Chapter Text
Tommy Kinard pulled into the visitor parking spot of his ex-fiancé’s apartment building and hesitated.
It had been a while since he’d seen her, long enough really that no one would have faulted him for just throwing her stuff out, but he had already been the bad guy so much where she was concerned that he had carefully packed it all up and brought it back.
His phone chimed and he glanced, briefly, at the text.
From Sal: Drop the box and go, dumbass
His best friend was about as subtle as a bullhorn.
But it proved the kick in the ass he needed and he climbed from the truck.
The elevator ride seemed to take forever and no time at all and, before he knew it, he was standing in front of her door with a box of her things tucked under this arm.
“Here we go,” he muttered to himself before lifting a hand and knocking.
A minute ticked by and he was about to knock again when he heard footsteps coming towards the door.
He braced himself for the fierce rage of the woman he had so badly hurt.
Only to be met by a sleepy looking young man dressed in nothing but a loose pair of lounge pants.
“Uh, hi,” the man said, head tilting slightly, eyes blinking sleepily. “Can I…” He tried to hide a yawn behind his hand. “Sorry, just came off a forty-eight. Can I help you?”
Tommy blinked.
He remembered Sal’s wife saying his ex had started dating again, something he’d been genuinely happy about because she deserved better than he’d given her, but given how she’d described the new guy as a himbo, he’d expected one of those gym obsessed dude bros or something. The sleepy guy before him did not fit any of the ways Tommy had pictured the new boyfriend.
“Oh, yeah, uh…is…is Abby here?”
The guy twitched, not quite a flinch but near enough, and he drew a slow, deep breath.
“Sorry, but she’s out of town right now.”
“Ah,” Tommy said, shifting his stance slightly, the box suddenly feeling like it weighed a million pounds. “Is Patricia here?”
The guy’s face dropped.
“I…oh, you…you don’t…shit. I…I really hate to have to tell you this but she…she passed a few months ago.”
Tommy’s heart ached.
Patricia had been such a wonderful woman.
She hadn’t been happy when he’d broken Abby’s heart but she had understood him not wanting to live a lie anymore. Not wanting to drag Abby through more of his messy life than he already had. They had stayed in contact, for a little while, after he and Abby had parted but he hadn’t reached out in a long time and now he was left to regret it.
“I…I’m so sorry,” he replied reflexively. “God, she…she was such a special lady.”
“She was,” the guy said with a sad smile before taking a step to the side and opening the door wider. “Maybe we should continue this inside?”
Tommy probably shouldn’t.
He’d just come to drop off Abby’s stuff.
He stepped inside.
“I’m Tommy, by the way,” he said as the guy closed the door behind them. “I…well…I was just dropping some stuff of Abby’s off.”
“You’re the ex, huh,” the guy asked and it was Tommy’s turn to twitch. “Sorry, not my business or place to comment. If it helps, all Abby said was that things ended badly. She never trashed you or anything.”
Which was more than Tommy probably deserved really.
“Yeah.” Tommy set the box on the counter. “I…I could have done things a lot better. She deserved better.”
The guy hummed but didn’t comment.
“I’m Evan,” he said instead. “Current…whatever she calls me I guess.”
“You’re living with her and haven’t put a label on your relationship yet?”
“She left,” Evan said with a shrug. “After her mom passed. To find herself, she said.”
“You don’t sound okay with that.”
“Oh, I’m more than okay with it,” Evan said quickly. “I did it myself. I just didn’t leave someone behind at home waiting for months without telling them I wasn’t planning on coming back to them.”
“She didn’t.”
“She did. Kept trying to convince myself otherwise though. Pretty sure my team thinks I’m the biggest dumbass alive for not seeing it sooner.”
“You’re not a dumbass,” Tommy replied reflexively and Evan gave the tiniest of grins.
“Agree to disagree,” he chuckled. “Everyone else knew before I did. Heck, our probie knew before me and he wasn’t even around when we were dating.”
“Still doesn’t make you a dumbass. Hopeful, maybe, but not a dumbass.”
Evan hummed and grabbed a hoodie from the back of the couch and pulled it on.
Shame, Tommy thought before shaking it away. He was not here to ogle his ex’s ex-boyfriend.
“Might still be a dumbass,” he replied once the hoodie was settled in place. “I’m still living here after all.”
“I take it your team has an opinion on that too?”
“They have opinions on a lot of things. And it’s not like I’m not looking for a place it’s just…God…everything is this city is so expensive. Never thought I’d actual miss Peru so much.”
“You lived in Peru?”
Evan yawned and nodded.
“When I did my version of finding myself. Came from there to here. Used to live with some roommates but, well…”
“It was more frat house than home?”
Evan nodded, eyes drooping a bit, yawning again.
“Yeah, that and they stupidly gave my current address out to a complete stranger who, thankfully, turned out to be my sister but it sort of ruined the trust I had in them, you know?”
Another yawn and Tommy knew he’d long overstayed his welcome.
“I do. And I think, right now, I should go and let you get some sleep. Don’t think you need to be face planting into the floor trying to stay awake just to humour your ex’s ex.”
Evan grinned, eyes crinkling just a bit at the corners, and Tommy’s heart fluttered.
“M’kay,” he agreed with a yawn. “I’ll…” Another yawn. “I’ll send Abby a text and let her know about her stuff but I don’t think…”
This yawn was big and long and Evan blushed while murmuring an apology.
God, he’s adorable, Tommy found himself thinking as he smiled.
“It’s alright,” he assured. “You just came off a forty-eight and I know how rough that can be.”
Evan just nodded sleepily.
“God, your something else, kid,” Tommy chuckled before heading towards the door. “Okay, I’m going. Get some sleep, Evan.”
“Hey, wait a sec.”
Tommy paused, hand on the doorknob, head turning to look at Evan, who was fetching his cell phone from the coffee table.
“What’s your number? Maybe we can go for a drink or something sometime.”
Tommy’s eyebrow lifted slightly and Evan seemed to realize how his words could be taken and stammered out a quick explanation of what I meant was… before Tommy chuckled and held his hand out.
“Give me your phone.”
Evan handed it over.
Tommy chuckled to himself at how Evan had his contacts set up.
“Please tell me that Mama Hen is Henrietta Wilson. Please, Evan, tell me that.”
Evan turned four different shades of red.
“Don’t tell her,” he squeaked as Tommy created his own contact.
“My lips are sealed.” Tommy handed the phone back. “There we go.”
Evan looked down at his phone and laughed.
“Major Tom? Really?”
Tommy chuckled.
“Seemed fitting,” he laughed. “Feel free to change it if you want.”
Based on Evan’s smile it wasn’t a likely outcome.
“Okay, I’m going and you, Evan, need to get some sleep. We’ll talk later.”
Evan nodded.
“Sounds good.”
Tommy lingered outside the apartment door until he heard the lock snap into place and then headed to the elevator.
He had just climbed behind the wheel of his truck when his phone buzzed with a text.
From Unknown: Hey, it’s just Evan. Making sure you have my number too.
To Evan: Happy to have it. Now go to bed, Evan.
Evan’s reply was a thumb up emoji.
Tommy chuckled as he headed home.
Maybe returning Abby’s stuff had been a good idea after all.