with work later on. He went all over the place, buying all the necessary things that his family needed. AJ's father was nice enough to let him borrow one of their SUV's so he was able to fit a lot inside. Once he had everything his family needed, he made his way to his grandmother's house, where his sisters also lived. After greeting all of them and placing everything he bought inside, he collapsed on the couch and relaxed.
"You look so tired Phil. You need rest." Chaleen said with concern. Even though she knew that he had always had trouble sleeping, she noticed him more tired than usual.
"I know. The insomnia won't let me though." Punk closed his eyes.
"It seems more than just insomnia."
"What do you mean?"
"You look more tired than usual. You look stressed. I don't blame you though. After everything you did today, I would be too."
"Chaleen, it's never stressful to help my family out. You know I do it because I want to and because I love you guys. You're my blood." Punk reached for his sister's hand and brushed his thumb across it.
"Then what has you so down?"
"It's nothing worth talking about." Punk said honestly. He didn't feel like talking about AJ. He didn't even want to think about her. No matter how cruel that sounded, he was just tired of it. On this day off, he was literally taking a break from her. He was tired of her actions, her attitude afterwards and everything else.
"Sure about that hun?" Punk's grandmother chimed in as she walked weakly to the couch. Punk stood up and helped her sit down.
"Yes grandma. Work is just a lot harder than I thought. Nothing I can't handle though. Really." The heavily tattooed man tried to convince his family even though he was lying. He couldn't handle being around AJ. Seeing her face, those lips that he wanted to capture with his own every time she talked. Her petite but at the same time well-shaped figure that made him want to touch her. Those big brown eyes that always had a sparkle in them. Being around her, he didn't know how he was going to continue working for AJ's family. He knew he had to though. Why? Because of the people who were right in front of him at that very minute.
He had no idea he would fall for his client in the process.
(Monday Morning)
AJ came down stairs all ready to make her appearance on LIVE with Kelly and Michael. She was going to promote a couple of concerts, tease a new song she would start working on, and just answer fans questions.
She walked into the kitchen and noticed Punk sitting on a stool drinking coffee. No surprise that he was already dressed for work. She pretended like he wasn't even there and grabbed an apple from the counter. She had done a good job of avoiding him since the club incident but now that she had places to go, she wasn't so sure what would happen.
"Car is ready to go." Punk said simply and left the kitchen after placing his empty cup of coffee in the sink.
"Honey, try to stay out of each other's hair for the at least today alright?" Vickie spoke as she made breakfast for AJ's parents.
"I wish that would be possible but he just rubs me the wrong way Vick. I don't know. I'll see you later." AJ sighed and walked out. Once she was outside, she noticed that the back door of the car was opened and Punk was already in the driver's seat, waiting for her. The car they were using wasn't AJ's this time; it was one of the SUV's that her parents owned. They only used the SUV's when AJ had appearances or short TV show performances, like today.
She walked over and got in the car, almost slamming the door shut. She was irritated with Punk and vice versa. They were angry at each other for what had happened on Friday night. It was a huge confusion really. The kissing, they liked but it was obviously overshadowed by the hard teasing and all the sarcasm surrounding it. That's just who they were though and they couldn't help it. It was fun but irritating at the same time. They both felt like their mind were driving into overload. AJ didn't know how she was going to make it through the day acting normal. Especially in front of the camera.
AJ was currently in the middle of the interview with Kelly and Michael. So far, everything was going great. She sang a little piece of a new song she was going to work on and gave out some tickets to one of her concerts. She had a great time answering questions by her fans and she was relieved that they didn't get too personal. Like every celebrity, AJ liked her life to be kept personal. She was really private in that aspect. While the interview was going on, Punk was keeping a close eye like he was supposed to. He was standing off to the side, behind the cameras.
"So, AJ Lee, normally we don't follow anything that has to do with the tabloids but I am just really curious. I hope you don't mind me asking." Kelly said.
AJ looked at her suspiciously and everyone in the audience laughed at the face she made.
"Don't know if you've seen this yet but the tabloids are saying that on Friday night..."
AJ's eyes widened when she heard Kelly mention Friday night. She briefly glanced in Punk's direction and could see he had the same horrified look on his face. At this point, they were both praying that the question Kelly was going to ask, wasn't what they thought it would be.
"...On Friday night, you went out with your ex boyfriend Dolph Ziggler. Is this true?" Kelly asked eyeing her and then the audience ooed at the question.
AJ breathed in relief before answering. "Yes I did. Believe it or not, we're good friends so that's all there is to it." she answered. She was hoping that was enough to stop the questions about that night. Her mind immediately went to what happened with Punk and she didn't want to think about it.
It seemed like Kelly got the hint because she changed the subject. Both Punk and AJ were happy about that. After half an hour, the interview was finally over. AJ posed for pictures with Kelly, Michael and some fans. She also sighed autographs and talked to a few fans. Everyone on set was pretty cool and AJ had a great time. That didn't happen very often in interviews. She usually would get annoyed or pissed off.
Once AJ and Punk were back on the road, it was silent again until AJ spoke up. "Stop by every grocery store and gasoline station we pass by from here until we get home." she demanded.
"Why?" Punk furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her through the rearview mirror.
"I want you to get off and buy every single magazine that has my face on it."
"Again I ask, why?"
"Because! What if someone...saw us and they put it in the magazines? Hell would break loose. Especially with my parents."
Punk sighed and pulled over to the side of the road and turned the car off. He got out and then went in the backseat next to AJ. "You're overreacting. If something about what happened was in there, you would have known of it by now. Those hosts didn't say anything and plus I'm sure your publicist would have called you already."
"I'm not taking the risk!" AJ yelled.
"Don't yell at me alright."
"Why shouldn't I? You kissed me first!"
"Yeah and you kissed me back! And then kissed me again in the car. You pretended to be drunk AJ!"
AJ rolled her eyes and pulled him forward into a hard kiss. She pulled away roughly wiping her mouth.
"And I can't last? Okay then." Punk shook his head and turned around to get out but AJ pulled him back. Punk turned around and just looked into those beautiful brown eyes. "What?" he asked softly.
AJ grabbed him by his neck more softly and kissed him passionately. Punk kissed back and tangled his fingers in her hair. AJ leaned down onto the seat, bringing Punk down with her. She tugged on his tie as he touched every part of her that he could reach. The kiss intensified and it started getting hot in the car. Their tongues entwined and they moaned into their open mouths. Punk felt AJ's breasts against his chest and could feel her hard nipples. He reached up and cupped them through the fabric of her blouse. AJ moaned and then reached down to rub Punk's cock through his slacks. Punk growled but then stopped.
'Mmm, AJ...wait." Punk pulled away and sat back up.
"What? Why?" AJ was breathing deeply.
"We're getting too carried away..." Punk said honesty. His cock was already hard but they were moving too fast. He adjusted himself in his pants.
"Punk?"
"What?" Punk responded.
AJ sat up and looked into his eyes. "Do what I tell you."
"AJ seriously? I'm telling you. Those magazines-" Punk got interrupted when AJ placed a finger to his lips.
She rolled her eyes. "Not that. Kiss me asshole." she smiled and pecked his lips. When she pulled away, Punk pulled her back and kissed her with force.
When AJ and Punk arrived home, they both had smiles on their faces. For once, they were happy because of each other. After they had a much heated make out session in the car, they got along on the way back to the house. It was different for a change and they liked it...a lot. They felt like they got closer while on the road. Punk explained to AJ how he was providing for his family and was desperate to keep the job. AJ was understanding and comforting, something Punk never thought he would see. AJ also talked about how she got her first beak, her family and other personal stuff. They were both so glad that they were able to get on the same page without expecting it. It was a relief really.
Punk got out of the car and went to the backseat door, opening it for AJ. She got out and smiled at him. "Thanks. I thought you said you weren't my slave." she crossed her arms over her chest.
"That was different. You were a pain in my ass...now, not so much." He winked down at her. AJ rolled her eyes and smiled.
"C'mon." AJ turned around to go in the house but Punk grabbed her arm, stopping her. "What's the matter?" she turned around.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"You are done with him right?"
"What?" AJ looked at him confused.
"Dolph...you are done with him right?"
"Aww, you're jealous." AJ poked Punk's abdomen with her finger.
"Just answer the question.'' Punk smiled.
"Yes Punk. I'm done with him. You have nothing to worry about." she assured him honestly then kissed his cheek. Punk smiled and walked inside after her. He never thought it was possible for them to be on good terms but here they were.
AJ entered the kitchen while Punk headed to his room to retrieve his personal cellphone. He wanted to call his sister and check up on his family.
"Hey Vickie!" AJ skipped in the kitchen and gave Vickie a big hug.
"Hey sweetie. How did the interview go?" Vickie studied her face.
"It went great!" she grinned.
"Not that I'm not glad to see it but why are you so happy all of a sudden? When you left this morning, I swear you could kill someone."
"Well...let's just say that Punk and I are...getting along." AJ looked around the kitchen.
"Really? I'm glad to hear that April." Vickie noticed that there was another reason why AJ was so happy. She had a sparkle in her eyes. Vick couldn't quite put her finger on it. She decided to leave it alone for now. As long as she was happy, that's all that matter.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to record my new song! I'm so excited Vickie." AJ clapped her hands together.
"You'll do great...like always." Vickie smiled.
(Later that Night)
AJ was laying her bed thinking about Punk. Never would she have thought she would fall for her bodyguard. She did though. Other famous girls would probably put the feelings aside because of the simple fact that they wouldn't be as rich as them. AJ never cared about the money when it came to guys. She was aware of Punk's situation with his family and she respected him for taking care of them on his own. She remembered that Punk mentioned to her that his sister was having a hard time looking for a job. She smiled when the light bulb in her head turned on.
AJ got off the bed and put her slippers on. She was going to Punk's room and tell him what she was doing. Maybe kiss him alittle...or alot. She walked over to the door and opened it only to find her mom standing there.
"Mom."
"Hey sweetie I was just going to knock. Where are you going?"
"Oh umm...I was going to get a glass of water."
"Can it wait? I want to talk to you about something." Jessica said and walked in the room.
"Sure." AJ nodded and closed the door. Her talk with Punk would have to wait apparently.
"I got a call from Dolph, honey." Jessica said and sat on the bed.
"Dolph? Why did he call you?" AJ furrowed her eyebrows. She was confused as to why her ex-boyfriend would call her mom.
"He told me that he wants to take you out April."
"Take me out?"
"Yeah, on a date. He wants you back and I think you should give him another chance. I want you to."
AJ couldn't believe that her mom was encouraging her to date Dolph again. She was surprised that it came out of nowhere. Dolph had always insisted to AJ that they get back together but AJ would always refuse. Lately, her ex hadn't said anything to her. Not even on Friday night when they were at the club. That's why she was surprised. It had been a while since Dolph had tried to get her back. AJ's feelings towards him were still the same. She just wanted to be friends with him but he wouldn't get the message. Now, AJ was annoyed.
"Mom, how many times have I said this? I only see him as a friend now. Nothing will change that."
"Are you sure? If you go on a date with him, maybe your feelings will change?" her mom pressed.
"No mom. No way." AJ said sternly. She wasn't sure why her mom was pressing the issue so much. "Why do you keep pushing this? You usually stop after the first time I say no."
"Because sweetie, he is family friend and he's a great guy. You know his parents are a big reason why our design company has been so successful."
"That has nothing to with me though...or him." the pop star argued.
"C'mon sweetie. Your dad and I are having dinner with his parents this weekend. You should come and then Dolph could go too. It could be like a double date." she grinned.
"Oh God..." AJ buried her face in her hands.
"You know the fans really loved the two of you together. You were like another version of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake."
"Mom! Please..." AJ stood up and shook her head.
"That's it April...you have no choice now. We have to be friendly to the Ziggler family. They have helped us out a lot. We don't have to call it a double date...forget I said that. You do have to come with us though because Dolph is going. And young lady, your father and I saw your interview with Kelly and Michael. You snuck out on Friday night didn't you? Let that be the last time you do that. That's another reason why we're making you go. You obviously don't mind being around Dolph so I don't see the problem.''
AJ sighed as she knew she had no way of getting out of this. When her mom had an idea, she stuck to it. "Fine mom, whatever." AJ rolled her eyes.
"Good. Now get some sleep. You have a KTLA 5 News appearance tomorrow morning and then you head to the recording studio." Jessica kissed her daughter's forehead and left the room.
AJ's good mood certainly didn't last very long. She knew that Punk would certainly not like this. After waiting for a couple of minutes after mom left, she quietly left her room and tip toed over to Punk's. She knocked silently and waited for him to answer. Almost immediately the door opened and AJ rushed inside, closing the door quietly and locking it.
"AJ? What are you doing here?" Punk asked furrowing his eyebrows.
"You don't want me here?" AJ pouted.
Punk chuckled and pulled her into his arms. "Of course I do. I'm just surprised that's all." he kissed her forehead.
"Oh." AJ smiled and pecked his lips. She skipped over the bed and got comfortable. She sighed and opened her arms, signaling for Punk to join her on the bed. Punk made his way over and wrapped his arms around her petite frame. AJ sighed again and rested her head on Punk's chest.
"I sense there's something wrong." Punk said as he ran his index finger up and down AJ's arm.
"Kinda." she admitted.
"What is it?" Punk asked concerned.
"My mom is making me go to dinner with her, my dad, Dolph's parents...and Dolph." AJ bit her lip.
Punk tightened his grip on her body and kissed the top of her head. "Why?"
AJ sat up and turned her body to face Punk. She sat indian style as she talked. "My mom says that Dolph called her and told her he wants me back. I told her I only saw him as a friend but she wants me to give him another chance." Punk nodded and looked down but AJ pulled his chin back up immediately. "Hey, I told you that there's nothing to worry about. There's no way I would ever get back with him. I'm just going because my mom is making me."
"I still don't like it. Wait, you're not even officially mine. I have no reason to be upset." Punk joked.
"Really? So you don't mind that I'm going? That he might kiss me?" AJ teased.
"Kiss you?! The hell he is. I'll break him in half." Punk said and then grabbed her by the hips, pulling her forward so she could straddle him.
AJ giggled and entwined her fingers in between his. "Either way, can we make it official now or what?"
"I think we could wait a while longer." Punk joked again. AJ slapped him lightly on the abdomen. "I'm kidding, jeez girl. Ms. Mendez, would you like to be my girlfriend?" he said it in a dramatic way like they do in the soap operas.
AJ laughed. She loved it when Punk was playful. "I would love to." she fluttered her eyelashes then bent down to kiss Punk. They smiled into the kiss before it started to deepen. They entwined their fingers at the same time their tongues did. Swallowing each others moans, they began to grind against each other. AJ easily felt Punk's erection pressed up against her. It made her pussy wet and she kissed Punk with more purpose. That purpose being, she wanted him. She wanted him inside her...badly.
AJ released Punk's hands and placed them under the hem if his shirt. She started to pull it up but Punk stopped her. AJ whined and pulled away. "What?"
"I don't have any condoms AJ." Punk sat up and rested his back on the headboard.
"Excuses. You just don't want to have sex with me." AJ got off his lap and attempted to get off the bed but he pulled her back.
"Hey, that's not it. Remember what I told you in the car earlier?" he said honestly. Only he knew how badly he wanted to be inside AJ but he didn't want to rush things. He thought it would be better to spend more time together and then the sex would come at the right time. "Plus, I really don't have any condoms."
"You're such an ass. What guy doesn't have condoms?" AJ chuckled and laid on top of him.
"Trust me, I didn't think I would even come close to sleeping with the pop star of the house."
AJ rolled her eyes and then sighed. "What should we do about this then?" she whispered and rubbed Punk's still hard cock in the palm of her hand. Punk just groaned in response. AJ sat up, removed him shirt and then kissed him passionately. She pulled his shorts down and began to stroke him fully. Punk grunted and reached for the waistband of AJ's pajama bottoms. He slipped his hand inside and began to rub her clit with his thumb while he entered a finger in between her pussy folds.
They moaned silently in each others mouths as they felt a rush of pleasure go through their bodies. AJ increased the pace of her strokes as Punk entered another finger inside her. To get more comfortable, AJ laid on her side, next to Punk. Their lips never disconnecting, the new position gave them more pleasure and more room to work with. AJ could feel her orgasm building and knew Punk was close as well when his cock began to throb in her hand.
They broke the kiss and kissed each others necks as they breathed in and out. Their foreheads glistening with sweat the cumed at the same time. Punk came all over his stomach, some of his warm cum spilling onto AJ's hand. The petite singer placed kisses on his shoulder then bit it as she felt the waves of pleasure rush through her body as Punk's fingers continued to move in and out of her. She breathed heavily in the crook of Punk's neck as the pleasure faded away slowly. They felt goosebumps at the feeling of their hot breath hitting their sensitive skin.
In that moment, Punk and AJ got closer on an intimate level. AJ licked off Punk's cum from her hand and from his abdomen, swallowing it all with pride. They both wanted more but knew it wasn't the right time. They held each other close as they relaxed in the warm embrace. As AJ rested her head on Punk's chest, she could hear his heart beating and it was soothing. "I don't want to go that dinner." she whispered as she stroked Punk's bicep.
"I know. I don't want you to go either.''
(The Next Day)
After AJ left the news station, she was so annoyed. They mentioned Dolph to her again and she had to beat around the bush. She was hoping that would be the last time they mentioned him to her. Based on the dinner they were going have, she doubted it though. Punk was just as upset as she was. He made sure to glare at the new anchors before escorting AJ out of the building. He hated the fact that they were all up in her business; especially when it came to her ex.
With both of them being upset, they climbed into the backseat of the car, careful not to be seen and had another heated make-out session. Instead of bumping heads like they used to, they made out now to blow some steam. Thank God for dark tinted windows because if people witnessed what they did to each other, they would swear they were eating each other a live. Kissing every part of their skin that they could reach. The hot kisses and tender touches. Things were getting hot and heavy pretty quickly but they loved it.
"I gotta get you to the recording studio." Punk mumbled as he placed kisses all over AJ's revealed breasts. He nibbled on one of her hard nipples before pulling away completely. AJ whined but nodded in agreement. They fixed their clothes and AJ grabbed her comb from her purse, making sure her hair looked perfect again. They pecked lips one last time before Punk got out and got in the driver's seat rapidly. There was no one in sight; they were in an underground parking garage after all.
"Your gonna love the new song I'm working on." AJ sat on the edge of the back seat and placed her hand on Punk's shoulder.
"I'm sure I will." Punk turned around and kissed her forehead.
AJ smiled and relaxed as she rested her back on the seat. As Punk started the car and drove out of the parking garage, AJ's phone vibrated. She pulled it out her purse and saw it was a message from Dolph. She rolled her eyes and opened the message up.
Dolph: Hey my little pint, your mom informed me about the dinner this weekend. Can't wait to see you ;)
AJ shook her head and stuffed her phone back in her purse without replaying to him.
"Who was that?" Punk asked as he looked at AJ through the rear view mirror.
The weekend had arrived too quickly for AJ's liking. Sometime during the week, Punk and AJ decided to keep their relationship a secret. So many things could happen if her parents found out; not to mention the fans and the social media world. Jessica and Jorge never seemed like it because they always treated their employees so well but they always liked for their children to be with high-class people. Dolph was certainly classified as a high-class man which is why they were pushing AJ.
AJ was just about done with her parents controlling her. They treated her like a 10-year-old and she would put a stop to it. She was currently in her room looking at the rose that Punk bought for her earlier in the week. She brought the rose up under her nose and the sweet scent filled her nostrils. She smiled and placed it back in the jar half full of water. There was knock on the door and then her mother came in, Vickie right behind her wheeling a clothes rack inside the room.
"What's all of this?" AJ hopped off the bed and pointed to the clothes rack.
"These are dresses I got picked out. All you have to do is pick the one you want to wear to the dinner." Jessica smiled.
"Mom, I'm not going." AJ said sternly.
"Oh yes you are."
"NO! I am not!" AJ raised her voice. It was time for her to put her foot down. She was nineteen, this was ridiculous. "Mom, you can't make me do anything or go anywhere. I'm nineteen, I pay half of what this house it worth. How can you guys just keep controlling me like that? I refuse...I'm not going.
"But Dolph's parents-"
"No, mom. I understand you guys owe a lot to them but like I said, that has nothing to do with me or Dolph. I'm not getting back with someone I don't like anymore just because you want to pay his parents back.
Throughout everything that AJ was saying, Vickie only smile. She was happy that she was taking a stand and not letting her parents take over part of her life.
"They want you guys to get married." her mom blurted out.
"Excuse me?" AJ's eyes widened.
"Listen honey, a while back the Ziggler Family lent us a lot of money that we needed. Once they let us borrow it, we promised them that we could pay they back in any way possible. They came to us a couple of days ago and told us to forget about the debt if you married Dolph. They think you're the perfect one for him.'' she explained. "If they make us pay them back, we won't have any money left over. Not even what the company makes will help us pay off our half of the house. We'll lose it since you can't pay it fully. Not to mention, we won't be able to pay the employees of the house like they deserve."
AJ shook her head in disbelief. Now she knew she had a point when she advised that they pay the house cash immediately once they bought it but her parents nixed the idea. "So, you're using me to pay off some debt?! I can't believe this. The company makes a lot of money, is the debt that big?!" Jessica just bit her lip and didn't answer. "Wow this is unbelievable. Now with more reason, I won't be going to that dinner mother. I don't apologize for it, you should be apologizing to me for wanting to use me to pay off a debt!" AJ yelled and walked out her room. She went straight to Punk's and knocked on the door while the tears ran down her cheeks. She couldn't believe her parents actions.
Punk opened the door and his eyed widened when he saw how upset AJ was. "What's the matter?" he whispered.
"Just...grab the keys and let's go." AJ said and then left, making her way outside to the car.
Punk furrowed his eyebrows but did what AJ said. When he got to the car, he opened up the door and AJ stepped in. He wanted to hold her badly even though he had no idea what was going on. With other employees of the house around, he couldn't though.
In silence, he started the car and drove out of the driveway, passing the open gate that immediately closed after. AJ looked out the window and saw that there were a lot of paparazzi and news stations on the sidewalk. There was a hug amount and AJ was confused because they were never that many cameras outside her house.
"Umm, where are we going babe?" Punk asked softly. "What's the matter? You're freaking me out here and what's with all the cameras camping outside your house?"
"Just go to the Standard Hotel in downtown. I'll explain everything."
Punk nodded and made his way to the hotel, still confused as ever.
While Punk drove to the hotel, AJ was doing a lot of thinking. Every word that her mom spoke to her was rambling in her brain. Her parents were basically in deep shit. They had a huge debt with the Ziggler family and she was almost too scared to ask by how much money. She was beginning to realize why there was a lot of commotion outside her house. Word either got out about the debt or about her and Dolph possibly getting married. AJ was hoping it was the wedding because she wouldn't anyone to know her parents where in debt. She began to think about what her mom said about them possibly losing the house. AJ for sure could pay her half with all the money she earned but she couldn't do it alone. She was a pop star but she was just starting out in her first year, she didn't have that much money on her own. She had suggested that they buy a house that they could afford more easily but once again, her parents nixed it.
Her parents paid for half of house and other expenses. AJ began to panic when she remember that her mom mentioned they wouldn't be able to pay the employees what they deserved either. That would mean Punk would get paid less. The petite diva was aware of how much Punk needed the money to provide for his family. He couldn't afford to get paid less than what he got now; it was barely enough.
AJ's thoughts then wondered to her parents. She was extremely pissed off at them for their actions but they were her parents after all. They sacrificed a lot for her to become the pop star she is until now. They went through hell and sadness to get her all those singing lessons and a numerous amount of other things. AJ couldn't help but feel guilty about the fact that she refused to help her parents. Could you even call it help? It was more like a sacrifice to get married to someone you don't love. She hadn't even thought about the fact that she was too young. It was so wrong but it would pull the debt out of their hair. It would save the house, their reputation with the media, and most importantly, they would be able to pay their employees what they earned; especially Punk.
AJ saw this as a sacrifice for Punk than anything else. Her puffy eyes lifted from the ground to see Punk's gorgeous green eyes through the rear view mirror. They were so content on the road in front of him but AJ could notice the worry and concern in them too. She had to do it for him. More for him than anyone else. He needed all the money he could get and AJ would not allow him to get a pay cut from her parents all because they ran out of money and got in debt. After thinking long and hard, she sobbed harder as she made her decision.
Punk arrived at the hotel and got out immediately, opening the door for AJ. "Let's get a room." Punk said and escorted her through the doors. Things were calm in the lobby and they were both relieved.
Once they were able get a room, they casually made it there rapidly. Punk opened the door for her and then looked around before entering himself.
"AJ, what the hell is going on?" Punk asked concerned. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her petite frame; holding her tight. AJ didn't respond and just held onto him tightly as much as she could. "AJ..." he pulled away and lifted her head, by her chin. Their eyes locked and Punk could tell it was something serious. Something bad.
"Can you do me a favor?" AJ choked out as she wiped the tears from her face. Everything went downhill so quickly, she couldn't believe it.
''Anything for you."
"Make love to me."
"What?" Punk could barely hear her whisperes despite them being so close to each other.
AJ cleared her throat to speak more loudly. "Make love to me...before I break your heart."
After AJ wouldn't give him a clear answer, Punk walked her over to the bed and laid her down gently. She asked him to do something and he was going to do it. He wasn't sure about anything right now. All he knew was that he wanted to make AJ feel better; that's clearly what she needed. He just hoped that his secret girlfriend would give him an explanation after what was about to happen. He took his ear piece off and took his phone out his pocket; placing both of them on the table near by. He took his suit off and hung it over a chair.
He got on the bed, took her shoes off as AJ continued to cry silently. He crawled up her body and kissed her passionately. He broke it and then kissed the tears away. The salty taste was on his lips but he didn't mind. He leaned down and began to place open mouth kisses to her neck.
AJ hooked her fingers under the hem of Punk's shirt and lifted it up to reveal his heavily tattooed chest and abdomen. She massaged his upper body and then he pulled away to get rid of his shirt completely. He threw it off to the side and grabbed AJ's hand; pulling her to sit up. The bodyguard pecked her lips before lifting her blouse and taking it off. They locked lustful eyes as Punk reached from behind to unclasp her bra. As soon as he took it off completely, he attacked her lips and they laid down on the bed once again.
As their tongues danced together, Punk reached down to massage her breasts slow; causing her nipples to harden into peaks. AJ moaned into the kiss and went for the waistband of Punk's jeans. She tugged on them and Punk smiled. He stood off the bed and stripped out his jeans, including his boxer briefs. When he got back on the bed, he did the same to AJ.
For the first time, they were completely nude in front of each other. They both took the time to take in the beautiful sight in front of them. Punk's green eyes traveled from her feet, to her legs, wet pussy, flat stomach, her breasts and then they settled on her big brown eyes. He noticed that she stopped crying and she looked more relaxed. He was relieved to see that.
"Make love to me." AJ whispered and looked at him.
"With pleasure." he said back and positioned himself in between her legs. He grabbed her smooth thighs and spreaded them apart. He kissed her lower abdomen and then went for her pussy folds. He flicked his tongue in between them and immediately tasted her sweet juices. AJ bit her lip and moaned in pure pleasure. She felt Punk's tongue thrust in and out of her pussy, making her more wet. As he continued to eat her out, Punk's cock became harder, it was almost painful. He started to play with her clit slowly and sucked on it making a loud slurping sound.
AJ squirmed when she felt her orgasm building quickly. "P-punk...I...I-I'm gonna c-cum." she warned. She couldn't believe that he could get her that turned on so quickly. Punk reluctantly let go before licking the wet folds one last time. He crawled up to be on her level again and kissed her hard. She could taste herself in his mouth and she moaned. "Mmm, Punk I need you. Please.'' she whispered with pleading eyes.
Punk nodded with a straight face. He was extremely concerned over what AJ was upset about but now was not the time to question her. He needed to give her what she needed. It was his job to give it to her. Spreading her legs apart, Punk positioned himself on her folds. He bent down and kissed her passionately as he rubbed the head of his hard cock on her pussy folds, before entering her slowly. They moaned simultaneously at the feeling of being so connected and intimate. He thrusted while looking at her straight in the eye. The next three words she said, made Punk's stomach flutter.
