Point Of View 2 [*Do not read until you've read the same chapter of ATW]

Chapter 4 Slow It Down

I put her through a lot after that car accident. All from being overly tired. Working too hard trying to make ends meet to pay the bills for my family. Five seconds. One red light. I not only fucked up my brain but broke Julia's leg, gave Trisha a concussion and a fear of driving she has yet to overcome, and Nate friggen broken ribs.

"C'mon. Let's go take a shower. I need one too." 

Julia takes my hand and brings me into Nate's bedroom. She then begins to undress herself. This is Julia. The many moods of Julia. She has been steering clear of me for so long, and now she's about to take a shower with me?

"No funny business, though. I mean. It. I need a shower too, and I'm gonna get wet anyway."

"Babe..." I raise an eyebrow at the way she phrased her sentence and smirk. I mean, come on. She made that one too easy. She rolls her eyes and begins to help me undress too.

I behave. Even with a hard dick. Again, c'mon. You can't expect me not to be turned on or my body not to react to the woman I'm in love with taking a shower with me right now.  Even still, I behave. Julia helps me shower and washes herself up as well.

"Thanks," I say as I close my eyes and take in the warmth of the hot water.

"You know you don't have to say thank you all the time, James."

I shrug. 

"Not many people would volunteer to take care of someone the way you take care of me, Julia."

"Not many people are me." She responds. I study her face for a moment. Her eyes are closed as she rinses her hair. I am still so in love with her. Everything about her. So, of course, I don't hold back.

"Julia..."

"James." Julia opens her eyes and stares up at me.

"I still love you."

I don't know why I said that. I probably shouldn't have. I always make things so damn awkward. But not with Julia. Instead, she smiles up a me and nods back.

"I love you too." She wraps her arms around me. "Believe me, you know if -"

"I know... If you never met Nate or if you met me first, you'd marry me." I feel Julia nod against my chest. I've always been the runner-up. God, for once, I'd love to be the winner.

*****

*Trisha*

"You should sleep a little while he does." The bodyguard looks over at me, but I shake my head.

"I can't turn my brain off," I admit.

I know we're not together, me and Paul. We tried that, and sure, we have casual sex once in a while, but we're not together. Paul shouldn't feel like he still has to take care of me. Yet he does. He did even before we tried to be a thing. So when I see him frown and give me a hug, I melt into his arms, not caring Nate could wake up any second.  He won't. He's too doped up from all the meds he's on. But he could.

"Why do you still care for me, Paulie?" I ask into his chest. I feel Paul take a deep breath in and exhale sharply. Was he just going with the flow when I said we weren't compatible? Now he's making me wonder.  I also wonder why I feel so good wrapped in his arms right now?