Late
"Wait a second… wait a second." AJ put her hand up, lying naked on her stomach with Punk lying beside her on his back, "You had bleach blonde hair in high school?" She asked him.
"Yeah." Punk laughed a little, "Why is that so funny? I also had purple hair at one point."
"Purple?" AJ shook her head, "Were you mentally ok?"
"I was great." Punk shrugged.
"It's just… well, you were a lawyer… it's hard to picture you with different coloured hair. It's bad enough you got away with having the lip piercing." She said.
"What's wrong with my lip piercing?" Punk frowned, touching the lip ring at the side of his lip.
"Nothing." AJ said, "I mean… I like it." She grinned, "But… it just doesn't scream lawyer to me."
"I had the blonde and purple hair before I became a lawyer. Got it all out of my system." Punk assured her, "No way I'd be able to sit the bar looking like that."
"Was it difficult? Everything you had to learn?" AJ asked him, resting her chin on her folded arms.
They had made use of three out of the four condoms Punk had brought in his wallet. It was well into the middle of the night, and they'd only left the bed once to enjoy some of AJ's sweet bread she had successfully made, helping to give them some fuel as they tumbled back into bed again.
"Yeah, it was difficult." Punk nodded, "There's just so much to learn. I mean… it's the law. There's a whole lot to it."
"I bet." AJ said.
"What's the deal with you studying film and media?" Punk asked her, "Is that something you're legit interested in?" He asked her curiously.
They'd spent most of the night exploring one another's bodies. AJ was struck by the fact she'd gone six years without sex and now she didn't think she could go one day without touching this man.
"I was legit interested in it, yeah." AJ nodded, "I love movies. I was always pretty creative growing up. I was better at writing-based subjects in school than I was with math or science." She said.
"What was the end goal with it? Write movies?" He asked.
"Yeah, or work in production maybe." AJ nodded, "It all came to an end pretty quickly." She shrugged.
"You never thought about going back?" Punk asked her.
"Not now. I found a different way to be creative. I love what I do now. I wouldn't change it for anything in the world." AJ nodded as Punk smiled, "If you miraculously could change the disbarment. If you could still be a lawyer… would you?" She wondered.
"I'm not sure." Punk realised. If he was asked this a year ago when he first got disbarred, he would have probably said yes, but so much had changed now, so much good things had happened for him, he wasn't entirely sure he'd fit back into his old life.
"How are you gonna sort the Daryl and Finn problem?" AJ asked, tracing her finger around his stomach tattoo.
"No idea." Punk sighed, running his hand through his messy hair which was definitely no longer slicked back due to the amount of times AJ had run her hand through it or pulled it, "You got any suggestions for me?" He asked her.
"Maybe just let them figure it out for themselves." AJ said, "Without locking them in a fridge." She looked at him as he smiled.
"There was a method to my madness." Punk defended.
"And it didn't work." AJ said, "I also think Daryl and Shiv gotta talk and hash things out. I think they've got a lot they want to say to each other. It's probably where Daryl's frustration with Finn is coming from."
"So I should lock Daryl and Shiv in a fridge?" Punk asked.
"No locking anyone in fridges." AJ made clear as he chuckled, "How's the breakfast sandwiches going? Better?"
"It's only been a couple days." Punk said, "I think it's going a little better. Still a bit chaotic. We just gotta find a rhythm. Which is hard when Daryl and Finn act like children." He said.
"You're never going to have a perfect day every day." AJ said, "Believe me."
"Can I ask you something?" He asked.
"Sure." She nodded.
"Have you had any serious boyfriends? Before you were attacked, I mean." He said.
"No. Is it really obvious?" She asked.
"No, I'm just… just asking." He said.
"Honestly, I didn't really have a lot of sex before I was raped. Maybe three times." She tried to think as Punk raised his eyebrows, "I guess that made it even more traumatic… getting attacked." She nodded, "Because I was so naïve and so clueless."
"Don't ever blame yourself." Punk shook his head, "What happened could never, ever be your fault. Ever." He emphasised.
"I know that now." AJ nodded, "But at the time… it's weird how your mind plays tricks on you. Tries to tell you that maybe it was your fault. Even when I'm sitting in hospital with a bald patch on my head and broken ribs… broken everything." She rolled her eyes, "Still your mind wants to betray you."
"I hope… I hope tonight was ok for you." He nodded. He knew this had all been a very huge deal to her and he was conscious of doing everything he could to make her feel good, whilst also having the time of his life too.
"It was more than ok." AJ nodded, "I didn't think it could be like this. So good." She admitted, "Thank you for being patient and… understanding." She said.
"You don't have to thank me for anything." Punk shook his head.
"Yes, I do. I feel like you've helped me gain some part of me back that he's… kept all this time." AJ said, "It always felt like he was still winning, you know?" She said as he nodded, "But not so much when I'm lying here with you."
