Seth was nervous moving into next week's RAW. He was ready to go back out there and show everyone he hadn't missed a beat. Roman was the perfect opponent for a first match back. He could always count on his friend to keep him safe inside the ring.

He had texted back and forward with Juliette all week. She kept him at an arm's length, but at least she answered. He kept on being himself, hoping at some point she would let him in completely again. He had even called her Sunday evening because he was nervous about his upcoming match. He hadn't thought she'd actually answer but she had. She had calmed him down and shown him support like she used to do back in the days. It only made him feel worse about how he had treated her.

"Are you ready, little brother?" Roman asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Seth answered.
"Good," Roman smiled. "See you out there."

Seth's music started and he walked down the ramp to a massive pop. The fans had always reacted to him no matter what. He stood up on the middle rope, spread his arms and soaked it all in. Seth Rollins was back, and everyone loved it.

He and Roman tore the house down. It would be hard following in their footsteps after the match they put on. Any nervousness Seth had left inside him completely vanished the second he locked up with Roman. The match ended with Seth stomping Roman down in the mat and pinning him for the three count. Seth Rollins was truly back.

"Good match," Juliette stood ready in gorilla.

He allowed himself to pretend for a second that she stood there waiting for him even though he knew she had a match next.

"Thanks," he said. "Good luck with yours. I'll be watching."

Her music started, her face dropped to a non-caring one, and she walked out on the ramp. She was a heel, and she couldn't be smiling. She was set to face Bayley that night.

"Take care of her, Bayley," Seth said.
"I always do," Bayley said. "She misses you too, you know."
"She told you?" He asked.

She smiled at him as her music started at the same time. She didn't answer his question, but he didn't need an answer. He knew she still had feelings for him. He could feel it. He just wasn't sure if she would ever be able to get over what he had done to her. He didn't deserve her forgiveness, but he would do whatever he could to get it.

"Party at my house tomorrow!" Roman yelled after RAW.
"Again?" Juliette asked.
"Yes," he put his arm around her shoulders. "You're coming. Everyone's coming. We gotta celebrate Seth's first match."
"Didn't we celebrate him last week?" She asked.
"We celebrated him being back. Now we're celebrating his first match," he chuckled.
"Excuses, excuses," she said.
"Come on, Juliette," he begged. "Please."
"Why do you always get what you want?" She rolled her eyes.
"Because I'm so charming," he laughed.

She walked into Roman's house next evening wearing a pair of black denim jeans and a syrup brown top with thick straps. She was dressed down again, but she was still the most beautiful woman in the room in Seth's eyes. This time she actually walked over to him.

"Hi," she sat down. "Still not drinking?"
"You know that's not me," he said.
"I know," she sighed. "So how are you feeling today after your match last night?"
"Sore as fuck but I wouldn't have it any other way," he said.

This time she didn't bail after a short time. She sat and talked with him for a couple of hours. As time went by, they seemed to fall back to their old roles. It became easy to talk again. She even allowed him to touch her. He wasn't sure she even noticed him touching her hand or thigh from time to time. There was a time this was perfectly normal for them, so maybe she didn't think twice about it.

"How are things over here?" Drew sat down.
"It's good," Seth said.
"Great match last night, Seth. You haven't missed a beat," Drew said.

They talked for a couple of minutes about the match. Seth failed to see Juliette get up from her seat and walk away. It wasn't until he reached blindly for her, and he grabbed nothing but air, that he turned his head to see she was gone.

"I think she went to the bathroom," Drew said.
"Thanks," Seth said.

He got up from his seat and walked out of the living room. The bathroom was empty, so she wasn't there. Her shoes and jacket were still in the hall, so she had to be around somewhere. He walked to Roman's bedroom, opened the door and found her sitting on the bed. He walked inside, closed the door and walked over to sit next to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I don't know," she answered.
"Talk to me," he said.
"It's easy to fall back into our old roles, isn't it?" She asked.
"Is that a bad thing?" He asked.

He took her hand between both of his and stroked it with his thumbs.

"I've changed. I'm back," he said.
"I know," she said. "But that doesn't make the past go away."
"I'm trying here, but I need you to work with me. Give me a chance," he said.

He leaned forward to kiss her, but she stopped him.

