Chapter 19: The Gift
It was Christmas Eve and Punk was looking forward to spending time with April. She had been so busy the last week doing interviews with Dolph and Langston that he hadn't gotten to spend a lot of time with her. Every free moment he had she was off doing something else and when she was free he was busy. He was excited for her big push but he was missing her a lot. He was almost tempted to cancel his annual party so he could just be alone with her the entire day but she was looking forward to spending time with his friends and family.
April was in the kitchen baking cookies with his mom and sisters and he was trying to fix the lights on his tree.
"Sorry I'm late" Colt said rushing through the door
"You're always late" Punk remarked but kept his eyes on the tree "These fucking lights won't stay on!"
"You probably have just one bad one" Colt remarked dropping a bunch of gifts on the couch.
"Where do you want this?" Cliff asked walking into the house with a large wrapped gift
"I don't think it will fit under the tree so you'll have to put it on the side here" Colt said pointing
"What the fuck is that?" Punk asked Colt
"It's a gift" Colt said casually with a shrug
"For who?" Punk asked and Colt just grinned. Punk stood up and walked over the gift and saw it was for April "Are you kidding me?"
"You don't even know what it is" Colt laughed "She might hate it"
"I'm not worried" Punk remarked smugly
"Did you add on to your crappy comic gift?" Colt asked
"Shut up she's right in there" Punk hissed
"I'll take that as a no" Colt grinned
"Don't worry about my gifts" Punk said to him "Just worry about getting these lights on" he said passing Colt a string of lights
"I'm Jewish" Colt reminded him
"And you're here celebrating Christmas with me" Punk remarked
"I like the food" Colt shrugged taking the lights from him
"What are you wearing?" Punk asked Cliff noting is goofy hat that had mistletoe hanging on top
"I want some action" Colt shrugged
"My sisters are here" Punk reminded him disgusted
"I'm not going to grope them don't worry" Cliff laughed "Oh speaking of where is April?" he asked looking around the living room. He looked towards Punk who didn't seem amused by the comment.
"Fixed!" Colt cheered noting the lit up tree
"Oh you fixed it" April said walking into the living room
"You're welcome" Colt smiled giving April a kiss hello "Merry Christmas"
"Thanks" April smiled towards him "Wow what a big gift" she said looking at the large gift
"It's yours" Colt said to her
"Really?" April asked stunned and Punk just rolled his eyes "How would I even get that home on the plane?"
"Ha!" Punk laughed "Didn't think of that did ya?"
"She can store it" Colt defended "She'll want to"
"I've got gifts too" Cliff said to them "Oh and one from Trent for you" he said passing it to April. "Don't get too excited it's just special edition Buffy comic" Colt watched as Punk's face fell.
"Oh my god" Colt laughed
"What? I really wanted this" April said to Colt "I'll call him later and thank him"
"Weird chick" Cliff smirked as April took off with the comic
"Didn't you get that for her?" Colt asked Punk who looked pissed
"Mine is a first edition" Punk pointed out "Way more expensive than what he got her"
"Still the same thing" Colt shrugged "Do you want to write your name on my gift to her?"
"No" Punk said annoyed "I've got something else"
"Good thing you took my advice" Colt remarked smugly.
Punk headed up the stairs and into his bedroom where he found April putting a wrapped box on the bed.
"You're not supposed to be up here" April frowned
"What's that?" Punk grinned walking over to her "Is that for me?"
"Maybe" April replied "It's not your whole gift just something small"
"Why isn't is downstairs under the tree?" Punk questioned
"It's private" April said to him
"Really?" Punk asked amused
"I don't think your mom or sisters would want to see it" April said to him and his eyes widened
"Can I open it?" Punk asked anxiously
"Sure" April said sliding the box over to him "But it's just for you don't show any of the guys or anything" she said taking a seat on the bed while he unwrapped and opened the box. He wasn't an expert but it looked like a professional photo album. Punk opened the book and was in shock by what he saw. "Do you like it?" she questioned nervously. The album had 8x10 photos of his little April dressed in different ways, some not even dressed all the way.
