Filling In

"What time do you call this?" Daryl asked, standing behind the counter with his arms folded unhappily.

"It's… 3.20." Punk looked at his phone.

"You said you'd be back after lunch. I've been running around here like a lunatic." Daryl said, "We got so busy at 1. You know I only have two hands, right?"

"Ok ok. Calm down." Punk said, "You got through it, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but it was stressful." Daryl said, "You said you'd be gone for a couple of hours. How long did that old man have you milking cows?" He shook his head whilst Punk got behind the counter and put his apron on.

"I didn't milk any cows, actually." Punk said, "I did see one giving birth, though."

"Really?" Daryl cringed.

"Yeah. Fed some goats, chased some chickens… rode a horse too." He nodded.

"Oh, well I'm glad you had a lovely day whilst I was here sweating." Daryl shook his head.

"AJ was there, too. Mister Eckles invited both of us since we both do business with him." Punk said.

"Sounds cosy." Daryl nodded.

"It was good, actually. Getting to see how the farm is run. Getting up close with the animals. I could have done without seeing the cow giving birth, but I guess it'll be a good story in a few years." He said.

"And you and AJ behaved yourselves?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, we actually got a chance to talk for a while." Punk nodded, "She's offered to show me around this place a little more."

"Hey, I offered to show you around." Daryl said.

"You're a kid." Punk said.

"No, I'm just not a pretty lady, obviously." Daryl scoffed with a smirk, "Who would have thought? You and her being friends." He shook his head.

"I guess she was just worried about her coffee shop. Clearly, she loves it very much. I think she knows I'm not a threat anymore. I'm not trying to put her out of business or anything." He nodded.

He'd dropped AJ off at her coffee shop after their adventurous day at Mister Eckles farm. They'd arranged to meet tomorrow after they closed their shops at 5pm for AJ to show Punk around the town a little more. Punk did have the overwhelming feeling of anxiety, that maybe he'd shared too much with her, talking about his brother and his family. It wasn't something he spoke about with everyone, but sitting there on the grass with her, surrounded by the quiet of nature, it helped the words roll off his tongue pretty easily.

"Ok, well you better be meeting her after work hours because I can't hold the fort here on my own again. It's too hard." Daryl shook his head.

"Yeah, maybe I gotta look into employing another person." Punk nodded.

"Yeah, maybe you do." Daryl said, "Can we employ a hot chick?"

"What? No. I will employ whoever is right for the job." Punk shook his head as Daryl grumbled.

"So is this a date you and AJ are going on tomorrow?" Daryl asked with a teasing smile.

"No, it's not a date." Punk said, "She's just showing me around. That's it."

"You guys seem to be getting closer, though. Just saying." Daryl said.

"We're being friendly. We have a lot in common, and I could use her help with this place." Punk said.

"Weren't saying that a month ago when you were stealing her specials and showing her up at the Spring Fair." Daryl said.

"Well, we got off on the wrong foot, clearly." Punk nodded. He wouldn't hide from the fact that he was infuriated by AJ when he first moved here, but that didn't mean his eyes weren't drawn to her from the moment he moved here either. Now he was getting to know her more, he was seeing the real AJ.

"After work hours?" Daryl made sure.

"Yes, tomorrow after we close." Punk nodded.

"Where the hell is she going to take you, anyway? This place is tiny." Daryl shook his head.

"It's not tiny." Punk shook his head, "I've just not had the chance to explore much yet. I've been so occupied with this place."

"Any excuse to spend time with the pretty lady." Daryl shook his head.

"You're just jealous." Punk nodded.

"I am." Daryl assured him.

"You almost told him?" Lyla asked, sitting on her sofa in her apartment whilst AJ had been standing pacing in front of her, telling her about her day at the farm with Punk. Lyla made sure she didn't miss out a single detail, of course.

"Yeah, but Mister Eckles interrupted me." AJ said, "I can't believe I almost told him. It was… it was just about to come out. So unprovoked." AJ shook her head. Now that the moment had gone, she couldn't believe she was about to tell this man something so deeply personal to her. This man she hardly knew, yet felt so incredibly comfortable with.

"You must have felt comfortable with him." Lyla nodded.