"No, Seth. It doesn't work that way," she said.
"Please!" He begged.
"Why did I leave you?" She asked.
"Don't make me say it," he pleaded.
"Why did I leave you?" She asked again.
"Because I hurt you," he closed his eyes.
"It wasn't the beatings. I stayed for all of those," she said. "What did you do that night, Seth? Why did I leave you?"
"Because I raped you!" He said it loud and clear.

He buried his face in his hands and started sobbing. He had tried so hard to push that memory out of his head, but it had never left. He knew this was what she wanted to hear, him admitting to the monster inside him stepping over that line, but it had been so hard. If beating her hadn't been bad enough, he had taken it to that limit. Only that once because she left him that same night. That had been the final straw. He had been haunted by her cries from that night ever since.

He expected her to get up and leave him to sob on his own. He was a monster, and he didn't deserve her in his life. To his surprise, he felt her wrap her arms around him and pull him close. He wrapped his arms around her too, crying down on her shoulder.

"I don't deserve you," he mumbled.

He started kissing up her neck, slowly moving up towards her mouth.

"Seth," she whispered.
"I don't deserve you," he repeated.

He should stop, but instead he pulled her up on his lap.

"I don't deserve you," he said a third time.

He kissed her deeply, and she didn't push him away. Despite him admitting to the worst thing he had ever done, she didn't stop him. He leaned backwards and pulled her with him down on the bed. He tried to roll them around, but she stopped him.

"No," she said. "I don't wanna be under you."
"Okay," he whispered.

It made sense, that she wanted to control whatever happened after their last time together. He gently placed his hands on her hips, waiting for her to do or say something. She reached forward to hit the light switch on the wall. The room was left in darkness, which was strange to him. She never had a problem with seeing him during sex before.

"Sweetheart?" He asked.
"I don't want you to look at me," she said.
"But you're beautiful," he said.
"Ssh," she shushed him.

She leaned forward and kissed him. His hands slid up her body, slowly moving her top up and over her head. He placed his hands on her breasts, and it was like a devil took over her. She pushed his hands away, slid down his legs and opened his jeans. She yanked his jeans and briefs down his thighs and got out of bed. He heard her get out of her own jeans and underwear, before she joined him on the bed again.

"Let me..." He started.
"Shut up!" She hissed.

She grabbed his dick with one hand and slid down on him with ease. He hissed out loudly and placed his hands on her hips again. He hadn't been expecting that. It wasn't like her to be this way. He would usually warm her up first, either with his fingers or tongue, but she wasn't allowing it.

"Fuck!" He panted. "Juliette!"

She didn't say anything, but started rolling her hips. She found a quick pace, forcing him towards the end way too soon. He gritted his teeth and held on long enough for her to cum too. She started shaking and moaning. He squeezed her hips and released himself inside her, as she collapsed down on his chest.

"I love you," he said.

Her moaning had stopped, but she was still shaking a bit, and his shirt on his chest got wet. That's when he realized, why she had turned off the light in the first place, and hadn't wanted him to look at her. She was crying.

"Sweetheart," he reached for her face. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said.

She moved out of bed fast and started putting her clothes back on. He sat up and fumbled in the darkness for the light switch. The room was illuminated again, just as she pulled her jeans back up. She grabbed her top and put it on too.

"Hey," he said softly.

He grabbed her hand and spun her around. Tears were streaming down her face, and she couldn't stop them.

"Come here," he said.

He tried pulling her in, but she yanked her hand free and stepped away from him.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Let's just talk about it," he said.
"There's nothing to talk about," she said. "Thank you though. For owning up to what you did. I needed to hear you say it."

She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Roman came out of the bathroom at the same time. It wasn't hard for him to put two and two together.

"Wait," he gently grabbed her arm. "Will you be alright on your own? Do you want me to call a cab?"
"I'll be fine," she assured him. "I'll see you around."

She walked away, and he walked to his bedroom. Seth had closed his jeans before Roman entered. For a few seconds they stared at each other in silence. Seth was the first one to react. He ran a hand through his hair, sat down on the bed and started crying again. Roman sat down next to him and squeezed his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I did it," Seth cried. "I told her what she needed to hear. What I did that last night."
"It makes sense, why you're both crying then," Roman said. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
"I raped her, Roman," Seth cried.