The next day, Punk had completed his first day at his new work placement. Everything seemed a lot more professional and sophisticated than the station back in Chicago. He missed Chicago. He missed fooling around with the guys, and girls on the force. Here, he felt like everyone was looking down upon him. They hadn't seen anything yet.
He was mostly just shown around and introduced to everyone. He had his own desk now, which was a first. He had cleared a space on the desk to put up just one frame, a picture of him, his little brother and mom, when they were just kids. It was the only people he really cared about, alongside his close friends.
He wasn't sure if he could grow to like New Jersey. He seemed to have been placed in a very homely neighbourhood. He had nearly ran over a dozen kids whilst going out to work in the morning. But he supposed he was going to be out of the house the majority of the time. He had a lot of cases to focus on, and a lot of people to hunt down. He was only really using his house for sleeping in.
He stayed late at the station on his first day. Not just to make a good impression, but because he really wanted to get on top of things. He felt distant to the cases from being so new to the department, and wanted to familiarise himself with what was actually going on. He was trained in all aspects that came with being a police officer, but he was particularly good with making sense of things that other people may not have been able to. Not to mention, he was a fast runner, and a smart mover. Never once had a person got away from his chase.
"Are you alright, Phil? I'm going to be locking up here." His boss, Carl asked whilst standing at the door to his office, looking on at Punk sitting back on the swirling chair, scattered papers everywhere, his computer on, lighting up his face in the dark room.
"Yeah. I'm just making sure I know what I'm doing here." He said as his boss nodded with a smile.
When he was told he was being transferred to New Jersey, he was upset, of course. He loved working with the Chicago PD, and had a great laugh with his team that he had known for over the ten years he'd worked there, but he guessed it was something new for him. He did get bored easily, and back in Chicago, it felt like he was waking up and doing the same thing over and over again.
"I can trust you to lock up then?" Carl asked, who was thrilled to have Punk on the team now. They were missing that ruthless, savage aggression that he was told Punk had, and he was looking forward to watching him clear these cases that had been re-opened. Some of the most skilled police officers couldn't solve these cases and get to the bottom of them, but he had good hopes for Punk. He had heard good things about him.
"Yeah." Punk nodded as Carl sat the keys down on his desk.
"Don't tire yourself out. You got plenty of time, and just like in Chicago, we're all a team here." He told him as Punk smiled, appreciating the kind words. Even if he was thirty five, it was still terrifying starting at an unfamiliar work place.
"I know." Punk smiled, "I just want to get to the bottom of these. I feel like I could. I just..." He looked at the scattered papers, "Don't know where to start." He almost chuckled as Carl smiled.
"I know the feeling." He said, "Just take your time. Don't stay here too late, alright." Carl said, "I'll see you tomorrow." He turned his back and walked out of Punks new office.
AJ had just gotten home from work, just around 9pm. Even though she taught the second grade within the normal school hours, she'd go to the gym afterwards. She kept in shape, she always had done. She'd occasionally enjoy a donut, or a pizza on a Friday night after a hard week of work, but besides that, she kept a good diet.
She loved her job with all her heart. She loved kids, and working with them every day, teaching them new things, she loved it. Since the kids she taught were only between the ages of seven and eight, it gave her the excuse to also do some fun activities with them, as well as teaching.
"Babe! I'm home." She exclaimed through the house, walking in the door to their small living room, her gym bag slung over her shoulder with additional shopping bags from the store being carried in her hands. She'd just bought a quick ready meal to make for her dinner as it was late, and also some additional food to make for the rest of the dinners this week.
She loved to cook. Her mother would always show her and her sister different recipes. Coming from a Puerto Rican background too, she knew how to make all sorts of tasty Spanish dishes that Jamie loved. But not tonight. Tonight was a microwavable meal, cooked within five minutes.
She wondered why the house was so quiet, and then came to contact with the note stuck up on the fridge from her husband. It was what they done. If one or the other had gone out without contact, they'd leave a note on the fridge under one of the magnets.
Hey, babe. Went out with the boys to the pub. Won't be a late one, I promise. I love you. See you when I get home. Jamie x
He always said, it wouldn't be a late one, but it would always end up being just that, a late one. Her husband did enjoy a beer or two with his friends, and she really had no problem with that, but she wasn't interested in drink, she never had been. She'd tried different things, of course, she was human. But she didn't really understand what the fuss was all about. She wished he would have been home, especially after such a hectic day she'd had, but she supposed it meant she could have her dinner, take a bath, and get to her bed early.
Once she had cooked her microwavable meal and ate it with a glass of water, she tidied up the kitchen, her tired legs in such desperate need of her bed. She took the black trash bag from the can in their kitchen, and took it out front where the outside trash cans sat, ready to be emptied every few days.
She walked out, down their pathway into the quiet street, lifting up the lid of the can quietly and dumping the trash in, closing the lid back over and heading back up the path, watching as bright lights shined beside her, a car engine running smoothly as her new neighbour seemed to have parked in his drive way.
She was interested on what he done for a living. There wasn't a give away. He was just in normal clothes today, but he'd been out the entire day, as far as she knew anyway. She still hadn't introduced herself, and felt it was polite to say hello at least.
