14

It was half past 1 in the morning when she got off the phone with her brother. Before that, she immediately called her mom who was surprisingly online when Zeke dropped her off. So she called her mom and told her about her date.

As always, Jane gushed at the cuteness overload. After a lot more detail-fishing, she gave Kiano the phone so that Kárri could talk and catch up with her dad. Even a thousand miles apart, she remained daddy's girl.

She was wearing her pajama shorts and loose t-shirt, getting ready for bed when she felt a familiar sudden pain in her abdomen. Thinking that she was just bloated, she ignored it and got into bed, trying to sleep with the hope of waking up the next day feeling better. It usually did.

However, it seemed the pain increased the more she tried to ignore it. She got up, drank some water and stood by the window, thinking of nothing and everything at the same time. She checked her calendar and noticed that her period was in a couple of days, which was the reason why her cramps started early. She was used to the nightmare cramps and usually just fought them off with painkillers.

She decided to lay down for a while, but when it finally became unbearable, she walked over to Denver's room to ask for painkillers because she didn't have any. She forgot to stock up on them. When she opened his bedroom door, he was fast asleep. She sighed in pain, not having the heart to wake him up.

Left with no choice but to go to the 24-Hour Convenience Store down the block, she threw on a hoodie and slipped into some slides, stuffing a few notes in her pockets. She hoped to get some snacks as well.

Thankfully, the streets along campus were well-lit, so she didn't need to fear being attacked by a man as she walked alone at night. She was even more grateful, since it was uncomfortable walking around with cramps.

She pushed the door to the store open, feeling less alone as she noticed a handful of people around looking for what-in-the-world at this god-forbidden hour. She made a beeline for the medication aisle, where she then slowed down to read the different medication descriptions.

She found a common brand of painkillers specifically for cramps and backache on the top shelf. She also noted that it was the last of its kind, among other brands of painkillers, but those ones didn't cater to her problem.

Just as she stretched to reach for the white bottle, another masculine, hairy arm beat her to it. Her jaw fell as she stood back and tilted her head to find a handsome guy holding the bottle in his hand.

"I was reaching for those," she said through her teeth, wincing as she held the side of her stomach under her hoodie.

"But I took them first," the guy responded, dropping the bottle in his cart among some other items and putting his hand in his front pocket.

He looked her up and down and then scrunched his nose, which annoyed Kárri because being checked out and then silently criticized was the last thing she could take. She knew she was a mess; she didn't need him to point it out.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, quickly scanning the shelf again in case she missed another bottle of the same painkillers. She turned her face back to the guy who was still intently watching her. She couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"What do you even need them for?"

"That's a very sexist thing to say," he retorted.

"Alright, sorry. But may I please have those pills? I'll pay you double," she almost pleaded.

"But my back is aching," he said, making a show of stretching it to prove his point. On cue, it cracked, making him grin despite himself.

"You can take these ones," she said, not finding humour in the situation as she pointed to an orange bottle that showed joints in red. It was a solution that needed to be drunk by people with arthritis or fatigue.

"Yes, I suppose I could, but I want these ones," he said, motioning to the pills sitting in his cart.

"I swear to God," she whispered, walking away as she took her phone out to see if there was another shop close enough and that had more of those same pills. Just as she was typing, she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen.

She winched in pain, closing her eyes and leaning onto the shelf for support as she continued to try and type on her phone, her hand shaking uncontrollably. Noticing this, he recognized what she was going through and immediately rushed to her side, letting her sit down on some carpet being sold.

He then popped the bottle open practically shoved two pills in her mouth before opening one of the sparkling waters he bought and brought it close to her lips to help her swallow the pills. He felt her hand slightly trembling as she held the water close to her mouth herself.

After a couple minutes of rubbing her back, he lifted her head up to have a good look at her. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah," she nodded, wanting nothing more than to be in her precious warm bed. As if reading her thoughts, he held her hand to help her up, holding her by the waist before letting go as she stood on her own.

