Punk swore he saw every minute go by on his flight, it was the longest period of time he had ever had to wait. As soon as the seat belt sign went on and they came into land, he began to get butterflies.

He remembered which part of New Jersey AJ lived, she always talked about it, and he knew her house was across from a dry cleaners, not that that helped him specifically, there was bound to be more dry cleaners around, but it was a start.

As soon as he got off the flight, the night had crept up on him and it made things ten times harder to see out in the city. He was like a lost puppy looking for it's owner, not even knowing where to start.

He got a cab from the airport to into the main strip of the city, getting out and looking around. He took no bag with him, no clothes, nothing… his intentions were simple, find AJ, take her back to Chicago, start up where they left off.

He found a bench to sit on so he could stop and take his phone out, searching up where the different dry cleaners were, looking for any sort of directions that could help him. He also chanced his luck and text AJ to tell her he was here, in New Jersey, looking for her, but he assumed she'd probably got a new phone.

He searched high and low, almost like some dramatic love story, searching the busy city for her and not seeing a single person that resembled her. He even knocked on a few doors across from the dry cleaners store that he found, but she wasn't there.

He cursed under his breath, having been on his feet for at least four hours, not stopping until he found her. He knew it was this area she lived in, she'd showed him pictures before, talked about the different places and streets that he had passed, he knew she was somewhere close, he just couldn't find her.

He headed into a bar, in desperate need for some sort of drink, wondering if he should just hit the hay and start in search for her in the morning when he was less tired.

He passed his money over the counter, taking a seat on the stool as he gulped the soda, looking around the bar with tired eyes. He just wanted to see her so badly, knowing he was so close was killing him.

He was still continuing to look around, minding his own business, when outside something caught his attention.

He looked through the tall glass windows that enclosed the bar in… it was her figure, her tiny waist and her round ass, her soft, shorter however, hair… but she seemed to have some man's arm around her, he assumed he was seeing things, but then the woman turned for just a minute to brush her hair from her face… it was her smile, her tanned, perfect neck, her innocent eyes that looked so much more innocent than when he last seen them.

He wasn't even aware that he had left the stool at the bar. His feet were carrying him, taking orders from his brain as he walked outside, approaching what to anyone would look like a happy young couple.

He felt so much hatred for this man, he didn't even know him but he knew he hated him, the way his arms was around her waist, holding her into him, that wasn't his job, that was his job, he was so angry, so incredibly angry.

He pulled the man around, watching AJ turn around at the same time, her face lighting up when she seen him yet looking dull and unhappy that he was here.

"Take your hands off her." Punk gritted his teeth, hooking his fist across the innocent man's face, sending him keeling over, his nose becoming a bloody mess as he shook off his hand.

"Phil!" AJ shrieked at this sudden outburst, still so surprised to see him here, watching him tower over her date, his teeth clenched as were his fists.

"You know him?" Corey asked, looking from AJ to Punk, holding his nose as a audience formed around them, taking interest in the fight.

"What are you doing here?" AJ looked at Punk, noticing how better he looked, how his eye bags were no more, how his frown lines seemed to have disappeared.

"I came back to get you. They put me back into hospital, they thought I was insane… I came to…" Punk looked around at the people staring as they walked by.

"I don't want to talk to you. You can't just come here and punch my… my boyfriend in the face." AJ whispered as she helped Corey to his feet.

"Boyfriend." Punk whispered with a chuckle, "He's just some guy you're fucking, AJ. You love me… please, let's go somewhere and talk." He begged her, not believing he actually found her, so disappointed that he found her with some other man.

"No. I think you've done enough already." AJ spat as Corey waved a cab over, wanting to get him and AJ away from this crazy tattooed freak, his nose aching as the blood spilled from it.

"Just give me your address, please… I want to talk with you, I've missed you so much." Punk begged her as she opened the cab door.

