Cup of Joe | A Joe Jonas Fanfiction

c h a p t e r f i f t e e n .

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

The ticking of the clock was the only sound other than the faint clacking of keys on a keyboard as Joe and Winter sat in a lawyer's office that Monday morning. Both of them had opted to pursue pressing charges against Nolan and needed the guidance and advice of an attorney. They had an air-proof case it seemed, but there was a mound of paperwork in regards to the process. Winter, in particular, was having a difficult time paying attention - it was the day before Christmas Eve and she had finally regained access to her bank account. Her thoughts were teeming with ideas of shopping and wrapping and the general hustle and bustle of the holiday season, not legal jargon that she struggled to comprehend. Beside her, Joe had taken the lead in the conversation. She made sure to jump in every now and then so it appeared as though she was more involved than she felt. There was no doubt that Winter wanted Nolan to be punished for his actions - it was the overall bland atmosphere of the outdated, wood paneled law office that had her bored out of her mind. They listed off charges including breaking and entering, assault on a female, and communicating threats amongst a few others.

James Harland, their lawyer, was ancient. If Winter had to guess, she would assume he was in his late 70s or early 80s. Wrinkles paraded down his forehead and sat in a crooked fashion on his brow bone which gave his eyes a sunken in appearance. The skin on his cheeks was loose and heavy, similar to the dangling jowls of a bulldog. Thin wire framed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose - he had adjusted the placement of his glasses more times that Winter could count during their brief meeting. James had a head full of white hair with no signs of balding and it was styled to perfection, coiffed to the side and stiffened with some sort of pomade. Despite his outward decrepit features, his mind was still sharp and full of well-earned wisdom. The designer suit and gold Rolex watch on his wrist expressed his years of success as a prestigious lawyer that culminated into wealth and power. Joe had expressed that Mr. Harland had been his family's lawyer of choice for as long as he could remember, so Winter trusted his choice.

"I presume you're both aware that Nolan was bailed out two nights ago." James spoke without looking up from the paper he was reading over. Joe and Winter exchanged a look and, in unison, shook their heads. He raised his eyes so that they could be seen just above the rim of his glasses, laying down the paper he had been holding and folding his hands on the desk. "This comes as no surprise, I'm sure. The family name is riddled with corruption and greed so a bailout was expected."

"I didn't expect it would happen so soon." Winter admitted while biting at the nail on her pointer finger. She despised this habit, but all of the recent stress had made it some sort of self-soothing tactic. "Should I be concerned that he will come after me again?"

"That's always as possibility, but I think Nolan was sufficiently scared by the arrest. Maybe even the slightest bit ashamed. He flew back to North Carolina with his father after having his bail posted. At least that's what his lawyers are saying." James leveled with her.

"Is there anything I should do to protect myself? Like get a restraining order or something?"

James leaned back in his chair. He removed his glasses and began to twirl them around by one of the temples. "Sure, you could, if that would give you peace of mind. In my professional opinion, I would wait until you were back home with your local court system. I wouldn't bother with it while you're in New York, especially not this time of year. And you're only here for five more days, right?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Joe glance her direction and then hastily run his hand through his hair. Neither of them had brought up how soon her departure was - maybe they had both wanted to forget that in just a few short days, things would change again. Winter pushed the thought out of her mind and nodded. "Yeah, I leave on the 28th."