Tour Part Two

"That should do it." Punk nodded, making sure the horses reins were tied securely around the tree whilst AJ was still sitting on top of Blondie the horse.

"I can get off?" AJ asked.

"Sure." Punk said, watching her swinging her leg round, hesitating a little as she tried to find her footing on the ground, "You need some help?" He asked, walking towards her.

"I'm good." AJ nodded as Punk stayed close behind her in case she missed a step onto the ground, "Good girl." She smiled, stroking the horse lovingly as Punk smiled.

"You're good with her." Punk nodded, walking over to the stream as AJ followed.

"All they want is a little bit of love, I guess." AJ said, "Not that different from humans." She said, adjusting her baseball cap as Punk nodded.

"Finally, my ass can relax on dry land." Punk said, sitting down on the ground beside the stream as AJ sat down beside him, not too close but not too far either.

"So, you left Daryl in charge of your place?" AJ asked.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "He's more than capable."

"It's nice to see him doing better." AJ said, "He's been through it these past few years."

"Can I tell you something?" Punk asked her as she nodded, "I've been trying to pry information out of him about what happened with him and Shiv." He admitted.

"Can I tell you something?" AJ asked as he nodded, "I beat you to it." She nodded.

"No way." Punk said.

"But I won't betray Shiv's trust." AJ said.

"Fair enough." Punk nodded, "I think I can gather what happened anyway. He clearly pushed everyone away when he broke his leg. Really fucked him up. I'm assuming Shiv falls into the category of those he pushed away." He said.

"Oh to be young again." AJ said.

"You're still young." Punk scoffed, "Only one of us is pushing forty here." He reminded her as she smiled a little.

"Were you close to your brother? Before he went to prison?" She asked him as he turned to her, "Only… I'm not really close to my siblings."

"We were never close." Punk shook his head, "Never saw eye to eye. He could never do wrong in my mom's eyes. He got away with so much crap." He said, "He stole the TV out of my house one time."

"What?" AJ shook her head.

"Yeah. Broke in, stole the TV and then sold it for drugs." He nodded, "So no, we've never really been close." He said.

"How long has he been in prison?" AJ asked, tucking her knees up to her chest whilst he sat with his legs out in front of him, leaning back on his hands.

"Not long. About a year and a half now." Punk said, "How come you're not close with your siblings?"

"I guess cause we didn't grow up together." AJ said, "My parent's had us all in New Jersey but their plan was always to go back home to Puerto Rico. My mom's younger sister also stayed with us in New Jersey." She added, "So they booked flights to go home but they only had enough for my parent's and my brother and sister." She shrugged.

"They just left you?" Punk asked, horrified.

"I was with my Aunt Nicolette." AJ explained, "It was only supposed to be temporary until they could send money over for us to get a flight but… time passed, and no money came. My Aunt worked every job she could to keep a roof over our head. I guess that just became my home. We didn't have much but we lived comfortably. I still spoke with my parents on the phone. I still do. Ironically, I'm the one who sends them money now to help with bills." She said.

"That doesn't seem fair." Punk said.

"I know." AJ assured him, "It's better than causing tension."

"Still doesn't make it ok." He said as AJ nodded.

"Do you mind me asking what your brother did to get put in prison?" AJ asked curiously, "You don't have to answer."

"No, I don't care." Punk shrugged, "He was selling street Valium. A kid he sold some to wound up dying and the cops managed to trace it back to him."

"Damn." AJ said.

"It's also how I ended up disbarred." Punk nodded, "Trying to keep him out of prison."

"Even though you guys didn't get along?" AJ asked.

"He's still my brother." Punk shrugged, "Sometimes I don't understand why I did what I did either."

"What did you do?" AJ asked, folding her legs into a basket, turning her body towards him a little more.

"I paid for a fake witness and committed fraud to take on my brother as a client." Punk said, "Lawyers can't represent their own family or anyone they know closely. It's considered bias for obvious reasons. So, I committed fraud so they wouldn't find out I was his brother. His idea but I still went through with it."

"And they found out? The court?" AJ figured.

"Yeah." Punk nodded, "First I got fired. Then I had to go to court for fraud and faking a witness. I think I got left off pretty easily, actually. I got disbarred and 9 months of community service." He said, "Then I broke up with my girlfriend and my mom died of a heart attack."

"Wow." AJ tried to keep up, "And here you are."

"Here I am." Punk nodded.

"I'm glad you didn't do something completely evil." AJ admitted, "I mean… you were just trying to protect your brother." She said. She was glad to know that the reason for his disbarment wasn't due to some sort of awful crime.

"Yeah and I shouldn't have bothered." Punk said, "But he was begging me, crying and sobbing… I didn't really know what to do."

"So, you decided on fraud." AJ nodded as Punk turned to her with a small smile as she smiled back.