"I did." AJ agreed, "I could have sat there for hours talking to him. The time just flew by."

"And the criminal defence lawyer thing doesn't bother you anymore?" Lyla asked.

"It bothers me. Of course it does." AJ said, "But he made a good point. He defended lots of people who were innocent. People that needed his help desperately."

"And the people that weren't innocent?" Lyla asked as AJ sighed.

"I know." She ran her hand through her hair, "I know, it's conflicting." She nodded.

"You wouldn't be perhaps…" Lyla didn't finish her sentence, giving her friend a look, which said all she was thinking.

"No. No, we're just being friendly." AJ shook her head, "I mean… he is incredibly handsome. And completely respectful whilst also being a little bit of an ass." She nodded as Lyla raised a brow, "But no… it's not like that."

"You've arranged to see him again tomorrow." Lyla pointed out.

"As a friend. He said he wants to see more of the town." AJ shrugged. Like she had told Lyla, it was all very conflicting. She hadn't felt this way in a long time. She hadn't naturally gotten close to a man like this. She'd forced herself to go out on dates to try and help her get over what she'd been through, but this felt so organic and different. She couldn't explain it. She didn't really know how she felt.

"You feel comfortable with him and you're attracted to him." Lyla said, "Would it be so bad if you developed feelings?" She asked.

All she wanted was her friend to be happy, and she hadn't saw her this upbeat in a long time. She'd had a permanent smile on her face as she told her all about their day at the farm.

"I'm not developing feelings." AJ rolled her eyes.

"I'm just saying… you're beaming right now." Lyla smiled.

"Mostly because of all the animals I got to see." AJ shook her head casually.

"Right." Lyla nodded along as AJ looked at her.

Who was she kidding? Her best friend could read her like a book.

"I don't know what I'm feeling. I went from hating his guts to now… enjoying his company. Enjoying chatting to him." AJ said, "I don't know, maybe it's because he has a shitty past like me. He came here to start over just like I did. Something in me just… feels connected to him." She shook her head.

"You haven't felt this way about a guy since… well, ever." Lyla realised, "You shouldn't shy away from your feelings."

"I don't know what I'm feeling." AJ shook her head stressfully, collapsing down on the sofa beside Lyla, "He's probably just looking for a friend, anyway."

"When I walked in on you guys during the storm, when you were at the coffee shop with him… he was looking at you like… like I've never saw a guy look at a woman before." Lyla admitted as AJ turned to her.

"I just… I still don't know if I'm ready." AJ admitted, "I still don't really know him. He could be a monster." She nodded.

"That's your trauma talking." Lyla nodded as AJ turned to her.

"He could be." AJ said, "I trusted a guy once and then he…" She shook her head, "He raped me, beat me up and put me in hospital." AJ shook her head, "So, yeah maybe that's my trauma talking but with good reason." She said.

"I know." Lyla said softly, "But instinct is a powerful thing. You've dated before, you've tried to get to know other guys and it's just never felt right. You've never felt comfortable in your own skin, and it sounds to me like you are with him." Lyla nodded.

"I'm fine just being his friend." AJ nodded to herself.

"Please don't deprive yourself of something good." Lyla sighed.

"I thought you hated him." AJ said.

"Only because I thought he was messing with you." Lyla nudged her, "How could I hate someone who seems to make my best friend so happy?" She asked. It was true. She just couldn't believe the glow around her best friend as she'd recounted her day spent with Punk at the farm.

"I think I'm just overthinking it all." AJ nodded.

"You? Overthinking? Never." Lyla shook her head sarcastically.

"Shut up." AJ shook her head.

"I'm not pushing you into asking him on a date or anything." Lyla made clear, "Just pointing out that you seem happy in his company. And I know when you say you feel safe with him… that's a big thing for you." She nodded, "I just don't want you to supress your feelings because of fear. You've spent enough time being scared."

"I know." AJ agreed, "I'm happy being his friend for the moment." She nodded to herself. She couldn't properly convey how she was feeling. It had been so long since she'd felt anything at all for another man, and now here she was with too many feelings bombarding her. It was a lot.

"Then I'm happy if you're happy." Lyla smiled, wrapping an arm around her and leaning into her.