Chapter 24: The One
Two weeks later April was back in Tampa. She was done being in NXT unless they asked her to come back for a match but she didn't have to train there anymore and that just meant she could move to Chicago. All of her free time was spent packing up her stuff and she was just about finished. It was already one in the morning but April refused to go to bed until it was all done. Her lease wasn't up on her apartment yet so she was keeping all of her furniture so when she did have to come back to Tampa for things she'd always have a place to stay.
April had been so wrapped up in her big move and working more on TV that she hadn't gotten to do much else. She did notice she had a few missed calls from Jason but she had promised Punk she wouldn't speak to him but more importantly she didn't want to talk to him anyway. But she did notice she had one missed call from her sister. She never called her back because she never left a message and assumed it was an accidental call. She didn't have time to focus on all the people who didn't want to help her before she made it big or didn't believe in her. Her life now was consumed with WWE and Punk and she loved it that way. For the first time since she was a child she was truly at peace and happy.
Punk was across town at Hard Nocks working out with John. April threw him out of the apartment because he was distracting her from packing so he called up John and headed to the gym.
"You sure are spending a lot of time in Tampa" John noted "Why don't you just move here already?"
"Well don't get used to it. I'm only in Tampa to see April and that's over" Punk said surprising him
"You broke up with her?" John asked surprised
"No she's moving to Chicago" Punk said lifting weights as John spotted him
"Hot damn" John whistled "You really dig her huh?"
"I really do" Punk said without hesitation
"She's a good kid" John agreed "And a really good worker"
"Yea I know" Punk said but noted John's face he was clearly holding back. Punk rested the weights back on the bar and sat up "You have something you want to say about it Boy Scout?"
"No I think you two are good together" John said to him "And honestly you two have done a good job keeping it quiet a lot of people at work still aren't even sure if you two are an item"
"I don't care what people think there" Punk smirked reaching for a bottle of water
"That's really good" John agreed
"What?" Punk asked looking at him "Just spit it out already"
"Well I had a meeting with Vince" John started and Punk rolled his eyes, he knew this conversation was going to end with Cena saying he was taking the belt from him or something "I'm having elbow surgery" he confided
"No shit" Punk muttered "How long are you going to be out?"
"I won't be in the ring for a few weeks but they want to keep me on TV" John told him and Punk just nodded
"So?" Punk asked
"Vince mentioned putting me in a promo with Nick" John said to him
"Good for Nick" Punk shrugged "He's overdue for a push"
"Yea well the thing is he wants to do a love triangle type of thing" John laughed casually
"A love triangle" Punk laughed then froze "With April?"
"Yea" John admitted
"She hadn't mentioned that to me" Punk said to him
"She doesn't know yet no one does" John said to him "I just wanted to give you a heads up"
"What kind of love triangle?" Punk asked trying to remain calm
"You know" John shrugged "The usual crap they do"
"She's a heel" Punk pointed out and John nodded
"Yea" John said to him "She'll probably turn face and after this story is over she'll probably go onto singles work which I think she'll be excited about. I didn't ask for this story-"
"Relax John" Punk said cutting him off "I trust you with my girl" he smirked standing up "More so than I trust Nick"
"It's a great opportunity for her" John pointed out
"You don't need to convince me of that" Punk said with a laugh "To be linked to you on TV will be huge for her"
"Yea and it won't be for long" John said to him "I'll work a pay-per-view with Nick then probably just move forward"
"Why would I care John?" Punk asked "Do you think I'd feel threatened by the fact you'd be working with April?"
"No of course not" John said to him "It's just we're on opposite tours so Nick and April would be moved to the one I'm on"
"We can be separated for tours" Punk smirked "I don't have to be glued to her hip"
"Alright" John said to him "I just wanted to tell you before you heard about it elsewhere"
"I'm cool with it" Punk assured him "Like I said I know you'll be respectful and look out for her"
"Of course you know I adore her" John said to him. Punk just nodded and sipped on his water. "I'm probably going to have to kiss her" he blurted out
"Well then I'll tell you the same thing I told Nick- no tongue" Punk warned "If I see tongue I'm going to cut it out of your fucking mouth"
"I don't even want to tongue kiss her" John laughed
"Why is something wrong with her?" Punk asked offended for April "She's a fantastic kisser" he defended coldly "The best kisser I have ever kissed and believe me I've kissed a lot of women"
"She looks like she is" John defended quickly "I'm sure she's great"
"What do you mean she looks like she is?" Punk asked and now John was becoming flustered
"She's hot" John pointed out with a laugh "It's not like it's a secret everyone talks about it"
"Everyone talks about her?" Punk asked
"I think we're getting off track here" John said to him "You're dating a Diva people are going to comment about her looks it's nothing bad it's all very flattering and if she wasn't with you I'm sure plenty of guys there would be lined up to try with her"
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Punk asked
"You have nothing to worry about because I wouldn't touch her" John said starting to become very amused by Punk's reaction
"Well spread the fucking word around to those assholes backstage they could look but they can't touch' Punk warned "Actually I don't want them fucking looking either including you Cena"
"You're really into her" John said with a loud laugh "I've known you a long time and have seen you with a bunch of women and you were never so insecure before"
"I'm not insecure" Punk shot at him "I just like her, ok?"