"I love you." she moaned out as she looked him in the eye. She really did love him. It might of not been a long time since they made the relationship official but she really did fall in love with him unexpectedly. She loved everything about him and that was all that was on her mind right now. As soon as he touched her, she forgot about everything.
Punk kissed her neck then licked it. He pulled away and looked deeply into her brown eyes. "I love you too." he replied without hesitation as he continued to thrust in and out of her. Everything AJ felt, he felt it too. Only reason he didn't say it sooner was because he was afraid she wouldn't feel the same way.
"Fuck Punk...I love...you s-so much." AJ held onto his biceps and arched her head back. She felt Punk increase his pace and her inner thighs went hot. They could both feel the sweat forming on their foreheads rapidly. They breathed heavy and moaned after ever thrust. AJ wrapped her legs around his waist so she could feel him going in deeper. She traveled her hands up to his shoulders and she dug her nails into them. Her body was on fire and small waves of pleasure where going through her petite body as she sat up slightly and kissed his shoulder before pulling away.
Punk groaned and kissed her hard. He felt his cock begin to throb in between her folds and he knew he was close. He pulled out slightly and AJ whined at the lack of contact. He pulled out completely and then laid down behind her, facing her back. He leaned in and kissed the back of her neck while massaging her back with his hands.
AJ moaned, closed her eyes and bent her head forward to he could have more access to her neck. The massage was really helping and she was getting even more relaxed. Punk was giving her exactly what she needed and so much more.
"Does that feel good?" Punk whispered in her ear. AJ could on nod in response. Once he stopped, he kissed her neck again and then trailed wet kisses down to her back. He placed his index finger at the top of her back and then trailed it right down her spine lightly. He could feel her shiver under his fingertip. He continued going down until he reached the curve of her ass. He continued and then stopped at her thigh. He lifted it up and placed her leg behind his own; her foot resting on the bed flatly. He lined himself up and thrusted into her again.
AJ gave a faint moan as she felt Punk enter her from behind. He was going slow and every time he thrusted in, he kissed her neck lightly; giving her goosebumps. He continued to whisper sweet nothings in her ear and that made her emotional again. She quickly wiped the tears away and brought Punk's fingers in between her own. She turned her head to capture his lips in a heated but passionate kiss that they gave their all to.
Punk increased his speed a little bit but was still going slow. He wanted this to last for as long it could. He wanted to make love to her the right way. He groaned when he felt AJ's walls tighten around his cock. He held onto her hands tighter and groaned as he broke the kiss and pressed his lips onto her neck. He knew that they were both close. "I love you." Punk whispered in her ear as he felt his cock throbbing.
AJ turned her head again to look him right in the eye. "I love you too." she moaned and as soon as she said it, her orgasm came. Sharp waves of pleasure ran through her body and she was going to close her eyes but decided not to. She wanted to look into Punk's green eyes as they came together.
During AJ's intense orgasm, Punk also came and filled AJ up with his warm cum. They filled the hotel room with their moans and kisses. "Oh Punk...fuck that feels good." she was breathing heavily and rested her head on Punk's shoulder as he pulled out of her slowly.
It was silent for a while and then Punk tightened his grip on her once he heard her crying again. He was concerned even more know. He needed to know what was going on. "Baby, you want to tell me what's going on now?'' he whispered. "I'll there for you no matter what, I promise. Don't be afraid to tell me.''
"Let's get dressed first." AJ responded. She already felt the tears coming back.
Once they got dressed, AJ and Punk sat at the table that was off to the side of the room. AJ pulled her phone out and went into the internet. She googled herself and the story immediately popped up. The headline said: ''BREAKING NEWS: Sources say AJ Lee and her boyfriend Dolph Ziggler are engaged to be married! Whose happy for the cute couple?'' AJ shook her head and cried. She looked up at Punk who had a puzzled look on his face. She gave him the phone and he took it in his hand. AJ bit her lip as she waited for a reaction.
"This is all made up right?" Punk stood up. "It's just the media making up stories again." he felt his stomach drop with her silence. "Can you say something or?"
AJ wiped the tears and looked up at him. "I think you better sit back down."
It took maybe half an hour for AJ to explain everything that was going on to Punk. She had to take long pauses because she would choke on her words and the heavy crying wouldn't allow her to make things clear. She slowly began to feel her heart-break as she finished the story off.
"NO. I won't allow that to happen." Punk paced around the room. "You are not going to marry him! How dare your parents make you? They can't do that AJ! You will not marry him. Over my dead body.''
"That's the thing. At first they were kind of forcing me."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Punk, If I don't marry him, my parents are going to have to pay his parents back all that money. Which means, they won't be able to pay their half of the house, other things that need to get paid off, and not to mention, the people who work for us. They won't be able to pay their employees and that includes you. I know how much you and your family need the money. You can't afford a pay cut and you know it. You need all the money that you can get. I'm doing this for you because I love you. If I marry him, his parents will forget about the debt.''
"How do you know that? What if you marry him and then they still make your parents pay them back."
"No, they must have had some document done. I doubt that will happen.'' AJ choked out. She sniffled and took Punk's hands in hers. "I'm doing this for you and for your family Punk. A part of me is doing it for my parents too because they have sacrificed a lot for me. I need to return the gesture no matter how pissed I am at them.''
"I'm not going to allow you to sacrifice yourself like that. Forget the fact that I don't want it to happen...it's just wrong to marry someone you don't love.'' Punk looked down at their conjoined hands. "I don't want this to happen AJ. Just...don't do it." he whispered. "I can get a job somewhere else"
"No. No one will pay you more than my parents. I...have to do it. To save the house, at least until we can sell it and afford another one with less value. To save all the people who work for my family...save you, your family, especially your grandmother.''
"AJ no..." Punk argued. Just knowing that she was going to marry someone who wasn't him was enough to sting his eyes with tears; and he didn't cry very often. How would he even be able to handle that? He couldn't. "When you get married, you won't need me anymore. They'll let me go so what's the point?" he merely shrugged.
"They won't. They have you give you something else and pay you the same.''
''So what? When you get married, he's going to move in...just like that? With your parents there?" Punk sighed. "This makes no sense AJ. It really doesn't.''
AJ shook her head. "I don't know what will happen afterwards. I just..." she looked away unable to look into his eyes that glistened with tears. He had that look in his eye that just showed he was heartbroken. The same look that she had in her eyes. Sh never thought that she would ever have to make such a big sacrifice but dammit, she had to. This only goes to show that you can never be comfortable no matter how rich or famous you are. Money talks and AJ was just now beginning to realize that the hard way.
Punk took AJ in his arms and inhaled the sweet scent of her black hair and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe what was happening right now. He admitted that he needed the money desperately but that didn't mean he was ok with AJ sacrificing herself so he can get his regular high pay. It was just wrong no matter how bad things would get for him and his family. He loved AJ so much and he didn't want to see her get married to someone she didn't love. She loved him. He also couldn't believe that her parents would put her in this type of situation. She was 19 years old and they were practically using her so they won't have to pay that debt of God knows how much money. For a 19-year-old, AJ was under too much stress and he didn't like it one bit. He knew there was no way to get her to change her mind. She made her mind and that was it. Punk felt defeated for the first time in a while. After both got lost in their thoughts, the sound of Punk's work phone went off. He pulled away from AJ and wiped his face completely from the tear stains on his cheeks. He composed himself and then walked over to the table and retrieved the cellphone and the earpiece. He placed the earpiece back on then answered the phone.
"Hello? Yes sir...she instructed me to bring her to a hotel. I'm standing right outside the door of the room." Punk lied and glanced over to AJ who had her arms crossed over her chest and was looking down. "Yes I certainly will...ok." Punk hung up the phone and went back to AJ. "He wants me to take you home."
AJ only nodded and grabbed her phone, stuffing it in her back pocket. She looked up at him and stood on her toes, giving him a passionate kiss that he quickly returned. They kissed like it would be the last time they would ever have that type of contact again. Punk pulled away and kissed her forehead, cheeks nose, neck, then pecked her lips one last time.
"I love you."
"I love you too." AJ threw herself into his arms and held him tightly. After a few minutes they pulled away and slowly walked to the door. Punk made sure there was no one in the hallway before they stepped out.
As they walked out of the elevator, they could see tons of paparazzi outside the building. Punk went over to check AJ out of the room and once they headed to the doors, Punk made sure to keep the distance between her and the cameras. As they walked through the sea of people, they heard them yelling and asking all types of questions like ''When are you and Dolph getting married? ''Is it true he's moving into the house you share with you parents? When did you guys get back together?'' Those people knew everything but still asked a mountain of questions. Punk was dumbfounded.
Once they made it back to the house, that was still being invaded by news crews outside, Punk opened the door for AJ to get out. As she did, she gave him one last apologetic look. They stepped inside the house and made their way to the living room. AJ parents immediately stood up when they saw her enter the room.
Punk stood off to the side as he heard those words that broke his heart completely.
"I'll go to the dinner and we can talk about the wedding plans."
(7 months later)
AJ looked at herself in the mirror. Up and down, she observed the white dress that was well fitted for her body. This was the fourth time they tailored it for her and it was finally the perfect fit. She loved the dress and she had to admit that this was the dress she always dreamed of for when she got married. However, she did not imagine herself wearing it while marrying a man she did not love. She constantly reminded herself that she was doing it for Punk and her parents financial issues. The past 7 months had been pure agony for AJ. Shortly after agreeing to marry Dolph, she did some concerts she had scheduled and then decided to take a break after her new CD Album was released. She took the time off per requested by her parents so they could plan the wedding freely. However, she did not mind the time off because she was in no mood to perform. The wedding was in 3 months and nothing had changed as far as her mood was concerned.
AJ was depressed ever since they started planning the wedding 7 months ago; which was also when she and Punk made love for the first time. She would never forget that special moment in her life. Ever since then, her lips had no met with Punk's at all. AJ's father had assigned Punk to take care of the house more often and there where only a few times when he had to accompany AJ somewhere. During those times, AJ was either with her mother, wedding planner, or Dolph. There was no room for communication and sneaking into each others rooms in the middle of the night was something they just simply did not do. AJ was getting married and Punk did not feel right, sneaking up like that. AJ felt the same way; she also did not want to risk someone seeing them do such thing. All hell would break loose if that happened. Even though she didn't get alone time with Punk, it was bittersweet to see him around the house. She was happy that he was still there and was earning the money that he deserved and being able to provide for his family. The bad part was knowing they couldn't be together anymore and that his heart was broken; as much as hers.
"Are you ready sweetie?" the dress tailor asked from the other side of the door. AJ just opened the door and nodded. "You look so beautiful! Come on out so they can see you." she smiled. AJ slowly walked out to reveal the dress to her mom, Dolph's mom and her maid of honor, Kaitlyn whom was not happy with the situation.
AJ told Kaitlyn everything about her parents money issues, the Punk situation and basically marrying Dolph without loving him. Kaitlyn understood why she was doing it but she still did not like it. AJ practically begged her to not say anything and to just go with it. Kaitlyn would do anything for AJ so she promised her she would not spill. As far as the wedding went, the whole world practically knew AJ and Dolph were getting married. They were the ''it'' couple and the tabloids, news, and internet world knew about their wedding. Their wedding was the most anticipated of the year.
"Honey, you look so beautiful." Jessica, AJ's mom said smiling. In the back of Jessica's mind, she knew why AJ was doing it. She knew it was wrong but it had to be done. Jessica and Jorge couldn't bare having Dolph's parents hang the debt over their heads. They made sure to make a document saying that the debt was off so there was no taking it back from either side. Despite feeling like the circumstances weren't right, Jessica was at least glad that AJ was marrying a decent guy in Dolph. He was obviously in the same high-class as them so she had no problems with the wedding in that regard. It was a bittersweet situation for Jessica and her husband Jorge, really.
"Thanks mom." AJ smiled. Half the smile was fake and other was actually sincere because she really did love the dress.
"Are you sure it fits good?" Dolph's mom asked and stood up to get a better look.
"Yes." AJ responded flatly and twirled around so she could see for herself.
"Great. It looks flawless. We better head out. We have to meet the guys for their last tuxedo fitting."
AJ swallowed hard because she knew Punk was going to be there. Langston had the day off so her dad asked Punk to accompany them while a different bodyguard accompanied the girls to the dress store. Everytime she was in the same room as Punk, she wanted to run into his arms and never let go. Those sad green eyes staring at her just made her stomach turn and heart race faster. She missed his kisses and sarcastic personality that got her pissed off sometimes. She missed fighting with him just like she missed getting along with him. She just missed him.
Punk stood off to the side as usual to witness Dolph trying on his tuxedo for his wedding with the love of his life. The love of Punk's life. He had to stand there and watch as everything unfold right in front of his eyes. He continued to watch as AJ's dad kept on congratulating Dolph over and over. It was getting on his last nerve. He kept on thinking that Dolph was living in a situation that Punk imagined he would be in with AJ. Call him crazy for thinking that way so soon but it was the truth. He saw himself wearing that tuxedo instead of Dolph. He saw himself marrying AJ. At least, she would be marrying a guy she actually loved. The last 7 months were hell for Punk as far as his job went. Everyday, he had to deal with listening to wedding plans being thrown around in every direction. Flowers, invitations, reception, music, cake, everything. He was getting sick of it. The one thing he was getting even more sick of was Dolph always kissing up on AJ right in front of him. Of course, Dolph had no idea what was really going on but Punk still wanted to use his talents and rip his head off.
Punk got interrupted from his thoughts when he heard giggling coming from the entrance of the store. He turned and saw as they came in. It was Dolph's mom, AJ's mom, Kaitlyn, and lastly AJ who was trailing from behind with a not so bright look on her face like a bride-to-be should have. She walked slowly with her head down and her arms crossed over her chest. Punk's jaw muscles flexed when he saw Dolph practically run to her and giving her a long kiss on the lips. AJ reluctantly raised her hand and placed it on his shoulder. Punk looked aways and shook his head lightly. That was last straw. Now, he surely didn't regret what he was going to do and what he already did. He couldn't take it anymore.
"AJ...what do you think about Dolph's tuxedo? He looks great right?" Jorge smiled at his daughter.
"Yeah, he does." AJ smiled weakly up at Dolph. She glanced over briefly to where Punk was standing and saw him looking away from them. The bride-to-be didn't blame him. She always wanted to avoid these types of confrontations but it was impossible. As long as he was working for her family, she was always going to see him; maybe not as her bodyguard but still. Just like every other time, AJ wanted to be in Punk's arms at the moment. She wanted to feel his lips and hear his sarcastic voice that was pretty much his regular voice.
"Well, we're almost done here so you ladies can head home now that you've seen Dolph's tuxedo. Punk, come here please." Jorge turned to Punk's direction The bodyguard turned his head and walked over slowly.
"Yes sir..." he responded and stood up straight, not making eye contact with anyone.
"Do you mind driving the lady's home? You've been with us all day and there's still somewhere we have to be. I know you must be tired. I'll just have Cesaro stay with us." Jorge explained. Cesaro was the bodyguard that had accompanied the girls to the wedding tailor. Punk was in no position to say no. He was tired of seeing Dolph. At least, he could get back to the house and go to room and relax. It's what he really needed.
"No problem sir. Ladies..." Punk made no eye contact again and just walked over to the door, opening it for them. They walked out and as Kaitlyn walked passed him, she gave him an apologetic look. AJ made no eye contact and neither did he.
"Cesaro, we're switching places."
"Gotcha." Cesaro answered and headed inside the store.
During the drive back to the house, Punk was surprised he had not crashed yet. The constant laughing and squealing from AJ and Dolph's moms were unbearable. They kept on briefly mentioning the honeymoon, which they were going to spend in Miami, Florida. Dolph had suggested that they go somewhere they had never been to like Hawaii but AJ always said no. She didn't want to go overseas so she made up her mind on Miami. The honeymoon location was probably the only thing that the public did not know about. Punk didn't even know. The moms just talked briefly about it but never went into much details. Nobody knew the location except for AJ, Dolph, and their parents. Punk sighed in relief when they finally got to the house. He escorted them inside and then headed straight to his room after being told he wasn't needed for the rest of the day.
Punk walked into his room and locked the door shut. He took off his earpiece and retreated his work phone and personal phone from his pocket, throwing them on the table. He unbuttoned his suit jacket then slammed it on the ground in frustration. The bodyguard ran his fingers through his hair before walked over to the bed and collapsing on it. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to relax. The last thing he did was relax though when he kept imagining AJ and Dolph standing at the altar, getting married. Burying his face on the pillow, he growled.
(With AJ and her mom)
"Mom, what's going to happen to my bodyguard after I umm...get married?" AJ tried to sound casual as she tried on the new chucks she would be wearing to the wedding. No way was she going to wear heels. She hated those things. It took an argument but her mom finally allowed her to wear the chucks.
"He's still going to work for us sweetie. There's no way we are going to let him go. Why do you ask?" Jessica asked curiously. Jessica was aware of Punk's financial issues and about his family so she would never have the heart to let him go. Neither did her husband.
"Just wondering." AJ shrugged. She was semi satisfied with that answer. She was glad he was going to continue working there but at the same time, it was going to be hard seeing him there, knowing they can't be together.
(With Punk)
Punk was able to get about half an hour of relaxation until his personal cellphone began to ring. He got off the bed and grabbed it before laying back down on the bed. He looked at the caller ID and saw it was his good friend Colt Cabana.
"What's up Colt?" he sighed.
"Sup man. How is it going over there?" Colt asked concerned. Punk had told him the entire story about AJ. He had full confidence that his best friend wouldn't say anything. They knew each other since they were young so Punk knew he could trust him with anything.
"Hell" was all Punk said.
"Well, I got good news. I did what you told me to do. It only took 48 hours for them to call me back. They want you at the WWE performance center as soon as you can get over there. If you impress them at your audition, you'll debut on RAW in no time and you'll be on deck to becoming the biggest WWE superstar. You're going to have to move to Florida, just like you were hoping for. You're definitely going to impress."
"Good, becuase I can't continue to work here and watch the love of my life slip away from my grasp more after each day that passes by. I need to leave.''
Sunday rolled around pretty quick and Punk had the day off again. Even though he had the day off, he intended on doing a lot done. He was going to visit his family of course and the announcement of moving to Florida was making him nervous. He was hoping that they would understand. Better yet, he was hoping they would move along with him. He would be helping them financially either way but it would be better if his family was there, living with him. He would be able to afford a bigger house for all of them and it would be easier to get around once he bought a car. Working for WWE really could change a person's life for the better.
If his family agreed to go with him, he had to book their flights immediately. After Punk did that, he had to go back to the Mendez home and talk to AJ's dad. The conversation was surely going to be tough but it had to be done. He made sure to not mention where he was moving and what he was doing. He was going to gain a lot of popularity so they would find out on their own when the time presented itself; along with AJ. Punk was sure that AJ would beg him to stay if he told her he was leaving. The best thing to do was to not tell her at all.
He woke up that Sunday morning and already started to pack a few things in his luggage bags. He showered quickly and then got dressed for the day. He decided to head over to his grandmother's house as soon as possible. He managed to leave the house without bumping into anybody. Although, as he was approaching the gate, he ran into Langston.
"Sup man?"
"Hey what's going on?" Punk stopped walking.
"Nothing much. House duty today. Your day off?"
"Yeah I gotta go visit the family, ya know?"
"Nice, so how are you dealing with it?" Langston crossed his arms over his chest.
"What do you mean?" Punk furrowed his eyebrows. He was suddenly interested.
"With AJ getting married. It's been pretty obvious to me that you don't want her to get married. There's something between you two isn't there?"
Punk just stood there not knowing what to say. Was he making it that obvious? If he was, that meant that Dolph probably saw something suspicious too; maybe even AJ's parents. He hoped that wasn't the case. Langston all though did figure him out so he wasn't going to play dumb.
"Smart man, Langston. And I'm not going to deal with it for much longer.''
"What do you mean?"
"I'm sort of quitting today and I'm leaving L.A. Heading to Florida. For some reason, Punk didn't think of the precautions of telling Langston where he was going. He didn't think it would make a difference.
''So you're running away from the problem?
"I'm not running away Langston. You know what, I gotta go. Do me a favor and don't repeat anything I just told you to someone else.'' Punk walked off clearly done with the conversation. He was beginning to regret telling him where he was going. At least he didn't mention which city.
After briefly stopping by the store, Punk quickly made it to his grandmother's house. He put all the food in the fridge and turned around just in time to see his sister walk in.
"Phil you're here." Chaleen smiled and hugged her brother.
"Hey, I told you not to call me that." Punk joked. Chaleen rolled her eyes. "Where's grandma?"
"In bed resting. She didn't sleep well last night." she frowned.
"I have to talk to you about something and then I need to talk to all of you about something important." Punk sighed. He needed to reveal to Chaleen what had happened with AJ and why he's leaving. He trusted his sister with his life and she wasn't all that into the media buzz anyways. They went in the living room and he began to spill the beans. By the time he was finished, Chaleen looked at him with wide eyes. Punk wasn't sure what to make of her facial expression.
"So...you basically had to stand there and watch her plan her wedding for 7 months? How did you not rip the guy in pieces at some point? How can her parents make her do something like that?"
"I told you, she had some say in it too and she agreed to do it. Whether it was for me or her family, in the end she agreed to marry him." Punk said sadly.
"You know she doesn't love him. Based on what you told me, she loves you and is willing to do anything for you."
"Yeah but I can't take it anymore.''
"So what are you going to do?"
"That's what I have to talk to you and grandma about. C'mon." They walked into their grandma's room and she was just waking up. "Hi grandma."
"Phil, sweetie how are you?" his grandma smiled up at him and sat up on the bed.
"I've been better. I need to talk to you guys about something.''
AJ woke up past noon with tears in her eyes. She was having a dream that she was marrying Punk instead of Dolph. She sat on the bed, her knees up to her chest as she cried. This was the 3rd time in a row that she had that dream. She didn't know what to do anymore. All of a sudden, she remembered that her parents weren't there and neither were the people helping with the wedding. For once, the house was in peace. She didn't even bother putting on shoes. She quickly made her way to Punk's room and knocked anxiously. She couldn't resist herself anymore. She needed Punk desperately. AJ knocked again when there was no answer. She furrowed her eyebrows when again, there was no answer. She instantly remembered that it was his day off and he most likely wasn't there.
AJ began to walk away but then went back to the door. She tested the knob and saw that it was open. She stepped in quickly and closed the door. When she looked around the room, she saw his luggage scattered around with his clothes in it. It was pretty clear that he was leaving. AJ growled and stormed out of the room. She went to the stairs and took a seat right at the top of them. She was going to wait until he got there. A couple hours later, the door finally opened up and AJ stood up.
"Dad, how could you fire Punk?!"
Punk was walking, making his way back to the Mendez house. The conversation with his family went better than he expected. They supported his decision and they also agreed to move to Florida with him. They were a family and they needed to stick together. His grandma always stuck by that and it hadn't changed. Punk helped them pack most of their stuff and left the rest to Chaleen while he booked their flights. It was getting dark and he needed to get back in order to talk to Jorge. He wasn't sure how he was going to put all the words together to so he decided to just go with whatever left his mouth. He didn't want to think too much.
He pulled his work phone out and called for Cesaro to open the gate. Once inside, Punk walked up the front of the house and opened the door only to find AJ and her parents standing there. It almost looked like they were waiting for him.
"Hello." Punk said in a confused tone. He glanced over to AJ and it looked like she had been crying. His eyes widened when he thought he caught up on what was happening. AJ told her parents about them. "Mr. Mendez I can explain..." Punk put his hands up in defense.
"I sure hope so. That way April can stop accusing me of firing you."
"What?" Punk looked at them confused.
"Yeah, she walked past your room and noticed you have your bags packed up. She thinks I fired you but I'm telling her that's not it. Can you explain to us what's going on?"
Punk looked at Jorge, then to Jessica and finally locked eyes with AJ. His face went pale and he didn't know what to do. He wanted to talk with Jorge alone and now he had AJ right there too. He growled in frustration and just blurted it out before he blew a gasket. "I quit."
"Excuse me?"
"Look Mr. Mendez, I appreciate everything that you have done for my family and I. I just...decided to leave L.A. with my family. I can't continue to work here..." he looked at AJ again and she was crying while shaking her head. Punk swallowed hard before continuing. "I got another job somewhere else so you won't have to feel guilty or worry about anything. I have to do what's best for my family and I. It so happens that the best thing is for us to leave the city, the state. I hope you can understand where I'm coming from. Again, I don't think I'll be able to repay you for what you've done. Forget the paycheck, I'm talking about lending me your car and allowing me the day off whenever I needed to take my grandmother to the hospital. All of it, I thank you for it.'' Punk slicked his hair back.
"Are you sure about this Punk? If that's what you want, I'll let you go. I just want to make sure that you made up your mind 100%."
"Absolutely sir. I need to do this. My family and I are sure that we want to leave.'' Punk said confidently. "Once we leave, we are all going to be in a better place.''
"Okay.'' Jorge nodded and pulled out his wallet.
"You wife already payed me sir."
"I know but this is extra. It's a thank you for taking care of my daughter for so long. I know she can be a tough cookie but you handled it." he chuckled.
"Yeah...'' Punk gave AJ apologetic eyes and she just looked away.
AJ wanted to tell him so many things but it was impossible with her parents there. There was a sound of a cellphone ringing and it was her dads.
"We have an emergency at the office. We better go sweetie. Punk, thank you again for everything. Make sure to say your last goodbyes tomorrow? I know everyone here liked you so...''
"Absolutely sir." Punk responded. As soon as AJ's parents were out the door AJ walked up to him and slapped him right across the face.
Punk looked down and rubbed his cheek, not surprised by her reaction. 'AJ..." he started but she walked away. He followed her up the stairs and into her room. "AJ listen to me." he closed the door and locked it. He reached for her arm but she jerked it away.
"NO! Punk why are you leaving? Why are leaving me!" she pounded her fist to his chest.
"Do you think it's been a walk in the park for me?! Having to stand there and watch you drift away from me? No AJ, I'm surprised I lasted as long as I did! I can't do it anymore! You're getting married! You don't need me anymore! Besides, what I said about getting a new job and doing what's best for my family is true.''
AJ wiped her tears away. "Where are you going?" she whispered.
"I can't tell you."
"Why?! Why can't you tell me! Punk please..don't leave!" AJ threw herself in his arms and held him tightly. "Please...don't''
"I have to." Punk wasn't hugging her back and his jaw muscles just flexed. His eyes were beginning to sting with tears. This is exactly what he didn't want to happen.
"I won't get married! I'll call it off! I'll do anything but please don't leave!"
"You can't do that! You can't back down and you know it AJ!" Punk grabbed her arms and pulled her away from his body reluctantly. Punk was an emotional mess just like she was. Without thinking, he turned his back on her and was beginning to leave but AJ stopped him. She grabbed his arm and spun him around, clashing their lips together. They both sighed into the first kiss they had shared in 7 months.
AJ broke the kiss quickly and glared at him. "You're going to miss this." she kissed him again. "And this..." she stood on her toes and kissed his neck. "You really want to give this all up?! Huh?!" she yelled and then kissed him on the lips hard.
Punk grabbed her wrists and pushed her away. "I'm not getting this even if I do stay! You're getting..." Punk was breathing deep. "GETTING MARRIED! Either way, I'm screwed. I don't get to do this anymore..." he kissed her lips. "Or this... he ran his fingers through her hair and then kissed her neck. "Or this! You'll be in the arms of another man!" He kissed her passionately, entering his tongue in her mouth and roaming his hands all over her body. He pulled away and they stared into each others eyes intensely while breathing hard and crying.
"We won't be able to this anymore." AJ whispered walking up to him. She pulled him down and kissed him more gently. She grabbed his hands and placed them on her breasts. Punk immediately began to knead them and he groaned against her lips. He walked them over to the bed and they collapsed on it, kissing each other with more force. It had been 7 months since their first and last time together. It was way too long. Punk pulled away discarding of both their clothes. It didn't take long for them to get into their naked state. They were breathing hard, crying and were anxious in anticipation more than they had ever been before.
