he told me [a short story]

five

he told me
| five |

He had been good for about a week. There were no mean remarks about my looks or actions and he had treated me right. He bought me a new dress and took me on a date, making sure to cover my previous bruises and scars so no one would see. He showed me all the reasons why he loves me and reminded me why I was so lucky to have someone like him. For a moment I had forgotten everything he's done to me.

He had gone out with a group of his friends and came home drunk. He was upset that I wasn't asleep when he arrived and I explained to him that I didn't want to sleep without him. He had punched me in the face, knocking me unconscious and then went to our room and fell asleep. I woke up thirty minutes later in a daze and with little memory of what happened. I had a huge headache and went into our bathroom where I saw a forming bruise on my face and was reminded of the events.

The next day a friend had asked me to coffee and I accepted the offer. They saw the bruise on my face and smaller ones that lingered on my arms. They explained to me that my relationship was toxic, I wasn't deserving of him and deserved so much better. They said that what he does to me is wrong and he should be showing me love and affection. They continued by offering a room in their apartment for me to stay in if I didn't have anywhere else to go.

I thought back to all the times he hit me, shoved me, and insulted me, the times he called me dumb for not doing something right and pushing me because I was in his way. He was supposed to kiss me, hug me, and show that he loved me. Instead he hit me because my food hadn't tasted right or there was dust on his nightstand. They told me I needed to get away from him because he's a dangerous man and I couldn't be with him any longer.

I believed them.