Chapter 27: I'll Take Care Of You
April was filming at NXT and Punk hung out backstage waiting for her to finish her match. He watched from a monitor in the back with his arms folded. She was incredible in the ring and he just wanted her to finally be taken seriously as a singles competitor.
"She's good" Hunter noted walking over to Punk. There was no love loss between these two.
"Yep" was Punk's response as he kept his eyes on the TV.
"She's doing some great work with Cena as well" Hunter noted and Punk just nodded "Do you have a problem with her working with Cena?"
"Do you want me to have a problem with it?" Punk asked him finally looking over to him
"Here we go" Hunter mumbled "What could I have possibly done to piss you off now?"
"Nothing" Punk shrugged "Just forget about it" he then looked back to the screen to watch his girlfriend
"Is there a problem with April?" Hunter asked
"No" Punk said to him
"I can't take her out of her story with Cena to appease you" Hunter said
"I never asked you to" Punk shot at the COO "I don't have any issues with her story much to your dismay I'm sure"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hunter asked
"Putting April with Dolph then Cena was your way to stick it to me" Punk remarked
"If it doesn't bother you what would be the point?" Hunter asked "Unless it does?"
"You'd love that wouldn't you?" Punk mocked "You'd be thrilled if I threw tantrum wouldn't you? You just want an excuse to fuck me over"
"That's not true" Hunter argued
"Sure it is. You know you can't touch me so you're baiting me by using my girlfriend" Punk mocked "I'm not stupid I know how you think but let me tell you something if April starts suffering more than she already is work wise you're going to be the sorry one"
"You think she's suffering?" Hunter asked amused "She's in the closing and opening segment almost every Raw"
"She should be in the ring" Punk said pointing to he monitor "Fucking look at her!" he yelled "There's no other female on your roster that could touch her talent"
"She's small" Hunter noted and Punk started to laugh
"Yea, yea so am I" Punk said to him "You're so close minded. Do any of your other girls kick like her? Can they bend the way she bends? No I didn't think so"
"If April is so unhappy she should speak to me about it" Hunter said to him
"Please she's on cloud nine she doesn't know any better" Punk said to him "I know your little 'gm' plan and it's a very stupid idea."
"She'll be in the ring eventually she just has to work on some things" Hunter said to him
"She can talk, she can work a camera, she can work a crowd and more importantly she can wrestle" Punk said to him "Where does she need work?"
"I'll discuss it with April if she decides to talk to about it" Hunter said to him "Just because you're dating her doesn't mean you get to dictate her career"
"Don't push me" Punk warned "You want to punish me because I don't kiss your ass that's fine but don't drag her into it"
"I'm not dragging her into anything" Hunter argued "She's on TV every week, she gets paid well and is linked to John Cena, does it get any better?"
"Yea give her a fucking match" Punk spat "Put her in the title picture"
"She's not that good" Hunter frowned "Look at Celeste-"
"She's great I agree but you only like her because she's built like the PG's eras Chyna" Punk said to him. Hunter's amused face disappeared at the mention of his crazy ex.
"Don't push me either" Hunter warned
"I'm telling you how it is" Punk said to him "Or at least the way I see it"
"Well maybe you should get your eyes checked" Hunter said annoyed "Do you ever want to be back on the road with her?" now Punk let out a laugh
"There it is" Punk chuckled "Your true colors shine threw just like they always do"
"It was just a question" Hunter shrugged innocently
"April and I are fine without traveling together" Punk said to him "I'm confidant in my relationship with her"
"Good for you" Hunter remarked coolly "Maybe you want to work with her?" he suggested "I know how much you like to keep your private life private. It would be a great way to get John back into the title picture"
"I don't give a shit" Punk told him honestly "I'll work with whoever you want"
"Good because you're tagging with Beth on TV Monday" Hunter informed smugly "And she's probably moving to your live event tour as well so get used to having her around again" he said then walked off cheerfully
"Hey!" April shouted skipping over to him. He turned to see his girlfriend and put on a smile. He hadn't even realized her match had ended. "What did you think?"
"You were great" Punk smiled
"How was my finisher? The shinning wizard isn't easy to pull off but I've been practicing" April said to him
"I missed the tail end" Punk admitted "I was talking to someone and got caught up"
"Oh" she said solemnly "It's ok I'll just practice on you" she said simply "What's wrong?" she asked noting his tense vibe
"Nothing" He said to her
"Someone obviously pissed you off" April said knowingly
"Everyone pisses me off" Punk said then watched her narrow her eyes "You not included obviously" he smirked "I ran into Hunter and he irks me that's all"
"He's always so nice to me" April shrugged. Punk just shook his head 'if only she knew'
"He better be" was Punk's response "Are you ready to get out of here? I'm starving"
"Me too" April said to him "Where do you want to eat?" she asked
"I don't think we can visit Tampa and not stop into the diner" Punk said to her
"I was thinking the same thing" She smiled "I'm just going to take a quick shower and I'll meet you at the car?"
