No Invitation

"It was so humiliating." AJ shook her head, lying on her sofa whilst Lyla sat on the floor beside her. She'd just arrived back from visiting her parents when AJ had called her immediately to come to her apartment.

"It doesn't sound humiliating." Lyla shook her head, trying to make her friend feel better.

"It was. He kissed me and I acted like it was the end of the world." AJ rolled her eyes, placing her hand on her forehead stressfully.

"Did it feel like the end of the world?" Lyla asked softly as AJ sighed, sitting up and folding her legs in a basket.

"Yes." AJ nodded, "He was perfectly nice to me. It was a good date. I suppose he's used to just kissing his dates at the end of the night, but it took me by surprise and I just… I froze." She shook her head, picking at her nails, "I just don't know how to deal with it. The closeness."

"Maybe you're just not ready." Lyla said. She could hear plain and clear that her friend had clearly had a bad night after her date. She'd only wished she'd been there to help her through it.

"Then when will I be ready?" AJ questioned, "I mean… what else do I have to do? I've done therapy. I've gone on dates. I've let time heal as best as it can." She said, "What if I'm never ready?"

"You will be." Lyla nodded, placing her hand on AJ's arm, "Maybe it's just one of those things that will happen naturally. I'm sorry if I forced you into this." She said, feeling slightly guilty.

"You didn't. I wouldn't have gone on the date if I didn't want to." AJ assured her, "We chatted at Shiv's party, and it was nice getting to know someone and… feel like they were interested in me." She nodded, "I wanted to go on the date."

"You said the date went well. So maybe you just need to have a few more until you can get comfortable. Until you feel safe and secure." Lyla said, "That's what everyone should do before they sleep with someone honestly." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not going to have a guy waiting around on me like that." AJ shook her head.

"If he won't wait around then he isn't worth it." Lyla said.

"It gets worse." AJ told her.

"Oh, God." Lyla said, "What?"

"I wanted to get into the coffee shop so I could cry without anyone watching, obviously." AJ said.

"Obviously." Lyla understood.

"I couldn't find the keys in my purse so I had a little temper tantrum and who is standing across the road?" She groaned.

"Oh, no." Lyla sighed.

"Oh, yes." AJ nodded, placing her hands over her face, reliving her horrible night again, "He was actually ok. He walked me home." She said.

"Oh." Lyla said, surprised.

"Yeah, he didn't even say anything really. Just walked with me whilst I had snotters bubbling out my nose." AJ nodded, "It was the perfect opportunity for him to get me back for bringing up the disbarred stuff. And he just walked me home." AJ said.

"Maybe he could see that you genuinely weren't ok." Lyla said, "I guess it was nice of him."

"It was." AJ agreed, "But then it made me feel even worse for throwing his past in his face. He didn't push me to talk or ask me why I was crying. Just said that he hoped I'd be ok." AJ nodded.

Despite it being a two-minute walk with little to no conversation, she'd been incredibly grateful for Punk's presence last night. There was a warmth about him that made her feel safe, and despite feeling humiliated and broken, he didn't make her feel that way.

"He's probably not a bad guy, I guess." Lyla said, "Well, apart from getting disbarred. Which I'm so curious about, honestly." She shook her head.

"Yeah, me too." AJ nodded, "Doesn't excuse the fact he's actively trying to ruin our coffee shop." She rolled her eyes, "He's got an open-mic night tomorrow."

"A what?" Lyla shook her head.

"An open-mic night." AJ said, "People can take to the mic to do whatever… sing, crack a joke, recite a poem, make a political speech-"

"Interesting." Lyla folded her arms.

"Yeah, it is. It's a really good idea and it's gonna drive more people over to his shop." AJ sighed, "And away from ours."

"No, it's not. C'mon. We've established ourselves here. We have nothing to prove any more. He's the one that has a mountain to climb." Lyla said, "So you're not going to see Luke again?"

"Definitely not." AJ said, "I don't think I could look him in the eye again. You have no idea how much I freaked out. He probably thinks I'm crazy." She shook her head.

"There's nothing wrong with how you acted. Whatever you were feeling was completely valid." Lyla assured her, "What you went through… I can't imagine it, but I bet it changes a person. That's the awful thing about it. It stays with you. Follows you into other relationships." She nodded.

"I just can't imagine myself ever… going there with a guy." AJ shook her head, "I just don't have it in me to trust anyone. To trust that what happened won't happen again."

"You also can't live your life like that." Lyla said, "What happened was awful. And that guy is in prison for what he did to you. But not every guy is like that. There are some good ones out there. Some." Lyla smiled a little.

"I know that." AJ nodded, "I just don't think I have the heart to look for anyone."

