You’re Not Welcome Here
Even in flats,Natalie’s feet hurt by the end of the day. She was glad for the empty seats on the subway—Colt’s shoulder pressed against hers—and was even more excited about the prospect of her soft couch waiting for her to sit back and put her feet up.
It was dark by the time Natalie and Colt rounded the corner from the subway stop closest to her apartment; the cool night breeze left her shivering in the corset top and short skirt. Colt slipped out of the puffer vest and placed it over her shoulders. Natalie slid her arms through and with Colt’s warmth still radiating from the vest, she hugged herself against the cold.
It was still early and people streamed out of apartment buildings, tapping at phones and crawling into the backs of Ubers. Natalie used to be one of them, nervous by noon on a Friday if she didn’t have weekend plans. When Gavin began financing nightclubs, she spent more of her weekend nights alone, curled up on her couch with Netflix and Nugget. She realized those weekend nights with her dog were the best memories she had in recent years. Going out with Gavin devolved into a fight over everything from the height of her heels making her taller than him to accusations of her letting other men flirt with her. She either dressed too old or too slutty. Her makeup was too thick or she was too pale. She was never right according to Gavin, but maybe what he’d liked about her most was the control he had over her.
If he told her to tone down her lipstick, she did. If he told her that her clothes were too dowdy, she bought new ones. If he said it was too early to talk about marriage, she waited.
He liked surrounding himself with people he could puppeteer, so of course she’d made the perfect girlfriend for him. Being from a small town and a middle-class family, she’d deferred to everything Gavin suggested.
Maybe moving back home like her mother wanted was the best thing for her. In Alabama, she knew her hometown and the people, and no one could tell her who to be or how to act. The house she’d looked at would be perfect for Nugget to run about free without a leash.
Still, she’d miss the smell coming out of the pizza-by-the-slice place close to her apartment window. The museums and the grey of the North Atlantic. She’d miss Kaylin. And then, there is Colt.
Colt’s arm shot out, gripping Natalie tight by the wrist and stopping her in her tracks.
“What’s…” she began asking, but before she could finish the question, she noticed. Gavin leaned on the brick pillars outside of her building. He pushed off when he saw them, blocking the sidewalk.
“New boyfriendanda new door lock?” Gavin bowed up his shoulders to appear bigger than he was. “You haven’t answered any my texts.”
“I blocked your number,” Natalie said, emboldened by Colt’s presence.
“You need to leave now,” Colt said.
Gavin smirked. “This sidewalk is public property. But my girlfriend isn’t.”
“From my understanding, she’s not your girlfriend anymore.”
“It’s over, Gavin. It’s time for you to move on,” Natalie said.
“You also told me he was a colleague. ‘Just a coworker,’ you said.” Gavin spat on the ground. “You always were an opportunistic slut.”
Colt stepped in front of Natalie ready for a brawl. She tugged his arm. “Please don’t. He can say whatever he wants. It has no effect on me anymore.”
Colt complied with Natalie’s request. “You need to leave, pal.”
“I don’t need to do a damn thing!” Gavin yelled. “I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“She’s filing charges,” Colt said. “For battery.”
Gavin laughed. “Is that what she told you?”
Colt slipped out of Natalie’s loose hold and stepped forward, just inches away from Gavin’s face. “I’d advise you not to make a scene. It won’t end well for you.”
Gavin tilted his chin to try and meet Colt’s stare. “No one threatens me,” he said. He pointed at Natalie. “You’ll regret this.” He took his phone out of his pocket and answered it, but if he’d really gotten a call, Natalie couldn’t tell. Her knees shook. Gavin turned on his heels and left, shouting into his phone.
“You alright?” Colt placed a hand on Natalie’s shoulder, steadying her.
Natalie shook her head, tears in her eyes. “No, actually. He just won’t go away.”
“Monday morning, we’ll file a restraining order. I’ll help you put the evidence together. Okay?”
Natalie nodded, too shaken to even speak.
“Let’s go inside.” Colt wrapped his arm around her back and led her into the building and up to her apartment. “Sit here,” he said, guiding her to the couch. “I’ll take out Nugget and walk the block to make sure he’s gone. Keep your cell phone with you.” He fished it out of her purse and set it on the arm of the couch. “Call me if you hear anything outside that door. Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.” He leashed Nugget and bolted the lock behind him.
Natalie forced herself to breathe. Her corset suddenly felt like a snake constricting her lungs, and she loosened the stays she could reach in the back, letting her breasts spill forward like water let out of a dam.
