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“So you’re saying to fight for what I want?”
Luke smiled at him. “Yes. Even if it means fighting yourself sometimes.”
Luke was the last person Wren expected to support him so unconditionally when it came to catching feelings for a hearing man, and it was the first time in a long while he felt like maybe he and Percy had a chance.
Wren made the snap decision to surprise Percy at his work just after lunch the next day. They hadn’t talked much, but Percy had periodically sent him little emojis complaining about his day. The last one had been a quick I forgot my lunch, followed by a long string of cry faces, and Wren was nothing if not a problem solver. He could definitely handle a food crisis.
It was a perk of being the mostly silent partner of the café, and he felt really good about himself as a pseudo-caretaker as he threw together a sandwich, a mille-feuille packed full of fresh fruit, and a hot tea just the way Percy liked it. He wrapped the food gently in a tote, then shot a quick goodbye at Luke before hopping in his car and making his way down the street to Percy’s building.
Wren knew where he worked, but he’d just never been there before, and he had a sudden rush of doubt as he pulled into the parking lot. It was pretty full, but there were also several medical offices in Percy’s building, so there was a good chance his lover wasn’t completely swamped with the presence of strangers.
Leaning against the car, he hung the tote from his wrist and stared at the mirrored windows. His gaze moved over the sign, and they stopped on one name in particular. Derek Smith DDS. He swallowed heavily. The dentist who had become Percy’s new bestie.
The man responsible for putting Percy in the bar situation with the dick-weasel who hadn’t wanted to take no for an answer.
Wren wasn’t sure he’d ever been jealous with a lover before. Usually, when someone he was sleeping with started showing interest in someone else or started getting hit on, it was a relief. It took a weight off Wren’s shoulders he hadn’t even realized was there. It meant he could walk away knowing his ex wouldn’t be alone.
But the thought of anyone trying to take Percy from him now filled him with a sense of rage he almost couldn’t control. It was like being back to when he was young and angry and lost—solving problems with his fists instead of trying to use logic and reasoning.
He took a breath and told himself that he was not going to self-sabotage before he even understood what all of this meant.
Squaring his shoulders, he headed across the parking lot and stopped in the lobby, where there was a massive sign. He started reading the board, looking for Percy’s name, when he felt a presence beside him. Wren turned his head and saw a security guard at least four inches taller than him and probably a solid fifty pounds of muscle heavier.
The guy’s face was pale, his cheeks a little flushed, and his mouth was moving far too fast for Wren to follow. He patted his pockets for his CI box, but his stomach sank a second later when he realized he’d left it in his office.
Wren lifted his hand and quickly signed, “Deaf.”
The man stopped talking, but his brows furrowed in confusion, and his mouth twisted into a frustrated sneer. Wren had seen that look before. The sign for Deaf wasn’t universal, and while it should have been fairly intuitive, it confused more hearing people than enlightened them.
And it usually led to bad things happening.
“I’m Deaf,” he voiced.
The next words he recognized on the guy’s lips because he saw it so goddamn often it made him want to punch a wall. “If you’re Deaf, how are you talking?”
Wren rubbed his fingers over his mouth as he tried to form words that wouldn’t get him thrown out. “Speech therapy. I read lips a little bit, but I’m not good at it, so if you have something to write with, that would really help me out.”
“I…the…afternoon. You…check…” And then Wren was completely lost. The man also spit when he talked, which made his stomach twist, sour with nausea.
He swallowed heavily and attempted to take a step back, but the guard followed him. “Like I said, I’m Deaf, and I can’t understand you when you’re speaking.”
The man’s hand was on him suddenly, and Wren panicked, giving him a shove. He saw rage come over his face for a second, and Wren braced himself to be thrown to the ground when suddenly the guard froze.
Wren’s heart was beating so hard he could feel it against the inside of his skull, and his gaze darted around until he found a familiar figure standing in the entryway.
Percy’s eyes were wide, and his fists were clenched. Was he mad at Wren?
“I know him,” Percy signed in English while speaking aloud. “He’s with me.”
The guard said something Wren didn’t even try to follow, and then Percy said something back, which Wren also missed. His anger was starting to get the better of him, but he forced himself to take a breath.
“I brought lunch,” he signed to Percy.
Percy’s eyes widened, and his cheeks went a little pink. His hand fluttered for a second before his fingers touched his chin to sign, “Thank you. Come with me.”
Wren wanted to say no. But he also wanted to say yes. He was still shaking from the guy grabbing him, and he wanted to do something about it. He turned and saw the guy walking off, so he cleared his throat, hoping it was loud enough with the way it rippled against the back of his throat.
The guard’s steps stuttered.