They didn't bother teasing each other at this point. They wanted it so bad; they could not wait. Punk positioned himself in between AJ's parted legs and thrusted into her slowly. AJ sniffled and then moaned at the friction of pleasure. "God...Punk go faster." AJ gripped his biceps tight as he began to thrust into her faster.
Punk leaned down and captured her plump lips where he could taste the salt from the tears that were streaming down her face and landed onto her lips. He increased the pace on his thrusts and they swallowed each others moans. They kissed each others necks and AJ wrapped her legs around his waist, making him go in deeper.
"I love you AJ. So much..." Punk glanced down to witness his hard cock disappear deep inside AJ's body every time he thrusted in.
"I love..you too! Oh baby...fuck!" AJ clawed her fingernails on Punk's back as she felt her orgasm building. She suddenly flipped them over and began to ride Punk's cock fast. They breathed deeply every time she went down. AJ bent down and their lips clashed once again. Punk held onto her small waist as he felt his balls tighten up.
"Fuck AJ!" Punk mumbled against her lips and finally spilled his warm cum inside AJ while her walls tightened around him.
AJ whined and even cried as her orgasm hit hard. Her body shivered and she got goosebumps as the waves of pleasure ran through her petite body. Sweaty bodies pressed against each other when AJ collapsed on top of Punk. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and soothed her back as she continued to cry on his chest.
After a few minutes, Punk noticed that her cries were decreasing and then realized she had fallen asleep. He kissed her forehead lightly and slowly placed her down on the bed. He rolled off of it and put all his clothes back on. He went back to the bed and stroked AJ's hair with one hand as he wiped her tears away with the other. "I really do love you AJ. I'm so sorry." He wiped away his own tears now and then covered her body with the bed sheets. Walking to the door her took one last look at the love of his life before leaving.
He went to his room and finished packing. He and his family would leave tomorrow morning.
AJ woke up the next and she was still in her naked form. She wasn't at all surprised that Punk wasn't near her. Going to his room would do her no good; she knew had already left. She rolled off the bed and headed to bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, her eyes were still bloodshot and puffy from all the crying she had done the night before. She couldn't believe that Punk had left and didn't want to tell her where. That just sounded like he didn't want her to look for him. Which meant he never wanted to see her again. She rubbed her eyes before she could start crying again and went in the shower.
While the warm temperature of the water ran down her soft skin, she began to look at the situation from Punk's point of view. She knew that he must have been going through hell every time he saw her with Dolph. Hearing about the wedding plans and listening to every single detail. She had to quickly get herself out of that mental position because she couldn't bear to even think of Punk marrying someone who wasn't her. Now she was beginning to realize how hurt Punk really was. She couldn't help but not blame him for leaving, even though she was heartbroken and missed him like crazy already.
After getting out of the shower and getting dressed in comfortable clothes, AJ decided to stay home all day. She was in no mood to deal with anybody. Before making her bed she grabbed the bed sheet and inhaled Punk's scent. That scent that she loved so much was heaven to her nostrils and it gave her goosebumps. She sighed and finally made her bed; her eyes glossy with tears. She walked over to her mirror and applied some make-up just so it wouldn't go noticed that she was crying. She pulled her damp hair up in a pony tail and headed out of her room.
She walked into the kitchen and saw her dad sitting on a stool reading a newspaper as he sipped his cup of coffee.
"What would you like for breakfast sweetie?" Vickie asked as he eye AJ carefully. There was something off about her. Vickie knew her well enough to notice right away. She made a mental note to ask her what was wrong later.
''Fruit and yogurt will be fine. Thanks Vic.'' she sat on a stool and poured herself a cup of coffee. She was really addicted to the substance and would drink it every morning.
"Hun, there are still a lot of magazines and talk shows contacting Maryse saying that they want an interview with you and Dolph about the wedding.'' Jorge announced. Ever since the media knew about the wedding, they were all trying to get the first ever interview about it with either Dolph or AJ. The bride-to-be practically begged Dolph not accept any interviews. She didn't want her business out like that and most importantly, she didn't want to rub the wedding in Punk's face.
"I already said no dad. I don't wanting people knowing every detail of my life. Plus, you know those tabloids take any information they get and twist in into something completely false."
"Okay if you say so. I was just mentioning it. By the way, you can take the day off today. I know that planning a wedding can be quite stressful.''
"You have no idea." AJ rolled her eyes. Vickie placed AJ's breakfast in front of her and again could tell there was something seriously wrong with AJ. One thing that she knew was that AJ was not happy with the marriage. Everytime the petite singer was happy about something, she always went to her and expressed her happiness. Not once in the past 7 months had AJ walked up to Vickie and bragged about the wedding. There was something wrong here and Vickie vowed to get to the bottom of it.
After AJ finished her breakfast, she decided to walk outside and take a walk around the house and take a look at the garden full of flowers. It had been so long since she's been able to look at them. The wedding completely ripped her away from her daily routine.
"Hey Rey." AJ sighed and stood beside him where he was watering the plants.
"Ms. April. Haven't seen you around here in quite a while.'' Rey glanced over before returning to watering the plants.
"Yeah, been pretty busy. The roses look so beautiful." AJ got on her knees and inhaled the sweet scent.
"No doubt. There hasn't been lack of sun so they are doing great.'' AJ smiled and continued to look on until someone said her name from behind. She turned around and saw Langston sitting on one of the many benches they had around the outside of the house. She said goodbye to Rey before making her way over there and sitting next to him. She had to admit that she missed him being her escort. He was fun to be around.
"Hi'' she said without smiling.
"Hey. What's the matter?" he immediately asked. He right away noticed the sad look on her face. Her former escort already knew what was wrong but he wanted her to say it just to make sure. There was a possibility that Punk was suffering from this and AJ wasn't.
"The wedding has me stressed I guess. I'm glad I got the day off today." she chuckled lightly and pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear. The little smile on her face disappeared when she glanced over to the emergency staircase by her bedroom window. The flashback of when Punk caught her sneaking out played out in her mind. Then when they got back from the club, the way he kissed her neck and made her turn into complete goo. She would never forget that or everything else she experienced with him. Shes hook her head and ran her small hand over her face.
"It seems like it's more than the wedding. What's really going on?"
"It's nothing really. It just feels different without that bodyguard my parents hired.'' AJ shrugged. She tried to make it seem like it was such a casual thing but Langston of course knew it was anything but casual. That was confirmed when he talked to Punk early in the morning the day before.
"He barely left this morning and it already feels different?" he raised ad eyebrow at her. AJ just shrugged and bit her lip. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything.
"You don't have to fake in front of me Mendez. I know.'' Langston revealed. He laughed when he saw how wide AJ's brown eyes got. "Yeah, believe it or not you guys made it pretty obvious the entire time he was here. Luckily, I'm the only one smart enough to observe it.''
"How come you're barely saying something now?" AJ was surprised. If they were that obvious she was relieved that her parents nor Dolph noticed anything. That would have been a disaster.
Langston shrugged. "Not my place to do so. I'm here to do a job. Not get into people's personal lives.''
"You're talking about it right now."
"Yeah because I see you need someone to talk to about it and you can't exactly go to your mom or Vickie, right?"
''Yeah...I wish I knew where he left to. He couldn't even tell me that."
Langston looked away nervously before standing up. "Yeah, I gotta get back to work. I need to observe the back yard. Talk to you later.'' he left quickly. For some reason, Langston did exactly what Punk told him to do; which was to not tell anyone where he left to. He knew right away he probably looked suspicous to her but he hoped she would not ask questions. AJ thought that was kind of weird. It looked like Langston got nervous when she questioned about Punk's whereabouts. She shrugged it off and went back inside the house. It was really quiet and she thought that was out of the ordinary. She walked over to the music room and sat in front of the piano. Music would always help her in tough situations so she began to play and sing. Her sweet voice echoed through the room and the sound of the piano went smoothly with her soft voice. She stopped playing and smiled to herself. She hadn't realized how much she missed singing since she took some time off.
AJ sighed and glanced around the room. She settled her eyes on the coffee table that was placed on the other side of the room. She noticed there was a folder placed on top and walked over there, curiously. She grabbed the folder and opened it up. She couldn't believe what was in there. It was a copy of the document of the agreement her parents had with Dolph's parents. She looked at the bottom and saw the signatures of both couples. She never even knew it was even possible for this type of document to exist. She bit her lip as she began to read the details over the agreement. It had said on their that she and Dolph had to get married in order for the debt to get called off. That was pretty obvious.
AJ put the folder down and realized something. That document said nothing about the marriage having to last forever. Maybe she could get married to Dolph, wait a while and then divorce him. The document never said anything about no divorces. Despite not knowing where Punk was, she was going to do just that. After, she would do anything in her power to find Punk. Even if she had no help.
Two weeks after being in Tampa, Florida, Punk and his family finally got their place organized and they were settled in. It was a four bedroom house with two bathrooms so it was a big enough space for them. The first day that Punk arrived in Florida, he went straight to the performance center and met with Triple H and Stephanie. Luckily, they were very well aware of all the training that Punk had under his belt. They had no hesitation on debuting him on the main roster right away. His audition only convinced them more that he was ready. He impressed everyone including the trainers. They gave the authority the green light on that with no problem.
Luckily for Punk, he wasn't debuted for another couple of months. Management wanted to use him right so they decided to wait. Another advantage; they assured him that his debut would be made there in Florida. He was relieved that he didn't have to do any traveling for his first wrestling show. Despite being busy getting ready for his big night, Punk couldn't help but think about AJ at the back of his mind. He missed her a lot and was always wondering what she was up to. Everytime he would close his eyes, he imagined her begging him not to leave. That heated confrontation they had was in his mind all the time and he couldn't make it vanish.
Punk could still feel the rough kisses that they gave each other and the intense stares. The way they caressed each other's bodies and got intimate for the second time. Telling each other how much they loved each other only made it harder for Punk to leave. Each word that AJ told him the last time they saw each other, was piercing his heart like a bullet. The begging, the crying, and everything else that came with making love. The further they went, the more devastated Punk was to leave her. In his mind though, he had no choice. AJ couldn't back out of that wedding even if her parents wanted her to. They signed an agreement and they couldn't back down. He was stuck and had no other direction to go other than the opposite direction of AJ.
"What's going on dude?" Colt Cabana approached Punk as he was running the ropes inside the ring. Punk stopped and grabbed a towel before stepping out of the squred ring.
"What's up."
"Nervous about your debut?"
"Nah man. I'm cool. I'm actually excited to get out there. More anxious than nervous really. There's still some time go until then so I'll be alright by then.''
"She's still on your mind though isn't she?" Colt crossed his arms over his chest and studied Punk's face. He was aware about what was happening with Punk and that pop star. Colt couldn't help but be surprised that Punk could handle someone like that. He always heard the gossip that she was just another stuck up celebrity. Punk told him otherwise though so he wouldn't doubt his judgement. He did however feel bad for his best friend. Almost everywhere, there was some type of news about the wedding of the year. Magazines, posters on the side of buildings, TV news. It was everywhere and Colt himself was getting annoyed with it all. He couldn't even imagine how Punk was handling it all.
"I can't lie to you, yeah she is. It's pretty hard when there's a picture of her and that Dolph guy all over the place." Punk rolled his eyes annoyingly. Even though she wasn't there physically, Punk still felt like she was there. Her face plastered on every wall. It was almost as if the move wasn't helping at all. He tried to push it all away as much as he could though.
"No worries man. Once you debut, you're not even going to have enough time to take a piss; much less think about her." Colt smirked and it made Punk chuckle lightly. That was the first sincere laugh he had given in weeks. Of course, it was up to his best friend to get it out of him.
"I guess your right. Once I get myself traveling a lot, I'll probably forget.'' Punk knew he would never forget her though. He loved her and love her very much. If anything, she was always going to be in his mind and in his heart. That was the love if his life.
(2 months later)
AJ and Dolph were currently landing in Miami Florida for their honeymoon. The wedding went as planned and only their closest family and friends were there. They were lucky enough to keep the paparazzi out of reach by having a private ceremony and reception. Afterwards though, they did do a photo shoot spread for People Magazine. AJ was practically doing it against her will after Dolph kept insisting her. She said yes just to simply shut him up. The magazine spread like wildfire and AJ knew Punk had seen it no matter where he was.
"We're here babe. Let's go." Dolph smiled and kissed AJ's neck lightly.
"Great." AJ said rolling her eyes. They grabbed their belongings from the overhead compartment and stepped out of the private jet. They headed to their rental car where their driver opened the door for them.
On their way to their hotel suite, Dolph kept kissing AJ's neck and touching her. Each time, AJ cringed at the feeling of his lips and his touches. They were nothing compared to Punk's. With Dolph, she felt cold and not secure. The complete opposite of how she felt with Punk. He held her close to his warm body and caressed her body lightly. She missed Punk's touch and her body ached without it. She kept telling herself that it would not last long. She was hoping that her asking for a divorce would go smoothly. She wasn't going to do it right away of course. She couldn't make it sound too rushed. She would have to wait for a while until she felt it was the right time. After that, she would need to focus on finding Punk. It would be hard but she was up for the challenge. Anything to get her love and happiness back.
They arrived at their fancy suite and placed their bags down as they walked around the place and took it all in. The suite was actually pretty nice but it didn't change the way AJ felt about the whole thing. She wanted Punk there with her.
"Babe guess what?" Dolph approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist. AJ just nodded in response. "I got tickets to Monday Night RAW for us. It's in Tampa.''
"Wrestling? Seriously? On our honeymoon?" AJ rolled her eyes. Dolph really wanted to go watch wrestling on their honeymoon. Not that AJ cared what he did but she thought it was absurd. She was over the whole situation so she just agreed to go. She didn't even care enough to think that going to a wrestling show was not fit for a honeymoon. Why should she? She's with a man she doesn't love. She could careless what they did at this point. She was just glad he asked her to go to a wrestling show and not to have sex. AJ could only be relieved for so long though.
(With Punk)
He held the magazine in his trembling hands. Flipping the pages, he go even more angry. Punk felt like his heart was about to combust as he flipped through the ten page spread of AJ and Dolph's wedding. It was like AJ was practically rubbing her wedding right in his face. He crumbled up the magazine as much as he could and threw it across the locker room in a fury. He was angry at the fact that AJ seemed to be okay with giving a photo shoot of a wedding she didn't even want to happen in the first place. Despite not loving the man she married, she sure as hell had a big ass smile on her face in the pictures; showing the complete opposite of getting married against her will.
Punk sighed and cracked his neck. Now was not the time to get distracted by anything. He needed to focus and get ready for his debut. It was surely going to be an interesting night in Tampa, Florida.
Punk was pacing back and forth in the locker room. His debut was not that far away and now he had to admit that he was nervous. Everybody in the locker wished him good luck and that eased him up a little bit. He knew some of the guys from previous wrestling events so it didn't take much for him to get used to the them. He reluctantly looked at the other side of the room only to see the magazine still crumbled up on the floor. He went to pick it up and tossed it in the trash with authority. No, that would not distract him any longer. He actually had a career to worry about now.
He left the locker room after they informed him he was up soon. Upon arriving to catering for a bottle of water, everybody was wishing him good luck. Needless to say, everybody was excited to see his debut and there was a lot of buzz. He never expected to be such a big deal but it was happening. He appreciated the support and headed over to the gorilla to get into position. He stood there sipping his water and doing last-minute stretching until he heard his entrance music blasting through the arena.
For the first time in a long time, he walked out making his way to the ring. He stood on the ramp for a second to take it all in. He looked to the crowd in all directions until he made his signature entrance that he came up with himself, as well as his in-ring name. The reaction he got after they introduced him as CM Punk was breath-taking. He made his way to the ring and he was high in adrenaline. He was right in the middle of the ring and looked into the crowd once again as his music continued to play. He scanned through the people on the front row.
He continued to scan the people until he stopped dead in his tracks. Those brown eyes full of shock were looking straight at him. He completely froze as he stared back at them with the same reaction. He rubbed his eyes trying to make sure that he was not imagining things. He thought his ming was fucking with him for sure. Then, he looked over to her right and saw Dolph there laughing it up while his arm was draped around AJ's waist. The anger crept up on Punk again and he looked away once he heard his opponent enter through the ramp. How was he going to focus now? He had no idea. His heart was beating fast and his knees felt weak.
He remembered to himself though that he had a career to protect. He closed his eyes briefly only to get the image of that magazine in his mind again. Of course, she's happy with her marriage. Only God knows how Dolph made her happy all of a sudden. He shook his head and focused on the task at hand. He had a lot of anger and fuel; his opponent was in trouble.
AJ couldn't believe what was happening right in front of her. The love of his life was right there before her eyes wrestling in that ring. Her lips stayed parted as she couldn't process it all. It was bone chilling to see the man she loved again. It had been approximately 4 months since they last saw each other but if felt much longer than that. AJ's stomach couldn't help but flutter when he turned to look at her. It was spine tingling at first but then she noticed anger in his eyes more than anything else. She wasn't sure if it was part of his character but she didn't like that look one bit. She got pulled out her thoughts and out of the intense stare she kept on him as he fought hard against his opponent.
'Babe, they're going to put you on the screen after this match like they do with all the celebrities that come to the events. Awesome right?"
"I guess." AJ mumbled. She turned her gaze back in the ring just in time to see Punk hit his opponent with a knee to the face. He got the cover, the pin and the win. The pop star couldn't help but smile as he got his hand raised by the referee. He looked like he was having a blast and AJ was glad he was successful in his first match. She watched as he climbed up the turnbuckles that were on the same side as her and Dolph. She looked up at him and roamed her eyes all over his sweating body. Oh how she missed touching him and planting kisses all over his heavily tattooed chest.
Certain screams caused AJ to have to cover her ears. She looked around at the crowd and saw all the girls looking at him the same way and chanting his name while whistling at him. It was no secret that Punk was a very attractive man and he could now get any women he wanted. He was a professional wrestler now and he was only going to get more popular as time went by. In AJ's mind, that just meant there were going to be more girls out there wanting to throw themselves at him. She didn't like it. Especially after she witnessed earlier the kind of female wrestlers he was now going to be around during every show. AJ couldn't help but feel like insecure and like a hypocrite at the same time.
Here she was worried about Punk getting with other women while she was married to someone else. It worried her a bit when he cilmbed down the turnbuckles and left the ring without glancing back at her again. AJ felt the tears forming in her eyes. The tears were coming for different directions. The fact that she saw Punk again, the way he was sort of giving her the cold shoulder, his successful debut. She was proud of him no doubt about it. Although she lacked knowledge about wrestling, she knew that they had to pay great for it. AJ had no doubt that he and his family were doing great. She sighed not knowing how she was going to make it through the rest of the show knowing that Punk was backstage.
AJ only knew one thing for sure. She had to divorce Dolph faster than what she anticipated. Knowing where Punk was and where he worked only made it easier for her. She would still wait a while so Dolph's parents wouldn't get the impression that she was trying to get out fo the marriage. She needed to last long enough for their parents to get convinced that they were not happy together. They couldn't do anything to stop a divorce after saying that now could they?
Upon leaving the arena after the show was over, AJ got delayed leaving after fans at the show asked for pictures and autographs. She was relieved that her fans didn't forget her after taking a break from the music scene. She had to admit that it felt refreshing being able to make her fans happy.
"Ms. Lee?" AJ turned around to see a security guard standing there.
"Hello, is something wrong?"
"Not at all. I'm a huge fan by the way. Just wanted to let you know that the WWE appreciates you coming to an event. It's always a big deal when celebrities come by."
"Oh well thank you. It was a great show." AJ smiled. She bit her lip and began to think. "You know, I don't know if this is allowed but..."
"Say no more. You want to go backstage right?"
"How did you-"
"A lot of celebrities ask for that and WWE never has a problem with it. You can come with me and meet some of the superstars if you haven't already. That's actually the reason I came over. There are certain superstars that want to meet you." the security guard smiled.
AJ swallowed hard, wondering if one of the superstars was Punk. She nodded and followed the security guard backstage. She texted Dolph who was waiting in the car for her. She told him to go the suite and then ask the driver to head back and pick her up.
They reached the backstage area and she looked around at all the chaos. Make-up and hair stylists gathering their things. Wardrobe and camera men putting away their equipment.
AJ had to admit that she really did enjoy the show despite the whole Punk thing. She never saw herself liking wrestling but there she was; fascinated with it all. After meeting a couple superstars and the WWE management, she took pictures with them as well. She began to walk around in hopes of finding Punk somewhere. Desperately, she needed to see him and talk to him. She missed him so much and decided to dismissed the cold shoulder he had given her earlier.
She turned the corner and saw him sitting on a table, doing something on his phone. AJ's breath caught in her throat. It had been a while since she was this close to Punk again. Her palms were sweaty and her heart beat faster the closer she got to him. As she approached him, she wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans.
"Punk..." she whispered as she stood next to him.
"What are you doing here?" Punk asked coldly without looking up at her.
It was really hard for AJ to understand why Punk was being this much of an asshole to her. Sure, she didn't expect him to be very jolly since she went there with Dolph but she sensed there was something bigger going on. He wasn't even showing a slight amount of happiness to see her. He couldn't even look her in the eye.
"We haven't seen each other in months and that's the first thing you say to me?" AJ said softly. "You're not even looking at me."
"What do you want me to do April? Run into your arms and kiss you? We both know I can't do that for numerous reasons."
"No, I have a feeling if we were alone you would be all over me, even if you were still pissed off about something." she whispered back.
"I'm not talking about this here." Punk stood up and walked away. AJ growled in frustration and ran after him, grabbing his hand. "What the hell is wrong with you? If we can't talk about it here, let's go somewhere else then."
"Don't you have a husband to get back to or something?" this time, Punk looked at her. In his mind, AJ was going to tell him that she was happy in her marriage. That magazine really convinced him of that. Was she going to tell him that she didn't love him anymore? Punk sure thought so and he was not going to allow that to happen. He wasn't going to settle listening to that.
AJ bit her lip as she took a step back. She felt the tears coming but she quickly rubbed her eyes. Whatever made Punk so mad must have been really bad because she's never seen him this angry before. "Punk..." she shook her head.
"Just go. I wouldn't want to mess up your happy marriage."
"Happy? What the hell are you talking about? You know damn well this "marriage" has been a nightmare for me."
"Sure didn't seem that way in that photo shoot you guys had." Punk responded.
AJ sighed and now knew he had indeed seen the magazine. "Look, I need to talk to you about a lot of things Punk. Please, can we go somewhere else and talk? Please." she pleaded. Punk shook his head but AJ continued to press. "Punk, please." she reached for his cheek and stroked it softly with her thumb.
"Let me grab my things." Wait here." Punk finally gave in and walked to the locker room. As he gathered his things, AJ texted Dolph and told him that she was going to be a while. She lied saying that the WWE wanted her to stick around longer. Once Punk made it back to where AJ was, they walked out the back way of the arena.
"Hold on." AJ went over to their personal driver and told him to head back to the hotel. "I'll just grab a taxi because I'm going to be a while. Thanks."
"Where are we going?" Punk asked.
"A different hotel."
"Not a great idea. I'm not your bodyguard anymore and you're married. That will look suspicious.''
"Do you have a better idea?" AJ crossed her arms over her chest. She was getting irritated with Punk's attitude. Although, she did admit that she had missed it when they were apart.
"We can go to my place.''
"What about your grandmother and sisters?"
"I have a place of my own apart from my grandma's house. I don't go there very often, only when I need time alone. C'mon." Punk walked over to his car and AJ followed. It was really late so there was nobody around to see what they were up to.
The drive to Punk's place was very quite and uncomfortable. AJ just looked out the window while Punk was content about the rode in front him. AJ couldn't take the silence anymore so she spoke up. "You umm, did great in your first match." she said shyly.
"Thanks.'' Punk responded flatly. AJ just nodded and looked out the window again. Punk was really hurting her feelings and he wasn't realizing it. She figured she deserved it though because she certainly hurt his feelings with the whole magazine thing and the marriage in general.
As Punk drove into the parking space of his apartment complex, he glanced over to AJ's left hand that was resting on her leg. "You're not wearing your ring."
AJ looked at her ring finger than looked at Punk. "Only wear it when I'm around Dolph in Public. It's not something I'm proud of.'' Punk just nodded and got out of the car. They walked over to his apartment and headed inside. "Sit. Do you want anything to drink?"
"No, I just want to talk." AJ said sternly. Punk sat down next to her and winced at the soreness on his back.
"Go ahead. Wanna tell me how the married life is like?" Punk smirked sarcastically.
"Stop being an asshole Phil." AJ snapped. For the first time, Punk didn't correct her about using his real name. Punk could tell she was upset.
"I didn't mean to rub the wedding in your face! Everyone kept harassing me about doing the photo shoot so I just said yes to shut everyone up. It's been hell for me Punk. It's been hell for me ever since I agreed to marry him!'' the tears were falling now and she didn't even bother to wipe them away.
"At least you know how it's been for me. Even though I've been busy with the wrestling and everything, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." Punk admitted. "When I saw that magazine, I figured that you were happy and not missing me at all. I know that's not the case now.''
AJ smiled weakly. "Of course that's not the case. I love you Punk and I always will. I told you that so many times before. Doesn't matter if I'm married to someone else, I love you and only you." AJ scooted closer and held his hands in her small ones. "I'm going to divorce him Punk."
"You are?"
"Yes. I found that document that my parents signed with Dolph's and it didn't say on there that we had to be married forever. It didn't say we couldn't get divorced.''
Punk bit his lip. "Do you think that'll work though?"
"Yeah I do. I mean, if I tell Dolph that I'm not happy, he can't force me to stay with him." AJ shrugged. Even my parents can't allow for me to be unhappy any longer. The marriage happened already so Dolph's parents can't say we are backing down. Everything will be fine.''
"What about your parents, when you tell them about us?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it baby."
Punk nodded. "When are you planning on telling Dolph?"
"Whenever I think it's the right time. Just remember, it's you that I love." AJ knew it was going to be a hard piece of work to tell her parents about the relationship with Punk. Although they liked him as a worker, there was no way they would accept him as the boyfriend of their daughter. AJ knew that for a fact but she was willing to head-to-head with them. She didn't care. She loved Punk and was going to be with him again as soon as the divorce happened.
"I love you too." Punk smiled and cupped her cheek. He felt like a huge amount of weight was lifed off of his shoulders. He was so concvinced that AJ was going to forget about him. He now remembered how the magazines could be so manipulating at times.
"I missed your little sarcastic ass." AJ shoved him playfully.
"Little huh? You know, now that I'm a professional wrestler, I got a lot more moves." he winked.
"Oh really? Why don't you show me?" she said seductively. Punk laughed and stood them up. He grabbed her from in between her legs and lifted her up, settling her across his shoulders. The same move he used in the ring earlier to get the victory.
AJ giggled and tried to wiggle herself off of him. "You're not gonna hit me with your knee are you?" she laughed again.
Fuck, Punk missed that bubbly laugh so much. It was refreshing to hear it again. He walked down the hall and entered his bedroom with her still laughing and trying to escape from his grip. She managed to get back on her feet and then jumped on his back, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, almost like a chokehold. "Oh, you got moves of your own now do you?" Punk laughed.
"You know it Punky." she gasped when Punk was able to break the hold and turn around to pick her up and slam her onto the bed.
"Damn." she licked her lips and removed her hair from her face. Punk winked at her and then got on the bed. He took his shirt off then proceeded to take AJ's off. They were both so needing of each other's bodies. The conversation would have to continue later. They locked lips and before laying down on the bed, Punk reached from behind and unclasped her bra, throwing it on the floor. He immediately took her right nipple into his mouth and sucked on it then licked it in circular motions, making the pink nub hard. He traveled to her left one and did the same, making her moan faintly as she threw her head back. She tangeled her fingers in his hair as he continued to place wet kisses on her upper abdomen.
Before reaching for the waistband of AJ's jeans, Punk stopped and looked at her. "What?" AJ asked him confused.
"April...you never..." he trailed off.
"No Punk. I never slept with him. The last time was when we were actually together, long before you even came along.'' she whispered.
"Good.'' Punk smiled and sat up to unzip their jeans. He discarded of his boxer briefs as AJ took of her panties. Punk crawled up her body and they stared into each other's eyes in an intense and lustful stare.
"I love you April."
"I love you too Phil."
