"The Way That I Love You"
The dog heard him coming before I did. He woke out of a deep sleep on the rug and was completely alert and whining at the door. I knew this day was coming, but I had hoped I had more time to heal before he tried to force his way into my life again. I had just gotten out of the shower and was only wearing a brown bra and pantie set with a sheer kimono to match. I was sitting in my bed, and using the last few minutes of my day flipping through a wedding dress magazine.
The moment I heard my brown-furred Yorkie-poodle Winston whining at the door, I knew he was there. I remembered how stupid I was to forget to take the key to my apartment away from him.
I looked up from the magazine, my gaze going to the shadow under the door.
Closing the magazine, I tossed it on my bedside dresser and slowly got up from the bed. I tiptoed over to the door and stood there quietly. If I stayed quiet enough, maybe he would think I was asleep or not home at all.
Then again, knowing him, he could have been here all along while I was in the shower. He could have been waiting for me to walk out so he could surprise me.
I thought my idea of being silent was working until the knob twisted, and the door started to open.
"Nope!" I put all the weight that I could on the door, though I knew he was taller and way stronger than me. "
He could have rammed the door if he wanted, but he didn't. Instead, he just put his foot through the crack, which didn't stop me from trying to push the door closed.
"Get out, Adam!" I yelled in anger. Meanwhile, Winston began to bark.
He hated it when we fought.
"Ryan," his voice was weak and full of exhaustion more than usual. "I need your help."
I was so angry. I didn't care that something was wrong with him.
"I don't care. I told you we were done, for good!"
"Ryan, just listen to me," he started putting more weight on the door, pushing me back.
I didn't give up, despite losing, I continued to push as hard as I could.
"No, Adam! This cannot keep happening. You can't keep running back and -"
Looking up, I noticed his bloody hand in the crack of the door.
I quickly opened the door, and Winston came running in the room, hopped on my bed, and continued barking. I had opened the door so fast, Adam nearly crashed into me but managed to catch himself.
He looked like he had gotten into a boxing match. His right eye was bruising, there were gashes on the side of his sweaty head, gushing blood, and he had a busted lip. The most alarming thing was his hand clutched over his stomach. It let me know that he had gotten in more than just a fight.
"What did you do?" I sprang into action and started helping him toward the bed.
"No, no, no," he shook his head, limping toward the bathroom as he took off his jacket with a wince. He tossed it on the ground, "one went all the way through, the others still in me."
I followed him into the bathroom, turning on the light and picked up his jacket, "what are you talking about? What is still . . . "
To answer my question, he took off his shirt to reveal a bullet wound in his shoulder and lower abdomen.
