I turn my head enough to glimpse the door, my heart pounding as another round of knocks echoes through the apartment.
The doorknob turns.
Ted had kicked the door closed earlier,but hadn't locked it.
The door swings open, and there stands Gary, his head poking into the apartment.
"Uh... Hun? Andrew?"
Two cardboard cups wobble in a tray balanced against Gary's palm. His expression shifts from casual curiosity to stark disbelief, then to raw horror as his eyes sweep across the wreckage of my living room—scattered mail, overturned furniture, and me, pinned beneath Ted on the floor.
A flicker of recognition hits me: that faded gray workout shirt, the one he always pairs with those too-short shorts. His only workout outfit. Two coffees. Right when I'd told him I'd start packing for Vince's.
He came to help, to surprise me with caffeine and muscle I desperately needed.
I have never been so grateful to see Gary's beautiful, scruffy, confused face in my entire life.
Without hesitation, Gary drops the coffees to the ground, the cups splattering their contents across the floor. He crosses the room in seconds, grabbing Ted and yanking him off me with surprising force.
"Get off him!" Gary bellows, pinning Tedintothe couch.
Ted thrashes and struggles, but Gary, despite his constant complaints about needing to hit the gym, has the weight advantage and isn't budging.
"Fuck you!" Ted spits, twisting and turning.
Gary's expression darkens, his voice sharp. "You betterexplain who the hell you are,before I make you regret every second you've ever existed."
Before Ted can retort, he twists his neck and bites down on Gary's arm. Gary howls, releasing him just enough for Ted to scramble toward the door.
Ted's escape is short-lived.
“Wayne!” Gary yells, pointing erratically, “don’t let him leave!”
Wayne appears in the doorway like an immovable wall. His towering frame and sharp glare make Ted's attempts to shove past him laughable. In seconds, Wayne has Ted in a chokehold, dragging him back into the living room.
"What’sgoing on?" Wayne barks, glancing between me and Gary. "And why am I restraining this guy?"
"He’s the one whobroke in.He’sbeen breaking in for months!" I manage to gasp, still on the floor, adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Gary crouches beside me, his hands on my shoulders. "Are you okay? Did he hit you? Who the fuck is this?"
"That's Ted, my ex," I snap, glaring at Ted. "You need help."
"Let me go," Ted grunts, still squirming in Wayne's iron grip.
Recognition dawns on Gary's face. "Really?This is Ted?" He turns to me, jaw slack. "What happened to his face—"
"Me," I pant, the words ripped from my throat. "He had it coming." Anger surges again as I speak. "He's been breaking in. Following me. God knows for how long.He attacked me, wouldn’t let me leave." My voice falters, my gaze dropping to Ted.
Gary's fury ignites. He surges forward, his fist connecting with Ted's stomach, doubling him over as Wayne shouts for him to stop.
Before the violence can escalate, Aubrey strolls in, his expression a canvas of confusion.
"Oh.Are we not moving Andrew's stuff today? Because this doesn't look like packing."
His eyes land on Ted, his brow furrowing. "Wow. Who rearranged this guy's face?"
Wayne grins. "The yoga instructor."
