The Hidden Life of AJ Lee

Chapter 16- Coffee

AJ Lee's POV

The Next Morning

I awoke the next morning after a dreamless sleep, snuggling into the mattress, buried under blankets. A small bit of light shone through the window, but that hadn't been was caused my awakening. What sparked my eyes to open was the fact that I felt alone. I turned over on my side to see I was not mistaken. The man who held me close the night before was not next to me.

With me just being myself, the first thing to assume was that he'd left me in the dust again. I soon realized that those were unlikely assumptions for, one, this was his house, and two, I could hear noise coming from down the hallway.

Taking the covers off my body and sitting up, I ran my finger through my hair in attempt to comb through the tangled mess that it was. I set my feet on the floor, already missing the warmth of the bed as the air hit my skin. I made my way to the door and walked down the hall towards where I knew the living room was.

Punk was sat on the couch, his feet resting on the coffee table, watching some hockey game on the TV. He looked the same from last night except his hair stood out at odd angles and he wore a hoodie over his body. I walked towards him and sat down on the other side of the sofa. He acknowledged me quickly.

"Morning," he said. I looked over at him and saw his lips formed in a smile.

"Good morning," I replied. Feeling awkward in the current situation, I looked down at my hands. I noticed my black nail polish was slowly chipping away.

Movement brought my eyes back to the Chicago native, who now was standing. "You want any coffee?"

"Uh... sure."

"How do you like it?"

"Doesn't matter."

He nodded and walked towards the kitchen. I sat in silence and waited for him to return. When he did, Punk sat right next to me on the couch and placed the coffee cup in my grasp, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"Thanks," I said, drawing my gaze to meet his. God, his eyes were beautiful.

"No problem," he said. "Oh! Also, I'll be right back." Punk rose to his feet again and went out of sight. My lips went to my coffee cup and I quietly drank up. It felt good to have the warm liquid in my stomach.

Something plopped on my lap and Punk was now sitting beside me again. I looked down to see it was my handbag that I'd left on the roof last night.

"When did you get this?" I asked, opening the bag to make sure everything was still in order.

"I grabbed it last night," he said. I smiled at him, my eyes thanking him for retrieving it. Looking back to the contents of my bag, I saw that my phone was still there along with my wallet. Thank god.

"And don't worry, I'll be out of your hair and back in Florida-"

"Not this time," Punk said. I looked at him confused. "You always go back and we always end up with you almost getting hurt." His hands went to rest behind his head. "I don't know about you, but I'd like to end that cycle."

I took another sip of my coffee. "What are you saying?"

A sigh escaped his lips as he put his hands on his knees. "I'm saying the exact same thing I told you last night. I'm not loosing you again."

I set the mug on the coffee table and pulled my knees to my chest. "Are you implying-"

"I'm saying stay with me!" Punk's words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. He quickly regained control of his conscience. "Ask for some time off. Most likely, they'll let you cause you don't have the title anymore. Then, just stay here in Chicago for a little while."

My lips parted to speak, but my thoughts caught in my throat. All the pros and cons of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks. Finally, the right letters appeared in my head.

"I just have to know one thing first."

"Ok..."

I sighed and wrapped my arms around my knees, curling myself into a ball. "What are we?"

"...uh... come again?" he asked, clearly not understanding what I'd said. I closed my eyes, wanting to ignore what his gaze would say once I brought things into the light.

"P-Punk, last night, you... you kissed me. And I kissed you back. But, we're not... together, you and I. So what... what are we?" I asked.

For a while, there was no reply. Until I heard him let out a deep breathe he'd been holding in. "Honestly, I don't know. Because I love you-"

My eyes shot wide open and I looked over at him immediately. His orbs were equally as shocked as mine. "B-But not like that. Or maybe like that. I don't know, AJ. I love you, but I'm just not sure how I love you."

I could feel my heart cracking with every word he spoke. I couldn't help it. I mean, I hadn't expected him to love me, but the hope that he would still existed.

It always existed.

Not wanting my true emotions to shine through, though, I nodded my head in understanding. "I get it." Something in my face gave away my feelings, causing Punk to gently place his hand on mine.

"So... you still up for my offer?" He asked. "I promise you'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you."

I smiled at his promises and leaned my head on his shoulder. "I accept."

A/N: What a creative chapter title, huh?

Anyway, sorry for the wait. I've been really busy. Also, the next chapter will be a little better and hopefully a little longer.

And, exciting news, I had this giant creative explosion dawn on me! I have so many ideas for new stories, including a Shield short story. I'm just wondering if anyone would read it or not. :)

So, um, vote and comment, it really helps keep the story alive. Thanks!

- El ♥