"Right" John grinned and now Punk rolled his eyes and punched a bag that was nearby "What is your problem?" he asked Punk folding his arms "Are things not going well with her?"
"Things are incredible with her" Punk admitted
"So why are you so upset?" John asked
"I want to marry her" Punk confided and now John was about to fall over
"I'm sorry I don't think I heard that clearly" John said seriously
"She's the best" Punk said to him "She takes care of me, she's honest, trusting, generous and let's not forget fucking beautiful. I don't want to rush her into anything" he said to him
"How long have you two been together?" John asked him
"I don't know" Punk admitted scratching the back of his head "A couple of months" he shrugged "I think we're going on six months actually"
"And you still feel the same way about her that you felt first time you started dating her?" John asked
"No" Punk admitted "I feel more. When we were friends I loved her and I used to tell her that all of the time because it was the truth and now I love her even more"
"Ask her" John said plainly
"She's young" Punk reminded him "She has her whole life ahead of her"
"Do you plan on breaking up with her so she can go out and 'experience' life with other men?" John asked
"No" Punk said firmly
"So what's the problem?" John asked
"I've never even thought of marriage before" Punk admitted "I don't know why I'm all of the sudden so obsessed with it"
"Because you found the one" John shrugged "I'm happy for you"
"I'm not going to do it" Punk said to him
"Yea don't do it" John agreed "I mean it's not like she works in a business where men undress her with her eyes everyday and they're not good looking guys either so I'm sure she's not looking either" he said to him "Why would you want to make it official with a woman you're in love with? Keep her on the market so the guys backstage know she's still touchable"
"First of all she is not touchable now" Punk said to him "We have a deal where I don't but into her work business but if a guy back there is hitting on her I'll have no choice"
"I wouldn't take the chance myself" John said to him "If I found someone I knew I wanted to be with I'd lock her down that's all I'm saying"
"Stop saying things" Punk said annoyed "And don't mention this to anyone"
"Hey I wouldn't do that to you" John assured him "And I'll look out for her while she's working with me and you're not around"
"Comforting" Punk remarked "I need to get back to her place anyway" he said grabbing his bag
"Tell her I said hello" John said to him and he just nodded
When Punk made it back to April's he saw everything was mostly packed up. He pulled off his jacket and stepped into the bedroom and saw she was out like a light. He wasn't happy with the idea of her working Cena and wasn't because he thought John was going to sweep her off of her feet and away he was just afraid she'd enjoy the time away from him. He knew he was going to miserable without her and he didn't want her miserable he just wanted her to miss him. But Cena did make a valid point; not putting a ring on her finer especially in this business meant she was still on the market. She had never even mentioned marriage to him before and technically he was her first and only boyfriend did she really want to never try anything with anybody else?
"You're home late" she said in a sleepy voice
"Yea we were just talking" Punk said kicking off his shoes
"Is everything ok?" April asked him
"Yea" Punk smiled then crawled into the bed with her.
"I'm all packed and ready to go" April informed him with a yawn
"Finally" Punk sighed with relief "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure" she said with her eyes still closed but rolled over so she was facing him
"Do you think John is cute?" Punk asked and he could see her faint smile
"Is that a serious question?" April asked
"Yea I mean everyone thinks he is" Punk said to her
"So you think John is cute?" April asked seriously
"Answer the question wiseass" Punk said to her
"He's cute" April agreed and Punk narrowed his eyes at her
"Really" Punk said slowly
"He's not hot" April said to him "He's not my type either" she smiled wrapping her arms around his torso and snuggling against him
"You think I'm hot?" Punk asked casually looking down at her
"Definitely" April confirmed "I always thought you were hot even before I met you. More importantly- I love you regardless you being hot is just an added bonus" Punk was happy with the response and just kissed the top of her head and watched as she drifted off into sleep.
The following Monday April was notified that John Cena was going to be placed into her story with Nick and now she realized where his weird question came from the previous the night. She assumed John gave Punk the heads up but she had no idea why it would bother Punk. Hadn't she proved over the last few months how much he meant to her? How much she loved him? Was she not doing a good job? He always made her feel like she was the center of his world and she wanted to return the favor to him somehow. Was it the fact that she wanted to keep their relationship a secret at work? She wasn't sure but she was going to figure it out and fix it.
After having a sit down with Nick, John, Langston and a few members of creative she knew the story was taking a romantic turn and it wasn't fair to Punk. Having to watch her with Nick every night was one thing but to watch her kiss his professional rival was another story. She would hate it if Punk was kissing other women on TV every week but it would really kill her if it were someone she didn't like. When April entered the catering hall she found the head of talent relations at one table while Punk was at another with Paul and Kofi. She glided right past her boyfriend and walked over to Mark and Jane.