AJ buried her face in Punk's neck as they laid in his bed, the thin bed sheets covering their sweaty nude bodies. They were just trying to regulate their breathing after a couple of rounds of making love. It was the most intense sexual encounter they have ever had. The way they could just keep going and going, they couldn't get enough of each other. Basically, making up for lost time is what they were doing. AJ had no idea how she was going to explain to Dolph why she took so long but she honestly didn't care. She was in Punk's arms right now and she just wanted to indulge into this moment.
After a few minutes of thinking about the situation, Punk spoke up with concern. "How long are you here for?" he asked while drawing imaginary circles on AJ's arm.
"Until Sunday. We're staying the whole week. Are you going to be here?"
"Mostly. I have to fly out on Friday night for a house show."
"What's that?"
"A show where there aren't any cameras. They don't record to air it. It's just a show for whoever goes.'' he explained and AJ nodded.
"So, what's going to happen after I get back to L.A.? You're going to be traveling.''
"I don't know. You tell me.''
"Gosh, I don't know Punk. I can't even think right now, I just want to stay in your arms forever.'' she felt Punk tighten his arms around her and sighs into the warm embrace.
"It's close to midnight. He's probably worried?"
AJ sits up to meet his gaze and frowns. "I don't want to leave you though.''
"I know but let's no forget that you are still married. You have to go back." he looked away. Deep down, he didn't want her to leave. Oh, what he would do to have her in his embrace forever. They still had a long ways to go before that could ever happened though. Something awakened inside him every time he was with her and he didn't want that to go away. They didn't have much of a choice though.
"Fine." AJ pouted as she took the bed sheets and uncovered both of them. She swung her right leg over his hips and straddled him. "One last time before I leave? Please..." she whispered into his ear and bit his earlobe gently. Punk groaned when she stroked his cock, making him hard again and slid down his length slowly. They moaned simultaneously as AJ began to move her hips. Punk surprised at how wet she already was. Her juices were dripping down his shaft and groaned as he began to thrust into, their pelvis' hit against each other. He held onto her hips tightly as the speed increased and soon, AJ was bouncing up and down his cock, making both their orgasms closer to reach.
"You're so beautiful." Punk growled and pulled her down to kiss her hard. No matter how many times they did this, it would never get old. Every time their lips touched, it was refreshing and that spark was always there. A spark that would not go away. Not that they wanted it to. They broke the intense kiss but their mouths were still close, their lips parted as AJ moved faster and they both reached climax as they stared into each other's eyes.
AJ collapsed on top of him and moaned. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too.'' He wrapped his arms around her petite frame and held her close. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest. Yeah, he could definitely get used to this. He frowned when she got off of him and stood up, not shy to be in her naked state.
"I should get going now.'' she made her way to the restroom and Punk followed her. Standing in front of the mirror, Punk came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her.
"I don't want you taking a cab this late.'' he nibbled on her neck.
"I'll be fine.'' she looked at him through the mirror. She titled her head back and moaned when Punk reached down in between her legs and began to rub her clit slowly. "Dammit Punk!" she turned around and kissed him deeply. She grabbed his length and again with her magic hands, got him hard instantly again. Punk turned her around and bent her over the counter of the sink. He entered her from behind while looking at each other through the mirror. "Fuck baby." AJ held onto the counter as tightly as she could. She would never get tired of this man being inside her. No man has ever been able to affect her this way before and it excited her.
Punk rubbed her back and then pulled her up by the shoulder. Her head tilted back and resting on his shoulder. He slammed into her harder and the echoes of their moans floating around the bathroom. Both their knees felts weak when they came yet again. Each time it was even more intense. It was crazy how they could just keep going like that.
"Alright, Mr. Punk, I really need to go now." AJ breathed out and held onto the counted because her legs were still shaky. "I need to shower. I smell like sex" she giggled.
"I'll join you." he smirked.
After the steamy hot shower, AJ quickly got dressed and tried to look as normal as possible. She blow-dried her hair and combed it the way she had it earlier. Once she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Punk only in basketball shorts, sitting on the bed.
"I'll call you and let you know when I can see you again. Hopefully later on in the day."
Punk nodded and stood up to walk her to the door. "Be careful please. If the cab driver looks suspicious, don't get in.'' he said seriously.
"Yes sir.'' AJ appreciated the protective nature that came out of him. It let her know just how much he truly cared.
"Why don't I just take you? It's not like Dolph's going to see."
"Babe really, I'll be fine." AJ assured.
"Fine. I love you.'' he slipped a piece of paper with his new cellphone and home phone number in the pocket of her jeans. He pecked her lips and hugged her tightly. Punk hated letting her leave. Especially knowing she was going to another guy; her husband.
"Love you too." she disappeared out of his apartment.
It took less than expected for AJ to arrive back at the hotel where she was staying with Dolph. As she walked into the hotel and took the elevator, she could still feel that her lips were swollen from the hard kisses and even her pussy felt tender and tingly. The shower did little to no affect on the night of passion she had with Punk. It was indeed the best night of her life.
AJ finally reached the room and used the key card to get inside. It was dark and obviously quiet, like she expected it. Although, she could hear noises coming from the bedroom. AJ furrowed her eyebrows and walked over to the double doors that separated the living room from the bedroom. Opening them up, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Dolph...KAITLYN?!''
Kaitlyn and Dolph reached for their clothes and quickly put them on, both too embarrassed to say anything.
"Are you two going to say anything?" AJ snapped.
Kaitlyn just blurted it out. "We love each other. We're so sorry AJ. Really..."
"And you didn't tell me even after I told you that we were getting married against our will?"
"How were we going to do that considering the agreement?" Kaitlyn argued.
"AJ, I had no idea that our parents made that agreement. I barely found out when Kaitlyn told me once she arrived here."
"So...you didn't know about the debt and all the money my parents owed your family?" AJ was so confused. She always under the impression that Dolph knew. That's why she grew to dislike him even more.
"No I didn't. I thought you were marrying me because you actually loved me. I've always cared for you, that's why I didn't mind marrying you but at the end of the day, I'm in love with Kaitlyn." he turned to the two-toned woman and smiled. " I know I insisted you many times to get back together but honestly, I was trying to forget about Kaitlyn. She would always turn me down up until today. I'm sorry AJ. About what my parents did to your family. It was so wrong and on top of that, they pressure me into marrying you as well.''
AJ walked over to the living room and sat down. Everything was being revealed too quickly and her head was spinning. Despite not loving Dolph, she wondered how it would play out if she did love him. Would Kaitlyn ever do that to her if the situation was different? She had no idea. The only thing she was relieved about was that she wasn't going to struggle revealing to Dolph that she wanted a divorce. Everything was pretty much laid out already. It amazed AJ how everything just unfolded itself in a matter of minutes.
"We have to get divorced." Dolph said walked into the room with Kaitlyn.
"I know. How are we going to explain this to our parents?"
"We just tell them that we didn't work out. Never say it was a mistake because then they will think we are doing it to get out of the marriage for the heck of it. We have to really convince them that we aren't happy together. Besides, it's not like they can ask your parents to pay them anymore. The deal was to get married and we did. Now, we are getting divorced and my parents aren't allowed to ask your family for anything anymore.'' Dolph explained.
"I still need to wrap my head around this. We should still stay here the whole week. You two can stay here and I'll leave." AJ stood up to gather her things.
"Where are you going to go?"
''Phil lives here. I'm staying with him."
"He is?" Kaitlyn asked surprised.
"Phil?" Dolph asked confused.
"Punk." AJ corrected.
"Your former bodyguard? You guys are..." Dolph raised an eyebrow.
AJ sighed. "Yeah. Umm, I'll see you guys at the end of the week. Call me if anything." she grabbed her bags and headed out the door once again. It was 2 a.m. and she was extremely tired with a lot of stuff on her mind. She certainly didn't expect for Dolph and Kaitlyn to be...a thing. It was almost as if everything cleared itself. The problems almost fixed themselves...or atleast got into a position where all they had to was pull the trigger and be done with it.
AJ arrived back at Punk's apartment and knew she was going to have to explain everything to him. She was so exhausted but she wanted to tell him. For now, AJ left her bags in the car and just went up the stairs, then knocked on the door. She heard his voice complaining about the time. He opened up the door while rubbing his eye and yawning.
"Do you know what-" he stopped at mid sentence when he realized it was AJ. "AJ? What are you doing here? Are you okay?" He was concerned and grabbed her hand, pulling her inside and shutting the door. "Are you hurt? What is it?"
AJ smiled weakly at how paranoid he was being. "I'm fine baby.''
"Why are you here then? Not that I don't want you here."
"Sit so I can tell you." they sat on the couch and AJ told him about Dolph, Kaitlyn, and about everything they talked about. It was all said in one fell swoop so she hoped that he understood everything. She didn't have the energy to repeat herself.
"Wow. Sort of the light at the end of the tunnel." Punk breathed out.
AJ shrugged and rested her head on Punk's shoulder. She yawned and her eyelids were getting heavy.
"I guess we'll talk more in the morning." Punk realized she was sleeping so he carried her bridal style to his bedroom. He laid her down and then he laid down behind her. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he brought her closer and planted a kiss at the top of her head before finally falling asleep himself.
The next morning, it only took AJ a couple of seconds to remember where she was and what had happened the night before. She looked next to her and realized Punk wasn't there. She glanced around the room until her eyes finally landed on his. He was sitting on a medium-sized table that was off the left side of the room. He sat there smiling and looking at her. "Morning." he spoke up.
"Morning." She stood up from the bed and made her way over to him. He patted his lap and she immediately sat on it, wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned in and kissed him deeply but softly. They pulled away and Punk wrinkled his nose.
"Morning breath.'' he joked.
AJ rolled her eyes and slapped him playfully on the chest. They sat there in comfortable silence until she said something. "Crazy huh? What, happened last night. I don't think I've processed it yet.''
"I don't blame you. Look on the bright side, you're going to be able to divorce Dolph and then we can be together.''
"Can we?"
"What?"
"I live in L.A. you live in Florida now. I happen to know that there's a lot of traveling that goes with being a wrestler. Then my parents...'' she shook her head.
"You're not willing to move here?" he looked down feeling ashamed at what he was asking. would AJ ever move to Florida just to be with him?
It was all coming back again. She sighed in frustration, "I don't know Punk. I don't know anything. My thought process is such a mess right now.'' she got off his lap and began to pace the room, biting her nails.
"Hey, hey come here." he stood up and approached her, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Sorry. I know there's a lot to think about. It's not as easy as it seems. I'm here though and I'm going to help you.'' How could he not offer his help? She had to deal with a friend she didn't know if she could trust, facing her parents, Dolph's parents, the divorce that would without a doubt go pubic and then their living arrangement. It was all too much for her pretty little head to handle. He vowed to help her out as much as he could though.
"Thank you." she whispered as she rested her head on his chest. They pulled away from the embrace and then shared a passionate, wet kiss. They walked over to the bed while still kissing. Punk gently laid her on the bed. "Let me start by relaxing you baby."
After catching up on some much-needed sleep, Punk and AJ woke up at noon; they were still tired because of their late night activities but they knew it was time to get up. AJ was still feeling overwhelmed by everything going on but she promised herself she would take it one step at a time. With Punk's assurance that he was going to help her, she felt a little less stressed.
"Want me to go get us lunch?" Punk asked, entering the living room. AJ was sitting on the couch, her phone in hand.
"That would be great baby, thanks. I'll stay here if you don't mind.''
"No worries. It's probably a good thing. You never know who might see us. I'll be back in a bit.'' he pecked her lips and headed out the door.
AJ sighed after receiving a text from her mom. Practically ordering her to call her. She clicked 'call' on the contact under 'mom' It rang once before she answered.
"Hi April. Umm, how is the honeymoon?" she asked in a low tone. Jessica knew it was pathetic to ask such question.
"What do you think mom? It's horrible.'' AJ looked around and couldn't help but smile. It dawned on her that she was in Punk's apartment and not with Dolph. It felt unreal, really.
"I'm sorry sweetie. I know your dad and I put you in a tough spot. I feel guilty, believe me.''
"Don't apologize mom. I just returned the favor by sacrificing something for you guys. Things will get better though.'' AJ said flatly.
Jessica furrowed her eyebrows. ''What do you mean by that?"
"You'll see mom. Just know that I won't be suffering much longer. Look, I gotta go. Dolph and I are umm going to grab some lunch.'' she lied.
"Well...alright bye April.'' Jessica hung up with a very curious mind. What did AJ mean? She assumed she would have to wait and see what her daughter had up her sleeve.
Waiting for Punk to arrive with their food, she made one important phone call and then walked around the apartment. She was thinking about the step she had decided to do first. Doubting whether it was the right thing to do or not, was not the problem. She was more worried about the affect it would make. Would it even make an effect at all? All she knew was that this was the simplest way to get everything out there. She would be exposing it to more people than she would like but it had to be done.
She walked around the apartment and looked at all the pictures that Punk had on display. She smiled at the sight of photos of himself with his sisters and grandmother. She giggled when she saw a couple of pictures when he was a baby. In all those pictures, AJ was able to see just how close he and his family truly were. She remembered how he talked about his mother not being there and his father neither. She felt bad for him but she knew that he was getting the love he deserved by his sisters and grandmother. AJ hoped that she could meet them one day. On a day that there was no stress and no worries. At a time where herself and Punk didn't have to hide their relationship. That time would come soon.
She quickly turned around when she heard the door open and Punk walked in with a couple of bags in hand. They smiled at each other before Punk placed the bags on the table and walked over to her. "What are you doing?"
"Looking at your pictures. You were sooo cute as a baby." she laughed and tapped his nose with her index finger. Punk laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Well thank you." he leaned down and began to kiss her neck, making her moan immediately. Punk really knew how to work on her neck and that was one of the most sensitive spots on her slim body and smooth skin.
AJ laughed and held onto his biceps, which she felt were way stronger than the last time she had them under her palms. She tilted her head to give him more access. "Mmm babe, I'm hungry." AJ said honestly. She couldn't even remember when was the last time she ate. "We can finish this afterwards.'' She pulled away and winked at him before walking over to the table.
Punk groaned. "Fine...but I won't forget. I promise you." he grinned.
As they ate in comfortable silence, AJ thought it was a good time to let her former bodyguard know what she was going to do. "So, I have an idea.'' she bit her sandwich and looked up at him.
"And what idea is that?" Punk was curious.
"Well, seeing that I have to reveal this to various people, I came up with a way to tell everybody at once.'' she saw the confused look on Punk's face so she elaborated. "I scheduled an exclusive interview with E! News, so Dolph and I can announce our divorce.''
"Are you serious?" Punk put his fork down. "Are you sure you want to say that in front of everybody?'' he raised an eyebrow. AJ was a really private person just like him so it was surprising to hear that she wanted to give an interview. He would support her in anything though. He just wanted to make sure she was positive about that decision.
"Yeah I am. The media and the fans are going to find out anyways and I would rather tell them myself instead of having them harass me with questions. I want to give as many answers as I can so they won't bug me.'' she shrugged.
"And you plan on doing this before you tell your parents?"
"Yes. They will find out just like everybody else is going to. Once I get back to L.A. I'll only have to explain briefly. This is the easiest way Punk.''
"Okay.'' he agreed. "I just want to know that you're sure about it."
"I'm sure.'' she said.
"What about Dolph? What if he doesn't agree?"
"I'm sure he'll agree. He loves the attention.'' she rolled her eyes. She informed Punk that they were doing the interview via satellite there in Miami since E! News is located in L.A. AJ got startled when she heard her phone go off. It was a text from Dolph saying they needed the car. She had forgotten that she used the car that they rented for their time in Miami. She replied telling him she was going back to take the car.
"I have to take the car back. They need it.''
"I'll follow you so you can come back with me.''
They headed out and got in separate cars. Once they left the car and headed back to Punk's apartment, they stopped on a red light. It was silent until all of sudden AJ ducked down on the seat.
"What are you doing?" Punk glanced over to her.
"Paparazzi." she answered. "There's some other celebrity on the sidewalk, over there.'' she tried to point in the right direction. Punk nodded and just focused on the road ahead. He was anxious for the red light to turn green. He bit his lip and then suddenly a bunch of cameramen surrounded his car and were snapping pictures of him. He could easily hear the questions they were asking.
"What made you decide to join the WWE?" "How do you think your debut went?" "Who are you going to feud with?" 'Aren't you AJ Lee's former bodyguard?''
All while listening to the hundreds of questions, he glanced down to AJ who had covered herself with her sweater. Being petite, she easily fit in the space below. Punk hoped that none of the paparazzi saw her. He sighed in relief when the light finally turned green. He carefully pushed on the gas and made sure to not run over anybody.
"That was close." AJ uncovered herself and was breathing hard.
"Guess you're not the only one that has to deal with those people now.'' Punk chuckled. "I hope nobody saw you though.''
"I doubt it.''
Friday morning, AJ and Dolph sat outside on the balcony, earpieces in place as they sat in front of the camera waiting for their que. They could hear the host of the show talking about some other celebrity and their sex scandal while AJ just rolled her eyes. How could people be so nosy like that? That was one of the downsides of being a celebrity. But now, she found herself offering her personal business to these people. She felt like a hypocrite but there was no other solution. The media were going to bug her anyways so she might as well give them what they want now. She and Dolph straightened up as soon as they got their cue from the cameraman.
"And now, joining us via satellite from Miami, Florida...the same ones that had the wedding of the year, the newlyweds, AJ and Dolph Ziggler.'' The host said with a little bit too much excitement in her voice. "So, Dolph tell us, how's Miami?''
Dolph cleared his throat before answering as he looked at the camera. "It's actually really nice here. A little too hot than what we expected but it's nice out here.'' he smiled mildly.
"That's awesome. So AJ, you informed us that they two of you have an announcement to make to all your fans and family?''
Taking a deep breath, AJ began to talk. "Well, this might come as a shock to everyone but we felt like it was easier to get it out this way. Dolph and I are actually getting a divorce soon.'' she finally revealed. "It's been a couple of weeks but we in those weeks, we found out that we can only be friends.''
"We respect each other so much and we love each other...but only as great friends.'' Dolph smiled sincerely over to AJ who returned the smile. "There's no drama between us or anything like that. The only thing that happened was realization. Marriage should be between two who dearly love each other and that's not the case with us. If you ask us why we got married in the first place, we wouldn't even know the answer to that.'' Dolph lied. They would obviously not reveal the debt situation so Dolph just made that last part up to avoid those questions.
"Wow...that's certainly a umm, shocker...breaking news.'' the host was surprised and felt awkward as she was completely off guard. She got word on her earpiece to ask when the divorce was going to happen. "Umm..'' she cleared her throat. "Can you tell us when you are finalizing your divorce, after only a couple of weeks?" the host shook her head in disbelief.
"As soon as possible.'' AJ said flatly. "We honestly did this interview to announce it to everybody and to also give you guys what you want, which is...a story I guess.'' AJ shrugged before continuing. "All we're asking now, is for everybody to give us time while the divorce is in process. We want as much privacy as possible.'' AJ knew that wouldn't stop the paparazzi completely but she hoped it would die down.
"Well, there you have it. Breaking new coming out Miami, Florida...AJ and Dolph Ziggler are divorcing after a couple of weeks of marriage.''
Once the host was done, the via satellite camera went off. AJ snorted at the hosts last comment. "Breaking News? Really?''
"Well, we did have the wedding of the year.'' Dolph shrugged.
"Whatever. Turn your phone off. I'm doing the same.''
''Why?"
"Because, our phones are going to blow up. We have to head straight L.A. now so we can talk to our parents. Flight leaves at noon.'' AJ announced then walked out of the hotel room she had gotten with Dolph when they got there. She didn't even bother saying bye to Kaitlyn. The status of their friendship wasn't really determined yet and AJ needed time.
She was able to get a taxi and arrived at Punk's apartment a couple of minutes later. Once inside the apartment she walked go the bedroom and found Punk laying down, watching the E! News. "You watched?'' she laid down next to Punk.
"Yup.'' Punk wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer to his body. "How does it feel...to get that out there?''
"It's a relief I guess.'' AJ shrugged. "What time do you have to leave for the airport?'' she asked wanting to change the subject.
"In an hour. The house show is going to be in Phoenix, Arizona. I can fly to L.A. tomorrow to see you.''
"That's great.'' she smiled.
Punk took his attention off the TV and shifted around so he could hover over AJ. He smiled down at her and kissed her passionately. "Now, what can we do in an hour?"
AJ giggled and grabbed him by his neck, pulling him back down into a deep kiss.
(Hours Later)
AJ and Dolph arrived at AJ's house and could see Dolph's parents car in the driveway.
"We can't let them push us. We have to make them understand that we aren't happy together.'' AJ explained as they walked up the stairs. Dolph nodded in agreement. "That means we have to bring up Kaitlyn and Punk.''
"Woah AJ, are you sure about that? We aren't divorced yet. Maybe we should wait until afterwards, don't ya think?'' Dolph didn't think it was the wisest idea to bring up their significant others just yet. More so because of AJ's parents.
"No. We tell them now.'' AJ said sternly and opened the front door. The walked in and headed for the living room. Both their parents were sitting there with shocked faces. They obviously had seen the news already.
Dolph took the initiative and spoke first. "Before you say anything, you guys need to know that we aren't happy and there's nothing you guys can stop this divorce from happening.''
"There is no divorce! Over my dead body!'' Dolph's father raised his voice.
"With all do respect Mr. Ziggler, Dolph is right. This is out decision and it's going to happen. You really think it's fair that we are married, not being happy and not truly loving each other? It's not right. You guys can't say anything about the agreement because I did my part. It never said on their that we couldn't get divorced. As far as I'm concerned, my family and I don't owe you guys nothing.'' AJ walked over to stand next to her parents who immediately held her hand.
"Honestly, I'm ashamed to call you two my parents. How could you put AJ's family through something like this? You made me think that she loved me.'' Dolph shook his head in disappointment. ''Again, there's nothing you guys can do to stop this...especially because we are in love with other people.''
"Excuse me? Who, April?'' Jorge turned to his daughter with a lot of curiosity.
"Punk.''
As the entire living room grew quiet, AJ was getting really nervous. Trying to read her father's facial expressions was really tough and she had no idea what he was thinking. Biting her lip in anticipation, she looked up at her dad and waite for the reaction to finally hit. The others were pretty much doing the same with a lot of anxiety.
"Punk? As in, Punk, the guy that use to be your bodyguard?'' Jorge asked flatly without looking AJ in the eye.
"Yeah.'' she nodded nervously. " When he was working here, we realized how much we liked each other. Liking then turned into love...'' AJ flinched when her dad's head snapped up to look at her when she mentioned the word love. Her heart was racing but continued. "Once he saw that I was getting married, he left. I was the reason why he left dad. He couldn't stand seeing me marry someone else. He took a job as a professional wrestler and we ran into him in Florida. There was a show held there and we went. That's where I saw him and I realized I couldn't continue on being married.''
"Dolph?'' Jorge turned his attention to him.
"I care a lot about April but only as a best friend. The truth is, I'm in love with Kaitlyn, whom flew out to Florida and everything soft of unraveled from that point on.''
"Kaitlyn?! I can't believe this!'' his dad yelled. His mom tried to calm him down. She wasn't as upset because she actually did feel bad about what her and her husband did to the Mendez family. Regret was certainly spilling over. If she could take it back, she would.
"Everyone calm down.'' Jorge threw his hands in the air. "Dolph, I think you and your parents need to head home. We have to talk about this individually.''
Dolph nodded and he and his parents left, with his dad cursing in frustration. He obviously didn't feel bad about what he did and didn't approve of Kaitlyn. This would not be the last time the Mendez family heard from him. That was for sure.
"April. You seriously can't be in love with someone like Punk.'' Jorge sighed and collapsed on the couch.
"What do you mean someone like him? Dad he's a great guy and even you know that. How many times did you praise him the amount of time that he was working here? Not once did you ever say anything negative towards him. That's why you hired him, because you trusted him so why can't I be in love with him?''
"Because not in the same level as us. Yes, I agree that he is a great guy but April, he doesn't fit in our class.''
"CLASS?! What type of class are you talking about?! You make it sound like we are the wealthiest family on planet Earth! I'm a professional singer and you guys own a great business. Yeah, we have a lot of success but that doesn't mean we have to alienate ourselves from other people. We aren't above anybody else dad!''
"I don't know what to say to you April.'' her dad shook his head and rested it on the back of the couch.
"You know he is a great guy. You know you can trust him when he's with me. He's coming over tomorrow so...I'm just letting you know.'' AJ said in a softer tone.
"What did you say he does now?'' Jessica spoke up.
"He's a professional wrestler now. He's barely starting but he's already making a name for himself. Everybody loves him already.'' AJ smiled as she thought back to the crowd reactions after he won his first match. She was truly proud of him.
"That means he's going to be known by a lot of people.'' Jorge said while looking up at the ceiling.
"Yeah but that better not be the reason you accept him dad; if you ever do accept him. I want you to realize that we are great for each other; that he is a great guy not just a great worker. That he makes me happy and I make him happy.''
"Well, I'll find that out tomorrow won't I?'' Jorge stood up and kissed AJ on the forehead. "Goodnight April.'' he walked up the stairs heading towards the master bedroom.
"I'm proud of you April. You stood your ground and didn't let anyone control you...for too long anyhow. I know I told you over the phone but sweetie, I really am sorry for putting you through the whole marriage thing. We were in panick mode and it was the only solution at the time. It's a good thing that you realized the lack of mention of a divorce in the document though.''
"You don't have to feel bad mom. I told you, if you guys didn't encourage it, I would have done it anyways. Anything to save you guys from drowning. You guys did so much so I could get where I am career wise and I had to return the favor somehow. I don't regret doing it. First off, it worked and now you guys don't owe a dime anymore. I reunited with Punk and we're happy. We worked everything out for the most part now it's just getting the divorce to go through and convince my dad that Punk is a great guy.''
"We'll do our best and I'll call our lawyer first thing in the morning. Come here.'' Jessica opened her arms and AJ immediately met her for a hug. "Get some sleep okay. Goodnight.'' with that they headed up the stairs and Jessica departed into her room.
AJ went into her room and dropped her bags in an exhausted manner. She didn't even bother to change and collapsed on her bed. She smiled as she thought back to when Punk and herself made love on that very same bed. There was a lot of emotion during the encounter; she would never forget it. The way they told each other how much they loved one another and the sweet kisses and light touches. The way he knew how to pleasure her and work her petite body. Going slow but also with force at the same time.
AJ was fully committed to convincing her dad that Punk was the one for her. It was probably going to be a challenge but she was ready for it. Now that mostly everything was out in the open, she felt like a huge amount of weight was lifted off of her shoulders. The pop star fell into deep slumber, dreaming of Punk and Punk only.
The next day, AJ walked out of her front door and ran all the way to the front gate. Punk had called her and told her that he was there. Before entering the house, AJ wanted to tell him about what happened with her father. There was a possibility that Jorge would not accept Punk and she wanted to warn him. If that ever did happen, the pop star wouldn't care. She would still stay with Punk. She just wanted her boyfriend to know what to expect once he stepped foot into that house again. She pushed the button and the gate immediately opened. She noticed that a couple of paparazzi guys were standing there so she hid out of sight; not even noticing an unknown male figure watching her from far away. Punk drove into the drive way in a grey car with dark tinted windows. The paparazzi for sure could not see who was in the drivers seat...and neither could that mysterious male figure. Punk got out as soon as AJ closed the gate again.
"Hey.'' AJ hugged him and kissed his cheek. When she pulled away, she noticed that he had a cut under his eye. "Oh my gosh! What happened to you eye.''
"I took a kick to the face no big deal. It's part of the job.'' he shrugged. "I'm fine, don't worry about it.''
"Man, those wrestlers are going to mess up your beautiful face.'' AJ pouted and Punk chuckled.
"Beautiful? That would be you sweetheart.'' he kissed her forehead and she blushed.
"Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I told my parents about us already.'' Punk's eyes widened in surprise. He wasn't expecting her to tell them so quickly. He figured they would wait until she was officially divorced.
"How did your dad react?''
