Justice in Love

Ch. 43 Sex

***As if the chapter's title wasn't enough of an indication, this is a warning: This chapter is smutty...***

A couple weeks passed since my break down.

Reed and I worked a lot. We didn't see much of each other. We just worked and worked. We saw one another at night, but sometimes he worked well into the night.

We tried to get back to us, but we couldn't. We were too broken.

Reed had gone to a few therapy sessions. He was working on his anger, which was a good thing. He was much calmer at home, when I saw him.

We didn't have sex for those two and a half weeks. Hell, we could barely look at each other. We just kept our heads low and tried to fix us before we got back in bed together. . . literally. Reed stayed in the guestroom, keeping his distance from me, as his therapist recommended he do for a bit.

All of it was dreadfully painful.

I missed him. I missed us. I missed being in his arms, feeling his kisses. I missed his warm hugs and his gentle smiles. God, I missed him. I missed the way he laughed when I said something funny and the banter we shared. I missed him kissing me goodnight and good morning. I missed walking to work. I missed Reed.

We were together, but we'd never been more separated. I'd never felt more alone. I'd never felt so isolated. Even when I was alone before Reed, I'd never been so alone. I never felt so upset, so depressed.

I'd go to work and come home. We'd have dinner and separate. There wasn't much interaction we shared anymore. There wasn't much to talk about, but I wanted to talk. But we never did. We were two people who lived together without living together. We had no company come visit. We had no work intertwine except for rare court cases. It was weird, painfully so.

Late one afternoon, I was in court.

Reed was the defense lawyer on the case.

I had sat quietly through most of the case.

He'd fought well for his client. God, was he good in court. He'd move gracefully, yet have the defense of the devil within him. The light with an even brighter flame within him. He was captivating. He was enthralling. God, I missed him.

"Your Honor, speculation!" the prosecution called.

Reed looked at me. "My client already testified that he didn't know what was going on, that he didn't know what he was doing. I don't see how that's speculation."

"Over ruled," I managed to speak.

Reed continued on with his closing. "My client just got lost in the moment. He was oblivious to what was happening, almost as if he were in a daze. You ever say something you don't mean? You ever do something you wish you could take back? That's what my client felt. He-He knew it was wrong, but he wasn't in his right mind, Your Honor." He looked a bit thrown off by his own words. He looked up at me.

I took a shaking breath, trying to fight back tears.

"If he could go back and not done it, he would. He testified to that. He just wants his life back. He's spent weeks in isolation. Doesn't that mean something? He was trying to do better, Your Honor, and he messed up. He messed up one time." Reed shrugged, almost apologetically. "He didn't mean to cause any harm."

"It's a second offense!" the prosecution added.

"You've never made the same mistake twice? You've never seen someone screw up twice? Your Honor, my client is just asking for another chance. One more chance to prove that he can move past this. He wants forgiveness."