The day was finally over. I hurried home. I was excited. Anniversary night with my girl, I had an idea of how I wanted it to go. Champagne, roses on the bed, the works. It would be amazing.
I parked in the drive way, trying to be as discreet as possible. She knew I was coming, I left notes for her saying cute things, but I still wanted the upper-hand, so to speak.
I crept up to the doorknob, as the sun crept towards the horizon. I avoided windows because, like I said, I wanted to surprise her if I could. I tried to open the door, locked. She knew I forgot my key at home, clever girl. I went to the window she always left unlocked for me.
The window slipped open silently, like it always did, and then the game began. I knew she was hiding from me. Teasing me.
I slid into the dark room. I hadn’t bothered with the lights, I knew the place like the back of my hand. I searched every nook and cranny of the room, looking for my playful love.
By the time I searched the house in it’s entirety, it was well into the night and my search had been fruitless. She was good.
Just before I gave in and called out to her, lights swung across the room. A car had just crawled into the driveway and I panicked, she would see my car and know I was here!
I hid, where I normally do, but she had never found me here. My spot was in a renovated room, where the drywall hadn’t been plastered up yet. I was just skinny enough to glide between the walls, and each room had a small hole for me to look through.
I watched the front door, waiting. I could hear the faintest hint of voices behind that door, the knob turned and the entrance swung open.
I was furious, though my love was home, she brought another. Had she really forgotten I’d be here? Forgotten about our anniversary? It was unbelievable!
“I’m going to change, Dan, please just sit and wait… Okay?” She was nervous.
The man she came in with sat down on the couch.
Ruined, my night had been ruined. We had to talk. I snuck from my hiding place and went to her room. When I opened the door, her gazed flicked toward me and she gasped. Caught.
Good, I thought. Now she had seen her mistake, yet, she nodded, almost imperceptibly. A small click, then thunder.
Time froze. My chest felt wet, I looked down and an explosion of blood and light protruded from me, the light shining through the blood, a deep red-orange. Just like the sunset on my perfect night, the sunset on my life.
I turned my head, ‘Dan’ was behind me, a grim conviction plastered onto his face, cold steel pointed at my back.
Confusion rang through me as time caught up with me. Flecks of my blood on her face with an ugly look of sick satisfaction as I fell to my knees.
Why? It was going to be perfect…
I looked her in the eyes and saw nothing but contempt, eyes I had once loved.
“I loved you…”
Those words left my body with my life, the infinite darkness easing not just the punch of the bullet, but the shattering of my heart with my final murmur.
“I loved you…”