"Wow" Punk grunted as he turned the page and the more he turned the more he enjoyed
"I just figured since we might not get to see each other as much anymore you can have these so you're not completely alone" April said to him but he didn't respond he just kept looking at the photos "Phil do you like it?" she asked after a moment
"This is the best gift ever" Punk said in awe of the photos "You look so good" he said smiling at a photo of her
"Yea? You don't think it's silly?" April asked
"There's a lot of things running through my mind right now but silly isn't one of them" Punk said seriously as he cocked his head at another photo. He was so disappointed when the book ended. "I know you have a very sexy side and all but uh- that was something else I didn't think you'd have it in you"
"What can I say? You've unleashed something in me" April admitted shyly.
"I like it" Punk smirked "These photos…" he trailed off skimming through the back again "…they're amazing"
"I don't normally dress or not dress like that and I don't plan on it doing it ever again" April said to him "I just wanted to give you something you'd keep"
"Something I'll keep and something that will get a lot of use while we're away" Punk assured her
"Good" April said to him
"I have to ask" Punk said closing the book again "Who took those photos?"
"Relax it was professionally done" April said to him "They actually have studios for this"
"Alright" Punk said to her
"Don't worry about how they were taken just enjoy them" April insisted
"I plan on it" Punk smirked
"Oh and if you show anyone these photos I will kill you" April warned
"You don't have to worry about that" Punk said seriously then leaned down and kissed her
"And there's another part to that gift" April promised pulling away from him and grinning
"Tonight?" Punk asked and she nodded
"I might be wearing one of those matching tops and bottoms underneath my clothes right now" April teased
"Let me see" Punk said seriously and she laughed
"No your family and friends are here" April giggled
"Just a peek" Punk insisted with a smile walking over to her and tugging at her top
"No!" she laughed as Punk picked her up and tossed her onto his large bed
"I'll control myself I swear" Punk said to her as he began tugging at her clothes
"No you won't" She said laughing
"Um" Colt said standing the doorway "Would you two like me to close the door?"
"No" April said sitting up and moving away from Punk
"Kinky" Colt noted fondly "They want to start opening presents"
"We'll be down in a minute" Punk said to him
"A minute huh? You could do better April" Colt teased then left the room
"Asshole" Punk muttered and grabbed the photo album and put it in his drawer next to the bed
Everyone was enjoying their gifts but they were down to the final few.
"Mine next" Colt said pushing over April's gift.
"I'm so excited! It's so big" April gushed standing up
"Something I'm sure she's not used to saying" Cliff teased earning a loud laugh from around the room
"Funny" Punk remarked "Get out of my house"
"Stop" April giggled as she unwrapped the gift. It was a large framed photo of April's fist official WWE photo shoot. "Wow!" April said to him
"Your fist photo shoot with your dream job" Colt remarked and Punk just laughed "What are you laughing at?"
"She hates it" Punk informed him
"That's not true" April scolded
"Yea you're just jealous" Colt said to him
"April hates photos of herself" Punk said to him "I guess if you knew her a little better you would have known" he said with a happy shrug
"I'm not really the type to hang photos of myself but this is awesome thanks" April said giving Colt a kiss on the cheek
"You can keep it here" Punk insisted "I'd appreciate it"
"Oh stop" April warned Punk "I love it" she said to Colt "Don't listen to him"
"Yea he's just jealous because his gift blows" Colt said childishly. Punk reached over for two packages and passed them to April
"These are for you" Punk said to her
"Thanks" April said to him and passed him another box "And that is for you"
"Nothing will top the gift you gave me already" Punk said to her
"We'll see" April said to him "Open it!" She encouraged. She was more excited than he was.
"Ok" Punk said unwrapping the gift to find a framed, signed trading card.