"Hi" April said with a smile "I'm sorry to interrupt you guys"
"No problem, is everything ok?" Jane asked looking up at her
"I need to change my address" April informed them. She was going to continue having her checks sent to Tampa to keep the move tight lipped but she didn't care anymore.
"Oh we weren't aware that you moved" Mark admitted. He pulled out his phone and looked up at her "Just give me the address and I'll send it over to payroll right now"
"It's-" April's kind gesture was about to be for nothing because she didn't know her new address. She then smiled proudly and looked down at them "I don't exactly know but it's the same one Punk has so I'm sure you have that on file" she said loudly. Punk smiled over to her.
"Oh" Mark said nervously "Wonderful"
"We'll take care of it for you April" Jane assured her
"Good" April said then turned on her heel and walked right past Punk's table but stopped before walking out the door. She turned around and marched towards Punk and he was almost afraid until she grabbed his face and pulled him into a bruising kiss. "I don't care who I'm working with you're the only man I want to kiss" she informed quietly then let him go and strutted out of the room. Punk had a wide smile on as he watched her walk away and he gently touched his lips to make sure that wasn't just a dream.
"I like her" Paul grinned
April was already on the bus waiting for Punk. April cringed as he limped onto it and tossed his bag to the side.
"Are you ok?" April asked helping him into a seat
"Yea" Punk groaned "So what was that all about in catering?"
"I hope you don't" April said to him "I just didn't want to hide anymore"
"I don't mind" Punk assured her "I just wasn't expecting it"
"I want you to know how much you mean to me" April admitted "You prove it to me everyday and I feel like you keep getting the short end of the stick in this relationship"
"Trust me I don't feel shorted in this relationship. This is the most rewarding relationship I have ever been" Punk assured her "I know how you feel about people knowing about us"
"We're living together starting on Monday" April reminded him "People are going to know and besides they already assumed it I just confirmed it"
"I love that you did that" Punk smiled "Thank you"
"I also heard about my new story with John" April said to him
"Oh you're going to be working with John?" Punk asked casually
"I think he kind of gave you a heads up" April smiled "I'm not going to leave you for John Cena" she laughed
"I never had any doubt" Punk said smugly "John sucks"
"I was also informed my tour was going to be changing" April said to him "I'm going to miss traveling with you"
"Just be careful" Punk insisted "Travel with Celeste"
"She's on your tour" April reminded him "Beth is on mine"
"Fuck" Punk muttered
"I'll travel with Langston and Nick" April said to him "It's not a big deal" he just nodded slowly "And at least now that we're living together we'll get some time together and we'll see each other at TV"
"Yea it's fine" Punk smiled "I've just gotten used to sleeping next to you constantly"
"You'll be fine you might just enjoy having the bed to yourself" April pointed out
"I hate being alone" Punk mumbled as if he was a child
"Bring that photo album" April suggested and Punk's eyes lit up
"That is true" Punk grinned "I don't need it at home anymore oh speaking of home I had keys made up for you"
"As soon as you pass me those keys it's official" April warned him
"I think you mad it official at work honey" Punk teased "I want you there" he confirmed "So since you're going to be moving tours and I'm not really tired-"
"No" April said standing up and making her way over the freezer "I saw that dive you took on the table with your knee." She was now holding an icepack "I already have your pillows propped up in bed for you, the ice pack is ready and I already put in a movie"
"You're the best" Punk smiled standing up carefully and limping towards her "Who is going to take care of me when you're traveling with those other losers?"
"I'll just have to take extra care of you when we're home" she said helping him onto the bed. Everything was set up perfectly for him she even had a bottle of water and his phone charger waiting for him at the table. "Are you hungry?" she asked him
"Yea but we can just stop at a gas stop" he said to her
"No you're keeping that knee elevated" she scolded "Do you want a fruit smoothie?"
"You worked just relax" Punk said tapping the empty space next to him
"It will take five minutes" She assured him "I'm fasting and can only have a smoothie anyway"
"Why are you fasting again?" Punk frowned "You're ribs are protruding out"
"Michael said I look like I've put on some weight" she shrugged
"Hayes?" Punk asked "You're going to take diet advice from that man?"
"Oh stop" she laughed "It wasn't advice it was a critique. He's not wrong I actually gained three pounds"
"Oh no!" Punk mocked "Three WHOLE pounds?"
"Stop teasing me" April whined
"It's fucking ridiculous the amount of pressure they put on the girls" Punk mumbled looking towards the TV
"It's fine" April assured him but he grabbed her wrist lightly and tugged her so she was slightly leaning over him
"I think you look perfect and I love you" he said looking deep into her eyes
"I love you too" she smiled kissing his lips sweetly then pulled away and headed off to make him his smoothie