“It’s not a big deal.”
“Is it serious?”
“Um, not really?”
“Because if I can help in any way, all you have to do is let me know.”
“I’m on my period!” she blurts out, her face uncomfortably hot.
His face blanks. “Oh.”
“Was that too much information?”
“No, no. It was just, uh…” Alexander scratches behind his ear. “You know what? One sec.” He turns on his heels and retreats down the hall in a flash.
All Eden can do is stare at the spot he was once standing, heart pounding in her ear as her brain shifts into overdrive. She worries that she weirded him out. Periods are perfectly natural, nothing to be freaked out by. Eden’s equal parts disappointed and angry when she returns to her spot on the couch. Their relationship is still pretty new, but she thought maybe Alexander was more mature than this. She sits there, quietly fuming.
Once she’s feeling like her old self again, she’s going to give Alexander one hell of an earful.
He shows up roughly twenty minutes later, entering the apartment without so much as a knock. Eden startles, standing up in a hurry. She’s ready to jump down his throat about how insensitive he’s being, but then she notices the plastic bag in his hand. Alexander sets it down on the coffee table, shifting through the contents.
“Sorry that took me so long,” he says quickly.
“Where’d you run off to?”
“There’s a drugstore about three blocks from here. I had to ask the pharmacy assistant for help. I didn’t know if you had a preference for tampons or pads, so I got a mix of both, but then she mentioned something about a Diva Cup, to which I responded, ‘The fuck is a Diva Cup?’”
He continues to unpack the bag, setting everything down neatly. “I’ve also got a couple of chocolate bars for you—the expensive kind, because that cheap sugary shit’s only going to make you feel worse—some ginger tea, and some Midol just in case you didn’t have any on hand. Oh, and I also got you…”
Alexander pulls out a tiny plush dog. Its fur is made of black velvet, its eyes are wide and cute, and it has the most adorable floppy ears. “To make up for that stuffed whale at the aquarium.”
She wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him tight, pressing her face against the crook of his neck. Eden’s heart has never felt more full.
“Thank you,” she whispers. “You’re so…Argh. I don’t even have the words. Amazing. Awesome. The best.”
“I’ll never tire of hearing you sing my praises.” He hugs her back, pressing a light kiss against the top of her head. “Have you had anything to eat today?”
“Not really. I’ve mostly been napping.”
Alexander makes a ‘hm’ sound in disapproval. “That won’t do at all. Get comfy on the couch. I’ll make you something.”
“Boyfriend, delivery boy, and now my personal chef? Do you have any idea how sexy you are to me right now?”
Alexander smirks. “I do it for the annual boyfriend-delivery-boy-personal-chef award.”
He wraps her up in a cocoon of blankets, stamping a kiss to the tip of her nose before making himself right at home in her kitchen. Eden marvels at how comfortable he looks here. He knows where the utensil drawer is, he knows where she keeps her pots and pans. Eden observes in quiet fascination as he pokes around in her cupboards in search of ingredients, slipping onher hot pink apron with the cute cartoon cat design on the front. He grimaces when he sneaks a peek inside her fridge.
“Your fridge makes me sad,” he comments lightly.
“Youmake me sad,” she replies, even though she knows she doesn’t make any sense.
He chuckles. “Hang on, grumpy pants. I know exactly what I’m going to make you.”
Alexander works diligently and with such care that her heart can’t help but flutter. He preheats the oven, saws off four thick pieces of sourdough bread, spreads a generous layer of mayo instead of butter before searing to a perfect golden brown in a pan. Once browned, he uses a single clove of garlic and rubs it against the bread, giving an otherwise boring piece of toast that extra herbal kick.
He’s generous with the layers of cheese he applies—in this case, sharp cheddar and mozzarella—before he lays everything together, lovingly wraps the food up in a sheet of parchment paper, and pops it in the oven to melt. Once he’s satisfied, he pulls the sandwich out and drizzles the top with the lightest trace of honey; a playful balance of sweet and salty.
Alexander plates up without pomp or circumstance, returning to Eden with the fanciest grilled cheese she’s ever eaten in her entire life. He sits beside her, one arm slung over the back of the couch so that she can lean in against him as she munches away.
