His Ex Moved In? I Kicked Them Both Out

I had been with Arthur Sterling for a year, and I always knew he had an ex-girlfriend. Once, curiosity got the better of me, and I checked her social media profile, which still featured their old, cheesy couple videos. I had pictured meeting her a thousand times, but I never expected her to show up out of nowhere. Arthur and I were curled up on the couch watching a movie when Bella Whitmore arrived. We were deeply immersed in the plot when the door was suddenly pounded on violently. Both Arthur and I jumped at the noise. A murderer? A psycho? A million horrifying scenarios flashed through my mind. The person outside shouted, "Arthur! Open the door! I know you're in there. Can we just talk?" Arthur shot me an awkward glance. I glared back at him. He forced a sheepish smile and went to open the door. The door had barely cracked open when a drunken woman stumbled into his arms. She wrapped her hands tightly around Arthur's neck, clinging to him. It was Bella, Arthur's ex-girlfriend. I had only ever seen her in videos before. Now, she was clinging to his neck, sobbing her heart out. "I feel so terrible... I have nowhere else to go... Arthur... I missed you so much." Arthur froze. He raised his hands, wanting to push her away, but he didn't. I stood by the couch, watching the scene unfold as if I were watching someone else's story. "Bella, let go first," Arthur finally said in a low voice. Bella lifted her head, looking at me with tear-dimmed eyes as if she had only just noticed my presence. "Oh... you're his girlfriend, right? I'm so sorry, I'm just such a mess right now..." She wiped her tears while speaking to me, but her eyes remained glued to Arthur. Since the moment he opened the door, Arthur hadn't looked at me once; his eyes were filled with nothing but heartache as he looked at Bella. He half-dragged, half-carried Bella to the couch. Her hands were locked around his neck like vines, refusing to let go. Tears streaming down her face, she rambled on, "We were so in love... I regret it so much. Arthur, I really do." Arthur soothed her, not even bothering to turn around as he said to me, "Summer, go get the guest room ready so Bella can rest for a while." I pointed at myself, thinking I must have misheard. "Me? Are you out of your mind? I'm your girlfriend!" Arthur frowned, annoyed. "Can't you see she's upset? Go set up the guest room. It's late; let her sleep here." I narrowed my eyes. "Arthur, this is my place." Arthur softened his tone. "Summer, Bella has had way too much to drink... can you just..." I closed my eyes for a moment, then turned and headed to the guest room. The room was clean. I grabbed a fresh blanket from the closet, tossed it onto the bed, and walked back out. When I reached the living room, I stopped. Bella was sprawled on top of Arthur. Seeing me, Arthur pushed her away uncomfortably, but Bella just nuzzled her head against his chin, holding on even tighter.