Chapter 21
Waking up with your period was one of the worst things. You either wake up from the pain or the excessive amount of blood.
I got out of bed angrily and look at the time. 5:30 in the morning, much earlier than my alarm which was scheduled for 6:30 am. I march to the bathroom and use the toilet before hopping into the shower.
I let my body soak under the hot running water for almost 30 minutes before finally mustering the strength to get out. The sun was barely rising when threw on a robe and started brushing my teeth. I felt more refreshed but I still felt like shit.
I pop two ibuprofen for the day before swallowing it down with the water on my nightstand and wandering into the kitchen. Nobody was there, as expected and I started looking through the cabinets for something to eat.
It looks like Julius went back and got groceries because when I opened the fridge, the empty milk from yesterday was replaced. I smile lightly as I push past to grab the yogurt behind it.
The front door opens as I'm seated at the counter shoving strawberry yogurt down my throat. I turn toward the door to see Julius shirtless, glistening with sweat, and wearing a towel around his neck.
Why did he have to be so good-looking?
"Good morning." He says to me as he walks toward the water dispenser in the kitchen. "Good morning." I mumble back as I eat my yogurt.
"Have you had breakfast already?" He asks.
I hold up the small yogurt container to show him, "Right here."
He frowns at me, "That's not enough. Do you want to faint again?" He opens the freezer and pulls out a box of frozen waffles, placing them in front of me. "You want me to toast this for you?" He asks.
I shake my head at him, "I'm fine Julius, I'll eat later. I don't have much of an appetite at the moment."
He quirks his eyebrow at me, "I thought girls are usually really hungry on their periods?" I chuckle as I get up from my seat to throw away the yogurt container. "Not this girl."
He sighs, "Well regardless, you need to eat something more than yogurt before going to work."
"I promise I will eat during lunch break. And I'll pack snacks okay?" I grab my phone off of the counter, "I'm going to get ready." I tell him before heading back to my bedroom.
I change into my business casual clothes before applying light makeup and tying my hair back. The ibuprofen seemed like it was finally starting to work, as my cramps had gone down significantly. I grab my purse and files I may need before heading back to the kitchen.
Julius wasn't in the kitchen and I figured he was getting ready himself for the workday. I throw some granola bars from the pantry into my purse before getting my keys and heading out.
The drive to work from the office was fairly short, almost 15 minutes. I arrive at the office and give brief greetings to fellow employees before heading to my floor. I sigh as I take a seat and begin my workday.
-
The thing about these medications is that they only last for so long before you have to take them again. Four hours into the workday and the piercing cramps had returned. I still had another four hours to get through before I could go home.
I took another set of ibuprofens and waited patiently for them to kick in as the numbing pain began. I took deep breaths, trying to ignore the pain before diving back into my work.
A knock on the door snaps me out of it and I turn with a glare at who was disrupting me. Greg stood at the door with a grin on his face before entering.
"What is it?" I ask, turning my attention back to my screen.
"Hey Stella, you got any plans for lunch?" He asks.
I sigh tiredly, looking over at the desperate guy. "I've engaged Gregg. I'm not interested in going out with you."
"It's just for lunch break, nothing more." He assured me.
Another knock on the glass door caught my attention, interrupting our conversation. One of the secretaries from the lower level entered with a Panera bag in her hand. "This was delivered a moment ago for you." She says as she places the bag on my desk.
"From who?" I ask.
She hands me a notecard that reads:
I wasn't sure what to get you since you're still sick. You liked soup yesterday so here's soup.
Eat it, please.
~ Prettyboy
A small smile forms on my lips as I open the bag. I pull out a small takeout chicken noodle soup from Panera, with crackers and a water bottle. I look deeper inside and there was even a chocolate chip cookie.
My smile turns into a pout as I look down at the kind gesture. "He got me soup." I say quietly as my eyes begin to well up with tears. I look up at the two employees still in my office.
The next effect of my period, being overemotional.
"Um, thank you Scarlett. You can go now." I tell her as I quickly wipe my tears. I turn to Greg. "And for the last time, no I'm not interested. Please let me be." I tell him politely.
He sighs before leaving the office, allowing me to let my tears fall. My phone beeps from its spot on my desk and I pick it up.