Punk smiled, leaning forward and kissing her softly as she climbed over him, feeling his hands grip her hips as she straddled his lap.
"You got one last condom left." AJ noted, "Better make it count." She nodded as he chuckled, pulling her face back down to his and kissing her passionately.
"What's that noise?" Punk grumbled against the pillow, a few hours later where finally he and AJ had actually gotten some sleep. Only he had been woken up by a strange buzzing noise.
He lifted his head, looking across at AJ lying beside him fast asleep. He smiled to himself as he watched her, not believing he'd ever see a more beautiful sight.
"April." Punk tapped her eventually as she stirred, "What's the buzzing noise?"
"What?" AJ screwed her eyes up and turned to him.
"You can't hear it? Am I having a stroke?" Punk patted himself down.
"Shh." AJ tapped him so she could listen closely, "Shit!" She yelled, sitting up so fast she almost gave herself whiplash.
"What? What's wrong?" Punk panicked.
"It's my alarm." She panicked, grabbing his t-shirt and putting it over her as she ran into the living room, searching high and low for her phone, finally finding it on the kitchen table and staring at the time, "Oh my God." She panicked.
"What time is it?" Punk asked, starting to realise why she was so panicked.
"It's already 6am." AJ rushed back into the bedroom, "The girls will be waiting on me to open." She said frantically, running into her bathroom.
"You've never been late before?" Punk scoffed.
"No!" AJ yelled, "This isn't good."
Punk reached for his phone on the nightstand, looking at the missed calls and messages from Daryl asking where he was.
"What if she's like… dead?" Becca asked, leaning against the shutters covering The Blewberry Café as Lyla turned to her.
"Don't speak such things." Lyla pinched Becca's ear.
"That hurt." Becca whined.
"Why is Phil running late too?" Shiv folded her arms, looking across the road to where Daryl and Finn were waiting outside Punk's coffee shop, keeping a large distance of course.
"Maybe she finally murdered him and she's out burying his body." Becca nodded.
"Or they're walking down the street together." Shiv noticed as Punk rushed across the road to his coffee shop whilst AJ approached them all.
"Tell me we did not just see that." Becca said.
"See what?" AJ shook her head, "Sorry, I slept in." She said calmly whilst Lyla watched her.
"Both of you slept in?" Shiv asked, pointing over to where Punk was now opening up his shop.
"Did you sleep with him?" Becca gasped, "Oh my God, you totally did." She realised as AJ shook her head, opening up the shutters and walking inside to the shop.
"Just get in here." AJ said, letting them into the shop and shutting the door over behind them.
"So you and her just conveniently slept in on the same day?" Daryl asked, walking into Punk's coffee shop after he opened up the doors.
"Looks like it." Punk said.
"Or he's screwing her." Finn added, wiping down the surfaces behind the counter as Punk turned to him with an unimpressed stare, "What? It's kinda obvious. She's obviously the person you text three hundred times a day." He nodded.
"I don't think I asked for your opinion." Punk nodded, turning back to Daryl who had his arms folded, looking Punk up and down.
"Well, isn't this quite the plot twist." Daryl said, "Sleeping with the enemy?"
"That's a good movie." Finn added.
"She is not the enemy." Punk scoffed, "And let's get this straight… my love life is none of your concern. Either of you." He made clear.
"It is when you're half an hour late to work." Daryl said, "That is very unprofessional, you know."
"Ok, and it won't happen again." Punk rolled his eyes.
"So, you are sleeping with her?" Daryl clarified.
"Look, I don't have to answer to a bunch of kids." Punk shook his head.
"That's a yes then." Finn nodded over to Daryl.
"You guys will have little coffee shop babies." Daryl teased.
"Shut up." Punk shook his head.
"Don't take this the wrong way but… I'm jealous, honestly." Daryl nodded, "I had a big crush on her when she first moved here."
"When you were thirteen?" Punk clarified.
"Yeah." Daryl nodded, "I have no idea what she sees in you but… I'm happy for you, man."
"Oh, thanks. I'm glad I have your approval." Punk shook his head.
"So you two are dating?" Finn asked as Punk looked over at him. He honestly wasn't sure what to say because he didn't really know what he and AJ were doing. He was open to the idea of dating, but he hadn't even gotten a chance to ask AJ. They'd been so busy wrapped up in each other the whole night.
"I'm not discussing it with either of you. Ok?" Punk said, "Now can we start getting the bagels going, please? Let's get some actual work done."
"Hey, you were the one that was late. And you look like shit, by the way." Daryl nodded.
"I didn't get much sleep." Punk mumbled as Daryl whistled.
"Alexa! Play All Night Long by Lionel Richie!" Daryl yelled as Punk shook his head.
"You're a pain in my fucking ass." Punk shook his head, walking away into the kitchen as Daryl and Finn chuckled.