I barely made it through the second practice before returning to my dorm room to lie down. Griff and I were supposed to go out tonight with Carson and Katie, but I texted our group thread earlier, letting them know I wouldn’t make it. Katie tried to tell me she was staying with me, but I told her she was not missing out on the end-of-summer party at Jackson’s. It was most likely the last time everyone would get together before going to different colleges and down different paths.
The pain in my back and abdomen is crippling, so I put on my rattiest pair of sweatpants and grab one of the T-shirts Griff gave me now that we can’t sleep together every night. I even sprayed some of his cologne on them. I bring the shirt up to my face and take a deep inhale of his signature woodsy scent. I’m still standing in my sports bra when a knock sounds at my door.
“Open the door, Sunshine.”
Why did I think Griff would still go to the party without me?
I open the door, not surprised to find Griff on the other side. What surprises me are the grocery bags he’s holding in his hands. I must give him a questioning look, to which he just shrugs in reply.
“I heard my girl was feeling under the weather,” he says as he walks by me to set the bags on my desk.
“That may just be the understatement of the year,” I state.
Griff grabs my hands and pulls me into his chest. “Come here. I can see just by looking at you how much pain you’re in. Lie down and let me play hot nurse,” he jokes.
He pulls back my comforter and I take his suggestion and lie down.
“What’s with the bags?” I probe.
Griff’s hand goes to the back of his neck, the way it does when he’s nervous, and he feels the need to tug at his hair.
“Oh, right. I-uh . . . got some supplies. I didn’t really know what you’d want or need, so I just kind of winged it.” He grabs the bags from my desk and sets them on my bed before sitting off the edge next to me.
“I didn’t know if you had a heating pad with you or not, so I got one of those. Then I saw these heat therapy patches that I thought you could wear at practice. Well, that was probably a dumb idea. You’ll be sweating at practice, so you probably won’t want the added heat—”
I grab his hand to stop him from pulling out the next item from the bag and tell him, “Those look amazing. I’m definitely going to try those out. In the past, I’ve had to miss school, practice, and even a game because of my cramps. This is so thoughtful, Griff.” I start to choke up.
“Of course, anything to make my girl feel better,” he says before continuing to dig through the bags. “I got a mix of snacks . . . some kettle corn, pretzels, those chocolate-covered peanuts you like, Funyuns, Dr. Pepper, Gatorade, and sour gummy worms.”
“So you basically bought out the entire pharmacy,” I deadpan. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you. I love y—I love how thoughtful you are.”
Oh my god. Did I just seriously almost blurt out that I love him in a hormone-induced haze?
Thankfully, he didn’t catch my almost-confession, or he’s taking pity on me. Either way, I'm relieved.
A little while later, we’re watchingThe Proposalon my laptop that’s propped up on my nightstand. Because rom-coms and Ryan Reynolds make everything better.
Griff has me cradled in his arms, my body curled around him, my head resting on his chest, while he rubs my lower back. The feel of his calloused fingers pressing into my skin feels so good that it distracts me from my pain, causing a quiet moan to slip out.
His deep voice tickles my forehead. “So, I was doing some reading and—”
“That’s never good,” I mockingly cut him off.
“Don’t be a brat. Anyway . . . I was doing some light reading and came across something that piqued my interest. Did you know that having an orgasm helps relieve period cramps due to the oxytocin and dopamine that’s released?” he asks in a casual tone as if this were just another random conversation.
“I didn’t know that. Why were you reading about that?” I press him.
“Katie may have mentioned that your time of the month is more intense than most. I wanted to see if there was anything I could do. Hence, the supplies and, if you’re up for experimenting, the orgasm I plan on giving you.”
I shake my head furiously back and forth. “No. Not-uh. Not happening. If you see anything that is going on down there, you’ll never want to give me another orgasm again.”
“Chill out, Sunshine. I’m not going to eat you out.”
Well, at least we’re both clear on that.
“I’ve made you come plenty of times by just grinding against my dick,” he says before adding, “and just so we’re clear. I am not opposed to shower sex during your time of the month. I’ll close my eyes or do whatever you want if it’ll make you feel better.”
I’m not sure I could get past the embarrassment I’d feel if we did have sex while I have my period.
