I had tried to avoid Greg while in Vegas, but that was easier said than done. We had managed to get out of there on Wednesday and, when the plane landed back in Atlanta, I could have sworn I heard angels sing, but then I heard the rumble of the devil roll in unexpectedly.
That kiss in the hotel room had caught Greg’s attention and he used it to his advantage every time he could. But it did nothing but make me blush any time I was near him. He made sure to pick the most inopportune times to test me as well. He touched my back when we got off the plane the other day, he texted me when I woke up yesterday to say he couldn’t wait to see me, and he was even waiting outside my apartment door to walk me all the way to work that same morning. Each and every time, I felt the heat rise up to my cheeks and I hated it. I hated that I didn’t know how to control it, that I thought there was a part of me that didn’t want to control it.
I looked at Greg, while sitting in the courthouse, waiting for the judge. I had made sure to avoid him like the plague at work until we got here today, even so much as leaving before him to get to the courthouse first. I had made sure to set up an appointment to have a judge grant our divorce. It wasn’t typically how it was done, but it was the fastest way to do it.
We sat on opposite sides of the bench and, when my phone buzzed in my pocket, I felt relieved that I could finally start my weekend after this. I needed a drink and I needed it bad. I still hadn’t told Alexa or Erica about what had happened.
I leaned my head back to where it hit the wall behind me. I took a deep breath, praying I wouldn’t have to continue this dance at work. It wasn’t just that Greg was my boss, but we were friends with almost everyone there, including my other best friends. I had known Alexa since we were kids and I loved that she had moved back to Atlanta, and I had met Erica when I started my job at The Ink Well. I began in entry-level finance, and moved my way up to executive assistant for Greg. I loved seeing the final steps in the publishing process and, if I knew one thing for sure today, I wasn’t going to let this marriage ruin my favorite job.
I snuck a peek over to Greg and caught his eyes rolling over me, taking in the skintight sundress I had changed into before catching a cab here. It was one of the rare times that I wore a dress, or even showed off my tattoos. I typically tried to hide them while out or at work by wearing long sleeves or cover-ups, not because I didn’t love them, but because I didn’t always feel the need to show them off. I had only six, but they all meant the world to me, from words to images, black and color, I had a little bit of everything, but my favorite was the hot-air balloon on my arm. It reminded me that I was always free to be me, no matter what I did in life.
“What?” I barked out to him. “Stop staring.”
“No way in hell, doll.” I cringed at his choice of words, not because I was offended, but because the spasm that I felt in my heart was a little too hopeful. I looked away from his inviting grin.
“Mr. and Mrs. Moran?” A petite woman stepped out from a room down the hall, calling us to our fate. Greg stood first and held his hand out to me. I looked at it with distrust. I had no idea what was going to happen behind those closed doors, and even though I knew Greg, I didn’t know this side of him. The physical side. It was never something that we had ever done, no hugs, hand shakes, but now it was like he couldn’t keep his hands away from me for too long without reaching for me again.
“It’s Mr. Moran and Ms. Alexander.” I huffed out my response to the woman, shot up out of my seat, and led the way. Greg wasn’t far behind, but every time he got close, I made sure to step aside.
“Judge Baker will be in shortly.” The woman pointed towards a room where two seats awaited us in front of a large wooden desk. I felt like I was in the principal’s office in high school, waiting to be reprimanded for my poor decisions.
“Thank you.” Greg’s voice filled the room, and it wasn’t the typical boom I expected from him. It was soft, and caring, like he also didn’t know what was going to happen.
I took a seat and Greg soon occupied the chair next to me. It had been like pulling teeth to get him here, but this needed to end. He refused to acknowledge my text about our appointment today, so I sent him emails and saw when he got them, but he never responded, so today I made sure that I sent one last clear message to him. I bought a large pizza and hand delivered it to his office and told him we were going to the courthouse today.
A woman walked into the room, through a door off to our right. She stood taller than Greg’s five-foot-ten stature and looked just as serious as Greg did when he was with a client. She didn’t say anything as she took her seat, tossing her file onto the table. The sound reverberated throughout the room and I for sure thought I was going to get detention.
“What brings you two in today?” The way the judge looked from Greg to me, I could tell she already knew what had happened.
“She would like a divorce.” Greg hooked his thumb over to me, and I sat there dumbfounded. He made it sound like it was my fault, tattling on me.
“Do you want a divorce?” Her attention turned completely to him.
“No, ma’am.” He moved in his chair so that he was turned directly towards me. “I don’t.”
My hands gripped the chair as I tried to steady myself even though I was sitting. I would have craved to hear these words at any other time, just not today, not when I was trying to stop this from turning into something more. Something that should never have started the first place.
“And you?” The judge’s tone turned to distaste when she spoke to me. I knew what I needed to say, and I knew once I said it, I would be the most hated person in this room.
“We need a divorce.” I leaned in, closer to the desk. “We can sign today.”
The judge leaned back in her chair, with a smile on her face. I didn’t like the feeling I was getting. The pit of my stomach dropped and my ass started to tingle. This wasn’t going to be good.
“No.” The judge’s harsh single word rang again and again in my ears.
“Ha.” Greg snapped his fingers, the laughter had come straight from his core. I was so lost in what was happening that I almost didn’t see the serious look return to the judge’s face.
“Wait.” She held a finger up to Greg, stilling his excitement. An excitement that I was still learning he had inside of him. “You will not be signing today.”
I looked over to Greg, who still had a smile on his face.
“I’ll give you till the end of the month.”
“What?” Greg shot his question towards the judge, and I wanted to know the same thing. What the hell was she talking about?
“If at the end of the month, at least one of you still wants this marriage to end in divorce, then it shall.” She laid her hands across her stomach. The smile on her face showed how proud she was about the decision she had made.
“How are we supposed to just figure this out?” I had no intention of trying to make this work, but by the actions I saw from Greg today, I knew I had to take action when it came to him, or else I would have a ring on my finger.
“Simple.” The judge’s answer confused me more. I knitted my eyebrows together, not gathering how this was going to be simple. “Couples counseling.”
It felt like the floor was dropping out from underneath me, and by the ghostly look on Greg’s face, I knew he felt the same way.
This was going to be a long month.