Along For The Ride
Punk was working out in the gym but stopped the minute he saw Tommy walk in. He stopped hitting the bag and walked right over to him.
"Oh hey, missed me?" Tommy teased but Punk shoved him right into the wall. "What the fuck?"
"What the fuck?" Punk mocked. "What was with that shit you said to AJ?"
"What are you talking about?" Tommy asked him.
"Telling her I thought she was a dog." Punk hissed.
"Oh, that?" Tommy asked with a laugh. "It was a joke."
"You think that was funny?" Punk asked him seriously. "Fucking with my personal life amuses you?"
"Dude come on." Tommy laughed. "You're not really into her are you? You're going to go from a woman like Amy and downgrade to a woman like dog face?"
"Stop pushing me." Punk threatened shoving him against the wall. "What I do or who I see is my business and if you know what's good for you you'll stay out of my affairs."
"It was only a joke I had no idea she was sensitive." Tommy defended. "I'll apologize."
"Bet your ass you will." Punk hissed. "And after that leave her alone."
"You're the one who jumped in on my date with her." Tommy argued.
"I'm not having this same argument with you." Punk scoffed. "Apologize then leave her alone."
"Fine I'll go over there right now." Tommy said to him but Punk stopped him.
"You can apologize at my fight where I can see and hear it." Punk said to him.
"You're bringing her to your fight?" Tommy asked astonished.
"Why?" Punk asked him.
"It's just we don't usually bring our girls to fights." Tommy shrugged. "They get clingy."
"I want her clingy." Punk informed him.
"You're really into her, huh?" Tommy chuckled but Punk wasn't amused. "You know what happens to guys when they get too involved with a woman they start a losing streak and you're already on one."
"Mind your own fucking business." Punk said to him.
"No it's fine by me the more you lose the more my phone will be ringing." Tommy smirked.
"Has your phone been ringing at all lately?" Punk asked mockingly.
"Yea actually, AJ keeps on blowing it up." Tommy said to him and Punk narrowed his eyes at him. "It's a joke relax, even I know your girl can't afford a phone. But hey, the good thing about this relationship is that at least she's not using you for money since you barely have any yourself, so she probably genuinely likes you."
"You're a real comedian." Punk laughed. "Maybe if you focused more on training and less on your comedy routine you'd be the one training for the fight Saturday night and not me."
With that said Punk stormed off leaving Tommy to turn and glare at him as he walked away.
AJ was stuck at work later than she would have liked to be. She got so backed up with feeding the animals before she left and before she knew it, it was almost midnight. She had just turned off all the lights and unlocked the door to leave when someone pushed in and the impact knocked AJ right on her ass. She tried to see but it was dark and her glasses were knocked off her face. From what she could tell the man was behind the counter since she heard the very old fashioned register being opened.
"Do you have a safe?" she heard the man ask who she still couldn't see.
AJ was literally frozen in place and when she opened her mouth to speak nothing came out. The man walked over to her and she heard something crack which she assumed were her glasses.
"I'm talking to you." He hissed in her face.
"No, no safe." She said nervously shaking her head. "Don't hurt the animals." She pleaded.
The man grabbed her purse and opened her wallet and pulled out whatever cash she had in there then walked out of the store as if nothing had happened.
AJ stood up after a few minutes but her legs were shaking so much she fell right back down to the floor. She bent her knees up to her chest and held them there and buried her face into her knees hoping she shock would ware off and she'd be able to call the police or at least the owner of the store but for right now she was frozen in place.
Punk was leaving the gym at one with Dean who was locking up.
"You're going to fucking kill Saturday." Dean said to him.
"I just hope I keep it up." Punk said to him. "I need a fucking win."
"There's going to be a lot of eyes at this show you must have been born under a lucky star to get this call." Dean said to him.
"Just talented." Punk remarked smugly.
"Your girl still working?" Dean asked nodding to next door noting the gate wasn't down like it usually was.
"At this time?" Punk asked looking at his phone. "Give me a minute." he said walking over to the store.
Punk pressed his face to the glass and it was too dark to see anything he placed his hand on the door and was surprised that it was unlocked.
"She forget to lock up?" Dean asked from behind Punk walking in with him. "Or they got robbed." he said nodding towards the open register.
"AJ?" Punk asked loudly walking further into the store.
"Punk?" AJ asked in a whisper and he looked down to see her hiding down an aisle and raced over to her.
"Are you ok?" he asked cupping her cheek and she nodded. "Someone robbed you?" and again she nodded.
"I'll call the cops." Dean said pulling out his phone.
"Are you sure you're not hurt?" He asked her and was growing frustrated when she didn't speak. "AJ talk to me!" he yelled.
"I'm not hurt." she said to him. "I don't even know if he had a weapon." She admitted feeling embarrassed. "He just surprised me."
"Did you see what he looked like?" Punk asked and she shook her head.
"It was dark and my glasses-" She started and Punk reached over and picked them up but they were crushed. "Shit." She muttered.
"Glasses are replaceable." Punk reminded her.
"The cops are on their way." Dean said walking over to them. "You ok sweetheart?" he asked AJ.
"Yea thanks." She said to him quietly.
"Did you see anyone when we were locking up?" Dean asked Punk who shook his head.
"It happened at twelve." AJ told them.
"It's after one now." Punk frowned. "Why didn't you call the cops are come get me?"
"I couldn't move." She admitted. "I still don't think I can." She whispered.
"It's alright." Punk assured her running his hand up and down her arm trying to soothe her.
"Someone had the balls to rob a place on my street?" Dean scoffed.
"This has never happened before." AJ said to them. "Sometimes people steal but no one has ever barreled through the door like that or stolen cash."