J: hope you're eating.
I chuckle lightly before wiping my eyes again and opening the pack of crackers to take a picture. I sent it to him and he responds immediately.
J: beautiful, see you at home
I grin at the message, before sitting up and placing my phone back on my desk. Something about him referring to it as home for the both of us made me feel fuzzy inside.
Wait.
Why was I acting this way? It was just soup! None of this is real.
I'll blame my period for this.
Once again another knock on the door captures my attention as Sheila enters the office. "Hey wanna grab lunch?" She asks as she walks in, before noticing the food on my desk. "Oh, I see you've already done so."
I shake my head, "Julius sent this over a couple of minutes ago."
She looks at the food on the table with a confused expression. "But it's almost June, why soup?" She asks.
I hand her the card to read and she nods in understanding. "That's so cute!" She gushes. "He's really taking this fake fiancé thing to the next level."
I nod as I open the soup, "Yeah I guess he is."
"Are you starting to like him yet?" She asks curiously. I look up at her with my brows furrowed in confusion, "I'm tolerating him, yes."
She chuckles, "Right. I'm going to get something to eat, I'll be back." I wave her out as she leaves my office.
-
"Julius!" I call out when I get back to the apartment. I shrug as I get no response and kick off my shoes. I pick them up and grab them before heading to my bedroom to get changed.
I put on a large t-shirt and shorts before taking a seat on the couch in the living room. I lay down, resting my head on one of the couch pillows as I turn on the tv.
A commercial for a voice messaging teddy bear appears on the tv. A man records a voice memo, placing it into the stuffed bear. It gets sent across the country to his wife, who presses the bear's paw and hears her husband's voice. She hugs the teddy bear and I gush, how cute.
The commercial wasn't over though, because next an elderly woman records a voice message in the teddy bear and sends it to her granddaughter, who gushes and hugs the teddy bear tightly. My eyes begin to water as the little girl embraces her grandma's gestures.
The commercial still wasn't over! Now a man in army uniform could be seen hugging a teddy bear with his children's voice memo saying, "We miss you daddy!"
That was it, that one broke me.
I was bawling like a baby at the stupid commercial. And right on time, Julius unlocked the door, entering the condo.
"Stella, what's wrong?" He asks me, his voice filled with concern as he places his briefcase on the ground and rushes over to me on the couch. I shake my head as I rock back and forth, "The commercial!" I sob out as I bury my face in my lap.
He quirks his eyebrow, "For Tony's Pizzeria?" He asks as he looks at the tv. I look up and a commercial for the kid's pizza place was playing.
I shake my head, "No! The teddy bear! They were sending voice notes and the dad was in the army!" I ramble sadly.
He nods slowly, clearly not having any idea what I'm talking about. "Right." He picks up the box of tissues on the table and hands it to me. I gratefully take it and use it to wipe my eyes.
"I never thought the one thing that would make you cry would be a commercial." He says with a chuckle as he gets up from the couch.
"I'm just emotional at the moment." I mutter as I hug a pillow.
"I'm going to get changed, how about we watch a movie and order some dinner?" He offers. I nod as I stare at the tv, "Okay." I respond quietly.
One of the reasons I hated my period was because its effects were just as bad as birth control. Mood swings, change in behavior, nausea, pain, the list was endless! But one of the things I hated the most was how vulnerable it made me feel. It was when I felt like being held and cared for. When I longed for someone's touch and someone's presence. My emotions were simply on overdrive and I hated everything about it.
So Julius's offer of a movie together fed into exactly what my emotional ass wanted.
He entered the room again, this time in his casual sweats and t-shirt, and took a seat next to me on the couch. I laid beside him, my head right next to his thighs. "Thank you for the soup today." I say quietly as I stare at the tv.
He chuckles, "Anytime."
"What are we watching?" He asks as he looks at the tv.
I shrug, "I never bothered to check. It's just been showing commercials."
He picks up the remote off the coffee table, "You pick a movie, I'll go order dinner." He says as he hands me the remote. I take the remote from him and change it to Netflix as he gets off of the couch.
I scroll through the different collections of movies on the streaming service. I wasn't sure what I was in the mood for, but I know I didn't want anything emotional. So I went to the comedy genre. I looked and scrolled, not feeling satisfied with any of the options that came up.