"He wasn't thrilled about it.'' Punk nodded even though he was a bit confused. Jorge treated him so well when he was working there and he would constantly complement what a great worker he was. That was just it though, he only saw Punk as a good worker...not so much as a man. It was a confusing reaction to say the least. "I told him that we would convince him that we are made for each other and love each other.''
"No disrespect babe but I don't want to convince him of anything. I want him to realize how much I care about you on his own. I don't convince people. I let them figure it out on their own. I love you and he'll eventually see that somehow.''
AJ looked up at him and nodded slowly. She understood where he was coming from and she admired his way of thinking. "You'll still come inside though right? I want you to stay here as long as you can.''
"Of course I'll stay. We have another house show tomorrow night but it's here in southern California so I won't have to leave until a couple of hours before the show starts. We're taping the last of a whole bunch of shows. Since the holidays are around the corner, we tape the shows so that way we have a lengthy time off.''
"That's great!'' AJ smiled but then frowned. "But, you'll have to go home to Florida huh? Since your family is there.'' Punk only nodded in response. "Alright, well let's go inside.''
When they entered the house, the couple immediately saw Jorge walking down the stairs. He stopped walking when he saw Punk enter his house. He stood there staring at them for a while before he began walking again. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he spoke up.
"Punk, I never thought I would see you again under these circumstances.''
"I understand it being shocking. What I don't get is your lack of acceptance for this relationship.'' Punk said truthfully. He laced his fingers with AJ's confidently.
"How could you not understand me Punk? It's not everyday that my daughter tells me that she fell in love with her former bodyguard. It's nothing personal. I know you're a hard-working man...I'm just not sure you can give my daughter what she deserves.'' Jorge was being truthful. AJ sighed in frustration.
"I'm sorry you feel that way Mr. Mendez but I'm not going to try to show you how much I genuinely love your daughter. You'll find that out on your own, in some way. Just me being here to see her should tell you something. I'm supposed to be in a meeting right now and I made an excuse to come and see her instead.'' he looked down at AJ and smiled.
"Oh I heard, you're a professional wrestler now. Congratulations by the way.'' Jorge almost said sarcastically.
Awkward silence fell over for the next few minutes until Jessica approached them and greeted Punk respectfully.
"Punk, you're more than welcome to stay for here all day if you can and hopefully stay for dinner for tonight?''
"I'd love to Mrs. Mendez. Thank you.'' Punk smiled and was relieved that at least one of AJ's parents accepted the relationship.
"Great, AJ can I talk to you in the other room...it's about the divorce. I talked to our lawyer.'' Jessica and AJ headed for the living room while Punk and Jorge stood in the same place awkwardly. It looked like it was going to take Jorge some time to accept the couple. He heard the sterness in Punk's voice and knew he would have to find out just how much he loved his daughter, one way or another.
(Mysterious Unknown Figure)
"Yeah, I see she has come back from her honeymoon. We can go ahead with the plan as soon as you say boss.''
"It's going to take a while to get this plan in action. It will happen though...at some point. Patience is the key my man.''
Over the past two months, AJ and Dolph were in and out of lawyer offices, trying to complete their divorce. All they needed was to sign the final set of papers and it would be official. AJ was anxious to get everything done because she wanted to stop hiding her relationship with Punk. She wasn't going to brag the relationship either but she just didn't want to hide it. The media and paparazzi was getting crazier and she just wanted to get the divorce over with.
Lately, AJ had seen Punk the most that he could. His schedule with WWE was already busy but they saw each other as much as they could and as carefully as they could. Their secret relationship was actually getting stronger and their feelings were growing more. It went past loving each other. It was a feeling that they could not explain.
In a matter of moments, AJ was finally going to be able to be with him and not have the marriage at the back of her head. Without anyone knowing, Langston volunteered and drove her over to the lawyer's office. They were going to meet with Dolph and his lawyer as well. Upon signing the last stack of papers, all they had to do was wait was a couple of days for it to finally be finalized and signed off by a judge.
Langston parked the car outside the building and walked over to open the car for AJ. "Thanks Langston.'' AJ smiled at him and he only nodded in response. Once she was inside her lawyer's office, Dolph was already there and they went right to it. It was a lot of papers to sign so it took them quite a while.
"Alright, everything is set. Just give me a minute to put the papers all together and then you may all go.'' AJ's lawyer, Mr. Otunga spoke up. "If your thirsty, there is a lounge down the hall.'' he stood up and stepped out of the office momentarily.
"Would you like anything to drink Ms. Mendez?'' Langston asked.
"Actually I would like a glass a water.'' she was going to get up but the bodyguard dismissed it.
"I'll get that for you. Would you guys like anything?'' Dolph and his lawyer shook their heads. Langston stepped out and headed for the lounge. He returned a couple of minutes later and handed AJ the glass full of water.
"Thanks.'' AJ took a sip and placed the cup on the table. She wrinkled her nose and then grabbed the glass again. "Guess I'm more thirsty than I thought.'' AJ laughed and this time, she drank the whole cup of water. She cleared her throat and then turned to Dolph. "So...how's Kaitlyn?'' The last time AJ talked Kaitlyn, it was back in Miami. Ever since what happened over there, it just wasn't the same. AJ wasn't sure what it was but they grew apart. All she knew was that she missed her two-toned friend.
"She's fine. She's been working with some designers and yeah...everythings going good.'' Dolph said awkwardly. AJ nodded and then the room grew silent. Not soon enough, Mr. Otunga came back in and gave AJ and Dolph a copy of the final paper they signed.
"Alright there you go. In a couple of weeks you'll get all the papers in a mail and they will already be signed off by a judge. Once that happens, you will officially be divorced.
On the ride back home, AJ texted Punk and told him that everything was done for the divorce. She put her cellphone back in her purse then groaned when she began to feel dizzy. She raised her hands and rubbed her temples in circular motions. Langston looked at her through the rear view mirror. "Ms. Mendez, are you alright?''
"I-I'm feeling...d-di-'' before she knew it, her eyelids closed shut and everything went black. Langston parked the car on the side of the road and got to the back seat. He unbuckled her seatbelt and laid her down across the backseat. He looked at her for a minute and shook her...making sure that she was completely knocked out. He reached into the back pockets of the front seat and pulled out two separate pieces of rope. He tied her hands together and then her ankles. Closing the door, he went back to the driver's seat and pulled his cellphone out.
"Yeah, I got her.''
The male voice on the other side instructed Langston to take the pop star to a certain location. They contuned on a conversation and were both relieved that the time finally came. After two months of waiting, they were going to get what they have most desired. Money. It was simple...they wanted money and what better way to get it than by kidnapping a celebrity so close by?
Langston hung up the phone and then began to drive again. He glanced back at AJ, making sure she was still out. He sighed and then laughed. "Sorry to do this AJ Lee...'' he scoffed. "But, money talks.''
He drove for about an hour and then arrived at the right destination. It was really alienated and there was nobody around except whoever was inside the abandoned building that was ahead. He grabbed AJ from the backseat and carried her on his shoulder easily. He went inside the building and saw his boss already there.
"Sit her on the chair and tie her up.'' the boss said. Langston did as he was told and tied AJ up to the chair pretty tightly. "Now, we wait for her to wake up.''
"Yes, Mr. Ziggler.''
AJ regained consciousness and opened her heavy eyelids slowly. She groaned as she was feeling groggy. It felt like she had slept for hours but was still tired after waking up. Once her eyes were fully opened, she realized that she was tied up tightly to a chair. She began to panick and looked around. It looked like an old warehouse that hadn't been touched or used in years. The wood was cracked everywhere and there was old furniture all around. It literally felt like she was in the middle of nowhere.
AJ furrowed her eyebrows and tried to regain any ounce of memory. How did she get there? Who was she with? Her eyes widened when she remembered that she was with Langston in the car before everything went black. Her heart began to race as she tried to untie her self. She struggled and groaned in frustration.
"Langston! Where are you?! HELP!'' She shouted at the top of her lungs, hoping that someone could hear her. By the looks of where she was though, AJ doubted it. She groaned and grunted as she was becoming frustrated.
"Easy there little one.'' AJ heard a voice from behind and she knew who it belonged to instantly. It was her soon-to-be ex-husband's father, Nick.
"NICK?! Nick Ziggler, what the hell is this?! LET ME GO!'' AJ yelled at the top of her lungs. The rope that was so tightly wrapped around her wrists and ankles was beginning to irritate her skin.
"No can do superstar.''
"What the hell is happening right now? Why am I here?! Why do you have me like this?!" AJ wouldn't even give Nick a chance to respond. She kept on rambling and was freaking out. AJ squealed when she felt a bandanna being wrapped over her mouth tightly. She tried to shake her head but the person behind her was way too strong. Her eyes were getting ready to pop out when the person behind her, finally walked around her and came face to face with her. It was Langston. She shrieked and tried to talk but obviously couldn't. She couldn't believe what was happening right now. She was hoping this was all a nightmare and that she would wake up from it any minute now.
"I know. I know. It's a shocker to you but how could you not see this coming little AJ? You broke the agreement. Your parents owe me a lot of money. Money that they will be forced to give me...if they want their little princess back.'' Nick gave her a wicked smile.
At this point, the tears were flowing and AJ didn't know for which reason she was crying more. She got kidnapped, Langston betrayed her family and is siding with Nick. Plus, she has absolutely no help. Her parents surely do not have the money to pay the bastard back. Money that shouldn't even have to be paid back because they went through with the deal after all. AJ was beginning to feel like a fool because she was convinced that everything was going to go smoothly. Boy was she sadly mistaken. How could anyone think that someone like Nick Ziggler would let that slide?
"I know you must also be surprised about this big guy right here.'' Nick wrapped and arm around Langston's shoulders and they both laughed. AJ was breathing hard and closed her eyes shut. She was disgusted with what was in front of her. "He wants the same thing that I do sweetheart. Money..and lots of it. I can give him triple the money that your parents are paying him now. Right big guy?''
"That's right.'' Langston finally said something in that deep voice of his.
Again, AJ tried to speak but couldn't due to the bandanna. She wanted nothing more than to scream until her voice gave out. She was in an extremely uncomfortable and dangerous situation. The pop star honestly did not know what Nick was capable of doing and that scared her. If her parents didn't give him that money, what would he do to her? Would he go to the extreme to try to alert her parents? Or worse, would he...kill her? It sounded impossible but at this point, AJ was thinking about any possible scenario. She was terrified and wanted someone to save her from this. Punk, her parents, she needed them.
"Oh, want to say something princess? Should we let her talk Langston?'' Nick turned to him and laughed. The bodyguard smiled.
"Why not? As long as she behaves herself.''
"Oh I'm sure she'll behave herself. It is for her own benefit anyways. Right?''
AJ felt her stomach drop when she saw Nick reach behind himself and pulled out a gun from out of his pants. Was this really necessary? Because of money, he would dare to kill her? Shoot her!? Or was he simply trying to scare her? She wanted to scream and go crazy in panick. She couldn't for two reasons. The fear was at an all-time high and she was just frozen. The other, she wanted to remain calm and "behave" like they were practically instructing her to. She sniffled and wrinkled her nose when she inhaled the bad odor of the bandanna. By the looks of it, that piece of cloth was left in that same warehouse for who knows how long. She lowered her eyes to try to get a glance at it but her brown eyes instantly raised when Langston approached her. Her body was shaking as the betrayer grabbed the bandanna and unwrapped it.
AJ let out and huge sigh relief and was able to breath properly. Now that she could speak, she went right to it, but remained calm. "How could you do this Langston? My family and I trusted you.'' she whispered as the tears fell again.
"Oh please April. You guys really had that much trust in me? Didn't really seem like it. I have worked for you guys for years and your parents never helped me the way they helped that boyfriend of yours. They helped him and he had barely started working for you. I've protected your family and you never returned the favor. Why help Punk and not me? Huh?'' Langston got right up on her face and growled at her. AJ winced and tilted her head back, beginning to breath deeply again, in and out. "And besides that, I deserve every penny that I work for. What Nick here is paying me is not even close to what your parents pay me. I'm tired of working my ass off and not getting what I deserve in return!''
"Out of all the years you worked for us, you never told us you had problems. If you did, I'm sure my dad would have helped you! You know him Langston! But you never wanted to speak about your personal life. Why is that our fault!" AJ yelled without thinking and she screamed when Nick stormed up to her and pointed the gun to her temple. "What would you get out of killing me now Nick? That won't get you the money you want. Are you bluffing right now?'' AJ said bravely suddenly.
"Maybe now but I won't be later on.''
(with Jorge and Jessica)
"Has he answered yet?'' Jessica asked her husband concerned.
"No. Both his work and personal phones are turned off. What the hell is going on?!'' Jorge groaned. He couldn't get a hold of Langston and Jessica couldn't communicate with AJ; her phone being turned off as well.
"Oh my God. What if something happened to them?!'' Jessica gasped.
"Don't even Jessica. They'll show up soon...I hope.'' Jorge whispered the last part. It wasn't like Langston to have both his cellphones turned off so it worried him. "Why don't you call Punk and ask him if he has talked to her.''
Jessica raised an eyebrow. "You want me to call him? Are you sure?''
"We haven't heard from our daughter in hours so yes, call him.'' he rolled his eyes. He went over to the little bar at the far end of the living room, pouring himself a small amount of scotch while Jessica talked to Punk.
"I haven't talked to her in hours either Mrs. Mendez. The last thing she texted me was that the divorce papers were signed already. I tried calling her as well.'' Punk was very concerned because it wasn't like AJ to not pick up her phone. And that fact that Langston didn't either did not ease his nerves. He was at the performance center in Florida so there wasn't much that he could do from all the way over there. Jessica and Punk assured each other that they would let the other know if they heard anything. Punk wasn't so sure that he could stay in Florida if they didn't hear from AJ soon.
"Punk hasn't heard from her either. We should call the police. Something could have happened to them.'' Jessica's voice cracked in fear.
Jorge was about answer until his cellphone rang. He was hoping to see either Langston's or AJ's name were on the screen but instead, he got a blocked number. "Hello?''
"Lose something my man?''
"Who is this?" Jorge asked worrying
"I have your precious little popstar.'' they said simply.
''Where is my daughter?!'' Jorge raised his voice. He swallowed hard immediately when he heard the anonymous voice on the other line of his cellphone. This person was that much of a coward that they would not identify themselves. He got no answer so he yelled again. "Where is my daughter! Where is Langston?! Bring her back to me you bastard!" He dropped his glass of scotch, dropping to the floor and the glass shattered all over the floor. Jessica gasped and tried to hear what the disguised voice was saying. Her heart was beating fast and was praying that AJ was okay; along with Langston.
"Oh, no worries. You'll get her back...as soon as you pay the price for it.'' the voice said with a wicked laugh.
"Name it you piece of shit! I'll give you anything as long as I get my daughter back!''
"Anything huh? How about I give you a week...I want $20,000 dollars.'' The disguised voice was obviously Nick Ziggler. $20,000 just so happen to be the amount of money that Jessica and Jorge "supposedly" owed him. He knew all too well that Jorge was stupid enough to not put the pieces together. He could have asked for more but decided to do that another time. For now, he wanted what they owed him. "If you don't have that by the end of the week...''
The long pause was making Jorge and Jessica nervous. They were already freaking out about the amount of money the bastard wanted. Where the hell were they going to get $20,000 from? Sure, they could maybe retrieve some from their business but not much. It wouldn't even come close.
"...she dies.'' Nick finished. Jessica started sobbing and collapsed on the couch.
"No! We'll give you the money. Just...let me talk to her.'' Jorge's voice cracked as the tears threatened to fall. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he was up for anything...anything to have his daughter back alive.
"No can do my man. I'll prove to you that she is alive though...for now.'' Nick warned AJ that if she used his or Langston's name that he would kill her. AJ obviously not wanting to die, obeyed the rule. She screamed as loud as she could when Nick raised the cellphone in her direction.
"Dad! Mom! Punk! P-punk..dad'!' AJ sobbed as she cried out for her loved ones.
"Honey, April...we are going to get you back don't worry.'' Jorge assured her as the tears fell. He soothed Jessica's back as she continued to cry out on the couch.
"I'll tell you when and where a day before the deadline. Good luck. Oh, you call the cops, I'll also kill her because of that as well. Keep it out the media'' the disguised voice said simply and hung up.
"I-I have to call Punk and tell him what's happened.'' Jessica grabbed the cellphone from her husband's hand and dialed Punk's number.
Punk felt his stomach drop and his heart speed up after what Jessica told him. AJ, his girlfriend got kidnapped. He was in panic mode and began to pack a bag. He planned on flying to L.A. and doing anything he could to get AJ back. The tears fell from his eyes as he locked up his apartment and headed for the airport. He briefly told his family what was going on and made something up to Stephanie McMahon. He knew it wouldn't be a good idea to tell her the truth. It would immediately come out to the media and that would just be a bad situation. He just hoped the kidnappers would also keep it on the low. Luckily, Stephanie was really understanding when it came to personal matters so she gave him some time off from some shows so he could do whatever he needed to do.
"I'm coming for you baby. I'm going to rescue you, no matter what it takes.'' Punk whispered and boarded his plane. He wiped the tears away and immediately thought on what they could do to gather up $20,000. He was back in bodyguard mode in that moment.
Jessica had called Punk and told him what happened. She told Jorge that he was taking a plane straight there and her husband was actually surprised that Punk would drop everything and go there. Maybe he was wrong about the love Punk had for his daughter.
As for AJ's siblings, they were too far away for Jessica and Jorge to let them know what was happening. AJ's brother was in Iraq so there was no way he could go over there obviously; plus it was extremely difficult to communicate with him. The parents didn't want to worry them knowing that they couldn't do anything all the way from their current location. AJ's sister was in Puerto Rico it would take a while for her to get to the United States. Jessica and Jorge decided not to tell them unless something even worse happened. They hoped it wouldn't though.
Jessica and Jorge got startled when they heard a knock on the door. They excused Vickie and answered the door themselves. Vickie right now was oblivious to what was going on but she could tell there was something wrong. Even though she had been excused, she stood closely to see who was at the door. Jessica opened the door and shrieked when Langston walked through the door with a black eye, his suit all ripped up and a big cut on his forehead, with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. It was all part of the image and Langston thought Nick's other workers did a great job of making it look convincing.
"Oh my God! Langston!?''
Langston didn't have to think much of what to say. He told the obvious. He was escorting AJ back to the car and he got knocked out, not knowing what happened afterwards with AJ. He countered by saying that he woke up in the middle of nowhere.
"She got kidnapped Langston!'' Jessica sobbed. Vickie gasped not believing what she just heared. AJ, her little AJ was kidnapped.
The bodyguard obviously tried to play the victim and acted like he was concerned for AJ. He had returned to the house simply so there could eyes inside the house and to know what was going on throughout the week. He needed to keep Nick updated on what was happening inside that house. This upcoming week was going to be long.
As soon as Punk landed in Los Angeles he went straight for the Mendez home. They let him in immediately and he entered the house once Vickie answered.
"Oh, Punk thank goodness you're here.'' Vickie was in tears.
"Vickie. Have they called again?''
"No sir. Mr. and Mrs. Mendez are in the living room, you can go ahead.''
Punk walked over to the living room and his heart broke at the scene in front of him. AJ's parents were wrapped in each others arms crying while sitting on the couch. He swallowed hard as the tears fell from his eyes again.
"Mr. and Mrs. Mendez?''
"Oh Punk, you're here!'' Jessica stood up and Punk noticed that her hands were shaking. "We have to act fast. We only have a week to come up with that money.''
"She's right. Punk, I know that I have been a total jerk to you about dating my daughter and such but, dammit, I need your help. Phil, I need your help in getting my daughter back.'' Jorge used Punk's real name so Punk could see that he was being nothing but sincere.
"Don't worry Mr. Mendez, I'm going to do everything in power to get AJ back. I promise you that; we will work together. About the money, I wanted to ask if you guys have any merchandise of AJ's that has not been sold. Anything that has her face on it, items that she has signed that never got sold, anything.''
"Yeah sure, there's a lot of stuff the basement that has AJ's name and autograph on it. There are some CD's as well from the last album she released but who would want to but those? Why?''
"Doesn't matter if they're old, you never know who might buy them. We need to get all that stuff out and put it in her fan club website and sell it. I'm pretty sure that fans will buy a lot of the merchandise. It might not help us get all the money but it will definitely help.'' Punk said.
"Great idea Punk. We'll get a couple of bodyguards to get all that stuff out. I'll call AJ's publicist, Maryse and have her handle it.'' Jessica exited the room to contact Maryse and grab those bodyguards.
"Mr. Mendez, I managed to save up $7,000 and I'm including that in.''
"Oh no, Punk-''
"Sir, please. She's my girlfriend and I love her. I want to help as much as I can. I want her back just...just as much as you do.'' Punk rubbed his eyes as they began to water once again.
"I really appreciate this Phil. You have no idea.'' Jorge gave him a manly hug then pulled away before he got emotional again.
A couple of hours later, everything that was in the basement was already up on AJ's fan club website. They took pictures of every single thing and put a decent prize on it. Maryse kept the computer clutched to her side as she saw things being sold left and right. It was definitely a good sigh. Autographs, posters, CD's that had been signed; everything seemed to be getting sold at a decent amount of speed.
Meanwhile, Langston was getting a workout in before he headed over to where everybody was at. He was really distracted with his workout that he hadn't realized that Punk had arrived or that they already had a plan in motion to get AJ back. Once he was done with the workout, he was heading to his room when his cellphone rang. He quickly answered knowing it was Nick.
"Yes Mr. Ziggler?'' he whispered.
"Have any update for me yet?''
"No sir. I was working out but soon-''
"GETTING A WORKOUT? I'M NOT FUCKING PAYING YOU SO YOU CAN WORKOUT! I NEED YOUR EYES AND EARS IN THAT DAMN HOUSE YOU ASSHOLE! WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED AND YOUR BIG ASS ISN'T THERE?! GET YOUR ASS OVER THERE NOW! I EXPECT AN UPDATE LATER WHEN I CALL YOU AGAIN!'' Nick hung up the phone and had to stop himself from throwing it on the ground and destroying it. He walked down the stairs and went over to AJ who was still tied to the chair rather tightly.
"AJ, are you hungry?'' Nick asked with a certain tone in his voice. He chuckled when he heard her stomach growling. "Alright, hold your horses sweetheart. I'll have one of my men grab you some food. Can't have you dying on me...at least not yet.''
"P-please l-let me go'' AJ whispered as the tears fell. She was surprised that she still had tears left to cry. Her hands felt numb and her knees were really weak. She had her head hung low as she began to feel dizzy. She was not feeling good at all.''
"Oh I will. As soon as that father of yours pays me back.''
"You're never going to get away with this Nick! Never! No matter what you do or where you go, you will never get away with it.'' AJ had heard a conversation between Nick and Langston hours ago. Nick was planning on fleeing the country once he got the money he wanted. He wouldn't completely stay away though. At that point, he wasn't even thinking about his wife and son. It was all about the money for Nick Ziggler. AJ had never been so disgusted with anybody in her life.
"Whatever you say AJ.'' Nick laughed and exited the where house momentarily.
Langston was honestly freaked out by Nick's outburst so he quickly got changed into the usual suit he had to wear for work with the Mendez family and walked into the living room. He was surprised to see Maryse there and he was even more surprised to see Punk there.
"Langston.'' Punk called as soon as he noticed him walk into the living room. "You were AJ's bodyguard when all this happened. What do you remember?'' Punk asked as he crossed his arms. "How exactly did you let this happen?''
"Phil it wasn't his fault. He got hit from behind and got knocked out. He didn't know what was coming. Don't blame him.'' Jessica explained.
"Trust me Punk, if I saw what was coming, I assure you that AJ would be here. I already feel bad enough.'' Langston shook his head. He was quite the actor.
Punk sighed realizing that he was being unfair. "Sorry man. I'm just so upset and I'm just wondering who would do this to her? Sweet little AJ. Who would want to hurt her in any way?''
"Excuse me.'' Jorge spoke up and exited the living room; heading over to his office. A light bulb turned on in his head and he needed to check something out. It was unbelievable how he didn't think of this sooner. He had been so scared and distracted, that he had totally forgotten. He sat in his desk, turned on the computer and logged into it. He opened up a couple of windows and his jaw dropped at what he saw.
Many different emotions and reactions were running through Jorge's mind as he continued to watch the computer screen. He clicked on the rewind button over and over. After watching it numerous times, he still couldn't believe what he was seeing. He wanted nothing more than to explode out in anger. Trying not attract attention, he calmed himself down a bit. He was feeling anger. He was surprised, frustrated, he felt betrayed. It was almost becoming too much. He laid back on his chair and closed his eyes. After doing some thinking, he got up and exited his office, walking back into the living room.
"Punk, do you think I can talk to you for a second?''
Punk looked over at Jorge and he immediately noticed the strange look on his face. His body language was unusual and he knew something was up. He only nodded and walked with Jorge back to his office.
"What's the matter Mr. Mendez?'' Punk had been a bit relieved since the item selling from AJ's fan club was going successful but now he was just nervous all over again. He didn't like the look in Jorge's eyes one bit.
"Look at this.'' Jorge motioned for him to stand behind his desk and look at the computer. Jorge clicked play and was alert for any reaction that Punk might have.
Langston stood in the living room, watching closely at everything that was going on. Ever since he walked in there, no one said a word. Maryse still had that laptop with her and the bodyguard was beginning to suspect. Jessica was laying across the couch, lightly crying and holding a picture of AJ in her hands. She would get up from time to time and watch the laptop along with Maryse. Langston knew that he had to get eyes on it without making it look suspicious. What the fuck are they looking at?Langston thought.
The bodyguard had noticed when Jorge pulled Punk out, making their way to his office. He was surprised considering that Jorge wasn't too fond about Punk being AJ's boyfriend but he didn't think too much of it. He straightened up his back when Jorge and Punk walked back into the living room.
Jorge walked over to Maryse and whispered something in her ear. The blonde nodded then stood up, the computer still in hand. She managed to convince Jessica to walk outside with her and sit on one of the many cement benches they had out there; to get some fresh air.
Langston watched on and was certainly convinced that something was up. He had noticed that no one was even talking about how to come up with the $20,000. He couldn't have missed something right? He cleared his throat when Jorge approached him.
"Langston, do you mind helping us out. We have some stuff in the basement that I would like to take out.''
Langston furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. His daughter was missing and he wanted to take stuff out of the basement. He wasn't quite sure what was going on but he nodded anyways. He walked in front of Punk and Jorge and he could feel some sort of energy in the air. He couldn't really describe it but he didn't like it.
(With Jessica and Maryse)
Once the two women settled on a bench, Jessica's cellphone rang. She hesitantly answered and it was Dolph's mother, Lauren. "Hello Lauren.'' Jessica sniffled and sighed.
"Jessica? What's the matter?'' Lauren was oblivious to what was happening as was well as Dolph and Kaitlyn.
"Oh Lauren it's awful. AJ, s-she got kidnapped. My daughter got kidnapped.'' she sobbed.
"Oh my god Jessica, that's horrible. Who would do such a thing?'' Lauren began to shake as her nerves perked up. Not even knowing that her own husband was behind it all. After Jessica explained everything, Lauren decided to grab Dolph and Kaitlyn to make their way to the Mendez home. That family needed all the comfort they could get. It would just be the three the of them since Nick was supposedly out-of-town on business. That was the lie that Nick had given his wife in order to keep eye on AJ at all times in the warehouse.
Langston, whom was still confused and feeling odd, opened the door to the basement They walked down the stairs and Jorge closed the door all the way, flipping on the light switch. As they got to the bottom of the basement Langston looked around. "The...the basement is empty sir.'' he said confused. Before he knew it, Punk's fist connected with his face. Langston was a big muscular guy but the impact was strong enough to make him stumble backwards.
"WHERE THE FUCK IS AJ?!'' Punk yelled at the top of his lungs. Langston could only look up at him with widened eyes. "WHERE DID YOU TAKE HER LANGSTON?! ANSWER ME!''
Langston was completely taken back by what was happening. How the hell did these fuckers figure it out? I'm so fucked. Nick is going to kill me, that's if these two don't do it first. The bodyguard thought to himself. He tried to keep his composure and maybe he could lie himself out of it?
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about.'' Langston flexed his jaw and got up off the floor.
