But instead of the door swinging open—
Bang!
The chain snaps taut with a loud, jarring crack, followed by a solid thud against the wood.
“Jesusfuck!”
I freeze.
Oh.Oh shit.
That is definitely the unmistakable, deeply offended voice of the man I love. And judging by the string of muttered curses that follow, the door just tried to take him out.
I press my lips together and promptly fail.
A laugh bursts out of me before I can stop it, muffled behind my hand as I slide off the couch. “Hold on!” I call out, already heading for the door, shoulders shaking. “Don’t fight it, Theo. The chain will win.”
“Charlotte, I swear to God—”
His voice sounds muffled, but not in a way that he’s behind a door. But possibly because his face is behind his hands.
I unlock it, pulling the door open, and immediately lose it. Because there he is, scowling like he’s been personally betrayed, one hand braced against the frame, the other holding his nose.
“You locked be out,” he accuses, his Ms suffering dramatically.
“I secured my apartment,” I correct between laughs. “From intruders.”
His glare deepens. “I live here.”
“Debatable,” I shoot back, grinning.
His clothes in your closet would tell a different story, Charlotte.
“You… you broke by dose!”
Oh, I forgot about Ns.
He exhales sharply, already stepping inside, and I’m still laughing as he brushes past me. Then he pauses, staring at the mess on my couch. His cut draped over the arm. An assortment of threads strewn about haphazardly. The sewing kit I borrowed from Lana is sitting on my coffee table.
Shit.
“What’s this?” he says, turning to face me as I lock the door behind me.
“I… I was—”
He picks up his cut, looking at the change I made. My amateur work makes me wince as he studies it.
VicePresident
That’s what his cut says now. Along with a small wolf embroidered on the side, although it looks more like a gray dog drawn by a toddler. I’m suddenly unsure if it was the right thing to do.
His thumb brushes against the new seam. Carefully. Almost reverently. Then he swallows hard, lifting his head slowly.
“I know it isn’t… like the best work out there,” I mumble hesitantly. “But I just—I wanted you to move forward, Theo.”
He’s still staring at me, his lips downturned like he’s controlling an emotion I can’t fully read.
“Without…” I add, wringing my fingers. “Without erasing h-him.”
