Early morning, the energetic chirps from outside woke Selina from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times before adapting to the bright light shining into her eyes. She squinted at the ceiling as she snuggled closer into her husband's embrace.
The moment she rotated her body sideways, she felt her lower abdomen tighten. A familiar warmth circulated below, waking her up instantly.
Reaching her palm to the slightly cramping area, she sat up with a gasp. She checked the date on her phone and rushed to the bathroom. Once she settled on the toilet with her pants pulled to her knees, she was relieved to see her unstained panties.
Now, there was a slightly bigger problem than her panties. She needed sanitary pads, but it was only five in the morning! How could she text Celinda or her mother-in-law to ask them to bring sanitary pads to her?
As she pondered whether she should text one of them at this hour, she heard two knocks from the other side of the door. Jason was a light sleeper, so when she got out of bed, he also woke up.
He quickly followed to see if she was feeling nauseous from drinking champagne last night. After knocking on the door twice, he heard her weakened voice asking him to find either Celinda or her mother-in-law.
"They are not here. After we went back to our room last night, they followed your parents to their home. What's wrong? Are you feeling sick? Should I call the doctor? Let me come in and help you first." His fingers reached for the golden door knob and turned it.
Before he could pull the door open, he heard her request. "C..Can you help me go to my room and look into the last drawer of the rose gold cabinet? There should be sanitary pads." She shyly asked him as she sat on the toilet with her palms covering her face.
"Oh..no problem." He took a step away from the door and remembered a crucial detail he needed to clarify. "What type? Do you want the daytime one with wings? What color is the packaging and the length of it?"
She buried her face deeper into her palms as she answered his inquiries. "I want the orange daytime ones. It should be the longest length in ultra-thin thickness. Winged."
"Roger." Jason spoke as he ran to her room to look for what she needed. After two minutes, he knocked on the bathroom door again. This time, she gave him permission to enter the bathroom. As soon as he entered, he saw her peeking her eyes between her fingers with flushed cheeks. Her small palms were barely large enough to cover her cheeks.
After handing her the sanitary pad she needed, he asked. "Are you sure you're alright by yourself? You look pale." Taking a few steps forward, he bent down and places his palm over her forehead.
"Good, no fever." He said.
"Jason..." She stuttered.
"Hmm?" He replied gently.
"Can you go out for a minute? I need to.." Her words trailed off as she mentioned attaching the pad to her panties. She was too shy to do it in front of him,
Understanding her words, he nodded. "Alright. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll be right outside the door." Within seconds, he had closed the door from behind and stood outside the bathroom.
The sound of water flushing down the toilet followed by water running from the sink could be heard from the restroom. As soon as he heard a small creak from the door, he turned around to look at his wife. Her eyes lacked energy while one hand was caressing her tummy.
"Stomach hurting?" He asked.
She nodded her head. "Bad cramps. I get it once in a while. I'll be fine after some rest. You should get a clean towel and place it on my side of the bed. I don't want any accidents with my period getting onto your bedsheets."
"It's fine. These could be washed. That's what washing machines are for. Worry less about making a mess and focus more on your health. Here, lie down while I make you some jujube tea. If not, I'll make ginger brown sugar water for you. Both helps with circulating blood flow to your body."
He tucked her in bed and walked down to the kitchen.
When he had finished preparing the tea, he carried the mug upstairs with a hot-water bottle. After double checking the hot-water bottle for any signs of leakage, he brought it to her bedside.
"Wait a few minutes before applying this hot-water bottle to your lower abdomen. It should help with your cramps. The tea is still hot, so wait a bit before drinking it." He sat on the edge of the bed as he placed the two items onto the table beside the bed.
Leaning sideways on the bed, Selina looked up to meet her husband's worried gaze. "I'm fine. The pain will go away after the second day of my cycle. By the way, when did you learn to make jujube tea? Ginger brown sugar water? And the hot-water bottle too."
In the past, she remembered having cramps, but she never made the teas in front of him. After minutes of silence, Jason replied to her inquiry while brushing strands of her hair behind her ears.
"I bought jujube for a reason. My mom told me jujube was good for relieving cramps. I started stocking up the cabinet in the kitchen in case you suffer from bad cramps. In the past months, you've only had cramps once. It was during that time that I started stocking up. I know you dislike taking medicine in general, but the tea is sweet." He held the mug in his hands, stirred the tea with a spoon and blew on it.
Once the temperature was warm enough for her to drink, he adjusted her pillow and helped her sit up against the bed frame. Scooping a spoon of the tea, he blew on it gently before feeding it to her.
"I could drink it myself." She tried taking the mug from him but failed.
"Let me feed you. You look pale." He continued feeding spoonfuls to her mouth.
Watching him blow before feeding her, she let out a small laugh. "Pfft.."
"Hmm? What are you laughing at?" He wondered if he did something funny to make her laugh.
Cupping her right cheek, she tilted her head and said. "You were like this when I first woke up from my coma too. But, you've improved." She chuckled as she leaned closer to him.
"Improved? How so?"
"You learned how to blow the food and not my lips." She giggled as she reminded him about him burning her lips at the hospital.
Placing the mug onto the table, Jason climbed on the bed and bent over to her ears. Speaking huskily into her ear, he whispered. "Of course, because now...I could kiss you."
Before Selina could respond to his tease, his lips already covered hers and gently nibbled on her soft lips. The sweet taste of jujube entered his mouth as their kiss deepened. Like a provoked devil, he didn't part from her lips until she ran out of breath.
When their lips parted, Selina cursed inwardly. 'Damn! Why am I on my period? Such a waste to let him off with some kisses!'