"Yea" he agreed and watched her skip off.
When Punk and April got to the diner at around ten thirty all of the lights were off as they approached the door.
"They're closed?" April asked stunned "He never closes" she was now concerned
"Try the door" Punk insisted and sure enough the door was locked.
"It's locked. Should I call Hector and make sure he's ok?" April asked him. Punk just knocked on the door and a moment later they heard the lock open and the door open slightly.
"Oh hey" Hector smiled poking his head out
"Hector what's going on?" April asked him
"Private party tonight" Hector informed her
"Seriously?" April chuckled
"Yea some guy with way too much to waste rented out the entire diner tonight" Hector said to her
"He has that kind of money and chose your place?" April laughed
"This is a high quality diner April" Hector scolded "But you should just ask him yourself" he said nodding towards Punk
"You?" April asked and Punk just shrugged
"I like privacy" Punk remarked innocently that's when Hector opened the door for them and April was stunned. The diner was dimly lit and everything seemed to be the same except for one table that had a fancy tablecloth, one candle and roses in a vase.
"You did all of this for me?" April asked looking up at Punk
"Yea" Punk said to her simply.
"Go and sit" Hector said ushering them to their seats "I'll bring you two out some appetizers" Punk made sure to pull out April's chair for her and she sat down still in awe of all of this.
"I'm so surprised" April admitted with a huge grin "What's the occasion?"
"I need an occasion to spoil you with dinner?" Punk asked coolly
"It's a lot" April said to him "I didn't get you anything" she admitted
"You give back to me everyday" Punk said to her honestly "Honestly since the day I met you everything has just been better. I'm not as angry as I used to be, I have something to look forward to now, and you showed me that there's more to life than wrestling." April was a slightly taken back by the confession. She knew he loved her very much but she hadn't realized she made such an impact on his life.
"I don't know what to say" April admitted shyly "You're not going to break up with me are you? Normally people say something really nice then hits them with the bad news"
"I didn't bring you here to break up with you" Punk smiled "I bought you here because I never plan on breaking up with you"
"Good" April said letting out a breath "You know how much you mean to me right? You're the only person in my life" she said to him seriously
"I know and I don't take that for that granted" Punk said to her "I love you so much more than I ever thought I could love anybody else" she smiled towards him
"Are you ok?" April asked him carefully "Why does this feel so life altering?" she truly had no idea what was coming. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or kind of wanted her to expect what was to come.
"Because it is life altering" Punk said to her and she saw his hands begin to shake slightly. She reached over for his hands and took them into her own
"What's wrong?" she asked him "Are you sick?'
"No" Punk said with a smile "Just nervous" he pulled away one of his hands and reached into his pocket and she eyed him carefully. She truly never expected this.
"So" Punk said placing the closed box on the table in front of her
"Phil" She said looking down at the box and letting go of his other hand
"I want you to marry me" Punk said bluntly "I could list a hundred reasons as to why I want you as my wife but I'm so nervous that my mind has kind of gone blank" he admitted "I'll make you happy" he said meeting her eyes "I'll take care of you." He sucked in a breath as he tried to read her eyes "I'll love you forever" He promised
"Yes" April said in a very serious voice. She stood up from her seat and cupped Punk's face and leaned down to kiss him passionately. "I love you so much" she said as her lips brushed against his.
"Are you sure about this? Because as soon as you confirm I didn't dream up your response you're locked in for life" Punk said seriously causing her to smile as a few happy tears escaped her eyes
"Yes!" she said as she took a seat on his lap "You were nervous for nothing" she said to him and he smiled weakly at her
"You haven't even looked at the ring" Punk reminded her
"Oh yea" she said with a small laugh and watched as he reached his long arm over to grab the box
"Most women want to see the ring first" Punk said before opening it
"I'm not most women" April reminded him
"Yea I've noticed" Punk teased lightly then opened the box and she almost fell right off of his lap. It was a huge diamond ring. It was the biggest diamond she had ever seen in her life. It had small diamonds around the one large stone and around the band as well.
"Holy crap" she muttered with wide eyes causing him to let out a laugh
"You like it?" Punk asked amused
"It's beautiful" she admitted not taking her eyes off of the ring "But it must have cost you a fortune"
"We have a new rule now that we're engaged" Punk said to her and she forced her eyes away from the box to look at him "No more money talk. I make a lot of money and I plan on taking care of you so if I want to buy you something nice I want you to enjoy it and not worry about how much it cost"
"Fine" April forced out "I'll work on it" she added quickly
"Ok" Punk smirked then took the ring out of the box and grabbed her left hand and slid it on "Is it too big?"