In a way, it was a relief to get so much off of his chest from the past year or so. He'd not had many people to talk to after being disbarred, and it was just so easy to talk with AJ. She listened so deeply, taking in every single word he said. He'd never felt this relaxed talking to someone about things that were so personal. Not even Sophie.

"It's all in the past now, I guess." Punk said.

"You broke up with your girlfriend because of the disbarment?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. She's a lawyer, too. We worked at the same firm. She got a pretty hard time after what I did. She had to get investigated to make sure she knew nothing about what I was doing." Punk said.

"And she didn't?" AJ asked.

"No, she had no clue. I never told her it was my brother. We didn't talk about each other's cases anyway." Punk said.

"Must have been hard. Your whole life changing in such a short space of time." AJ nodded.

"It was. I spent most days in coffee shops living off my savings. Once my mom died and I sold the house, I just wanted out of there. Everything came together." He said.

"Thank you for telling me." AJ said as he turned to her, "I guess I just saw you as this guy who showed up in town to piss me off and scare my customers away. It was small-minded and I shouldn't have behaved the way I did. I know better than to judge a person from afar."

"It's alright. I did enjoy pissing you off." He shrugged as she chuckled.

"That is not nice." She laughed, shoving him a little as he smiled.

"You want to hear something that might cheer you up?" He asked as she waited for him to speak more, "I don't think Luke has a coffee spot to go to anymore."

"Luke?" AJ said.

"I figured that was who the date was… when I found you upset." He said. He didn't want to embarrass her by telling her Luke was telling him all about it.

"Oh." AJ said.

"I saw you talking to him at Shiv's party and then the next night I find you crying after a bad date. I put it together." He shrugged casually.

"You're so smart." AJ rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I just politely let him know that it's not cool to make girls cry." Punk shrugged.

"It wasn't anything to do with him, really." AJ admitted.

"I still don't like him." Punk told her.

"I was the one who freaked out on him." AJ nodded.

She could feel it building in her. Her past that she never shared with anyone beyond Lyla and her aunt. He'd been so open and honest with her that she felt herself wanting to reciprocate. She felt safe enough with him to do so.

"Doesn't matter. He should have walked you home, at least." Punk said.

"I just… I struggle with that kind of stuff. Dating and boyfriends." She said.

"How come?" Punk asked.

"When I was in college-"

"There you two are!" Mister Eckles shouted, riding up on horse towards them as they both turned around, "Enjoying the views?" He smiled.

"Yes, sir." Punk nodded, "It's beautiful."

"I've made you both some lunch." Mister Eckles said, "Come on up to the house." He told them.

"You're too kind to us." AJ smiled, watching Punk stand up and extend his hand out to her, "Thanks." She smiled shyly, taking his hand as he pulled her up from the grass where they'd laid all their secrets to bare, apart from hers.

They got on the horses and headed back to the house at the farm, enjoying the delicious lunch which Mister Eckles and his wife had prepared for them. AJ wasn't sure if she was relieved or unhappy that she'd been interrupted before spilling her own past out to him. It made her overthink it in her head, figuring she wasn't ready to tell him anyway.

They thanked Mister Eckles for his hospitality after lunch and headed out to the front to head home.

"You didn't drive?" Punk asked her.

"No, I don't have a car." AJ said, "Lyla dropped me off. She'll pick me up I just gotta call her."

"No, that's silly. I'll drop you off." Punk shook his head, "Jump in." He nodded, unlocking his car and getting in behind the wheel as AJ eventually followed and got into the passenger's side.

"Nice car." AJ nodded.

"I actually like driving now that I don't live in the city." He said, reversing out of the drive, placing his arm behind her seat and looking out the back window as AJ watched his hand smoothly manoeuvre the steering wheel round. She didn't realise such an act could be so attractive.

"I have my licence but… I have no reason to drive so, I got no reason for a car." AJ shrugged.

"I hope the next time I'm at this farm I don't have to watch a cow giving birth." Punk admitted as AJ chuckled.

"I thought it was beautiful." AJ said.

"It was horrible. That poor mama." Punk shook his head, "I kept saying to Daryl I needed to properly tour this town. Get to know it some more. But I didn't mean like this." He laughed a little as she smiled, looking at him as he kept his eyes on the road, driving them out of the farm's estate and back onto the main road into town.

"He really appreciates us doing business with him. He's lost a lot since he's gotten older." AJ said, "I think we're the only two that work with him now. Other businesses use the younger farmers nearby."

"That sucks." Punk frowned, "Big up Mister Eckles."

"Yeah!" AJ cheered as he chuckled, "As for you touring this place… there's nothing much to see."

"That's what Daryl says." Punk scoffed.

"If you don't believe me… I'd be happy to show you around. Although it'll probably only take me an hour." She teased as he nodded along.

"Alright… deal." He said as she turned to him, "But I bet it takes longer and I bet we find something cool."

"Will you bet your display board?" She asked him.

"Too far." Punk shook his head seriously as she giggled which made him smile and his heart burst.

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Love them so much. It's heating up hehe.