"Holy shit" Colt muttered
"You like it?" April asked him. Punk was absolutely frozen
"It's a 1958 rookie Bobby Hull card" Punk remarked not taking his eyes off of it. The card was the hardest to get. Punk had been looking for years; Bobby Hull Blackhawk cards didn't exactly grow on trees.
"Yea it's the right one right?" April asked looking at
"Um yea" Punk said in awe
"This is impossible to get" Colt added "I mean fucking impossible!"
"Really?" April asked casually "I didn't have that much trouble"
"Let me see!" one of Punk's sisters shouted taking the framed card from him
"So?" April asked him
"I can't even put into words how much I love it" Punk admitted "It's the second best gift I have ever gotten"
"Oh I'd love to hear what gift could be possibly better than this one" Colt said to him
"April gave me something else earlier" Punk said simply and she smiled. "That card must have cost you a fortune- I mean it's expensive for me"
"I got a big signing bonus when I started on TV" April shrugged "I wanted to get you something you'd like"
"You spent your bonus on me?" Punk asked
"Not all of it" April said to him
"It had to be most of it" Punk said to her "The cheapest one I have found was well over ten grand"
"Stop talking about the money it's not about that" April said to him "I just want you to have something you've always wanted"
"I finally do" Punk said looking at her and not at all thinking about the gift
"How did you know about this card?" Cliff asked her
"Phil told me this story about when he was a teen he found the card in some sort of trading store and he couldn't afford it" April said to him "It was a really endearing story I just wanted to give him something he really wanted"
"Wow your gift is going to suck to her" Colt whispered to Punk
"Oh stop" April warned opening her gifts and just like Colt predicted he had gotten April the same thing Trent said to her but she wasn't bothered by it "Thank you" she said to him "I wanted this" she kissed Punk's cheek and looked through the comic with enthusiasm "I love it!"
"Good because now you have two" Colt remarked
"There's another gift" Punk shot at him
"Won't top the card" Cliff mumbled under his breath.
"Oh my god" April said with wide eyes looking into the box. She pulled out a necklace and looked at it. "This is the one I wanted! You remembered!" Punk just shrugged simply and watched as she looked at the diamond studded skull necklace she wanted.
"Still not as good as the card" Colt said to her
"No you don't understand" April said shaking her head "Phil and I weren't even dating at the time and we passed the window of this jewelry store out here and this necklace was there and I mentioned how I really wanted it. I'm not big into jewelry or diamonds but I fell in love with this. It's just my style"
"You told me you got her a comic book" Colt said to him
"I lied" Punk smirked
"I didn't even think you were listening to me when I said I liked it" April said surprised to him
"I listen to everything you say" Punk remarked
"Thank you so much" she said kissing him "I love it!"
April was excited for December 26th because this was going to be her fist big Live Event and it was in Chicago. She again wasn't doing much but she would get to walk Nick to the ring and help distract his opponent and help him pick up the win. Punk had raved about how great the Chicago crowd was and how this was his favorite show to do every year. She was decked out in a low cut Ziggler shirt but she had her new necklace on as well. She never wanted to take it off.
"So there was a change in the card" Nick informed her as she sat with Langston in catering "I'm wrestling Punk tonight"
"Awesome" Langston said
"Are you ok with that?" Nick asked her
"Of course" April said to him
"Just don't forget you're supposed to be cheering me on tonight" Nick teased
"Relax" April assured him "It's going to be fun"
"This could be huge" Nick said to them "If we work this match well I could be wrestling on him TV soon and that means we're all being elevated to the top. This is like my tryout"
"You'll be great" April said to him "Phil is great to work with"
"Hey" Punk said walking over to the trio "Want to go over a few things?"