"I'm sorry, I was just messing with you and I didn't realize you were in pain," he apologized sincerely. "Come on, let me get you some sweet stuff," he said, to which she shook her head.

"I just need the pills, really." Wordlessly, he gave her the bottle of pills and she gave him a small smile before walking away to the cashier. At the payout, she also bought a bunch of chocolates because she was craving something sweet. She just didn't want him to buy them for her.

Outside, she sat on the bench at the side of the store close to the toilets, making sure that she was still somewhere well-lit. She needed to rest and let the pills take full effect. The pain slightly subsided but she wasn't gonna risk taking a walk immediately.

While snacking on her lunchbar, she noticed the guy from the shop walk out with two plastic bags. She didn't think much of him, rather than that he was kind enough to give her the bottles.

She saw that he was definitely good-looking, but she hardly got a proper look at his face because her uterus was too busy preparing itself to let her know no fertilization took place. Wouldn't it be better if periods were for an hour or just a day?

She groaned, checking the time on her phone and saw that it was a little over 2 o'clock. She dropped her face in her hands and sighed.

"Rough night?" the voice said. She looked up and scrunched her nose habitually, wondering why he was still here. "I saw you sitting here and I couldn't drive away before making sure that you're alright," he explained, receiving a nod from her.

"I'm fine, thanks," she said, not in the mood to talk to anyone.

He took her response as an invite to sit down next to her. He kept quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say. Then he asked gently, "The pills didn't help?"

"Oh, they did," she murmured, "I'm just not in the mood for company right now."

"Understood," he said, leaning back and folding his arms across his chest. That took her by surprise; the fact that he still hadn't left yet. Nevertheless, she decided not to say anything. They both looked ahead, listening to the faint music coming from the store and the rumble of the occasional car that pulled up in the parking lot.

"Do you have somewhere to sleep tonight?" he asked carefully. He did not wanting to offend her by implying that she looked homeless, even though she did.

"Yep."

"Can you walk to it?"

She didn't answer.

"May I drop you at your place?" he tried again.

She turned to face him, meeting his eyes that were already on her. "I'd rather you didn't."

"Why not?" he asked, genuinely interested in why she would turn down his offer again.

"Because I don't know you," she said in a 'duh' tone.

"I'm Max. Now can I drop you home?"

Kárri scoffed, shaking her head. After some consideration, she glanced at him. Again, she caught him staring at her. "You're lucky I don't feel like walking back."

In his car, he switched on the air-con to create some heat for her. Rummaging through bags of plastic in the backseat, he retrieved one and placed it on her lap. She instantly felt something cold and asked, "What's this?"

"Snacks," he said briefly. He felt her stare at him hard enough to burn a hole through his skull. "Specifically ice cream, chocolates, chips, biltong, candy, soda and biscuits. I think there's also some yogurt, I don't remember," he recounted as he started the engine and drove.

"No, but thank you though," she quickly refused, tying it up and trying to put it back with the rest. He was doing too much.

He placed one hand on hers to stop her from putting the plastic back. "You have cramps. The last thing you should be doing is trying to argue with me."

She gasped, trying to say something but he gave her a side glance that quickly shut her up. She pouted, crossing her arms against her chest and looking out the window.

"Are you gonna tell me where you live or should I drive around some more?" he asked after a few minutes of driving around.

She chuckled softly, mentioning her residence. Within a couple of minutes, he was driving through their gates. She showed her gate pass on her key to avoid having to sign in at security.

"It's the one at the end," she pointed. He drove slower before completely stopping in front of the lawn.

"Are you able to walk or should I carry you inside?" he teased. She rolled her eyes, undoing her seat belt.

"I liked you better when you weren't talking," she said, stepping out of the car. Just as she was about to close his door, he called out for her.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, holding the plastic towards her.

She bit the inside of her cheek before bending to look him in the eyes. "I don't want to owe you anything."

"You won't," he said, extending his hand towards her again. This time, she took it. She thanked him and said her goodbyes. He waited until she was inside and locked the door before driving out.