"Don't play stupid you son of a bitch! You took my daughter!.'' Jorge grabbed him by his suit and got right up on his face. "After all the years that you have worked for me...you forgot that I have cameras installed inside ever single car that I own! I saw when you tied my daughter up! I saw you take her out somewhere! Where the hell is she?!''
You stupid fuck! How could you forget aboutthat?! Langston didn't budge though. He knew he was caught and there was no way to get out of this. It didn't mean that he was going to give up where AJ was though. If he did, he was pretty sure that Nick would kill him. "You're stupid if you think I'm going to tell you where she is.'' he chuckled.
Jorge was fuming and brought his knee up to connect with Langston's mid section. This time, the bodyguard bent forward as he groaned from the pain. "Oh, you're not going to tell us where she is or...or I swear I'll kill you!'' Jorge didn't even know what to say anymore. He knew himself, that he wasn't capable of killing him.
"Go ahead. Like that's going to get you any closer to that daughter of yours'' Langston coughed. The big guy already figured he would die or go to jail. He knew Jorge and Punk didn't have the guts to actually kill him; Nick however was a different story. He got startled when Punk jumped him, causing him to fall flat on his back on the floor. Punk got on top of him and began swinging his fists left and right. He connected his fist with as much of Langston's face and body that he could.
"You're working with somebody aren't you?! Son of a bitch! Someone told you to kidnap AJ! WHO IS IT? WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR!'' Punk swung a fist one last time. He stood up, witnessing his bleeding knuckles as he panted.
Langston at this point was beat up and weak. He coughed up blood and could barely move. There was no way he could straight out tell them who he was working with now. "Calm down Punk, please.'' Jorge grabbed Punk by the shoulders and tried to calm him down. Jorge knew that Langston deserved the beating from hell but they couldn't kill him. It would get them nowhere. The silence that filled the room for a couple of minutes was interrupted by a cellphone going off.
"What is that?'' Punk looked around and then realized the ringtone was coming from Langston's pocket. He roughly moved Langston on his side, slightly and pulled the cellphone out of. He looked at the caller I.D. and he couldn't believe it. Glancing over at Jorge, he stood up holding the cellphone.
"What?'' Jorge approached Punk and looked at the caller I.D. He snatched the cellphone away and answered it without saying a word.
As soon as Nick heard Langston's phone being answered, he spoke not even waiting for a hello. "I expected an update from you Langston! I'm getting pissed off over here not knowing what that fucker is doing! You're not doing your job and that's what I'm paying you to do!'' Nick yelled. "GET YOUR ASS TO THE WARE HOUSE NOW! I wanna have a talk with you. I'll text you directions.'' without waiting a for a response, Nick hung up and typed in the directions in a text, not realizing that he just gave everything away to Jorge.
The room fell silent once again until the text message was recieved.
"Let's go!"
"Please stop this Nick. Just let me go!'' AJ pleaded for what seemed like the hundredth time. She sounded like a broke record but she didn't care. All she wanted was to get the hell out of there. Her wrists and ankles were stinging, she felt weak, dizzy, nauseous. They didn't necessarily give her enough food to eat. She was thirsty and needed some fresh air overall. She felt like she was going to pass out at any minute.
"How many times have I told you little AJ? Not until your daddy gives up that money. Now shut the fuck up! You're annoying me already!'' Nick growled. Langston still had not shown up and he was in a foul mood. "Tape her up Orton!'' he yelled. Orton grabbed some duck tape and ripped out a piece before placing it over AJ's mouth. She squirmed and moaned, feeling like she couldn't breathe properly. "Where the fuck is Langston dammit!'' Nick paced back n forth, he was close to losing it.
Punk and Jorge were able to leave the house without having to explain anything to Jessica. They got in the car immediately and drove to the destination on the text in Langston's phone. While Jorge drove, Punk was loading up a couple of guns that Jorge had hidden underneath the seats of the car; for safety purposes.
"We have to make sure we go in there quick Punk. We can't give that asshole and whoever else is working for him, time to prepare for this fight. We must surprise them when they least expect it.''
"Agreed.'' Punk nodded. His hands shook as he loaded the guns. He was petrified of seeing in which conditions AJ was in. He was thinking the worst and fearing that they would be too late. He closed his eyes and AJ's face immediately came into the pitch of darkness. He saw her beauitful smile and he could almost hear her bubbly laugh on his ears as her big brown eyes twinkled. The tears fell once he reminded a time that she sang a song to him in that soft voice of hers. There was so much emotion behind the song. He sniffled and wiped the tears away; composing himself so he could be ready to save the love of his life.
"We're going to get her back Punk. We are leaving that place with her, alive.'' Jorge did his best to stay positive. He was scared too but he was someone who never thought negatively of a tough situation. He was confident that he would get AJ back and he would end Nick once and for all. If it meant, killing him in order to get his daughter back, so be it.
They finally arrived two blocks away from the warehouse and decided to park the car off to the side of the road. They adjusted the guns under their clothes and began to walk. Once their eyes landed on the old warehouse, they ducked a bit and cautiously got closer to it. They could hear yelling from inside and Jorge immediately recognized that voice as Nick. They got even closer to the entrance and could see a figure entering the warehouse. They changed their mind a bit and waited before taking them by surprise.
Nick sat on an old, rusty chair rubbing his temples. He cursed and screamed, having a tantrum. His goons, Orton and Batista just stood off to the side. They were pretty used to their boss acting like that when someone didn't do as they were told. They pretty much knew that Langston was a dead man. Ziggler turned his head to the entrance of the warehouse when he heard a coughing Langston enter it. He was holding his ribcage area and could barely walk.
"Son of a bitch! What the fuck happened?'' Nick stood up and was beginning to feel nervous as he walked over to the bodyguard. AJ's eyes just widened as she saw Langston all beat up, walking into the warehouse. Langston couldn't even speak as he continued to cough up blood. He was surprised that he made it all the way to the warehouse. Jorge had dropped the phone in the basement once he knew the address of the house. That's how he managed to know where it was. He was already there but he realized it was probably a bad idea to show up. Nick was over the edge and he knew the end was near.
What happened to him? Who did that him? Oh my, was it Punk? Or my dad!? AJ said to herself. She was really hoping that Punk and/or her dad were close to finding her. She couldn't take it anymore.
"Asshole! You can never do anything right!'' Nick swung his fist, hitting Langston on his already bruised jaw. Langston fell to the ground and in that moment, he knew he was done for. His life flashed before his eyes. He tilted his head to the side and took a peek at AJ who looked so vulnerable and weak; tears streaming down her face. Knowing it was too late, he couldn't even begin to realize how wrong he did the Mendez family. They provided him with a job all those years and that was how he paid them back. He blinked so weakly and before he knew it, Nick had pulled the trigger.
AJ jumped in her seat and shut her eyes. She yelled against the duck tape as she watched the horrible scene of Nick shooting a bullet directly to Langston's temple. The pop star began to breath deeply in panick. She shook her head in disbelief as she opened her eyes and saw Nick standing there, acting like he did nothing wrong. Her eyelids suddenly went heavy and in a matter of seconds, she was out.
At the time that AJ passed out, Punk and Jorge had rushed inside the warehouse, through the back door. Their hearts beating rapidly as they heard the noise of a gun going off. They prayed to the man above that AJ was not on the opposite side of the trigger. They finally made it inside and saw the scene in front of them. Nick was standing tall as Langston laid before him, lifeless. AJ was tied to a chair; her head hung low, with two men standing behind her; but not too close to her. Punk gave Jorge the signal and went for it.
Nick suddenly turned around to see both his men on the floor. One on either side of AJ. His eyes lifted and saw them. Punk and Jorge standing there, with their guns pointed to him. Nick swallowed hard and in a rapid motion, stepped forward and grabbed AJ with the chair still attached to her bottom. He dragged her all the way back and placed the gun to her temple. "Put the guns down or I'll kill her!''
"Give it up Nick! Let my daughter go now!'' Jorge watched in horror as he saw how horrible his daughter looked. She was still unconscious and he now, feared the worst.
"Why isn't she awake!? What did you do to her!?'' Punk yelled. He also noticed how AJ was passed out. They had to have done something to her.
"I haven't done shit! Yet! Asshole, you better give me my damn money!''
"I don't have to give you anything! We went through with the agreement and you know it! AJ did her part and so did your son!''
"No! They divorced! Your daughter here broke the agreement! So now, one of you has to pay for it since I'm guessing you don't have the money. Which one of you shall it be?'' Nick pointed the gun to Punk then to Jorge, then back to AJ's temple. It grew intensely quite in the warehouse as the three men looked at each other.
In a split second, Punk stepped forward and pulled the trigger. Before the bullet could connect, Nick also fired his own gun, aiming successfully to Punk.
"No!'' Jorge fired the gun multiple times towards Nick until he finally fell, the gun tumbling out of his hands. Jorge looked between AJ and Punk, not knowing who to go to first. He headed to AJ and as he untied her, he dialed 911; hoping they could get there fast and attend to Punk who had been shot. Once he untied AJ he took her in his arms.
'April! Baby wake up please! You gotta wake up sweetheart!'' Jorge sobbed and rocked AJ back and forth in his arms. He peeled the tape off her mouth and dragged them both over to Punk.
''Hang in there Punk. The ambulance is on it's way.''
Punk held onto his mid section as he coughed and had trouble breathing. He was weak and his eyes were slowly closing as the seconds past. He was still able to see Jorge sitting next to his stretched out body, with AJ in his arms. "A..AJ. Is...she...okay?'' he asked in between coughs.
"I think she's just unconscious Punk. Please, hang in there...You have to survive this! AJ needs you Punk! Dammit no!'' Jorge yelled louder when Punk's eyes completely shut closed. He glanced down at AJ who began to move and open her eyes slowly. "April, honey your alright. Oh thank God.''
"Dad? What happened to me?'' AJ said softly. She still felt weak. Turning head to the side lazy-like, she witnessed Punk on the ground with a gunshot wound on his midsection. She started to remember what was going on before she passed out. "Oh my God! Punk, baby! What's wrong...dad, what...'' she couldn't speak properly in between sobs. She brought her hands up to her bruised mouth as she watched Punk bleed, with his eyes closed. "Punk wake up!'' she shook him but he didn't budge. "Punk!''
"Honey please calm down. I called for an ambulance. They should be here shortly.'' he tried to control AJ but she kept on screaming and pleading as the tears ran down her cheeks, all the way down her throat.
"Punk! Please...wake...wake up. I need you baby...I love you! Please...'' she rested her head on his broad chest. "Please don't leave me.'' she whispered as she could barely hear his heart beating. In that moment, it felt like hope was slipping out of her hands like sand. The sirens of the ambulance and cops in the backround of her cries.
Please help him!" AJ pleaded to the paramedics as they attended to Punk. His shirt was damp with blood so they cut it off his body. The covered up the gunshot wound carefully and lifted him onto the bed. They began to wheel him out of the warehouse, AJ and her father behind them. While walking out, AJ glanced over to the two bodybags on the floor, obviously belonging to Langston and Nick Ziggler. AJ shook her head as she sobbed. She couldn't believe what Langston had done her family. All it gained him was a cold-blooded death.
As they walked outside, AJ was stopped by a female paramedic. "I'm sorry to stop you Ms. but we need to examine you and make sure you are alright."
"Can we please do this at the hospital? I'd like to ride in the ambulance with my boyfriend." AJ sniffled and wiped the tears away. The paramedic nodded to AJ jumped in the back of the ambulance while her dad went in his car. AJ grabbed Punk's hand and held it tightly. "Just hold on baby, please. We're on our way to the hospital." Punk had his eyes closed but AJ spoke to him anyways. She was terrified and trembling. As she sobbed, she let go of his hand momentarily to check her wrists. They were sore and stil stung. She started to feel dizzy but it passed by seconds after. She grabbed onto his hand once again, she began to pray for her love. Pleading to God that he had to survive. He has a heartbeat but barely. The medics were doing all they could on the way to the hospital.
Once they got to the hospital, AJ's father made sure to be with Punk while they attended to AJ. She didn't want to leave his side but the doctors insisted that she get checked out. While they wheeled Punk in, Jorge called his wife to tell her everything that happend.
As Jessica listened in, she was completely shocked at what her husband was telling her. She sobbed all while Kaitlyn, Dolph, and Lauren sat in front of her in panick. Jessica knew that it was her responsibility to tell them that Nick was behind AJ's kindapping. She wasn't sure she would pull it off but she knew she had to.
Jorge hung up the phone once he saw a doctor appoach him. "Are you a family member of Mr. Brooks?" The doctor asked.
"He's my daughter's boyfriend. She is being checked out as well and his family lives in Florida so..." Jorge was hoping that they could still inform him on Punk's status. The doctor nodded in apporval and began to explain that Punk had to go under emergency surgery to remove the bullet. They had to get the bullet out before it pierced any of his organs. "What are the possibilities that it does reach one of his organs?" Jorge asked as he was afraid of the answer.
"Well that's to be determined. We have to open him up a bit and see what's going on. I just need your approval to perform the surgery. Jorge immediately gave him the ok and the doctor walked off, with Punk's life in his hands.
"No, you are lying! My husband would no such thing!" Lauren was offended that Jessica would even accuse her husband. Jessica completely understood her reaction. She was nervous about telling her that Nick was dead.
"I know it must be hard to hear this Lauren really. And I'm sorry that you and Dolph have to hear this but Nick...is dead. Punk had to kill him before he killed my daughter!" Jessica sobbed. Her anger was coming out quickly as the fact that Nick and Langston were behind it all, settled in. Jessica winced as he heard Lauren cry out for her husband. She could care less for Nick but she did feel bad for Lauren and Dolph. They were both oblivious to how Nick truly was and it wasn't their fault. Dolph held his mother in complete shock. How was his dad capable of this? He knew Nick was mad about the divorce but he no idea he would go to extreme measures. He couldn't even wrap his head around his death. It was just too much to swallow at once.
Meanwhile, AJ sat anxiously on a hospital bed, waiting for the doctor. Physically she was fine and just wanted to go and see how Punk was doing. Her father let her know about the surgery and she prayed it went successful. She had calmed down since getting to the hospital but she was still shaking in fear. She couldn't even imagine life without Punk. She knew that Punk was strong though and would pull through. Faith was all she had at this point. She sighed in relief when the doctor finally came in. "I'm okay right? Please tell me I am so I can go with my dad. I want to see how my boyfriend is doing." AJ rambled on as her hands shook lightly.
"Yes Ms. Mendez, you are perfectly fine." AJ smiled lightly and jumped off the bed. The doctor stopped her from leaving though. Apparently, she wasn't finished. "And the baby is also perfect."
Author's Note: Hey guys, just wanted to remind you all of something..if you are reading on a computer, you will see lines in between conversations and paragraphs. It's something I have to do because I'm updating from my phone so just ignore them from here on out. Sorry if they start to get annoying. Thanks again and enjoy chapter 32.
AJ knew this was no place to laugh but she had to let out a chuckle. "I'm sorry, I could have sworn you said baby." she shook her head in amusement. Her eyes widened when the doctor smiled at her widely.
"Yes Ms. Mendez, according to our tests, you are three weeks pregnant." the doctor said with excitement in her voice. "We would like to perform a ultrasound and double-check that the baby is fine."
AJ held her flat stomach in disbelief. She couldn't believe what the doctor was telling her. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "But, before the kidnapping and everything I didn't feel any of the symptoms. How come?" AJ was shaking again, this time more intensly. She couldn't believe she was pregnant with Punk's child. She smiled at the thought.
The doctor nodded in understanding. "Every females body reacts differently to pregnancy Ms. Mendez. Some women feel dizzy and nauseous, while others feel nothing at all." she frowned when she noticed AJ's body language. "Ms. Mendez, please, it's important that you stay stress free. You are in the early stages of your pregnancy but it's still important to keep your composure and not stress." the doctor was concerned that AJ would have pregnacy problems later on. The kidnapping put lots of stress on her and she wasn't exactly in a reliable place, breathing anything but fresh air.
AJ took a deep breath and shook her hands, trying to calm down. She would never want anything to happen to her unborn child. She nodded to the doctor. "I promise I will doctor. It's hard because of what I went through and because of the condition of my boyfriend but, I promise, I will take care of myself."
"I'm happy to hear you are determined Ms. Mendez." she smiled. Now, how about that ultrasound? The sooner we finish, the sooner you can check on your boyfriend." AJ nodded and took a shaky breath as she layed down the bed. The fact that she was pregnant still hadn't sunk in. How will Punk react when she tells him? Her parents, her fans? The public and media? What would people say about her getting pregnant at a young age? Even though you couldn't see anything yet, she watched the monitor as she tried to push the thoughts out of her head. She remembered, no stress!
Once the doctor let her know that everything was good, she gave her a prescription for vitamins to take. AJ quickly thanked her and rushed out of the room to find her dad. After asking for what floor Punk was having surgery on, she went up to the appropriate floor and entered the waiting room. She saw her dad sitting back on the chair, with his head resting on the back wall, his chin raised up and his eyes closed. AJ bit her lip in nervousness as she sat down next to him. She grabbed his attention and asked if there was any news.
"He's still in surgery sweetheart. We just have be patient and have faith. He'll pull through." Jorge assured her. "What about you? Everything came back good right?" AJ just nodded and Jorge smiled in relief.
"Everything is fine dad, there's just one thing that they told me; it surprised me a bit." Jorge raised an eyebrow in curiosity. AJ took a deep breath as she looked at her dad. "The doctor told me that, I'm pregnant dad. I'm having Punk's baby." she smiled at him. It felt good to say it out loud. More than she thought it would. The smiled faded when her dad said nothing. "Dad, please don't be mad. I understand that I'm young and-" Jorge raised his hand, stopping her from talking. She looked down at her lap and bit her lip once again. She glanced up at him and saw his lips curl into a smile. She furrowed her eyebows in surprise. "You're not mad?"
Jorge shook his head. "No sweety. I'm surprised yes but I'm not mad. It's true, you are young but you are very mature for your age. And lets be honest, it's not like you can't support a baby. You're in good shape and so is Punk. I have full confidence that you will be the best mother you can be. Your mother and I raised you that way." he smiled again. He was honestly happy that AJ was starting to form a family. Again, yeah she was young but was strong and mature enough. "I can't believe I'm going to be grandfather. I feel old." he shook his head and laughed lightly.
AJ smiled and wiped the tears that began to fall as soon as her dad started talking. "Oh dad, you are not old. I'm just glad that you're not mad. It makes me feel good that you trust me; but most importantly, that you trust Punk."
"I saw how worried he was about you baby. You should have seen him. It took an unfortunate event for me to see it but at least I figured it out. He was doing everything in his power to save you. He really does love you." AJ smiled, loving the fact that her dad finally saw the light. "By the way, the baby is okay right?" he sighed in relief when AJ nodded. Both their attention turned to the door when it swung open. Revealing Jessica and Kaitlyn. Jessica ran to her daughter and hugged her tightly.
"Oh April! Thank God you are okay! I was so scared and worried. Bless that boyfriend of yours and your dad. How's Punk doing?" She sniffled as she pulled away. Jorge explained his condition and that he was in emergency surgery. "I can't believe Langston would betray us like that. With Nick, I shouldn't be so surprised. He's a greedy bastard. I told Lauren and Dolph everything. They headed to the police station to get all the info on what happened." Jessica informed them.
"I feel bad for Dolph. I mean, it's not his fault his father was the way he was. Now, he doesn't have his dad." AJ shook her head. She glanced over to Kaitlyn who was just keeping quiet. They locked eyes and hesitated a bit before finally engaging in a tight hug. AJ smiled when she heard Kaitlyn whisper in her ear "I'm glad you're alright."
Over the corse of the next half hour, AJ revealed to her mom and Kaitlyn about her pregnancy. They were both shocked but thrilled for her and Punk. Jessica assured her daughter that Punk would survive to see his baby and take care of them. After more reassurance, they sat sliently waiting for the doctor to show up. The surgery should be done any minute now. Finally, they all stood up as they saw the doctor enter, removing his surgery mask as he walked in. "How did it go doctor?" AJ asked nervously as she held onto her stomach.
The doctor too a deep breath then smiled. "The surgery took some time but it went successfully." they all sighed in relief and AJ cried with happiness. "We managed to remove the bullet before it pierced his lungs or any other organ. He was lucky because most do not survive that type of a gunshot wound. He's a strong young man."
"That he is." AJ said proudly. "Can I see him?" The doctor explained that he had to be in the recovery room for at least 2 hours. Once they transfered him to a regular room, they would let them know and could see him.
The two hours dragged on and AJ was finally able to see her boyfriend, the father of her baby. She entered the room and frowned when she saw him hooked up to different machines. It hurt to see him like that but she was thankful that he was alive. AJ grabbed a chair and sat next to the bed, very close. She grabbed his hand and laced her fingers between his. The tears fell again as she felt him squeeze her hand. "Baby?" she whispered.
Punk slowly opened his eyes and smiled when he saw AJ sitting there, alive and well. "April baby, you're okay."
"Yeah, thanks to you and my dad. You saved my life baby." AJ sniffled. "I'm just so glad that you're okay. How are you feeling?"
Punk groaned in pain as he moved a bit. "My whole body hurts. Especially here" he pointed to his midsection that was wrapped tightly all around. AJ explained to him about the surgery and how they removed the bullet. "Wow so I got lucky. Did you get checked out by a doctor as well?" He changed the subject as he wanted to make sure that she was 100% aright. She was the most important in this situation.
AJ smiled as she remembered the god news that the doctor told her. "Yes baby I am fine. The doctor ran tests and she said I'm perfect." Punk smiled in relief. AJ then bit her lip as she knew it was time to tell Punk. "There's one thing though babe." Punk sat up as much as he could in full curiosity. "This is big Punk so please don't freak out; it might be bad for you. Umm, the eh, the doctor told me that I'm...well I'm umm, p-pregnant. I'm pregnant Punk. We're having a baby." she sat there, staring at Punk, waiting for his reaction. She cocked her head to the side and looked at him carefully when she saw a single tear fall down his cheek. She wiped it away with her thumb and cupped his cheek.
Punk let out a slight chuckle. "We...we're having a baby?" he asked in disbelief. That was probably the best news that he has ever gotten in his entire life. "Come here" he crooked his finger at her and AJ stood up. She sat beside him carefully on the bed. He reached for her neck and brought her down slowly, capturing her lips with his. It was sweet slow kiss that instantly relaxed their bodies. Punk pulled away and smiled at her. "Wow." was all he said as he rubbed her flat stomach as he much he could. His hand became weak though and it landed on AJ's thigh. AJ could tell that Punk was happy and she was so relieved. "I love you so much and I love this baby too. We're going to be parents, wow." Punk said again in shock. All of a sudden, he felt much better.
"I love you too Punk. So much." She bent down and pecked his lips. AJ was already looking forward to getting their life back to normal. The pop star stroked Punk's hair as he was getting sleepy. " Rest baby. I'll be here...always." she whispered. Punk eventually drifted off, and entered his dreams where his family was already formed completely. It was a girl. In his dreams, they had a beautiful baby girl.
"Don't worry Chaleen, I'm fine. Like I told you, don't even mention anything to grandma. I'm okay and I don't want to worry her over nothing. Just tell her everything is fine and that we found AJ." Punk had been on the phone with his sister for the past hour, assuring her that he was fine. He decided to tell her everything that happened but like she promised, she didn't freak out as much so their grandmother wouldn't ask. "She took it more calmly than what I thought." Punk said after hanging up with his sister.
"Well yeah, she knows for sure that you're okay by hearing your voice." AJ smiled at him.
Punk took AJ's hand in his and smiled back. "How are you feeling?" Punk kept on asking her how she was, despite AJ assuring him that she was feeling great. Punk was more worried about AJ than himself and the petite diva couldn't be more grateful to have him in her life.
"I'm fine baby, I've already told you." AJ sat beside him on the bed. "By the way, I talked to the doctor while you talked to Chaleen. He said you can leave withing the next 5 days." she informed him. Punk sighed in relief. He hated hospitals and wanted to get out of there. "I also umm..." AJ bit her lip, she went back to being nervous obviously. "I talked to the police and they told me that the two guys working for Nick are now in jail. Nick's body was turned over to Dolph and Lauren."
"I feel for them. How were the suppose to know what kind of man he was." Punk sighed and AJ just nodded in agreement. She was still a tad bit shaken up on the inside and didn't want to say much. Punk immediately noticed it. "Are you okay? You're not in any pain are you?" he asked concerned as he rubbed AJ's flat stomach. She just shook her head and smiled.
[5 days later]
Jorge and one of his bodyguards, Cesaro, helped Punk off of the car and up the stairs of the house. In between breaks, they were finally able to get Punk in the room he had when he was AJ's bodyguard. AJ wanted badly to be home when he got there but the wrestler told her that it was okay. During the past few days, AJ decided to get back into singing. Despite being pregnant, she knew that she could still make small appearances and also make a new album. She needed something to erase everything that she went through during the kidnapping. Music was the best way to go.
Also during those few days, the media had found out about AJ's kidnapping and about Punk getting shot. The news and media blogs put the two together and knew Punk and AJ were a couple. The news of AJ being pregnant was a rumor and she preferred it stayed that. Everyone would eventually know the truth once she started showng.
After meeting up with usual songwriters and producers she worked with, AJ left the studio, very anxious to get home. She wanted to be with Punk and see how he was doing. She was just really glad that he was out of the hospital already. Hesitantly, AJ accepted Cesaro's help with stepping into the car. She was still a bit nervous about being in a car with a bodyguard. She was having some trust issues with the family employees for the first time ever. Anxiety took over once Cesaro began to drive. She relaxed when they got to the house safely though. Running inside, she went straight to Punk's room. "Baby, you're here!" AJ sat on the bed beside him and hugged him tightly. She was forced to pull away when he winced in pain. "I'm sorry." she whispered and pecked his lips.
"It's okay, don't worry about it babe. So, how did it go at the studio?" Punk listened carefully as AJ talked about how excited she was to sing again. She talked about specific songs she was aready going to record. Once she was done talking, Punk pulled her into his arms slowly. "Can you sing for me? I love it when you sing to me." he whispered. A smile grew on his face when she began to sing in that soft voice of hers. He instantly relaxed and felt her relax as well, in his arms. It had been a while since they both felt at peace so it was refreshing. AJ stopped singing after a while and looked up at Punk. They kissed passionately as he rubbed her stomach lightly with the tips of his tattooed fingers. It was still surreal that they were going to be parents but Punk was really excited. He could already imagine their family. Their sweet moment got interrupted when there was a knock on the door. "Come in"
"Sorry to interrupt but there are a couple people at the gate for you." Cesaro informed them. "Under the name, Chaleen?"
Punk furrowed his eyebrows in surprise. "That's my sister. Go ahead and let them in." Cesaro nodded and left. Punk sat up on the bed with AJ's help. He immediately noticed the look on her face. "Hey, don't worry, they are going to love you, just like I do." he kissed her forehead. He had to admit he was nervous too because he had no idea his family flew in from Florida. He knew they would love AJ though; who wouldn't? Besides that, Punk was worried about his grandmother's reaction to his condition. It wasn't as bad as the first day but he was still in pain. She wasn't 100% healthy either so he was nervous about how she would take it. Punk was thinking about everybody's health, more than his own. That's just how he was.
AJ on the other hand wasn't so confident about meeting Punk's family for the first time. What would they think about Punk being with a girl that only brought danger to his life? She was pregnant and they were barely meeting her. What if they thought she was a snotty pop star like all her other anti-fans? She was snotty but that was before meeting Punk. He had changed her for the better. AJ bit her lip hard as they waited for Punk's family to enter the room.
"Don't worry Chaleen, I'm fine. Like I told you, don't even mention anything to grandma. I'm okay and I don't want to worry her over nothing. Just tell her everything is fine and that we found AJ." Punk had been on the phone with his sister for the past hour, assuring her that he was fine. He decided to tell her everything that happened but like she promised, she didn't freak out as much so their grandmother wouldn't ask. "She took it more calmly than what I thought." Punk said after hanging up with his sister.
"Well yeah, she knows for sure that you're okay by hearing your voice." AJ smiled at him.
