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he grins.
    I laugh and say, “Yes, as in you and me, alone.”
    “I know what alone time means. Just me in you.
    Robert opens the car door for me and I ask, “Did anything unusual happen during your trip?”
    He is quiet — and looks as if he does not want to tell me something — as he shuts the car door. I watch as he walks around the vehicle and gets into the driver seat.
    “Buckle up.”
    I do and ask, “Robert?”
    “Yes, Leah?”
    “Ace, don’t lie to me.” I take his hand and look at him more closely.
    I ask, “What happened?”
    He looks at me and hesitates before saying, “After the fight I went for a walk and… there was this girl.”
    I know Robert has a kind heart and is very protective of women. I also know that I am very protective of Robert. I look at Robert sadly and say, “Robert, I know you want to, but you can’t risk your life to save everyone.”
    “Leah, they cut her and then they were just there watching her stagger away. They were just waiting for her to collapse and die.”
    I watch him, and I can see the sadness in his eyes. “What about you, Robert? Who will save you? You can fight well, but what happens if they cut you?”
    “I can take care of myself. I hate seeing these innocent women being beaten, raped, and battered by… by these cowards.” He looks from one of my eyes to the other and adds, “If I see it, I can’t turn a blind eye, Leah. I can’t just walk away like it isn’t happening.”
    I swallow and I try to find the right words before speaking. “I get that, I do, but Robert, I worry about you. What’s going to happen if they come at you and you can’t protect yourself? What if you’re greatly outnumbered or if they have a gun?” Tears form in my eyes and I look away. “I don’t want to get a call saying…”
    “And you won’t.” He holds me to his chest and runs his hand up and down my arm. “Sweets, you won’t get a call about me, I promise.”
    “You can’t promise me that.”
    Later that night, we eat together. The mood surprisingly is relaxed and happy. It doesn’t seem forced like I thought it would. Robert holds my hand beneath the table. He often looks over at me and smiles. He sits on my right side so I don’t have a view of the injury to his right eye. He’s a smart man and I know he did this intentionally.
    Robert says, “In the middle of the fight last night, your dad was his cellphone.”
    “He was? Who was he talking to?”
    “Damned if I know. I’m thinking that maybe he shouldn’t attend any more fights.”
    “Oh. You’re going to fire my dad?” I ask.
    “Not fire him, exactly,” Robert says. “Maybe just not invite him anymore.”
    “What did he do after he got off the phone?”
    “He got my iPod and blasted ‘The Eye of the Tiger’ into my ears.”
    “Your favorite song. The song that always rejuvenates you?”
    Robert looks at me and smiles, “He was talking to you on the phone, wasn’t he?”
    “He was. Still want to fire him or uninvited him?”
    “No, I always did like that man,” Robert says.
    “Good choice.”
    Robert takes a bubble bath with me. I light candles and the atmosphere is soothing. I cuddle into him and he kisses me. We don’t talk about the fight and I try not to flinch or show any emotion when I look at his injuries. We make love before bed and we sleep intertwined with each other.
    The next day, Robert and I have a leisurely day at home. Robert is 6’2” and weighs 230 lbs. He has black hair and ebony eyes. I am 5’2” and 110 lbs. I have short black hair and my eyes are also ebony color. We met in high school and have been together ever since. When I was in high school, I was on the girls’ track team. Some guys in the grandstand were making comments about my boobs bouncing when I ran and Robert went up and hit them both and then he made them apologize to me. That is how I met Robert.
    A few days later while I was walking home, a guy flashed me and some friends. I started laughing