— Wren —
As the knock echoed through the apartment, I offered, "I'll get it."
Suddenly, I let out a startled screech as an unexpected feline friend brushed against my leg, almost causing me to trip over it. Bewildered, I called back to Josh, who couldn't contain his laughter. He scooped up the curious kitten, which was wriggling in his grasp, while I went to answer the door.
Tyler stood there awkwardly in the hallway. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his sweatpants, and his hood was pulled up, nearly concealing his unkempt hair. Dark bags sagged under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in days.
"Tyler?" I called out, puzzled.
"Wren," he replied, his lips hinting at a fleeting smile, which vanished as he glanced past me to where Josh stood.
"Oh, hey," Josh said, awkwardly acknowledging Tyler's presence.
The kitten made a break for it, leaping from Josh's arms and sprinting straight to Tyler, who greeted it with a warm smile.
"Perry!" Tyler exclaimed, scooping up the cat and planting a kiss on its head.
"Perry?" I blinked, confused. "Is that your cat?"
Tyler's smile faded quickly. "I bought her for you."
"Oh," I responded, eyebrows knitting in confusion.
"What do you need, Ty?" Josh interjected.
"I just w-wanted to say s-sorry," Tyler stammered, his gaze dropping to his shoes. "I'm sorry for hurting you, Wren."
"Okay?" I scoffed, causing both Tyler and Josh to look at me in astonishment.
"Wren—"
"No," I interrupted Josh firmly. "He punched me in the fucking face!"
"He didn't mean to," Josh corrected.
"How do you accidentally knock someone unconscious?" I argued with Josh but directed my gaze at Tyler. "Thanks for stopping by, but I'm fine here with Josh."
Tyler's eyes welled up with tears as I slowly began to close the door. "Keep Percy or whatever."
"Wren, please—"
"Take care, Tyler," I said, firmly shutting the door behind me.