"It's just going to take some time." Lyla said, standing up from the floor and sitting down beside AJ on the couch, wrapping an arm around her as AJ leaned into her.

"Another six years?" AJ scoffed.

"However long it takes for you to feel safe and happy with someone." Lyla nodded.

"You're a big bitch, you know that?" Daryl said, walking into AJ's coffee shop the next morning, finding Shiv behind the counter.

"Excuse me?" Shiv said with wide eyes whilst AJ came over from serving a customer.

"I asked you not to say anything. You knew I'd slipped up. And the first thing you did was go and tell your little girl clique." Daryl said.

"Ok, if you guys want to have a domestic then you can take it outside." AJ nodded.

"You're just as bad." Daryl turned to AJ, "Throwing that in Phil's face. We all have a past. He's trying to start over and make a living for himself here and all you guys have done is make it tens time harder for him."

"Sounds like you have a crush on him." Shiv nodded.

"Shut up, Shiv." Daryl shook his head, "He's a good guy-"

"Let's not forget all the little games you've both been playing." AJ reminded Daryl, "Stealing my specials. Working with Mister Eckles and priding yourselves on using local produce, the same as we do here." AJ said.

"Yeah, that's the difference. They're stupid little games. You threw something in his face that you know nothing about. And now he barely talks to me." Daryl said, "I was actually enjoying my job over there. But I guess you guys had to ruin that too."

He was incredibly frustrated with the silent treatment Punk had been giving him ever since Shiv's party, ever since he let it slip about his disbarment. He'd apologised countless times, but his boss wasn't having it. He knew he'd clearly betrayed his trust and all he could do was blame these girls for it.

"I know I crossed the line with Phil." AJ said, "And I plan on apologising to him for what I said. You're right. I have no idea who he is or what his past is. I certainly wouldn't like someone throwing my past in my face." She nodded, "But don't come into my shop all hot and angry."

"He's an angry guy." Shiv nodded to AJ, "Well, since he broke his leg."

"I'm right here." Daryl made a face at Shiv.

"AJ is one of my best friends. I'm loyal to her." Shiv defended herself, "You're the one who should have kept your mouth shut."

"Ok, Shiv." AJ nudged Shiv, trying to calm her down, "Your open-mic night is tonight, right?"

"Yeah." Daryl shrugged.

"Do you think it'd be ok if me and the girls came over for it?" AJ asked.

"What?" Shiv turned to AJ.

"Yeah, what?" Daryl looked at AJ with confusion.

"I told you. I'd like to apologise to Phil and maybe once I apologise, he might stop giving you the cold shoulder." AJ nodded, "Plus… I think the open-mic night sounds fun. It's a good idea." She said sincerely as Daryl looked at her with confusion.

"You're not gonna come over and bomb the place or something, right?" Daryl said suspiciously.

"No." AJ scoffed, "Well, I don't think so."

She did want to apologise to Punk. She knew she'd crossed the line with him, and she felt even worse after he'd been kind to her and walked her home the other night. She knew the right thing was to apologise and maybe squash the petty games they had been playing with each other.

"Well, I mean… you don't need an invitation to come." Daryl said.

"I know. I'm just letting you know." AJ said.

"Ok." Daryl said, still suspiciously.

"Shouldn't you get back to work? Doesn't he hate you enough over there?" AJ asked him as Daryl rolled his eyes, "And don't come in here calling anyone a bitch ever again." She said seriously as Daryl nodded, walking off to the door.

"Yeah, that's right!" Shiv yelled as Daryl shook his head, leaving the coffee shop.

"What's going on with you and him?" AJ turned to Shiv.

"What do you mean?" Shiv asked, running some mugs through the dishwasher.

"Anytime I see you guys in the same room you look like you hate each other." AJ said.

"We used to be really good friends, actually." Shiv said, "Then he broke his leg and… changed, I guess." She shook her head.

"I didn't know you were friends with him." AJ said.

"I guess we've both kinda forgot." Shiv nodded vaguely, "Anyway, why are we going over there tonight?"

"Because I do want to apologise." AJ said, "And I'm curious to see how it turns out, honestly."

"We don't all have to do something on the mic, right?" Shiv made sure.

"No, only if you want to." AJ laughed a little as Shiv nodded with relief.

"Maybe Luke will be there." Shiv nudged AJ with a smirk.

She hadn't gone into detail with Shiv or Becca the same way she had with Lyla about her disastrous ending to her date with Luke. She'd merely told them that she'd had a good time and that they might see one another again.

Now she was slightly regretting committing to going to the open-mic night, when it was possible, she would bump into Luke again. Not to mention apologising to Punk, facing him again after he'd saw her in such a frenzied state. Now she was nervous.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Love to read them so much.