Closing Arguments

The Daily Grind was a chaotic, mismatched coffee shop that smelled of roasted beans and rain.

Chloe sat in the back corner, wearing her yellow raincoat. She was staring at a textbook, but she hadn't turned the page in twenty minutes.

"Excuse me. Is this seat taken?"

Chloe looked up.

Julian stood there. He was wearing his suit, but his tie was crooked. His hair was windblown. He was out of breath.

"Go away, Julian," Chloe said, looking back at her book. "I'm busy being a mistake."

"I have a filing," Julian said. He placed a thick document on the table over her book.

It wasn't a court document. It was typed on Sterling & Moss letterhead, but the title read: **MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION.**

Chloe frowned. She opened it.

*Plaintiff: Julian Thorne.*

*Defendant: Chloe Miller.*

*Argument I: The Plaintiff is an idiot who acted under duress caused by extreme fear of losing his best friend and the love of his life simultaneously.*

*Argument II: The Penthouse is structurally unsound without the presence of the Defendant. The plants are dying. The silence is unbearable.*

*Argument III: Irreconcilable Happiness. The Plaintiff cannot function without the Defendant’s cookies, singing, and yellow raincoat.*

*Proposed Settlement: Forever.*

Chloe read the last line. Her vision blurred.

She looked up. Julian was on one knee. In the middle of the coffee shop. The man who cared more about dignity than anything else was kneeling on sticky linoleum.

"I don't want to protect you," Julian said, his voice rough and earnest. "I want to be with you. I want to argue about property law. I want to eat your cookies. I love you, Chloe. Please don't go to Portland."

"Ben?" Chloe asked, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Ben called me a coward and told me to fix it."

"He's right," Chloe said.

"I know. I'm ready to plead guilty on all charges."

Chloe laughed. It was the sound Julian had missed more than oxygen.

"Motion granted," she whispered.

Julian stood up and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her, right there in front of the baristas and the law students. It wasn't a desperate kiss like the balcony. It was a promise.

"You're still moving back in," Julian murmured against her lips.

"Obviously," Chloe smiled, grabbing his lapels. "Someone has to water the plants."

Julian smiled back, finally dropping the armor. "Let's go home."