"Are you settling in ok?" She asked, folding her arms as he looked towards the voice he heard.
"Yeah." Punk smiled whilst closing the car door and locking it, "Slowly but surely." He smiled to the pleasant woman. She was young. Too young to perhaps have a family of her own. If there was one thing he could take away with him when leaving New Jersey, was that the people were very friendly. Well… the ones he had spoken to so far.
"Well, I'm April." She smiled, "You can call me AJ. Me and my husband live here. That house has been up for sale for months. It's nice to see someone moving in." She smiled sweetly.
"I'm Phil." He said, reaching over the short fence, extending his hand as she shook it. The palm of her hand was the softest thing he'd ever felt, her bony but gripping fingers squeezed his hand mildly in the swing of the shake.
She was beautiful. Extremely beautiful. In his opinion anyway. She was naturally tanned, he could tell, born somewhere in the sun, no doubt. Her brown hair was silky and smooth, even though he hadn't touched it, he could tell. The moonlight beamed off of it. And her eyes, hazel and full of deep secrets.
"Are you new to Jersey?" She asked, just making polite conversation.
"Yeah. I'm from Chicago. I was transferred here with my job. I'm not sure how long I'll be here, but long enough that I had to get a house." He said as she smiled.
"Is it just you?" She asked, hoping he didn't think she was being rude or boasting in a way, that he was single and she wasn't. For all he knew, he could have had a family back in Chicago, or a girlfriend or wife who he had yet to see around.
"Just me."
But she secretly thought that.
"Well if you ever need a hand with anything, moving in wise, just let me know. My husband works in trade. He's used to lifting heavy things all day long." She smiled as he nodded.
"Thanks, but I think I'll be ok." He said as she nodded.
"Well, I'll let you head on in. It's freezing out here." She said.
"Yeah… well it was nice meeting you, April." He said, walking away to his front door where he unlocked and stepped on inside, the house suddenly lighting up as she turned away to go into her own house.
She hadn't noticed it until just there, but he was a very attractive man. Muscular and proudly stood. But she got the impression that he looked down on a lot of people. She did feel some sort of intimidation from just talking to him. Maybe if she knew what he worked as, it would have made sense to her. He had shimmering green eyes that stared into her soul, and his slicked hair… she just wanted to touch it. He did look like a typical street kid from Chicago. But he seemed sweet, and genuine. She supposed she shouldn't have judged him so fast.
Later on, AJ was near falling asleep whilst sat up in bed, reading a book she had been reading for the past while. Her glasses were almost falling off as she nodded on and off to sleep, jumping when she heard the front door open and close.
She knew it was Jamie, and she was actually surprised at how early he actually was for a change.
"Hey, babe. Why you still awake?" He asked her. He had some drink in him, but he wasn't extremely drunk. He was giddy and care free.
"Oh, I just couldn't sleep without you." She told him as he stumbled a little whilst taking his pants off, stripping down to his boxers, holding on to the headboard of the bead to keep his balance, "I spoke to our new neighbour today. Phil. He seems sweet." She smiled to herself, remembering the pleasant conversation with the dreamy man. She felt like it was totally acceptable to admit he was very dreamy, and very handsome, because she was in a committed relationship already, where she loved and was happy with her husband.
"Sweet? I just saw him unloading guns from his car trunk into his garage." Jamie laughed, "Just beware, sweetheart. Some of the sweetest men are some of the most dangerous." He told his wife as she stared bluntly into space.
Guns? Really? Was he that type of guy? She would have no problem in telling him, straight up, that that sort of behaviour and way of life that he perhaps lived in Chicago like, was not accepted here. If she seen him tomorrow, she'd be having words.
"I guess you don't really know anyone, do you?" AJ sighed as Jamie slipped under the covers with her, "Did you have a good night?" She asked him, placing her book on her night stand along with her glasses, trying to change the subject. Her neighbours gun stashing wasn't really her business, but she did feel like having words with him, to remind him that he wasn't in the windy city anymore. It hadn't even crossed her mind that he could have been a police officer… she just automatically thought of the worse.
"Yeah." Jamie nodded, "I did. But I missed you." He pulled her down the mattress on her side to face him, running his hands up and down her side.
"Oh no, Jamie… I'm too tired tonight, baby." She took his hand and placed it back over beside him.
"C'mon." Jamie coaxed her, leaning over and pressing a kiss on her neck, "You know you want to." He whispered in her ear.
She did love how intimate they could get, but sometimes, she didn't want to. And she always felt like she couldn't tell him, incase it would hurt his feelings. She had been on her feet all day, her eyes were nipping with tiredness, but his beer breath was whispering down her neck, and it wasn't like it was impossible to enjoy it, he did have a way with her that she believed only he could get away with.
"Mhm… ok." She pressed her hand on his chest, feeling his lips attack her own as he rolled atop of her, running his hands through her hair gently whilst he stripped her of her clothes. She believed they were soulfully in love, and in their prime of their relationship. She couldn't wait to start a family and grow old together. She loved him like she believed, she couldn't love any other man.
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