AJ looked at him, he was really here, he was just as beautiful as he was before, pleading for her, clearly aching for her, she so wanted to jump into his arms and kiss him, but he had no right to come here and punch Corey, who never even done anything, it was just rude and disrespectful, but she could understand why he done it, in his eyes she was still his, no one else was allowed to touch. She figured she needed to hear his side of the story.

"Meet me here tomorrow morning. I start college at 11, you have til then to explain to me why you never waited on me. Then you can go back to Chicago, I can continue my life here and you can leave me the hell alone." AJ said, getting in the back seat of the cab and slamming the door shut.

Punk stood and watched as the cab drove away, extremely angry with himself, angry that he lost his self control, but he just couldn't help it, that was his April, no one else had the right to touch her apart from him. He wasn't leaving back to Chicago without her, she was meant to be by his side in their small house in the woods, it wasn't the same without her.

The next morning…

AJ couldn't quite sleep through the night, she tossed and turned, not believing that Punk was here. She had to just explain to Corey that he was an old friend that had the same mental illness as him, he understood of course, he was an understanding guy.

She got up bright and early and went for a shower, just trying to comprehend what she was going to say. She was secretly so glad he was here, he was like that breath of fresh air she was needing since she moved back to New Jersey, but she couldn't forgive him for sleeping with other women and leaving her high and dry in the hospital.

She walked along the cobbled pavement, seeing him in the distance, standing outside a small cafe, same clothes on as last night, his cubs hat on his slicked back hair, his hands in his jean pockets as he smiled irresistibly when he seen her.

"Hey." Punk smiled as she approached him, her arms folded and her face with the expression of a wet mop. He knew she was pissed, she had every right to be, but he just wanted her to listen, he knew deep down she loved him, she always would, she couldn't deny it.

She didn't say anything, she didn't greet him in response, she just walked on into the cafe, holding the door for him as she walked on ahead, already knowing what he would want, watching him take a seat in the corner as she got her wallet out.

He watched her from the corner of the cafe, her hair shorter than what it was but he surprisingly loved it, it was a perfect length and really showed the beauty of her face off. She was wearing much less revealing clothes than what she used to wear. He was so used to seeing her in tight shorts with one of his t-shirts draping over her. She was wearing jeans with a jumper that covered up to her neck, along with a coat and of course her converse.

"They didn't have any blueberry, so I had to get you chocolate." AJ said as she walked over to him with her purchases, throwing him the wrapped up muffin as he caught it with a child like smile.

"Thanks." He smiled, watching her sit down, noticing a lot of books and folders in her bag, remembering she mentioned something about college the night before.

"I don't have a lot of time and I don't want to sit here in silence with you, so just… just explain to me what happened, I'll go to college and you can go catch a flight back to Chicago, ok?" She said.

"I'm not leaving here until you agree to leave with me." Punk said, "I never left, AJ. Don't you see, your mom and sister set me up… they, they told me that I had pushed you back into hospital, that I wasn't good enough for you, your sister came and told me she was going to make up some bullshit story about me leaving to persuade you to come home. I thought she was right, I thought maybe it was my fault you had to go back into hospital, I thought maybe with your mom and sister, you'd gradually get better, I don't know… I never left you." He shook his head.

"But you let my mom and sister go ahead and bullshit to me anyway." She raised her eyebrows to him.

"I came to get you. I went to the hospital the day your mom and sister were taking you, I thought I'd catch you, but you were already gone… I went crazy, punched a few guys, harassed the patients… they took me away, sedated me and got me to calm down, then they admitted me into the institution because of my previous records." He said, "I had to do it all over again, for four months, the therapy, the group sessions, the two hour free time, the lonely rooftop view. I had to do it all again." He sighed, "But I knew when I came out, I was coming straight for you, to tell you the truth. April…" He grabbed her hand, not caring if she didn't want to hold it, "I need you. I can't live without you… look at these…" He pulled his sweater sleeves up, showing her the scars on his wrists, "The night you left, I felt like it was my only choice, I was in so much pain without you…" He sighed.