Punk took AJ's hand in his and smiled back. "How are you feeling?" Punk kept on asking her how she was, despite AJ assuring him that she was feeling great. Punk was more worried about AJ than himself and the petite diva couldn't be more grateful to have him in her life.
"I'm fine baby, I've already told you." AJ sat beside him on the bed. "By the way, I talked to the doctor while you talked to Chaleen. He said you can leave withing the next 5 days." she informed him. Punk sighed in relief. He hated hospitals and wanted to get out of there. "I also umm..." AJ bit her lip, she went back to being nervous obviously. "I talked to the police and they told me that the two guys working for Nick are now in jail. Nick's body was turned over to Dolph and Lauren."
"I feel for them. How were the suppose to know what kind of man he was." Punk sighed and AJ just nodded in agreement. She was still a tad bit shaken up on the inside and didn't want to say much. Punk immediately noticed it. "Are you okay? You're not in any pain are you?" he asked concerned as he rubbed AJ's flat stomach. She just shook her head and smiled.
[5 days later]
Jorge and one of his bodyguards, Cesaro, helped Punk off of the car and up the stairs of the house. In between breaks, they were finally able to get Punk in the room he had when he was AJ's bodyguard. AJ wanted badly to be home when he got there but the wrestler told her that it was okay. During the past few days, AJ decided to get back into singing. Despite being pregnant, she knew that she could still make small appearances and also make a new album. She needed something to erase everything that she went through during the kidnapping. Music was the best way to go.
Also during those few days, the media had found out about AJ's kidnapping and about Punk getting shot. The news and media blogs put the two together and knew Punk and AJ were a couple. The news of AJ being pregnant was a rumor and she preferred it stayed that. Everyone would eventually know the truth once she started showng.
After meeting up with usual songwriters and producers she worked with, AJ left the studio, very anxious to get home. She wanted to be with Punk and see how he was doing. She was just really glad that he was out of the hospital already. Hesitantly, AJ accepted Cesaro's help with stepping into the car. She was still a bit nervous about being in a car with a bodyguard. She was having some trust issues with the family employees for the first time ever. Anxiety took over once Cesaro began to drive. She relaxed when they got to the house safely though. Running inside, she went straight to Punk's room. "Baby, you're here!" AJ sat on the bed beside him and hugged him tightly. She was forced to pull away when he winced in pain. "I'm sorry." she whispered and pecked his lips.
"It's okay, don't worry about it babe. So, how did it go at the studio?" Punk listened carefully as AJ talked about how excited she was to sing again. She talked about specific songs she was aready going to record. Once she was done talking, Punk pulled her into his arms slowly. "Can you sing for me? I love it when you sing to me." he whispered. A smile grew on his face when she began to sing in that soft voice of hers. He instantly relaxed and felt her relax as well, in his arms. It had been a while since they both felt at peace so it was refreshing. AJ stopped singing after a while and looked up at Punk. They kissed passionately as he rubbed her stomach lightly with the tips of his tattooed fingers. It was still surreal that they were going to be parents but Punk was really excited. He could already imagine their family. Their sweet moment got interrupted when there was a knock on the door. "Come in"
"Sorry to interrupt but there are a couple people at the gate for you." Cesaro informed them. "Under the name, Chaleen?"
Punk furrowed his eyebrows in surprise. "That's my sister. Go ahead and let them in." Cesaro nodded and left. Punk sat up on the bed with AJ's help. He immediately noticed the look on her face. "Hey, don't worry, they are going to love you, just like I do." he kissed her forehead. He had to admit he was nervous too because he had no idea his family flew in from Florida. He knew they would love AJ though; who wouldn't? Besides that, Punk was worried about his grandmother's reaction to his condition. It wasn't as bad as the first day but he was still in pain. She wasn't 100% healthy either so he was nervous about how she would take it. Punk was thinking about everybody's health, more than his own. That's just how he was.
AJ on the other hand wasn't so confident about meeting Punk's family for the first time. What would they think about Punk being with a girl that only brought danger to his life? She was pregnant and they were barely meeting her. What if they thought she was a snotty pop star like all her other anti-fans? She was snotty but that was before meeting Punk. He had changed her for the better. AJ bit her lip hard as they waited for Punk's family to enter the room.
Punk held onto AJ's leg, which caused it to stop shaking. "Baby will you relax? You have nothing to be worried about. They are going to love you. Please calm down okay?" he said softly as he rubbed her thigh. AJ smiled at him and nodded. She suddenly jumped up from the bed when the door finally opened up. The popstar just shyly stood off to the side with her hands hooked behind her back.
"Phil honey, are you okay?!" Punk's grandmother rushed to his side and hugged him lightly.
"I'm fine grandma. Really, I'm okay" Punk assured her and hugged her back. He could feel her shaking and he became worried. He pulled back but still held onto her hands. "You're shaking. Please calm down grandma, I'm fine." His grandma nodded and smiled while trying to calm down.
"Hello AJ? April? Which do you prefer?" Chaleen approached her and smiled.
AJ smiled back. "AJ is fine."
"Well it's nice to finally meet my brother's girlfriend." AJ expected a handshake but Chaleen actually hugged her. She was surprised at the warmth but hugged her back. "I'm actually a fan of yours, believe it or not." Chaleen chuckled.
"Aww well thank you and it's nice to finally meet you too" AJ felt alittle more relaxed. Chaleen sounded and looked really nice and down to earth. Chaleen introduced AJ to their other sister Maya. She was nice as well but quiet and shy. She was the youngest of the bunch.
"Grandma this is AJ, my girlfriend. You know, the popstar singer." Punk grinned.
"Of course, hello sweetie." she hugged AJ. "Wow, you're even prettier in person."
AJ blushed shyly. "Thank you ma'am. It's nice to meet you."
"Oh please, call me Anne." She turned back to sit next to Punk who was more than relieved that his family liked AJ. "I'm so glad you guys are okay and alive. Chaleen told me...that you got shot." Anne frowned.
"Chaleen." Punk glared at his sister.
"Sorry, she wanted to know and I can't lie. I told her not to freak out before I told her though."
"Sweetie you don't have to worry. I've been feeling great lately." Anne smiled at her grandson. AJ couldn't help but smile at the love and compassion Punk and his family had for one another. She thought it would be good to give them some family time.
"I'm heading downstairs to get you guys a couple drinks. I'll be back and make youselfs at home." They thanked AJ as she exited the room.
As she entered the kitchen, AJ was handed the mail by Vickie. "Thanks Vick." There was only one letter adressed to her and it was a big orange envelope. She opened it up and realized that it was the divorce papers. It was finalized and she was officially divorced. AJ couldn't help but smile in relief. She placed the envelope aside and grabbed drinks for Punk's family. Once she entered the room with the tray, everyone turned to look at her. "What?" she asked nervously as she put the tray down.
"Sweetie, you're pregnant?" Anne walked up to her and smiled as she rubbed her stomach. "Oh dear I'm sorry. You probably don't like getting touched. You aren't even showing yet."
"N-No, it's okay." AJ stuttered. She was surprised Punk told them so soon. They didn't look mad, they actually looked happy which made AJ happy as well.
After speaking about the pregnancy and getting to know each more, AJ invited Punk's family to stay for dinner and they accepted. They met AJ's parents and everyone was getting along. Punk and AJ couldn't help but smile at each other, knowing that everything was going back to normal.
[Months Later]
Punk had just started working out again after having to stop due to the gunshot wound. He recovered in a great amount of time. Before he knew it, he was lifting again and gaining more muscle. He had contacted WWE during the past couple months and notified them on his progress. Now that he was back in shape, the company wanted him to make a good comeback. Punk was ready to get back in the ring but he didn't want to leave AJ. She wasn't alone; she obviously had her parents, Vickie, and now his family since they moved back to Los Angeles. Punk didn't need the perfrormance center anymore so they moved back for that reason. He was still worried about not being by her side. She was a couple months into pregnancy now and needed more care than before. Punk wanted to be there every step of the way but knew he couldn't.
AJ on the other hand, was focusing on her pregnancy and the new album that she was working on. The family thought she was putting pressure on herself but she assured them that she was fine. The popstar made TV appearances where she would do small performances and talk about the new album. At some point, they asked her about her pregnancy and she told all the deets. She felt more comfortable in letting the world know that she was having Punk's baby; the now famous wrestler's baby. Even though the celebrity couple didn't know it, they were the center of the media world for a while now.
After being busy for the last couple days, Punk and AJ finally had some quiet time for themselves. They were in the back yard of AJ's house relaxing as layed on the grass, looking up at the clouds. "How are you feeling?" Punk rubbed his hand on her semi swollen stomach.
"I feel great baby. You know, in a couple weeks, we get to find out the sex." AJ grinned at him.
"Oooo, I bet it will be a boy." Punk sounded excited to find out if they were having a son or a daughter.
"Doesn't matter what we have, as long as it's healthy." AJ rested her head on Punk's chest. Punk nodded in response and wrapped his arms around her. He smiled to himself and looked up at the clouds. It felt so good to have his pregnant girlfriend in his arms. He felt so content. The couple sat up when they heard someone approach them. It was Jorge.
"Hey dad. What's up?"
"Hey you two. I just got back from the office. Had a long day." Jorge took his sunglasses off and sat down in front of the couple. "I actually wanted to ask you something Punk.
"Oh?" Punk said curiously.
"I wanted to ask if you and your family would like to move in with us. I cut down on security a bit and we have more than enough rooms. What do you say?" Jorge pulled out three seperate key chains from his pocket. They each contained a key to the house.
Both Punk and AJ were surprised with Jorge's offer. He hadn't even mentioned it to AJ, which was why she was taken back as well. To be honest, AJ didn't know what to think. Punk didn't either quiet frankly. Both their families living together? Would that be good thing or a bad thing? The power couple was conflicted and Jorge could see that.
"Okay, I can tell that you guys are confused, surprised, and everything else. Tell you what, you can think about it for as long as you need to. Just know that I want our families together for the sake of the two of you and that baby." he rubbed AJ's swollen belly and smiled. "I want the best for my grandson and the family should get closer. See you guys for dinner." Jorge stood up and stuffed the keys back in his pocket before walking away.
"What do you think?" AJ bit her lip as she held onto Punk's hand tightly.
"Honestly, I have no idea. I mean, both our families living together..." Punk shrugged not knowing what else to say. He understood the reason Jorge was doing it but he didn't know if it was great idea. He loved the idea of living with AJ of course but everything else made him feel uneasy for some reason. He had already moved him family around twice; he wasn't sure he wanted to do it again. What if something went wrong and someone from AJ's side kicks someone from his side out? He knew AJ's family weren't capable of such thing but you never knew. "What do you think?" he finally asked after a while.
"I don't know. I love the idea of living with you but..."
"Not with my family." Punk nodded in understanding.
"I don't mean it in a bad way baby it's just...things could go wrong when two families live together."
"Don't worry babe, I guess I feel the same way." Punk admitted. "Not that I have anything against your family but like you said, when two families collide, it can't always work out."
AJ nodded in agreement. She thought for a second and then spoke up. "How about you and I get our own house." AJ smiled at him.
"I love the idea...but what about your dad? He wants to keep the family closer, not the other way around."
"We'll just have to explain to my dad that your family is already comfortable where they are and then we need a place of our own for our family."
"Are your parents able to pay the house on their own now?"
"Yeah, they did some investment into the company and are making far more money than they could imagine. They should be more than fine. Stop trying to get out of living with me mister!" AJ slapped his arm playfully. They both laughed and kissed briefly before Punk helped AJ up on her feet. "Should we go talk to my dad now?" AJ asked and Punk nodded. The sooner the better in his opinion. He just hoped that Jorge didn't take it the wrong way. It's never easy for a man to let his daughter move out of the house.
"Made your decision already? I figured you guys would need more time." Jorge raised and eyebrow as the couple took a seat in front of his desk.
"We thought about it as soon as you left dad." AJ bit her lip and Jorge noticed. Just like Punk and everybody else, Jorge knew that AJ only did that when she was nervous. Why was she nervous though? Her father wondered.
"Okay, so what did you guys decide? No matter what, I won't get mad, I promise." Jorge said thruthfully.
AJ eased up after hearing her dad assure them he wouldn't get mad. "We think it's best that we get a place of our own dad. We're going to be a family and we need a place of our own."
"Sir, I really appreciate the offer for my family and I but I think my family is comfortable where they are. I've moved them around twice already, I don't think it'll be fair if I do it again. We promise that we'll get a place close by so we can still be close."
Jorge smiled and nodded. "I appreciate the consideration Punk. Now that you mentioned it, I understand all your points and they are valid. I just ask that you take care of my daughter as much as you can. I do require that you guys get a security team for your house as well. Other than that, I'm okay with you two living together."
Both Punk and AJ were shocked that Jorge took it well so easily. They both smiled in relief and AJ stood up to hug her dad and thank him. Punk did the same.
"Well, I guess we better start house hunting!" AJ clapped her hands rapidly in excitement. Jorge and Punk laughed at her cuteness.
[1 Month Later]
AJ and Punk entered their new home, which was only a couple blocks away from AJ's parents house and Punk's familys house as well. The didn't take long to buy all new furniture and have it delivered and placed in the right spots. The paparazzi was already camping out front but as they promised, they hired a security team much similar to the one Jorge had in place in his own home.
The power couple walked up the stairs of their home and entered the room directly next to their master bedroom. "I guess we'll have to buy blue paint." AJ smiled as she looked around the empty room. She could already imagine how the room will look once it was time to bring their baby boy home. She only had three and a half months to go. AJ was nervous but also anxious to already have their little boy in their arms.
"See? I was right like always." Punk grinned. They had barey came back from their doctors appointment so Punk was still giddy about finding out that it was a boy. He couldn't be any happier. He sighed out loud as he walked up behind AJ and wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands lightly on her belly. "I honestly don't want to leave you." Punk whispered. He was scheduled to return to the WWE in a couple days. It was going to be hard being on the road continously but he had to provide for his family.
"I'll be fine baby. You know I'm staying with my parents for the majority of the time. When I'm here, I'll have help from that lady we hired. She has helped a lot of celebrity women before and after their pregnancies. We'll be fine. Plus, you said that the owners of WWE will allow you to leave immediately if I go into labor. Stop worrying baby, please."" AJ assured him.
"I know you'll be in great hands sweetheart but I just wish I could be here all the time. I don't want to miss anything that has to do with our son. I swear, I'm going to call you every single day and we're going to face time too. I'm going to be communicating with the bodguards as well." Punk kissed AJ's neck.
AJ shook her head and laughed. She loved it when Punk was overprotective of her. It made her feel really loved. She frowned and then whined. "I'm hungry." she turned around and pouted up at Punk.
"No worries pregnant lady, I called the maid and told her to put a frozen pizza in the oven before we got here. It should be ready by now."
"Yes!" AJ pecked his lips then left to the kitchen. Punk could only laugh before heading to the kitchen himself. Once he got there, AJ was already eating and Punk laughed again at how adorable she looked. "Oh sure, make funny of me because I look fat!" AJ scowled at him but continued eating
"AJ, you're not fat, you're pregnant. There's difference. I love you just the way you are, trust me." Punk kissed her then grabbed a plate so he could eat as well. "So, you won't cheat on me while you're...on the...road." she asked in between bites.
Punk almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was about to become angry but remembered that it was just the hormones talking. "I would never do that baby. I love you and don't you forget it." He blew her a kiss from across the table and AJ giggled.
The next day, Punk had left to New York City where he would make his comeback in the ring. Before leaving though, he made sure to talk to the security team and instruct strict rules about taking care of their home and AJ specifically. She was going to be making small local appreances to promote her new album so Punk pleaded his security team and the pregnancy babysitter to take care of his girlfriend. After being assured many times, he had finally left.
After dropping off his bags at his hotel, Punk made his way to the arena. Upon arriving there, he got greeted friendly and everyone welcomed him back. He was one of the few backstage that didn't have many enemies. He walked through the corridor, trying to warm up for him comeback. His earphones were in and the music was high. Stretching and jumping around he got interruptedd by somone he had never seen backstage before. She had firey red hair that stood out so easily. She said something but because of the music he couldn't hear. He took the earphones off. "Sorry, what did you say?"
She giggled and stuck her hand out. "I said hi, my name is Amy Dumas but you can call me Lita." she gave him a flirtatious smile.
Punk didn't know that it was possible but this red-haired girl made him feel uncomfortable right from the start. She looked anything but innocent. On the flip side, Punk knew not to judge a book by it's cover. Not wanting to be rude, he shook her hand quickly before pulling it away. "I'm Punk."
"Oh I know. Your like the main topic back here, with your comeback and all." Lita laughed.
"Yeah umm, how come I never saw you here before?" Punk asked as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Oh well I was actually taking a break myself while you were here the first time." Lita placed a hand on Punk's bicep but he instantly backed up.
"Oh well I gotta go...I'm up in a couple minutes. See ya." Punk walked past her and never looked back. Lita smiled to herself as she watched him walk away.
Hmm, he's attractive no doubt. Wonder if he's single. Oh who am I kidding, why does that matter? Single or not, I always get what I want. For sure, I want him. Lita laughed and the wheels were already spinning and thinking of how to get Punk in her grasp.
[With AJ]
AJ plopped down on the couch and tuned into the USA Network to watch RAW. After some pretty stale matches, it was time for Punk to get back in the ring. She clapped to herself as she heard his music blast through the speakers in their home. The smile only grew wider as she watched him walk out, doing his signature entrance and stepping in the ring. AJ was impressed with the reaction from the crowd. They were loud and chanting his ring name which was CM Punk. AJ had no idea what CM stood for but his whole ring name had a nice ring to it so she never questioned him.
Jumping to her feet, AJ clapped when Punk won his match. His comeback had been successful and AJ couldn't be anymore proud of him. It looked like he was having the time of his life doing what he loved. "Look at that baby boy, your daddy is very good huh? A lot of people like him." AJ smiled and rubbed her belly. The smile turned more into a frown when she realized that everybody did love him, including the female fans.
One too may times, AJ always noticed how the fangirls would go crazy over him; she couldn't blame them though. AJ knew that just as much as the fangirls loved him, there was a chance the female wrestlers loved him too. It made her feel alittle insecure. He could have any of those pretty skinny wrestlers/models. Laughing and continuing to rub her belly, AJ giggled and shook her head. "It's the hormones talking baby. Your daddy loves us very much and would never do anything to mess this up." In the back of her mind though, AJ had no doubt there were probably a handful of female wrestlers that wanted her man. She just hoped they understood whenever Punk would say no the first time. In that moment, AJ decided that once she was capable, she would go on the road with Punk and their baby after she gave birth. It would make her feel much better that way.
After Punk finished up with his match and once again got praised, he took a quick shower, got dresed and called AJ. "Hey baby, how are you feeling? Are you okay?" he asked instantly.
"Yes I'm fine. I watched you on TV. You were awesome babe, I'm so proud of you." AJ smiled to herself. She glanced over to the TV and saw some red-haired girl winning her match with a pretty intense finisher. AJ made a quick mental note to check her matches out more; she looked like a pretty good wrestler.
"Thank you honey." Punk rolled his eyes when the other guys in the locker room were laughing and mocking his sweet talk. He didn't care though; he loved showing off that he had someone back home that he loved very much. "I gotta go baby, I need to head to the next city."
AJ bit her lip. "Okay, are you umm, traveling on your own?" she was secretly hoping he would say yes.
"No, I'm driving with a co-worker, his name is Kofi Kingston. He's the one I've become better friends with than anyone else. We're gonna be fine. I'll call you tomorrow okay?" he said softly.
"Okay then." AJ sighed.
"Goodnight, I love you."
"Goodnight, love you too." AJ hung up the phone. It made her feel good that Punk had friends at work. It made her feel more assured that he was traveling with a male friend too. Walking upstairs, AJ entered their bedroom and changed into comfortable clothes before laying down in bed and falling to sleep instantly.
Once Punk and Kofi got their stuff together, they headed outside to their rental car. They placed their bags in the trunk and were about to step inside the car when they heard a female voice. Both turned around and saw it was the red-haired girl. To be honest, Punk didn't even remember her name.
"Sorry to bother you guys but I was kind of late getting a rental car and now they won't release one to me. Can I maybe..." she trailed off and pointed at the car, giving the two wrestlers the puppy dog eyes. Punk and Kofi looked at each other and they both knew they wanted to say no but they felt kind of bad. "Umm, yeah ok..." Punk said slowly. "Sorry, what's your name again?" he asked as he opened the trunk again.
"Thank you guys so much! And it's Lita, don't forget it anymore." she playfully slapped his chest lightly. Kofi's eyes widened and looked at Punk with caution. The high-flying wrestler knew that Punk had a pregnant girlfriend back at home. He also knew that divas like Lita would do anything to get the man they wanted.
They traveled to the next city in silence and got to the hotel in no time. Kofi got assigned to his room first so that left Lita and Punk to go up to their rooms. Lita had asked for help with her bags and Punk only said yes because he didn't want to be rude. They got to her room and Punk placed her things down. "There you go." he picked his stuff up and attempted to walk away.
"Wait..." she grabbed his arm and turned him around. "Why don't you come inside and-"
"Look, I don't want to be rude umm...what's your name again?"
"Lita!" she said frustrated.
"Right, Lita, I have a girlfriend that I love very much. She's giving me a child and no way in hell am I going to mess it up. I'm far from interested so please don't even try." Punk walked away before she could say anything and got back in the elevator. He didn't want to sound so rude but he had to put his foot down or else she wouldn't understand. Kofi had very well informed him how the divas worked backstage and no way was he going to fall for their shit. He had a gorgeous girlfriend at home that was having his child and he would never mess that up. Phil Brooks only had eyes for April Mendez.
Back with Lita, she scowled as Punk walked away but then smiled. The fact that he had a pregnant girlfriend didn't phase her at all and it certainly wouldn't stop her.
For the next couple days, Punk had been able to avoid Lita backstage and at hotels. He sighed in relief everyday that she was nowhere to be found. It looked like she had actually gotten the hint the first time and stayed away. Punk only hoped that she stayed away from now on. He was currently on a plane, heading back to Los Angeles. He couldn't wait to see AJ.
As he sat in his seat, he was debating on to whether mention Lita to AJ at all. It's not like anything happened but he didn't want to hide anything from her. Punk thought about it but then scratcted the idea out. AJ with her hormones, was really unpredictable and he didn't want to upset her in anyway. He decided to keep it to himself for now.
Finally, after the plane landed he grabbed his bags and walked to the parking lot where his car was parked. He placed his bags in the trunk and then drove home. It had been almost a week since he was last home so he couldn't wait to get there. Half an hour later, he parked his car and stepped out. Before entering the house, he spoke to the secuirty team and made sure that everything had gone smoothly while he was gone. After being assured that it did, he stepped inside the house and was immediately greeted by AJ.
AJ wrapped her arms around Punk and hugged him. Punk dropped his bags, left the door open, and wrapped his arms around AJ. It felt so good to be in each others arms again. "I missed you so much." she whispered.
"I missed you too." Punk kissed her cheek then bent down to kiss her belly. AJ giggled and stroked his shoulders
"Oh! Come, I want to show you something!" AJ said sounding excited. She grabbed Punk's hand and dragged him up the stairs. They entered their baby's room and Punk saw that it was already painted blue. There was also alot of material that they would need already in place. There was a baby cot on the left side of the room while on the right, there was a large cabinet filled with pampers, baby powder, wipes, clothes, and everything else that a baby needed. The only thing left to do was the crib. "So, what do you think?"
"It looks awesome babe." Punk smiled as he looked around the room. "Who helped you?"
"My mom and dad, of course." AJ beamed. "I'm glad you like it."
"Yeah, now all that needs to be done is the crib. I think I'll start on it right now." Punk kissed AJ's forehead and walked over to the box and began to open it.
"No babe. You should get some rest first. You must be tired from being on the road; you can do it later." AJ didn't want Punk to drain himself too much. Being on the road looked so stressful, she didn't want him doing too much.
"I feel fine April. I'll get it done in no time. You're the one that needs to rest. Go on!" Punk nodded to the door and opened up the box. AJ smiled at Punk's determination. It made her feel warm inside that he wanted to help out when he could. It wasn't easy the first time of him being on the road but she managed with her parents help. She kissed Punk's cheek and walked out of the room. Entering their bedroom, she grabbed a book full of boy names. She relaxed on the bed and began to scan all the names in the book.
One hour later, Punk entered the bedroom and smiled at AJ who had a bowl of chips next to her on the bed. "Hey." AJ said before stuffing a handful of chips in her mouth.
Punk laughed and stepped forward. "Hey yourself. Can I have a chip?" he asked playfully.
"No." AJ pouted. She looked at him and saw a frown on his face. Instantly, she felt bad. "I'm sorry baby, here, grab as much as you want. Don't get mad at me because I'm acting like I haven't eaten in years." she said softly.
Punk couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Babe they're just chips. I was kidding." he crawled on the bed and layed down next to AJ, placing the bowl on the nighstand. Wrapping an arm around her, he gently pulled her closer to his body. She immediately responded and cuddled into his arms.
"I'm so glad you're here right now." AJ stroked Punk's abdomen with the palm of her hand.
"Me too. It's going to be hard dealing with my schedule but we'll get used to it."
"Yeah, about that...I was wondering that after I give birth, once the baby and I can travel...I wanna go on the road with you as much as I can."
Punk shook his head. "I don't know AJ. It's a lot of moving around from one place to another. We're literally in a different city everyday." he looked down at AJ who was frowning. "I'm not saying no but we should definitely wait a couple months before we can consider and you and the baby traveling. Okay?"
"Fine." AJ sighed. She realized that Punk had a point. The baby would be too small and she would still be somewhat sore. There was comfortable silence before she spoke up again. "After you came out on RAW, there was this red-haired chick that came out and kicked ass. She's pretty good. I didn't catch her name though...do you know who I'm talking about?"
Since AJ couldn't see him, Punk rolled his eyes in annoyance at the mere reminder of that girl. "Her name is Lita, that's all I know." he answered sternly.
"Oh, well she's really good. I think I would like to see more of her matches."
[A couple days later]
In no time, Punk was on the road yet again. He was currently in his hotel room, waiting for it to be time to leave to the arena for RAW. He was trying to communicate with AJ but she wouldn't answer. There was a sudden knock on the door and Punk furrowed his eyebrows. "Yes?" Punk said annoyed as he saw Lita standing on the other side of the door.
"Hi Punk, haven't seen you in a while." she smiled and took a step inside the room but Punk held her back.
"I didn't say you could come in." Punk's green eyes widened when he saw her lean in and try to kiss him. He quickly lifted his hand and covered her mouth just in time to not make contact with his. "What the fuck is your problem? Did you not understand me the first time you tried something? Not interested, have a girlfriend? Does any of that ring a bell?"
"Yes it does but what's wrong about it? She's not here and men clearly have needs, even when they are on the road. I can-"
"Stay the hell away from me alright?" Punk slammed the door and locked it. He laid on the bed and sighed in frustration. It looked like this chick was not going to give up. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for AJ and the baby to travel with him once they were capable of it. He thought for some time and got an idea.
The months had passed and the power couple soon got used to Punk being on the road often. He was mostly gone weekends and on Mondays. He would then come home for three days and then start the same routine all over again. It was becoming frustrating for Punk while being on the road. In the past months, he had dodged so many bullets with Lita that it wasn't even funny. The red-haired female tried everyday that she could to get Punk to submit to her.
Punk was still taking no bullshit and managed to get away from her as much as possible. Even Kofi had to save him a couple times from the diva. It was becoming so ridiculous and Punk couldn't wait until AJ gave birth so that his family could be on the road with him. Luckily, AJ could give birth at anytime. He was surprised that he was able to dodge so many of Lita's tricks. Women like her were so tricky but Punk was always one step ahead of her game. In time, AJ had grown to like her, as far as her character on TV went. Punk wanted to blurt out how she truly was but never did. It would be like opening a new can of worms. AJ was also focused on her album that had debuted and it wasa huge success. Punk didn't want to mess up her positive momentum.
Punk thought and thought of a solution to get Lita to stay away from him for good while he packed his things, getting ready to leave. RAW had been in Los Angeles that week so it was a relief that he could be home in a matter of minutes. The door of the locker room opened and Kofi stepped inside breathing heavy because of his lengthy match. "Dude, walk me to my car?" Punk asked.