"Yea" Nick said eagerly "Pull up a chair"
"We'll give you guys a minute" April said to them
"Stay" Nick insisted "You two are just as involved as I am. So how am I getting the dirty win? You want April to pull you into a kiss or something?" he laughed
"I'm getting the win" Punk informed him
"Oh" Nick said a little surprised and both April and Langston could feel the vibe change
"It's Chicago" Punk said to him "It's not televised so I'm not burying you or anything but this is my show"
"Right" Nick forced out but seemed bother by it
"Besides you know the rules of these events the face always picks the win to send the audience home happy" Punk reasoned
"No, no I get it" Nick said to him "It's just I've been on a roll at these events for the last few months that's all. It would be huge"
"Huge on TV" Punk agreed "Not at a house show"
"Yea" Nick agreed
"You're going to have your moment" Punk said to him "Just not tonight"
"I get it" Nick said with a forced smile
The match went well, at least April and Langston thought it did. The crowd was into it and they both worked well together. April even got to climb on the apron in an attempt to distract Punk but he turned the tables and pulled her into a kiss that seemed forced to the crowd watching and April played it off as being disgusted. Punk was clearly having the time of his life tonight and Nick seemed to as well at least until Punk picked up the victory. It was in Nick's character to stomp and whine every time he lost but his attitude didn't change when they got backstage.
"Are you ok?" April asked him
"I hurt my fucking elbow" Nick admitted "I think he really tried to break it"
"No he didn't" April laughed
"Oh come on April" Nick snorted
"Let's just all chill out" Langston said to them
"He wouldn't put me over tonight, he made me look bad and he almost broke my god damned elbow!" Nick shouted "He hates that I'm working with you"
"No he doesn't" April argued
"I can't have this" Nick said to her "I've worked to fucking hard to get here and you're not worth taking two steps back here"
"He wouldn't do that" April said to him "He likes you! He likes the way we work together!"
"No he fucking hates it I hear all the whispers back here" Nick spat
"The face always gets the victory in the last match" Langston pointed out
"He didn't have to make it look that easy" Nick said to him "I don't know if this is going to work out"
"He did nothing wrong!" April argued
"He's jealous of me April" Nick said to her "He hates that you're with me and in my corner"
"He really doesn't care" April said to him and that was the truth "He also didn't pick to fight you tonight that was already set up"
"It's bullshit" Nick said to her
"You got to main event tonight" Langston pointed out
"I also got humiliated- I thought those days were over" Nick said to them then stormed off
"It wasn't like that" April said looking up to Langston
"I know" Langston assured her "He just needs some time cool off"
"Is he going to drop me now?" April asked
"It has nothing to do with you or Punk for that matter this is his own personal bullshit he's trying to work through" Langston said to her "I'll go talk to him"
April frowned as Langston walked off in search of Nick and wondered why he was acting that way. She was sure Punk didn't set him up for failure and the fact that Punk agreed to work against Nick was a huge compliment in itself.
"That crowd is wild" Punk laughed walking over to his girlfriend
"You had fun?" April asked and he nodded
"You didn't?" Punk smirked
"Nick is just upset" April said to him
"About what?" Punk asked surprised
"He said you hurt his elbow and you made him look bad-" April stopped when she saw Punk's face turn beat red
"He accused me of hurting him?" Punk asked her "He's calling me sloppy?"
"He thinks you did it because of me" April said to him "He said you're jealous"
"Oh really?" Punk asked coldly "I agree to work him tonight and he accuses me of trying to bury him?"
"Don't say anything" April insisted "He already wants to drop me in this story-"
"This is my job he's bashing now" Punk informed her "I'm going to talk to him"
"Phil" April sighed in an attempt to stop him "This could fall back on me"
"He's using you as an excuse" Punk said to her
"Please just let it go" April begged "I don't want to cause anymore trouble"
"You didn't cause anything" Punk argued
"Let's just go back to the bus" April insisted "Please?" she looked up at him with those doe eyes and he melted.
"Fine" Punk muttered "But I am going to talk to him at some point" he warned