He Said I Was Obsessed, Then Moved Below Me Chapter 1

My colleague, Sarah, shoved her phone in my face. The company group chat was open, and someone had tagged me.

"Autumn, did your ex move into your complex?"

"I saw him walking his dog below your unit building this morning."

A string of ellipses followed, along with several knowing emojis. I stared at the message for five seconds. Mark? The Mark I dumped three months ago? The Mark who told everyone, "She hasn't gotten over me, and I'm just so helpless"? Moved in downstairs from me?

Sarah lowered her voice: "You didn't really call him, did you?"

I handed her back the phone. "Sarah, I'm the one who broke up with him."

Her expression clearly showed disbelief. Right. The whole company had heard one version of the story: Autumn was relentlessly chasing Mark, who was utterly miserable. But now, tables turned. The one supposedly doing the chasing had moved into the other person's apartment complex. I suddenly found it amusing. And then, a chill ran down my spine.

* * *

After work, I circled the perimeter of my apartment complex.

In front of Unit 3, Building C, a black BMW 3 Series was parked, license plate ending in 762. It was Mark's car.

A notice for new residents was posted on the property management's bulletin board, dated the twelfth of last month. I stood there, calculating. We broke up on March 1st. He moved in on April 12th. Only forty-two days separated those dates. I had moved into this complex two years ago.

When I signed the lease for this apartment two years ago, Mark complained it was too far out of the way, said the commute was too long, and never once visited. Now, his car was parked downstairs from my building.

I stood for a few minutes, then turned and went upstairs. Once inside, I double-locked the door.

My phone lit up with a message from my friend, Lena.

"Autumn, do you know Mark moved into your complex?"

"Just found out."

"...Did you tell him where you live?"

"No. After we broke up, I changed my phone number and deleted all his contact info."

Lena sent a long voice message. I tapped to listen. Her tone was hesitant.

"Um... Alex told me Mark's been in really bad shape lately, lost a lot of weight. He said Mark never intended to move there, it's just that an apartment happened to become available in that complex. Don't overthink it."

Alex was Mark's college roommate. The word "happened" made my teeth clench.

"Lena, how did he know where I live?"

A few seconds of silence on the other end. "...Maybe he visited when you two were together?"

"He never came here. I moved in eight months before we broke up."

"Then I don't know."

Her voice held a wary retreat. I didn't press further.

I hung up, opened the window, and looked down. The lights were on in Unit 3, Building C. Separated by a flower bed, it was my building. The direct distance was less than fifty feet. I pulled the curtains shut.

The next morning at 7:15, I went out to take out the trash. The elevator door opened, and Mark was standing in the lobby downstairs. He was holding a corgi on a leash. Seeing me, he froze, then quickly averted his gaze. His expression cycled through "surprise" to "awkwardness" to a full "helplessness" in half a second.

"Autumn? You live here too?"

The emphasis in his question was on "too."

I didn't answer, walking past him towards the trash can. His voice came from behind me, very soft, like a murmur to himself.

"This is quite a coincidence."

Coincidence.

I dropped the trash bag into the bin with a dull thud. His corgi wagged its tail at me. Brown and white fur, a plump little rear. In our two years together, I'd said countless times I wanted a corgi, but Mark always said they were too messy.

"Dog hair flying everywhere, can you handle cleaning that?"

"Why get a dog? Isn't my company enough?"

Now he stood below my building, holding a corgi. I got back in the elevator and pressed the door-close button. Before the doors completely shut, I saw his eyes in the gap. Still fixed on me.