Kofi laughed but then stopped when he noticed that Punk wasn't laughing with him. "Oh, you were serious?"
"No shit Kofi, you know Lita is lurking around somewhere. She's shown up at my car before. Just walk with me."
"You have got to do something about that girl. Let me get showered and dressed, that way we leave at the same time."
Punk nodded and sighed. "Thanks man."
Punk was able to make it home without any problems. As he parked his car inside, he noticed that AJ's parents car was parked as well. He smiled at the fact that they came to visit them often. In the past months, Punk had gotten really close to Jorge and Jessica so he was grateful for them. He stepped out of the car and walked up the stairs. As soon he got to the top, the front door opened. Jorge was holding AJ's right hand while Jessica held onto her left one. "What's going on?!" Punk panicked and rushed to his girlfriend's side.
"I was just about to call you Punk." Jorge said. "She's having contractions."
"Oh Punk, I'm glad you're here." AJ winced at the pain from the contractions.
"I'm here baby. C'mon, let's get to the hospital." Punk stood behind her, holding onto her waist as they helped her down the stairs. He was freaking out but he was also excited. He was about to be a dad and he couldn't wait to hold his baby boy in his arms.
At the hospital, AJ's doctor confirmed that she was indeed in labor so she admitted her to a room. The pains only got worse as the time passed and she got dialated. It took a couple of hours and some epidural but it was finally time to push. Punk held her hand and encouraged her after each push. Before they knew it, Punk cut the cord and AJ was holdng their son in her arms, as Punk stood aside her, looking at their son's features. He had light brown hair, AJ's cheek bones, and from a glance, you could tell he had the same green eyes like Punk.
"He's so beautiful." Punk smiled as a tear rolled down his cheek. He closed his eyes and smiled more widely when he felt AJ wipe the tear away. He kissed the palm of her hand and opened his eyes to look down at his family. "You did great, I'm proud of you." He leaned down and pecked her lips.
"I love you." AJ sniffled as the tears escaped her eyes as well. She looked down at her son and caressed his soft cheeks. "He looks like a great combonation of the two of us, don't you think?"
"Absolutely." Punk responded. "Here..." he opened his arms and AJ placed the newborn in his arms. He studied the baby's little face and couldn't stop smiling.
"I want to name him Jake. What do you think?" AJ asked softly.
"I love it."
"Here...hold the bottle like this." AJ positioned the bottle at little Jake's lips and he immediately parted them and started sucking.
"Okay, I think I got it." Punk frowned, still looking confused. He sat down next to AJ's bed, with Jake in his arms. Being a dad was all new to him so he was a bit afraid he would do something wrong. "I had no idea you had to angle the bottle a certain way." he frowned again.
AJ smiled as she got comfortable on the bed. She winced a bit because she was till sore but it went away in a flash. "It's not that difficult babe. Just angle it upwards." Punk just nodded, never looking away from his son.
"He has your nose too." Punk smiled. AJ sighed and looked at what was now her family. She couldn't believe what had transpired a year ago; now, she was a mom. "Like what you see?" Punk grinned at her.
"I love it actually." AJ laughed. There was a knock on the door and they said come in softly. AJ's parents stepped inside and awed at the scene of Punk feeding little Jake.
"We're not disturbing are we?" Jessica whispered.
"Not at all, come on in mom, dad." AJ sat up slightly, resting her back on the pillows behind her
"How's my grandson doing?" Jorge asked, smiling widely.
"Good. He just eats and sleeps." Punk chuckled as he placed a soft kiss to Jake's forehead. "Want to hold him?"
"Oh no, I'll drop him or something."
"Come on dad, no you won't. Go on." AJ encouraged him. Punk stood up and handed his son over to Jorge.
"Wow, he looks exactly like the two of you...evenly." Jorge smiled down at the baby.
"He does, doesn't he." Punk said proudly. Since AJ had given birth, he hadn't slept at all or gone to the house. He figured it would be a good time to head to the house and shower quickly, then come back since AJ and Jake had to stay one more night in the hospital. He walked over to AJ and kissed her lips, while Jorge and Jessica had their full attention on Jake. "Hey, I hope you don't mind if I go home and shower real quick. I'll be back in a flash." He yawned after talking.
"Of course not. Go shower and take a nap too. You were up all night with the baby."
"Trust me babe, it was a pleasure to stay up all night with that cutie; won't be the last time I do it. You should sleep too; your parents will take care of Jake meanwhile. I'll be back in a bit okay? I love you."
"I love you too." AJ smiled into the passionate kiss he gave her then watched him exit the hospital room. He was already helping her so much and it was barely the first couple days of being parents. She was so grateful to have Punk in her life and grateful that he was a great father to their son. Her heart warmed with happiness.
As soon as Punk walked out of the hospital, he got surrounded by paparazzi and media website reporters for professional wrestling. All that paparazzi obviously was because AJ was a huge popstar and those media websites that only covered wrestling were there because of him. Usually, he only had to deal with one of the two, now it's both. He got a bit annoyed but it vanished; at this point in time; nothing could bring him down from the amount of happiness he was feeling. He managed to get into his car and drive out of the parking lot.
Once he got to the house, he called his sister to see if they would go visit AJ and the baby but Chaleen didn't answer. He would call her again later. Punk parked the car in the driveway and then entered their house. He walked up the stairs and entered the bedroom, immediately stripping out of his clothes so he could shower. He spent roughly twenty minutes in the shower and then got dressed into clean clothes. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" he yelled as he stepped out of the bathroom.
"Hello."
"How the fuck did you get in my house!?"
"Your security team really sucks." Lita laughed. She stood up from the bed where she was laying and approached him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Punk immediately pushed her away before she could do anything.
"Get the fuck out of my house!" Punk grabbed her roughly by the arm and dragged her down the stairs all while Lita was just laughing. "You're a damn psycho, get out!" he opened the door and ordered for one of his security men to escorte her out. After that, he spoke strictly to the security team and urged them to be more careful with the house or else they would be fired. "And no word about that woman to Ms. Mendez, understand?" he talked sternly. The team nodded and Punk headed back inside the house.
Laying down on the couch, frustrated, Punk didn't know what to do about this girl anymore. She was completely insane. Breaking into his own home, that was just going too far. Somthing must be done before she does something that will potentially break his family apart.
Punk pulled up to the front of the house while Jorge and Jessica parked right beside him. He got off the car and walked around to open the door for AJ who was sitting in the backseat with Jake.
"You can grab the bags babe. My parents will help me." AJ handed him the bags as much as she could.
"I'll grab Jake too. Your parents can help you up the stairs." Punk went around the other side and grabbed Jake who was in his seat. He wanted to help his girlfriend as much as he could. AJ just continued to smile and be grateful for him.
"Here hun, grab my hand." Jessica helped her out of the car and then Jorge grabbed her other arm. They could all hear the sounds of cameras snapping photos and media yelling questions at them. It bothered Punk a bit. He wanted full privacy with his family.
AJ wasn't as sore as before but she needed help anyways. They managed to walk inside the house and up th stairs where the popstar carefully laid down on the comfortable bed. Punk had placed the baby's cot inside their room so he got Jake out of his seat and inside his cot.
"Alright well, we are heading out. We're heading to the office. Rest up sweeties." Jorge and Jessica said goodbye to them and left.
"Are you okay?" Punk asked concerned. He wanted to make sure that AJ felt as comfortable as possible.
"I'm fine, can you just lay down with me please?" AJ opened her arms and smiled up at him. Punk laid down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. AJ instantly felt relaxed as she rested her head on his chest. They were just starting to get comfortable until they heard Jake whimper. Punk stood up and grabbed him from the cot. Going back to the bed, he placed Jake on his chest and rubbed his back soothingly so he could go back to sleep.
"I love you." AJ whispered.
"Love you too." Punk grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers. He felt so complete and so content. He's never been happier. He was just bumed out that he had to go back to work in a couple days. He was so anxious for AJ to feel better so she could go on the road with him "I have an idea." he spoke up.
"Okay, what is it?" AJ asked curiously.
"I was thinking about buying a tour bus. So when you and Jake come on the road, it'll be easier. What do you think?"
"That's not a bad idea actually. It will be easier to handle everything that Jake needs." AJ nodded in agreement. Having a tour bus actually sounded fun. It would be easier to travel together with everything they needed. The pop star couldn't wait until she was fully healed.
"Awesome. I'll look into it." Punk kissed the top of Jake's head.
(4 months later)
Punk was suspicious. Very suspicious. In the past four months, Lita had been keeping away from him. She walked around backstage and not even look at him. Punk was thankful for that but at the same time, it made him nervous. The silence made him think that she was planning something. He prayed that he was wrong.
After calling AJ and making sure that she and Jake were fine back home, Punk drove to his hotel room. He was so exhausted from the show that he wanted to fall asleep immediately. He swiped his key card and the door unlocked instantly.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Punk shook his head in disbelief. He should have seen this coming. He was fully prepared though. Lita was laying down on his bed, completely naked.
"You aren't running away from me this time Punk. You are going to be mine." Lita said in a possessive tone. She'd grabbed Punk by the shoulders and threw him on the bed. "No more dodging me Punk." Lita crawled up the bed.
(With AJ, two weeks later)
AJ was packing up everything that she, Punk, and Jake needed for the road. Finally after a couple months, they were able to go on the road with Punk. They were going on the long European Tour. AJ was thankful she could go. It was a pretty lengthy tour and she didn't want to be away from Punk. "Alright baby, I think we got everything." She grabbed Jake from his crib and kissed his chubby cheeks.
"Are you ready babe? We're going to be late for our flight" Punk asked walking into Jake's room. Since they were going overseas, they couldn't use the tour bus just yet. They could manage though.
"Yup, let's go." AJ smiled.
(In Glasgow)
Punk was grinning widely as he showed off his girlfriend and son to all of his co-workers backstage. The show started in two hours so Punk had the chance to introduce her to everybody. All of his co-workers were nice to AJ and seemed to really like her. The divas hugged her and the superstars greeted her well. It didn't surprise Punk because AJ was greatly liked all the time. She was a true sweetheart.
"C'mon babe. Let's get to our private locker room so I can change into my ring gear." Punk held onto AJ's free hand while she grabbed Jake with the other. They walked through the corridor, almost making it to the locker room. Someone stepped in front of them.
"Aren't you going to introduce me Punk?" Lita smiled innocently. Punk swallowed hard. He was hoping they could avoid her but unfortunately they didn't.
"Oh he doesn't need to." AJ smiled sweetly. Finally, she was able to meet the person besides Punk that got her into wrestling. Over the past months, AJ had seen all of Lita's matches and she really turned into a fan of hers. "You're Lita! I'm a big fan of yours. Favorite diva for sure." AJ grinned and stuck her hand out. Lita shook it and then pulled her in for a hug.
"I'm so glad to hear that." Lita hugged her and took the opportunity to give Punk a wink and a wicked smile.
"I am so fucked." Punk thought.
Now that AJ had met Lita and had fallen for her fake personality, Punk had decided that he needed to tell AJ about everything that had happened with the diva. He knew he should of told her the minute Lita spoke to him but he didn't know it would go to the extent that it did. He calmed himself down, knowing that he had a good plan going.
Punk, AJ, and of course, little Jake landed in London, England for the next stop on the WWE tour. They arrived at their hotel, and checked into their room. Punk held all the bags while AJ carried Jake.
"Holy crap! I never noticed how many stuff we have." Punk sighed as he dropped the bags exhausted.
AJ giggled as she planted a kiss on Jake's chubby cheek. "Well, there are three of us Punk. What do you expect?"
"This is true!" Punk said playfully before kissing AJ passionately and tickling Jake, making him giggle. Punk could not stop smiling at his little family. He loved them both endlessly. He was completely positive that nobody would ever mess up what he had. "Babe, I'm going to head out with Kofi for a while. I'll take Jake and meanwhile, I want you to look at this." Punk became serious and AJ could clearly see it.
She looked at him confused when he went for one of his bags and pulled out a couple of CD's. "Grab your laptop and watch both of them. We'll talk once I come back, I promise." Punk took Jake from her arms and kissed her forehead before leaving, without saying another word.
AJ walked over to her suitcase and retrieved her laptop. She was extremely nervous and wanted to see what all the fuss was about with those CD's. She turned the laptop on and inserted the first CD in. She instantly became angry and bawled her fists up. It didn't last though, as the scowl turned into a smirk. She was shocked to say the least. Relieved and proud, but shocked nonetheless.
[With Punk and Kofi]
"Sup dude, you ready?" Punk asked his friend as he swayed Jake in his arms.
"Yup, let's do it. Hi Jake." Kofi patted the top of Jake's head, lightly. After leaving the hotel, they grabbed a rental car, put Jake's seat in place, then drove out into the beautiful city of London. "So. AJ is watching the CD's right now? How do you think she's going to react?"
"I honestly have no idea. She might never want to talk to me, which I hope doesn't happen. Or, she will be proud about what I did and be grateful. I'm going with possibility number two. I know her too well." Punk smiled. He parked the car when they arrived at their destination. They entered the building and Punk looked around the place, smiling ear to ear.
"Alright man. Let's get started. There's lots of options."
[1 hour later]
Punk had asked Kofi if he could take care of Jake while he talked to AJ for a bit. Not that their son was in the way or a distraction but the couple needed alone time. Punk took a deep breath before opening the door of the hotel room and stepping inside. It was too quiet in there. It made him nervous. He entered the bedroom area and saw AJ sitting on the bed, tapping her foot.
As soon as AJ noticed Punk, she ran up to him, wrapped her legs around him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned in and gave him a hot searing kiss. Punk immediately kissed her back with the same passion as he wrapped his arms around her frame. AJ broke the kiss but then trailed kisses down Punk's neck. She moaned against his lips as he teased her open mouth with his tongue.
Punk groaned and walked them over to the bed where he carefully laid her down. He striped AJ out of every article of clothing, leaving her in her naked glory. Punk peeled his shirt off, then his shoes before carefully taking off his jeans and folding them. He glanced at AJ who was giving him an "are you kidding me" look. Punk chuckled and finished stripping out of his clothes.
As Punk crawled up AJ's body, he peppered kisses all over her soft skin. The popstar wiggled underneath him in anticipation. "I can't handle any teasing right now Punk." she whined.
Punk smirked and spreaded AJ's legs, revealing just how wet she already was for him. Punk gripped his hard cock and stroked himself briefly. He went to one of his suitcases and retrieved a condom, quickly putting it on. He got in position between her legs once again, and pushed in slowly.
They moaned simultaneously as Punk kept going deeper in between AJ's sensitive walls. Once he saw that she had adjusted, he began to move in and out of her, slowly. He kept her legs spread by gripping her ankles as he continued his movement.
AJ was breathing heavy and could feel herself getting even more wet. In the position they were in, she could hear their skin slapping against each other everytime Punk thrusted in. "More..." she managed a whisper. AJ gasped when Punk suddenly grabbed her and flipped them over.
"Ride me." Punk mumbled against her lips, then kissed them passionately. He sat up and rested his back against the backboard of the bed. AJ held onto Punk's broad shoulders as she sunk down on his shaft. She began to move her hips up and down, in quick fashion.
As AJ arched her head back and moaned, Punk took her left nipple into his mouth. He licked and lightly tugged on it with his teeth, making the pink nub hard and pink. AJ gasped as she felt him go from her left nipple to the right one, giving it the same treatment. He caressed her back with the palm of his hands as their orgasms began to build.
The petite popstar locked eyes with him briefly before capturing his lips. Their lips parted and their tongues immediately made contact. Their wet tongues morphing into one another. AJ ended the kiss when she felt her walls tighten around Punk's shaft. Waves of pleasure invaded her body as she slammed down onto Punk, faster and harder. Riding out her orgasm, AJ's knees became weak.
Punk could feel his cock throbbing and he flipped them over again. He thrusted into AJ deep, until he found his own release. Moaning out her name in the process. He pulled out of AJ and headed to the restroom to get a towel and dispose of the used condom. Punk walked back into the bedroom and cleaned them both up. He laid back down and AJ instantly cuddled next to him. She easily relaxed in his arms. "Where's Jake?" she finaly asked.
"I asked Kofi to take care of him while we...talked." Punk chuckled and AJ rolled her eyes playfully.
"Seriously though Punk. In those CD's, she came on to you many times. And every single time, you rejected her and pushed her completely away. She never got to kiss you or anything. You know what those videos showed me? That you truly love me and care about our family. You would never disrespect us in anyway and would never let anyone hurt us. The temptation was right in front of you and you turned it down right away. You have no idea..." AJ's voice cracked as th tears began to form. "...how grateful and lucky I feel to have you in my life. I love you so much Phil."
"Oh April...I love you too." Punk soothed her silky hair and brought her closer to his body. "I'm glad you got the message I was trying to send. I was afraid you would get the wrong idea but everything you just said is true. I would never damage what we have; because what we have is special and I would never trade it for anything in the world."
Phil Brooks was not stupid. He knew from the minute that he had met Lita, that she was bad news and wouldn't let him be. Kofi had suggested that he collect all security camera footage from every hotel, arena, and parking lot they were at during all those months. Punk agreed ad eventually put al the video together in two CD's to show AJ that he had rejected her every single time. Including the time he arrived at his hotel room and found her naked on the bed; where he had installed a camera himself, just in case.
"I just wish that you could of told me sooner; but, that doesn't matter. You reamain faithful to me and that's all I care about." AJ lifted her head and kissed Punk on the lips.
"I am sorry about that baby but I didn't want you stressing while you were pregnant. She wasn't worth it. She never meant anything to me and she sure as hell wasn't worth mentioning. I only have eyes for you and you only." he kissed her temple and could hear her sigh in approval. "Only thing is, what are we going to do about her now?"
"Oh, don't worry about that baby. I paid her a visit after I saw the videos. Let's just say that she won't be bothering us anymore as long as we have those videos of her being a slut." AJ laughed. It took some blackmailing and a hard slap to the face, for Lita to get the message. The popstar divas might be short, but she's dangerous.
Punk felt so relieved that everything was finally cleared up. The strong love between them had once again, conquered and stayed alive. It would be that way in the future and...for the rest of their lives. Punk smiled, knowing that there was only one thing left to do. He gently patted his girlfriend's thigh. "C'mon get ready. I'm taking you somewhere. Don't ask questions...just get ready and we'll go. We can pick up Jake first and if you want, confirm everything with Kofi one last time."
"Don't need to. I trust you 100%" AJ said confidently. Curious as to where Punk was taking her, she began to get dressed. Punk put on a clean button up shirt and picked up his jeans, putting them on careful. When she wasn't looking, he patted the small box that was stuffed deep in his pocket.
"C'mon Punk! Can you just tell me where we're going." AJ whined as they drove out into the city of London. They had picked up Jake from Kofi's hotel room and he was now sleeping in the backseat.
"Patients baby. If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprised." Punk smiled and kissed the back of AJ's hand while still focusing on the road ahead. He was extremely nervous and didn't know what would happen. He could only hope that everything worked out well. As they came to a stop, he glanced over to his girlfriend who was looking out the window. She was tapping her foot, obviously anxious to know where they were going. "Almost there." he informed and began to drive again.
"Well, you better hope we don't take long. You have to get to the arena for the show." AJ pulled out her phone and checked the time.
"Don't worry about that. Right now, it's about you, Jake, and myself." AJ gave him a spektical look. He was acting strange and she was beginning to wonder what he was up to. As he held his hand on hers, AJ felt his palm sweating a bit. He was nervous. Why? What were they possibly doing that was making this nervous.
Punk smiled as he finally got to their destination. "Here were are. The Eye of London." They stepped out and Punk grinned at the look on AJ's face as she looked up at what looked like a gigantic faris wheel, only classier. "Get Jake out, let's go. We're going on it."
"We are?" AJ took Jake out of his carrier and they began to walk. Suddenly, they were surrounded by paprazzi and wrestling fans. Punk used his bodyguard skills and managed to get them through with no problem. They both had no idea how those people always found out where thet were at all times.
They stepped inside the oval shaped space and the door closed behind them. They sat together and Punk ordered for the wheel to start spinning. They were the only ones on it and that's how Punk wanted it.
"Wow. This is such a beatiful view Punk." AJ looked amazingly out into the city as the wheel raised them up. The sun was just settling in and it looked beautiful shinning down on the city and the water above.
"Yeah, but it's not nearly as beautiful as the sight directly in front of me." Punk turned and gestured between AJ and Jake who had fully woken up and looked around confused.
"Oh Phil" AJ smiled and blushed alittle bit. It warmed her heart when Punk said sweet things to her.
"It's the true April." Punk slid off the seat and got down on his knees. "I sit here, look at you and Jake...it's picture perfect. I love the both of you so much." he began to chuckle as he remebered when he first met AJ. "I still remember when I first met you. You were such a spoiled brat."
"Hey!" AJ playfully punched his shoulder and pouted.
Punk laughed. "Well it's true but then you changed when you realized you had the hots for me." he winked and AJ rolled her eyes. She briefly looked away so he wouldn't see her blushing again. "Anyways, I'm trying to say that I'm thankful for getting hired to be your bodyguard long ago. If not, I wouldn't of met you, we wouldn't of fallen in love or our son would of never been born. I'm thankful for everything that happened because it brought us closer together. I want us to be together forever AJ. I want to have more kids with you, go through bad times, good times with you. I want to do it all, along side you and Jake...forever." Punk reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box and opened it. "April Mendez, will you marry me?"
"Oh my gosh!" AJ gasped. She honestly didn't see that coming. Sure, she noticed Punk acting weird but she didn't think it was because of this. The tears ran down her cheeks as she adjusted Jake, who was sitting on her leg. She could already see herself doing everything with Punk; more than what she does now. She imagined herself growing old with him. It made her stomach flutter. "Yes Phil, I'll marry you."
Punk smiled and put the ring on her finger. He stood her up and hugged her. They kissed passionately for a while until Jake started wiggling in AJ's arms. They laughed as they broke the kiss and turned the attention to their son. "I love you." he wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I love you too...so much." AJ pressed their foreheads together and smiled. Once it was time to get off the wheel, they stepped out and once again were surrounded by cameras and fans. They were pretty quick to spot the ring on AJ's finger. They began to ask the obvious question. What happened next surprised AJ.
"Yes, we're engaged." Punk replied to all the paparazzi. The buzz immediately started and they continued taking more photos; specifically of AJ's ring. The couple got into the car, and placed Jake in his seat. AJ turned to Punk and just smiled. "I'm sorry. I just want to show off that I'm with the most amazing girl." He kissed her left hand.
"It's okay. I'm glad you did it." AJ leaned over and kissed his lips. Now was the start of another chapter for the power couple.
After the European tour, Punk and AJ arrived back in Los Angeles full of happiness. They had gotten tons of congratulations by Punk's co-workers and the staff of WWE. They had even posted an article on their WWE website.
Once landing in L.A. the newly engaged couple headed for Punk's family's house and told them the good news. They were happy for them as well as AJ's parents. To celebrate the engagement, they all decided to have a BBQ at the Mendez family. As Punk and AJ looked over to their families making good conversation, they had flashbacks of all that has happened since they met.
The first time they laid eyes on each other. When AJ insulted his name and made fun of the way he looked. When AJ tried to ditch him while having breakfast with Kaitlyn. Their first kiss outside of that club...then everything after that. They had gone through so much together. Good and bad. They were both thankful to have met each other in such circumstances. She was the bratty popstar and he was simply the bodyguard; who eventually turned into something more. Much more. They simultaneously looked at each and kissed passionately while Punk held Jake in his arms "I love you my little popstar."
"I love you too, my former bodyguard." AJ giggled. They held each other and were ready for the new chapter of their lives together.
Epilogue
[Two Years Later]
AJ looked at herself in the mirror. She looked over her outfit, her make-up, making sure she looked good. This was by far the biggest performance she would ever give. After so many concerts, this was the largest crowd. Over 75,000 people in attendance. The door of her dressing room flew open and she turned around to see Jake running inside.
"Mommy!" Jake ran into AJ's arms and flared his arms around in excitement. He was two and a half years old and learned to walk rather quickly. He only knew how to say a few words, and not all that clean, just yet.
"Hi, baby. Did you see daddy?" AJ kissed his cheek when he nodded in response. "Thanks for walking him back mom."
"No problem. I'm going to head to my seat. Good luck." Jessica hugged AJ and left the room.
"Alright little man, are you ready? Let's go. It's almost time." AJ held onto Jake's hand as they left the locker room and walked through the busy corridor. She stopped right when they reached the entrance to the stage. "Okay baby, you're going to stay here while I go out and sing. Once I'm finished, I'll come and get you okay? This nice woman is going to take care of you meanwhile. Thanks for looking out for him Brie."
"Oh it's no problem! I love kids." Brie smiled.
"Mommy, daddy is going to win right?" Even though his talking wasn't clear yet... AJ could make out that that's what he asked.
"Of course he is baby." AJ kissed Jake's cheek and walked up to the entrance. She was handed a microphone and waited for her que. She noticed a figure walking towards and saw it was Stephanie McMahon. "Hello Stephanie."
"AJ, how are you? Are you ready?"
"Absolutely. I wanted thank you again Stephanie. You have been so understand about everything and thank you for choosing one of my songs as the official theme of Wrestlemania. It means a lot to me." AJ flashed the sweetest smiled.
"No need to thank me AJ. Just like your other songs, this one is awesome. I thought it was appropriate for you to perform it during the entrances of the main-eventers since your husband is one of them. He's competing for the championship so it's special."
"Absolutely. I appreciate you for giving me the opportunity to perform on the grandest stage of them all." AJ wanted to keep the conversation going but she heard que and said good bye to Stephanie. She walked through the gorilla and saw him standing there. Her husband. He looked so focused and so determined. She couldn't be more proud of him. "Good luck baby, I love you" AJ kissed him quickly then pulled away.
"Right back at ya babe." Punk wiped the sweat from across his forehead and watched as she made her way onto the stage. He could hear the cheers as they announced her name and he couldn't help but smile to himself. His ears were filled with the familair sweet voice of hers that began to echo backstage as she began to sing.
Punk focused back to winning the championship as he heard his music blast through the arena once his wife was done singing. He walked through the gorilla and out onto the stage. He did his signature entrance as he looked around at the thousands of fans cheering him on. He turned and blew a kiss to AJ as she stood there with the microphone clutched to her hand.
Once the match started, AJ made her way backstage and joined Brie and her son who were watching the match on a monitor. "Mommy, you sounded nice!"
AJ laughed and picked Jake up. "Thank you baby. Now let's see daddy kick some butt."
Forty minutes into the match, AJ was on the edge of her seat. Punk and his opponent were going back and forth. Trading shots, kicks, and finishers. The fans were really into the match and for the man event,i it sure wasn't disappointing. AJ could hear everyone backstage watching in anticipation as the match continued through it's peak. At one point, Punk's opponent tried setting him up for his finisher but Punk reversed it and did his finisher which he called, the Go To Sleep. Punk delivered it successfully and got the pin, 1 2 3.
AJ gasped and jumped out of her chair cheering for her husband's victory. She grabbed Jake and swung him around briefly. "Daddy won baby! He's the champion!" Jake giggled and wrapped his arms around AJ's neck as she made her way to the entrance.
"Go ahead." Stephanie nudged AJ and allowed her to go out there to celebrate with her husband. AJ thanked her and stepped back out onto stage and walked down the rink.
Punk was celebrating, raising his championship in the air, when he saw someone walking towards the ring. He turned to his right and saw AJ along with Jake walking towards him. Jake had on one of his t-shirts in his size and saw AJ had put one on as well. He hugged his family as his entrance music continued to play, the fans cheered, and the confetti fell from the cieling. "I'm so proud of you! I love you." AJ whispered in his ear.
"I love you too. Thank you for being here." Punk pulled away and kissed his wife's lips briefly before kissing Jake as well. He held on to his championship in one arm as he held his family on the other. The happy family turned to look out into the cheering crowd that seemed to approve to the results of the match. AJ glanced to ringside and saw a producer handing her a mic. She grabbed it and the main theme song for Wrestlemania began to play again. She smiled and began to sing as she watched her husband and son celebrate together. The popstar
