Torn - Part 1: The Torn Series by Ellen Callahan

this one.”
    “Yeah? Whatcha want?”
    “You on your knees. You naked in my bed.”
    I blushed. He always seemed to trot out the dirty talk when I wasn’t expecting it. “Sounds good to me,” I said.
    Nice as he was being, I knew it wouldn’t be a pretty scene if Tyler was home. Sure enough when we passed inside, Mallet didn’t even say hello right away when I introduced them. He gave Tyler a long, slow up-and-down glare first, sizing him up like one of his opponents in the ring. “Where do you want this, bro?” he asked, hefting the TV.
    Tyler pointed towards the bedroom and said, “On the floor. I’ll place it later.” He gave me a dirty look as I followed Mallet through the apartment.
    You could practically see the tension in the air around us. I kept my eyes downcast - there was the teeniest, tiniest part of me that was a little amused by this; a little pleased. I never imagined I’d be the object of attraction for two guys. Sometimes I used to think I was super lucky to have Tyler and that no one else could possibly be interested if he left me. Untrue, I knew, but the feeling was there.
    “Let’s put it on the dresser for him,” I said, pointing, ignoring Tyler’s request. It was where it was going to end up, anyway.
    “So demanding, my little punk girl,” Mallet said with a wink. I didn’t miss the implication; I didn’t miss the “my” part of his sentence or the way his eyes flickered towards Tyler waiting in the doorway.
    Tyler only waited patiently, his eyes slightly narrowed. We had to push past him to leave the room before he followed us towards the front door.
    “Got a shift tonight so I’ll be home late,” I told Tyler.
    “I’ll walk you to work,” Mallet said, hanging back in the hall. It sounded more like a demand than an offer. Because Tyler’s listening.
    “Yeah, thanks. Let me use the bathroom and we’ll go.”
    He eyed Tyler up and down with barely concealed disdain. “I’ll wait downstairs.”
    “Okay, see you out front!” I said a little too brightly. If they kept eying each other like that it might come to blows. Or maybe they’ll get out a ruler and measure their dicks.
    I rolled my eyes at myself in the mirror before stepping back out into the apartment. This was a bad idea. I’d have to think of a way to make it up to Mallet. He didn’t need to meet my ex-boyfriend or see my crappy living space. He’d been nothing but nice all day. What was wrong with me, was I trying to mess things up on purpose?
    I found Tyler by the front door just as he placed my phone down on the side-table. “What are you doing?” I asked.
    “The time,” he shrugged. “My battery’s dead.”
    “Right.” Trying to read my texts. Being a jealous jerk. “Can I go?” I asked, gesturing. He was blocking my path through the open doorway.
    “I just want to talk to you. Just one minute.” I gestured again, indicating that he could go on. “I want us to be together again,” he said. “I want you off that futon and back in my bed every night. I want to take you out. Come on, Alexa. We were together for so long. There’s bound to be some bumps along the way, but give us another chance.”
    “What?”
    “You heard me, Alexa, don’t do that. You don’t buy a television for your ex just to be nice. Come on. You want me back, too. You’ve wanted it this whole time.”
    I blinked at him, dumbfounded. Where were all these words a couple months ago, when I actually wanted them, when I needed them? He was too late. I was different, now. I was moving on. “Tyler, I-”
    He grabbed me with no warning and kissed me. I made a muffled sound of protest but was too shocked to do anything but freeze. His lips pressed so tightly against mine were both familiar and repulsive all at once. I heard something - someone - in the hall. It finally shook me from my state of shock and, with an offended “mmff,” I pushed away from Tyler.
    “Fuck this.” Mallet. I clapped my hands over my