Break My Walls

30. Reality Hits Hard

Natasha arrived at the law firm, still processing and letting herself sink whatever they just 'talked' at her house. She contemplated wheather she should be here at her work or with Steve and clear everything.

But she's realised. She's obsessed with this case. And she can't back off from it anymore, not now when she just argued with her boyfriend and potentially put a question mark about making their standings normal like before.

She went to the locker room where the case files are. But got hugely surprised when she found Joshua gathering some files in hurry. " Sir?"

He looked back and saw the confused and troubled looking Natasha. " What are you doing here at this time?"

She narrowed her eyes at him looking at the papers in his hand. " I can ask you the same. And what are these? Leave them to me, I need to look through them again. " She recognised the required files and streched her hand out to take them.

He shook his head as he pulled those papers away from her reaching hand. " No. Let's stop here, Romanoff. "

She didn't understand," What? What do you mean?"

Joshua sighed shaking his head," We were getting it all wrong. It's not even been two weeks since the fainal hearing came and we're already into it again. So it's so normal that an opposite force would appear to stop us. I should have understood it. But I made a wrong move by pushing this case for a retrial. "

Natasha's having a hard time to understand his point. " Sir, we can't let them escape. We have to do..."

" No! We won't. At least for now. " He protested firmly. " As a lawyer I can't turn a blind eye but I've a different life of my own. I can't mess that up. " She kept looking at him blankly. He sighed before starting," A biker-man is following me, in fact, he's stalking us. With a ten inched rifle. "

She looked at him in disbelief as she remembered Steve was also saying a hitman is following her with a rifle. Joshua nodded," I met him yesterday night. Death was standing right before my eyes, just a few feets away. I'm breathing, alive and talking to you right now, all thanks to your boyfriend. "

Her eye snapped at him. " Had he not reached there on time, you would have attended my funeral today. " Joshua added with a chuckle. " He said he saw that man wandering around your house then followed him and saw I was his target. "

Then he sighed," We talked, a lot actually. Talking to him I realised so many things. I had misjudged my priorities. My principles for law is right, but there are many more things to life besides work. I imagined about going home after work, making a light dinner for me and my parents, we would sit to have dinner while making some fun conversations about how we spent our days. It is my priority now. At the top. Now I value my life, not just for me, but also for my parents as their only hope. "

She looked emotional, but he didn't think it's alright to read those emotions behind her eyes. Then he cleared his throat making her look at him fully. " We...kinda talked about both of yours personal matters...a little bit. Sorry about that. And as a law experienced, I can say...he looked defeated. Like a person who's on the verge of giving up. "

Then he put those files in the locker and turned leave. But stopped on his heels," He seemed like a wonderful guy, Romanoff. " She raised her eyes to see him. " Don't miss out on him. " Then he left with a last tight smile at her way. 

Meanwhile, Steve entered into Bucky's guest house. He could hear the loud chatter from the hallway. He walked in further and saw his small but huge family has been gathered for the typical traditional dinner before the wedding of a couple.