AN: As you know, this story is about over. I want to thank everyone for the continued support! I promise I won't get too mushy here, we'll save that for later! For now, enjoy #29!
Time to Talk
It was a muggy day in Andrus, rain coming and going ever so often. The weather matched her mood thus far, she hadn't been this down since Daniel left her. She had been avoiding coming here all day, in fact, she wasn't going to come at all. But after a long talk with the girls, she decided that she should. She couldn't avoid this moment forever.
The house in front of her was dark, curtains drawn, and no lights whatsoever. From what Ashley texted earlier, she knew that Punk was in there somewhere. He hadn't been seen since she saw him walking into his house yesterday. And Violet said that when she left, he was in his room staring blankly at the wall. He had gone into a rampage when he got home, and she didn't want to be around for his next outburst.
AJ wasn't quite sure what she should expect to find when she stepped in the house. The vibes she got from her neighbors weren't good ones at all. How much could her decision – or lack of one rather – really do to the guy? His own sister didn't want to be near him, that wasn't a good sign at all.
Finally deciding that she should get the situation over with, she opened the car door and stepped out. The wind had picked up considerably since she had left the house, causing a chill to run down her spine. When she got to his front door, she noticed that it was cracked open a tiny bit. Figuring that Violet may have unknowingly left it that way, she entered without bothering to knock.
Just as she thought, the place was extremely dark. His flat screen TV showed a blue screen, much like a DVD player did when the movie was over. Something about the atmosphere had her feeling that something was terribly wrong. For the short time she had known Phil, she knew him to be a very energy efficient "green" guy. He got on to her one time for leaving her cell phone charger in the wall when she wasn't using it.
So why would he just leave his TV on? Maybe she was playing too much into it all…
After shaking off that thought, she headed towards the stairs. Punk was sure to be in his room, probably drawing in that sketch book he always has with him. She had to believe that he was just fine, he was only mad at her. His anger just scared Violet a little, and he hadn't apologized to her yet; she had to believe that he was back to normal now.
He had to be.
Knocking softly on his bedroom door, the teenager waited patiently to hear an answer. A few minutes passed and she heard nothing from the other side, even after a fifth knock. Upon opening the door, she saw that the room was empty. No sign whatsoever of the man she was searching for.
Where could he be?
Following the hallway, she passed a bathroom, a room that looked like Violet's, and then she came to a closed door at the end. There were no other possible places for him to hide up here, she hoped that he was inside this room. Jiggling the door knob, she found that it was locked, like it always was. Violet said it was the unfinished nursery, he never allowed anyone in there, not even her. She said that he would lock himself in there for hours, whenever he was feeling down about anything. No one ever bothered him in there.
Taking a deep breath she knocked on the door, "Phil? Are you in here?"
Hearing nothing, she knocked once more. He had to be in here, there was literally no other place for him to be. There was basically nothing on the other side of his house, except for the kitchen, but she would've heard him if he were in there. Sighing, she leaned against the door. He wasn't going to let her in.
She knew that he had a rain gutter that lead to this room, she had seen it multiple times when they were outside. Right now climbing that thing seemed like the only way she could get inside the room. Seeing it as her last resort, she started heading back down the stairs.
About midway down she noticed something odd in the living room. The screen that was blue when she left it, now had something playing on it. There was a blonde headed girl sitting at a table, drinking out of a coffee mug. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, her lips were moving, but AJ couldn't make out what she was saying too well. After a few minutes, her mind finally registered just who the girl was.
It was Alyssa Massaro.
She had seen the girl in pictures, but those did her no justice. The woman was absolutely gorgeous, she could definitely tell why Phil had fallen for her so long ago. Soon enough, he moved into the frame, kissing his woman on the cheek and holding up a small photo. It was a sonogram, this must've been when they told everyone that they were expecting a little one soon. The glows on their faces was too much for her to ignore, god they looked so incredibly happy.
"She was the most beautiful thing to ever happen to me, you know that?"
Taking her eyes away from the screen, she followed his voice to the couch he was sitting on. Had he been there this whole time? If so, why would he let her look like an idiot looking for him? Brushing it off as nothing, she continued her walk down the steps until she got closer to the couch.
Phil paid no attention to her, his eyes locked on the television screen in front of him. Sitting down next to him, she placed a hand on his bare shoulder; the man's skin was ice cold. Probably due to the fact that though it was rather cold outside, he hardly ever turned his heater on.
"I know… you told me every chance you got. She was everything to you."
Nodding his head, the man spoke up once again, "When she left, I promised myself that there would be no one else for me. And I kept good on that promise for three years, and then you came along… I went against everything I believed in when I decided to be with you. I broke my own rules just to give us a chance, I've come to regret that decision AJ… I seriously have."
Wiping a stray tear from her face, she hung her head. How could she do this to him? All the wounds he had taken so long to close, she had managed to reopen in the matter of a few days. She felt horrible.
"Phil… I'm so sorry."
"It's a little late for sorry now, isn't it?"
"Yeah… yeah it is."
Sitting in silence, the two gave their attention back to the TV. The scene was majestic, Phil – surprisingly – was dressed in a tux, dancing with Alyssa, who was dressed in a beautiful maroon cocktail dress. They were holding each other close in the middle of a dance floor, there were other couples around, but the focus was clearly on them.
"This was the night I asked her to marry me… it was so perfect. The entire day revolved around things that were important and vital to our relationship. Where we first met, our first date, first kiss, first… well you get the point."
Minutes passed, the two were back to being silent, watching the movie. When the screen once again turned blue, AJ turned her attention back to him, "Phil, what are we supposed to do?"
After a few more moments of silence, the man next to her finally spoke up, "I think we both know the answer to that question, AJ." Turning his body towards hers, he reached over and grabbed her hands; she could faintly see his eyes glistening, as if there were tears in them. "AJ Lee, firstly, I'd like to thank you for showing me what it was like to live again. These past few weeks have been the happiest I've been in a while. I'm sure that soon I'll look back at this time and remember your smile, laugh, and the way you look when you sleep…"
It was coming, she could feel it. He was going to break up with her, and reopen all the wounds Daniel had left her with. She'd get through it, just as she was sure he would. Even if it took a considerable amount of time for the both of them. Wiping tears from her face, she gave him her full attention and braced herself for the worst.
"…this pains me to say, and I was hoping that you'd come over here and tell me that I didn't have to. But I think that it's time to say goodbye, AJ."
Without another word AJ threw her arms around his neck, finally letting all of her tears fall freely down her face.
As he held her body close to his for the last time, all the memories they had shared started running through his mind. Their first meeting, the tattoo, their first dance, first kiss. That night they spent in cave on the beach; that was the first time they had been intimate with each other. He didn't think that was how the night would end, but he was glad that it did.
He was a fool to think that he had found his forever once again. As tears rolled down his face, he hoped that his heart would let him heal quickly.
AN: Well… there it is. I think realistically, this is how their relationship would have ended. Unfortunately. :( This was extremely hard for me to write, but I knew it had to be done. Please tell me what you thought? Oh any thank you for all the reviews on the last #29! Poll results will be released at the end of #30!
Abrazos y besos para todos!
