"I want to be with you," Jude said, softly, trying to make all of this make sense to her. He knew what he felt, what he wanted... He knew what she meant to him, and how much he wanted to be the person she trusted to take care of her when she was hurting. He knew every fucking thing that this was about, but he just didn't know how to put it into words in a way that made sense. It was frustrating. Jude wasn't stupid. Not at all. But there was something about his feelings for Reecy that he just couldn't seem to work out in words in a way that would make sense. At first, right after his assault, it had been true that the thought of touch had freaked him out, but he'd fought back with the help of a good counselor, and some good chats with good people. It was a work in progress, of course, because it wasn't like he could just be magically healed by the power of Reecy's pussy or something. But it was one he was dedicated to, and one he was determined to make work because he had fallen for her so hard.
She was making sense though. All he'd done so far was talk, and talk didn't mean a hell of a lot in this situation. She needed him to prove it to her, to show her that he had his shit together, and that he'd be the one to hold her when she needed to be held, comfort her when she needed to be comforted, and love her when she needed to be loved. Lewis and Renz had both told him if he was going to make this work, he was going to have to take his balls in hand and step it the fuck up. What he did next was either going to get him bitchslapped, or help to make his point, and he wasn't really sure which, but it was time for desperate times and desperate measures and all that shit. The bag that held the deli sandwiches he bought for them was dropped into the floor, totally forgotten, though the flowers he'd brought her (daisies because they were bright and happy, and she deserved some bright and happy in her life) remained grasped tightly in his hand, and without wasting another second, he stepped closer to her, one arm around her waist, and pulled her gently to him with a soft kiss to her lips. He wasn't being overly forceful here, because the last thing he wanted was for her to feel anything even close to what he felt being forced by Paul into something he didn't want. It might not have quite been rape if he'd forcefully kissed her right now, but it could well fall under sexual assault. But more than that, this wasn't about trying to get into her pants, or anything to do with sex really. It was about wanting her to know that, with the right people, he could still be comfortable with touch... with this kind of touch, that was an expression of deep care for someone.
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She was making sense though. All he'd done so far was talk, and talk didn't mean a hell of a lot in this situation. She needed him to prove it to her, to show her that he had his shit together, and that he'd be the one to hold her when she needed to be held, comfort her when she needed to be comforted, and love her when she needed to be loved. Lewis and Renz had both told him if he was going to make this work, he was going to have to take his balls in hand and step it the fuck up. What he did next was either going to get him bitchslapped, or help to make his point, and he wasn't really sure which, but it was time for desperate times and desperate measures and all that shit. The bag that held the deli sandwiches he bought for them was dropped into the floor, totally forgotten, though the flowers he'd brought her (daisies because they were bright and happy, and she deserved some bright and happy in her life) remained grasped tightly in his hand, and without wasting another second, he stepped closer to her, one arm around her waist, and pulled her gently to him with a soft kiss to her lips. He wasn't being overly forceful here, because the last thing he wanted was for her to feel anything even close to what he felt being forced by Paul into something he didn't want. It might not have quite been rape if he'd forcefully kissed her right now, but it could well fall under sexual assault. But more than that, this wasn't about trying to get into her pants, or anything to do with sex really. It was about wanting her to know that, with the right people, he could still be comfortable with touch... with this kind of touch, that was an expression of deep care for someone.