32. Piper
32
PIPER
Ant flies me home in the morning, I’d rather stay in bed with him, but I have to feed Mercutio and get some work done even on a Sunday.
It’s so early when he places me on my steps that the sun isn’t even properly out yet. I fumble to unlock my door, still a bit dick drunk and pleasantly exhausted by the evening we shared. I pause at the threshold to watch Ant’s silhouette flit up into the sky. We’re meeting later for dinner, and more sex, if I’m lucky. Gosh, he’s amazing. Having him in my life again feels so right.
When I step into my entry Mercutio yells at me from the top of the steps.
“Hello, baby boy!” I call. He doesn’t move from his comfort crouch at the top of the steps. I start to drop my things beside the door but pause. Something is wrong. Something feels off.
There’s a noise in the kitchen. I nearly leap out of my skin. Someone is here? Who the fuck is in my house? I ball my keys in my fist so the prongs are between my fingers like Wolverine’s claws. It’s probably just my landlord. He’s supposed to notify me before he comes in though. ? ? 1 Except it’s so early that seems highly unlikely. Is something wrong with my apartment? Maybe there was a gas leak, or a plumbing emergency or a?—
Colin appears in the kitchen. Crap.
“How did you get in here?” I call down the hallway.
“I have a key.” He grins like he’s proud of himself.
“Get out of my house.”
“It’s our house, Piper.” His voice soaked with mock concern. “Don’t I have every right to be here?”
“Your name isn’t on the lease anymore. Get out.”
“Where have you been this morning?” He takes a step forward and stumbles into the kitchen door frame.
“Are you drunk?” I ask, finally noticing the mostly empty bottle of rum in his fist. He’s still on a bender from last night.
“I called your mom yesterday. She says you’re fucking the guy who bought your company.” His words wobble when his body does. Mom definitely didn’t know that for sure, but she also definitely didn’t use those exact words.
“It’s none of your business.” I realize I should not be engaging him and step out of his path to the door. “I need you to leave.”
Colin stumbles a few feet toward me, stopping to steady himself on the staircase banister. At the movement Mercutio abandons his spot at the top of the stairs to flee into my bedroom. His favorite hiding spot is under my bed.
“You are just trying to bang your way to the top.” Colin points an angry finger at me. I flinch even though he’s several feet away.
“Then I guess I’ll be getting a raise any day now.” I know I shouldn’t be taking the bait, but I can’t help myself. “Get out.”
“You were with him, weren’t you?”
“Fine, I’ll be the one who leaves.” I reach for the doorknob and pause, thinking of Mercutio. I can’t leave him here at Colin’s mercy.
I turn back around, finding Colin right in front of me. So close that I can smell the booze on his breath. I used to think he was cute. Tall, trim, sandy blond hair. It’s strange what love can do to you, because now all I see is how ugly anger has made his features.
“Just tell me where you’ve been. Admit, out loud, that you’ve been fucking someone else.” Colin repeats.
“Yes. I was fucking someone else!” I throw my hands into the air. I know it isn’t going to help.
“You’re a whore.” There’s venom in his voice.
“Yeah, but I’m not your whore.” I roll my eyes and realize it was the wrong thing to say because Colin’s face starts to turn a dark splotchy red.
Crap. I am such an idiot.
I duck around him, bounding up the stairs to my bedroom to grab Mercutio’s carrier, my laptop, and a couple changes of clothing.
“What are you doing?” Colin follows me into the bedroom. His figure fills the doorway. Crap. He is blocking the only exit.
“I’m leaving. I’m taking my cat and my work. If you want the apartment so bad, you can have it.” I bend down to check under the bed for Mercutio. He is huddled in the dark corner and makes a plaintive meow when he sees my face. Poor baby.
A shadow covers my bedroom window. I look to it and wince.
Ant is on the other side of the glass. Hovering in front of my second story window. The flap of his wings occasionally blocking out the early morning light. Watching me and Colin, together, in my bedroom.
“Open the window, Piper.” Ant’s voice hits a dangerously low octave.
Crap, crap, crap. I hurry to the window, unlatch it, and shove it open as far as it will go.
“Ant. This isn’t what it looks like,” I say hurriedly.
“You aren’t being harassed by your ex-boyfriend? A man who’s currently suing you and shouldn’t be in your house?”
“Oh!” I laugh nervously and glance behind me. Colin is staring at the window with pure ire. “I guess it’s exactly what it looks like.”
“Are you alright, my flame?” Ant doesn’t take his eyes off of Colin. “I know I shouldn’t have been, but I was watching from across the street.”
I shake my head. I couldn’t be more grateful for his voyeuristic tendencies right now. “I’m fine. I’m just packing some stuff so I can leave and come to your place. I gotta grab Mercutio,” I say tentatively, like I think he might say no.
“Yes, my love, go and pack. You will come back to our nest,” Ant says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You shouldn’t be here.” Ant glares at Colin.
“You’re the one who shouldn’t be here!” Colin is yelling now. I wince, thinking back to all the times I let him yell at me like that.Why did I put up with him? Why did I let him treat me like that? “This is him? This is the freak you are with now?”
“Leave or I will contact the authorities,” Ant threatens.
Colin laughs. It isn’t a fun sound. He storms toward me. “Do you think they’ll believe a monster over a human?”
I glance between the two men, human and Mothman, my heart racing. “You can’t talk to him like that,” I insist.
“I knew it. I always knew it. You always liked those weird cartoons and all those little fantasy movies a little too much. Beauty and the Beast , Robin Hood where he was a fox, Tim Curry in Legend . It’s all falling into place now.”
“What are you talking about?” ? ? 2 I roll my eyes.
“You’re a monster fucker.”
I start to laugh. I step past Colin, but he grabs my arm to stop me.
“Don’t touch me!” I yell, shoving his shoulder with one hand as I jerk my other arm out of his grip.
Drunk Colin stumbles two steps backward toward the open window, catching himself on the sill.
“If I am a monster. Perhaps I should start acting like one,” Ant growls.
A dark hand reaches into my bedroom, wraps around Colin’s shirt, and then he’s is gone. Jerked through the open window.
1 ? But we’ve all had a landlord break that rule, haven’t we?
2 ? I know exactly what he’s talking about, but I’m not going to admit it.