"A little" April frowned "But it's perfect. I think it's heavier than my entire hand"
"It's probably heavier than your entire body" Punk teased "We'll go get it sized in Chicago. You're an impossible person to pick a ring size for" he said annoyed "You had no rings in your jewelry box"
"I have nothing in that box but your necklace and my grandmothers" April said looking at her hand and the ring "I can't believe this"
"I told you" Punk said subtly
"Told me what?" April asked
"When we went out after I saw you wrestle for the first time what did I tell you?" Punk asked and then it hit her
"You said you were going to marry me" April remembered and he nodded
"I'm a man of my word" Punk said to her as he wrapped his arms loosely around her waist and watched as she played with her ring
"Did you pick this out yourself?" April asked
"I did" Punk confirmed "I had a lot of detail added to it though" he said to her "The small stones around the band and stuff so it took a little longer to get"
"How long did you have the ring?" April asked
"Three weeks" Punk admitted "I couldn't find a good time" he admitted
"You knew you were going to propose to me for three weeks?" April asked surprised
"I knew I was going to propose since Christmas" Punk said to her "I started looking at rings before New Years"
"I had no idea" April smiled "I can't believe you kept this a secret"
"Well the trick was that no one knew" Punk said to her "I mean a few people knew I was planning on it they just didn't know when or that I had gotten the ring"
"I can't believe how you changed my life in only a years time" April said to him "You've made me so happy"
"It's only going to get better" Punk added
"You say that about everything" April chuckled
"And have I been wrong?" Punk asked
"No you haven't" she said sweetly and reached down to kiss him.
"Ok father figure entering" Hector warned covering his eyes causing April to pull away from Punk.
"Look at my ring Hector!" April cheered jumping off of Punk's lap and showing him her ring
"Holy crap" he said in the same voice that April had used. Punk smiled at their similarities "You don't mess around do ya?" he asked Punk
"No I do not" Punk smirked
"Give me a hug" Hector said wrapping his arms around April "Congratulations sweetheart" he said sincerely
"Thank you" April said holding back tears
"And you take care of my girl" Hector warned pulling away from April "I know you've done a good job so far but now she's officially yours"
"I'll take care of her" Punk assured him and shook his hand
After eating briefly at the diner Punk and April couldn't wait to get to home. He called his sisters to make sure they knew in case it leaked and they were ecstatic and were already planning an engagement party. Punk didn't want to waste anymore time calling people he just wanted to be alone with April so they could properly celebrate.
Punk wasted no time pulling off their clothes and ushering her into the bed. It was another slow and passionate love making session. Punk was tender and sweet and whispered his love into her ear through out the entire night. It was the longest they had every lasted, April wasn't even sure how long they were at it but it was definitely a new record.
Just a thin sheet covered his lower half as he pushed into her with deep passion and love. He had one hand linked with hers as he kept it captive over her head and his other hand propped him up so he didn't squish his new fiancée. April had completely left her own body when she climaxed and almost resented it because she didn't want it to end but she knew they'd have all of the time in the world with him now.
"You know what just hit me?" April asked him. Her head was on his chest but her eyes were on her ring as she twirled it around her ring.
"Hmm?" Punk asked as he ran his hand through her hair gently
"You're the only man that I'm ever go to be with" April pointed out
"Is that going to be a problem?" Punk asked her
"No" She giggled "I think its nice actually"
"I think it's really nice" Punk agreed "I like the idea of being the only man on this planet that has ever touched you or ever will"
"You are so domineering" she teased
"Whatever" Punk scuffed
"We're going to get the ring sized right?" April asked him and he nodded "Like right away? I'm afraid its going to fall off"
"I'll take care of it" Punk said to her
"I can wear it to work right?" April asked him "This isn't a secret?"
"No I don't want to marry you secretly" Punk smirked "I want everyone to know as a matter of fact"
"Maybe when I'm done working with John they'll let me wear it to the ring" April said to him "Would you wear your wedding band to the ring?"
"Sure" Punk shrugged "Once it's on it doesn't come off"
"I'm so excited" April smiled "I've never thought of getting married before"
"Me either" Punk admitted "We've got time to plan it all out"
"Yea" April said softly
"What's wrong?" Punk asked her noting her sudden tone change
"It's just you called your sisters and everything and I don't have anyone to call" April admitted "If anything new worthy happens to me I just call you. You're my only family"
"Well soon my family will be your family" Punk said to her "Actually they already consider you family and I know I do. The ring just makes it legal"
"I know it would still be nice to tell someone" April said to him
"So call your parents" Punk suggested
"They haven't answered my calls" April said to him
"You've tried calling them recently?" Punk asked and she nodded
"Yea I just wanted to check in" April shrugged "But it's fine I didn't expect them to answer I was just hoping now that I was on TV and wrestling they'd see why I left"
"You didn't pick up and abandon your family" Punk reminded her "You moved out to better yourself and any parent would want and support that. You may have been the on who moved but they're the ones that abandoned you"
"Yea I know" April said to him "But I don't need them" she said suddenly "I meant what I said this year has been the best year of my life and I owe it all to you. It's stupid to sit here and wish for me because I've already have everything I need"
"It's not stupid to want your family" Punk said to her "You're entitled to miss them"
"You're my family now" April said to him "It's just you and I for here on out"
"I wouldn't have it any other way" Punk smirked