"I got us Chinese, wonton soup too in case you still can't eat solids." Julius says as he enters the room.
"Thank you." I mumble as I stare at the tv. He looks to where I'm looking, "So what did you pick?"
I sigh sadly, "I can't decide." I hand the remote to him, "You pick, nothing sad."
He takes a seat on the couch, sitting next to my head once again. He relaxes his body against the couch as he scrolls through the selection of movies.
"Madea?" He asks.
"No."
He continues scrolling, "The Great Gatsby?" He asks again.
"Sad ending."
"The Hunger Games."
"I said nothing sad!" I protest.
He sighs as he scrolls, "Jurassic Park?"
"No."
"Spider-Man."
"Only if it's Tobey Maguire."
"Minions?"
I quirk my brow and sit up, "Do I look like a child?" I ask.
"Then pick a fucking movie!" He snaps.
My eyes widen at his change of tone and my eyes begin to water as I glare at him. "I know you didn't just yell at me." I say calmly. He doesn't say anything, just waiting for me to speak again.
I get up from the couch and begin walking away, still holding onto the pillow I've been clinging to. He sighs, "Stella I'm sorry, come back." He calls out as I walk away from him.
I don't respond as I head to my bedroom. Before I can open the door he's suddenly behind me, spinning me around to face him. He pulls me into a hug, bringing my face to his chest.
"Why are you hugging me?" I ask with a frown against his chest.
"I read online that physical comfort helps girls during their period, like hugs." I stay silent as he holds me close to him, the pillow now at my side. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm sorry."
I was reluctant before wrapping my arms around him and hugging him back. It did feel comforting. His warm body heat and his large arms holding me tight. Not to mention how good he smelled. I smiled lightly as I enjoyed basking in his embrace.
"Thank you." I mumble into his chest.
He chuckles as he holds my head. "Anytime."
As I follow him back to the couch to continue our movie search, the doorbell rings. Julius walks over to it before opening the door for the delivery man. I sit on the couch as Julius pays for the food and brings it over to me.
"You want food or soup?" He asks cautiously.
"What food did you order?" I ask.
He pulls out the to-go cartons from the bag, "Fried rice, chicken chow mein, and salt and pepper wings."
"I'll take a little of everything." I tell him. He quirks his eyebrow slightly as I wait for him to hand me the food. "Well?" I ask.
He chuckles before passing me a plate and proceeds to dish out my dinner. We decided to watch the live-action Aladdin, contrary to Julius's protests and ate our dinner in front of the tv.
As the hour went by and we finished our meals, the two-hour movie continued to roll on as I clung to my pillow and sat upright by the edge of the couch. Julius was relaxed next to me with his arm stretched out behind the seat as we watched the film in silence.
"I don't like this movie." Julius comments suddenly.
I frown, "Well I love this movie." He stands up from the couch suddenly and I look up at him. "Where are you going?" I ask.
"I figured I should get some work done for tomorrow."
"But the movie isn't over?"
He chuckles, "You don't want me to leave Stella?"
I scoff at him, "I was just stating a fact."
"If you want me to finish the movie with you I will, just ask."
I frown, I didn't want to have to ask. But I also didn't want to be alone. "Finish the movie with me." I demand.
He raises an eyebrow, "That didn't sound like a question to me."
"Julius." I warn.
He chuckles, "Alright I'm staying don't worry. I won't leave you." He takes a seat closer to me on the couch, wrapping an arm around behind me. "Feel free to lay down, I have a very comfortable chest." He says proudly.
I laugh lightly before ignoring him and facing my attention to the movie. His offer and proximity tempted me to lay down on him. I eventually give in and lay my head down. His arm wraps around me engulfing me in his warmth.
The soothing rhythm of his rising chest and the soft brushing of my arm calmed me down as o watched the film. The movie was ravaging its climax as I felt my eyes start to flutter shut. I battled to keep them open but ultimately lost, falling asleep on Julius's chest.
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Have any of you seen the commercial for the voice note teddy bear? Or just me lol, I remember bawling like a baby.
Next update it Saturday. Don't forget to vote, and comment if you like!
- AuggiePooh_