Yes, Sweetheart

Chapter 6

I washed up with the washcloth and soap, and changed clothes. Indeed, just as Levi said, there were pads in the medicine cabinet as well. I put one in the underwear and tried out the pair. It fit well, but was a bit snug. Levi must've grabbed one of the smaller pairs.

The basketball shorts were nice too. The elastic waistband ensured that I wasn't too uncomfortable if I had cramps, and was loose enough to still move around in.

Truthfully, my recent moodiness that Josh had blamed on stress was likely a combination of both stress and hormones. That would explain why I had gotten so snippy lately.

Still, after grabbing my clothes and the dirty washcloth and scooping them back up, I opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

I saw Josh scrubbing at the couch cushion, and glared at me furiously when he saw me walk out of the bathroom.

Frozen, I wasn't sure where to go. It seemed my traitorous legs wouldn't move a muscle.

"Aria, come here."

Levi's kind voice carried over from the foot of the steps, where he peered around the bannister to meet my eyes and incline his head towards him. This was his method, apparently, for allowing me to avoid Josh.

My cramping, while less severe, was still pretty bad. I kept my composure while Josh was watching, and tried not to limp over to the steps.

By the time I got there, I was clutching the railing for dear life as I tried not to curl into the fetal position.

Levi picked me up again, this time curling over me as if he could protect me from Josh's searing gaze.

He carried me up the stairs, down the hallway, and into a dark but serene room at the end of the space.

Reaching the room, he plopped me down on the couch opposite the bed, turned on lights, and located a blanket off of the floor in the corner of the room. He threw it over me, covering me in an effort to keep me warm.

"Are those pills starting to help any?"

Levi's voice was neutral, but also held an undertone of concern.

I nodded, barely able to hold back a grimace. It seemed my body wasn't over the ruptured cyst just yet. Of fucking course.

He held up a 'one-second' finger, disappeared down the stairs, and rustled items in the background.

Levi was being especially considerate of a girl who was only dating his brother, but I couldn't say I didn't appreciate the effort. Likely, he wanted to stop me from being in pain, and was pulling items out of the hat to see if they worked.

I could hear something crinkling, and Levi appeared again in the doorway. He shut the door behind him this time, holding a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel and an entire plastic bag's worth of assorted chocolates.

He smiled, and handed both over.

I grinned like a lunatic at the prospect of chocolate. I adored anything made of chocolate, especially on days like these. Occasionally Josh would buy me chocolate, but those times were few and far between. After what happened today, I highly doubted he'd be doing so again, either.

Levi and I could hear yelling from outside the door, and I stiffened. Levi's finger went to his mouth to warn me to be quiet.

"I know you're in there, Levi. Face it, you can hide in there all you want, but she's not worth your time or effort. Trust me, she wasn't worth all that time."

My eyes pricked with tears. Whether it was the sudden onset of hormones or genuine pain, I didn't know. Even so, it was heartbreaking to hear such things.