"Why would my mom and sister lie to me?" AJ asked herself and Punk at the same time.

"I don't know. They obviously don't like me. They don't want what's best for you, they just care about themselves. AJ, you know I can give you everything you want, just say it. I want you to come back to Chicago with me, to our home. Don't you remember how free you felt there? Look at you… this isn't you." He shook his head, "Your mom is trying to change you into something you're not. I know you, I know all of you." He told her, watching him look deeply at her.

AJ listened to him, every word he spoke, he spoke with such passion for her, such desire, how much she had missed him, his body, his self, she just couldn't contain herself.

"I'm better though. I… I've created a life, a routine… what if I get ill again?" She said, "I don't know." She shook her head, taking her hand back from inside his, so confused and lost.

"You won't. We're both better, we can finally have the life we want, the life me and you are destined to have, It's all I've been thinking about these past four months, the moment when I look across the aisle to you, or when you give birth to our first baby who then becomes a big brother or sister to our second baby. I know you love me, I know you do." He told her, watching her smile lightly at his words.

He did always know how to say the right things, she was already so lost in him, but the fear of becoming ill again terrified her, especially when she had just gotten better.

"Of course I love you, Phil." She said, "But I'm happy here." She shrugged.

"You could be happier. With me." He protested against her, "Your mom and sister lied to you, they told you I left just because they didn't approve of me and the illness we share, they didn't even consider how you felt about me. You know how safe I can make you feel." He told her.

"I know, I just… I don't want to become ill again. It took me so long to get to where I'm at." She admitted.

"We can make each other happy. I can make you happy." He told her.

AJ knew he could, she didn't doubt him, she was just scared.

"I know you can make me happy, Phil. I don't doubt that, but what if everything was just a fantasy with us, what if we were never meant to be in the first place?" AJ asked him.

"Are you mad? Me and you are it. We need each other, I can't live without you, AJ." Punk said.

AJ was so torn, she desperately wanted to go with Punk, go back to their life in the cabin, marry the man she loved, raise a family, have a normal job, have Punk worship her every day which he did, but then she also was terrified of becoming ill again, terrified of disappointing her mother, even though she had wickedly lied to her.

"You know what we had was special. I know you felt it. All those late night walks, waking up to you in the morning, lying out on the porch as the day turned to night. We were in the better place then… come back with me, I'm begging you here." Punk said, not leaving without her.

"Can you really be bothered with me? I'm just a mess. I'm probably better off burying my head in books and living with my mom until I die. I shouldn't be anyone's wife or mother." She laughed as a tear ran down her cheek, turning from him in embarrassment.

"You'll be my wife. You'll be my kids mother. I love you, so much that when I'm not with you, I feel so much pain. I need you." He told her, not being able to put into words how much he loved her.

AJ just smiled as he reached over and stroked her cheek, drying her tears as he done so, watching him smile to her sincerely. She knew how genuine he was, telling her how much he loved her, she believed him, but she didn't know if he was the reason she went insane, she didn't know if she could risk that for him.

She glanced at the clock, seeing that it was nearly 11am, figuring she needed to head to college.

"I need to go." She stood up and tucked her chair in, she just shook her head to him as she backed away, turning away and heading out of the cafe, pushing the door over and heading out.

Punk of course ran after her, not letting her go that easily, running outside and spinning her around.

"Meet me at the airport tonight. Pack a bag, your clothes are still in the house in Chicago, just meet me tonight, let me take you back into the love we had before, let me treat you the way you deserve to be treated." He asked her, "I'm leaving tonight, please… don't let me leave without you."

"I-I have to go…" AJ shook his grip away and turned away, not giving him an answer, turning her heel and walking down the street as Punk sighed, his shoulders dropping in defeat as he watched her walk away.

His life really was incomplete without her. He just hoped she turned up at the airport later.

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