"How much could you have even had in there?" Dean asked her.
"Not a lot." She said.
"He probably just saw you alone and thought it would be easy cash." Punk said then saw her purse was open and her wallet was outside of it. "He took from you too?"
"Yea I think it was just the cash." She said as Punk reached for the wallet and passed it to her. "I don't have credit cards so it was just the cash it wasn't much either. What a waste for him."
"Cops might be a while you can go." Punk said to Dean.
"Nah, I'll hang around." Dean shrugged.
"You both should go it's late." AJ said to them.
"I'll wait with you." Punk said to her and she grabbed his hand.
"Thank you." she whispered.
Later that night, borderline morning Punk took AJ home and walked her up to her apartment.
"Don't you have to walk Larry?" AJ asked as they walked inside.
"I called my neighbor and she walked him for him." Punk said to her and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"
"How come you always brought Larry to me when you were away if you had a neighbor who takes care of him?" she asked and he tried to hide his smile.
"I trust you more than the neighbor and I liked having an excuse to constantly drop by." Punk admitted.
"You don't have to stay." she said to him.
"I have to get to the gym soon anyway." He told her.
"But you haven't even slept." She frowned. "You should have went home when I told you to."
"I wasn't going to leave you there alone." He said to her. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yea I feel stupid." She admitted.
"Don't. You did the right thing." He said to her.
"You don't think I'm a weak little girl?" She asked him. "I see the girls at the gym they could have probably broken that guy into half."
"And they could have ended up stabbed or shot." Punk pointed out. "Do you have another pair of glasses?"
"No." AJ sighed sitting on the bed that was already pulled out. "I have contacts though for now."
"I wish you would have come to get me." Punk said sitting next to her. "It's just not safe for you or anyone to close up that shop alone at night."
"It was a fluke." AJ shrugged. "I've never had this problem before."
"What about those guys who are stealing food?" Punk questioned.
"Maybe you could teach me how to fight." She suggested anxiously and he laughed. "I mean it! I'd be so unsuspecting."
"Why don't you leave the fighting to me?" He smirked. "But I can show you a few things after my fight. You're still going to come right?"
"Of course." She said to him. "I'm actually really excited."
"Good I'm glad you'll be there." He said standing up. "You should get some sleep."
"So should you." AJ said to him. "At least a few hours before heading back to the gym."
"I don't think we'll both fit in your bed." He teased.
"We'll fit." She said standing up and getting changed right in front of him and he looked away. "It's nothing you haven't seen already." She pointed getting into the bed in just her bra and panties.
"It's just I don't have sex the week of a fight." Punk admitted with a groan as he watched her cuddle under the blanket.
"This is how I sleep." AJ said to him and his face dropped.
"Every night?" He asked slowly.
"Every single one." she confirmed. "You can just lay here and sleep I promise not to jump you."
"Alright." He said kicking off his shoes.
"If you're uncomfortable I'll change into something else." She offered.
"No it's fine." He said getting in the bed. "Just keep that stuff on."
"I don't remove it in my sleep." She laughed rolling over so her back was to him.
"That's a shame." He whispered to himself.
"What was that?" She asked.
"Nothing." he responded quickly.
Later that night AJ walked over to the gym to check in on Punk. She went over to her familiar seat and watched from afar.
"AJ?" Tommy asked unsure it was really her. AJ's hair was down, no glasses, tight jeans and a tight leather jacket.
"Hi Tommy." She forced out nicely.
"I barely recognized you." Tommy laughed taking a seat next to her and looked ahead. "Watching him work, huh?"
"He didn't eat so I brought him something to eat." AJ said looking at Punk herself now.
"He's on a strict diet." Tommy told her.
"I'm aware." AJ said a little coldly.
"I really want to apologize for upsetting you the other night." Tommy said to her. "I was just messing around."
"No you weren't but apology accepted anyway." She said still not looking at him.
"You're not a dog." Tommy said eyeing her up. "Clearly."
"I lose my glasses and baggy clothes and suddenly I'm not a dog anymore?" she asked him.
"It's just a new look and it suits you." Tommy shrugged.
"Why did you ask me out?" AJ asked him.
"Does it even matter anymore?" Tommy questioned. "Speaking of that I think you owe me an apology for blowing me off during our date and then going out with my teammate."
"I'm sure you didn't lose any sleep over it." AJ smirked.
"I might lose some tonight." Tommy grinned.
"Hey." Punk greeted out of breath jogging over to her.
"I was just apologizing to your lovely friend." Tommy said standing up and walking off.
"Did he?" Punk asked her.
"He did." She said then held up a bag. "I made you something to eat. Wheat toast, egg whites and a banana ."
"You're the best." He said sitting next to her now. "And I'm starving."
"I hope you don't mind me coming by." she said to him as he ripped open the bag and pulled out the food.
"I told you that you're always welcome here." He reminded her.
"I don't want to distract you before the big fight." She insisted.
"Did Tommy say that to you?" Punk asked her.
"No." She told him. "I just don't want to hurt your career."
"You can't hurt me don't worry." He assured her. "Are you going back to work tomorrow?"
"Yea I can't afford to miss another day." She said to him.
"Another day? You miss one day in two years and you can't afford it?" Punk asked.
"Don't judge me." She warned him.
"I'm not." He promised her. "I live paycheck to paycheck too." he pointed out. "One day I'll be making big money though."
"Is that what it's all about?" she asked curiously.
"No of course not. I fight because I love it and I'm good at it the money and fame would be nice though." He admitted with a cocky grin.
"Don't forget me when you're rich and famous." She warned him.
"I'm hoping you'll stick around and enjoy the ride with me." Punk said looking over to her.
"I'd like that." She smiled.