Chapter 37 #2
Ted takes advantage of my distraction, regaining the upper hand. His nose and lip are bloodied, his eyes burning with an anger that chills me. He reaches up, grabbing my hair, and yanks me down beside him.
I barely have time to process what's happening before he crawls on top of me, shoving my face into the rug.
It's then I realize I'm not unscathed... I glance at my right hand and see my knuckles are torn and raw. I must have been hitting him harder and longer than I realized.
I claw at his arm, trying to loosen his grip, but he doesn't let up.
Just as the tension in my chest is about to explode, there's a knock at the door. It's loud, insistent, cutting through the chaos like a divine intervention.
Ted freezes, his grip loosening slightly.
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 Ted into the 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 better explain 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’s going on?" Wayne barks, glancing between me and Gary. "And why am I restraining this guy?"
"He’s the one who broke in. He’s been 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."
"Namaste, Andrew," Aubrey chuckles. "Note to self: never piss you off."
Ted's struggles cease abruptly, his body going limp in Wayne's arms.
"Oh fuck!" Wayne panics, loosening his grip. "Did I just... No! Did I just choke him to death?"
Gary rolls his eyes, crouching to check Ted's vitals. "He's fine. He passed out. Probably from hyperventilating... or a concussion."
"Can I kick him?" Aubrey asks, barely concealing a grin.
Gary shoots him a warning look.
Wayne bursts out laughing. "I mean... He's already out cold..."
"No," I interrupt, my voice shaky. "I think I might've overdone it."
"Nah," Wayne says, dropping Ted like a lifeless doll and clapping me on the back. "You did good, Andrew. Self-defense. Nothing to be ashamed of."
Gary sighs heavily. "Aubrey, call 911. And no one tells Vince until Andrew talks to him first, understood?"
He shoots Aubrey a pointed look.
Aubrey holds up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay. Understood."
Paramedics and police arrive shortly after. Watching Ted get hauled into the back of a squad car, his face bloodied and swollen, is the most satisfying moment of my life.
He doesn't even look at me.
I press charges and file a restraining order that day, determined to ensure he never hurts anyone else the way he tries to hurt me.
As I sit in the aftermath, surrounded by my friends who have come to surprise me this morning... to help me move in with Vince so I don't have to do it alone... one thing becomes crystal clear: I have the best damn support system in the world.