Page 202 of Redeemed

“Not a chance.”

“Figures,” I mutter.

“Don’t take too long. I heard Lucas in the kitchen, so he’s probably already making breakfast.”

“Fine.”

Colton finally lets me close the door. I hurry through my routine so I have time to shower. The hot water soothes my cramps a little, but I know better than to bask in it for long.

Thankfully, when Xander and Lucas went shopping for me, I asked for a couple boxes of tampons, so I don’t have any issues in that department. It hurts to put one in—everythinghurts—but at least I actually have tampons. At Cornerstone, we had to make our own reusable pads, and I hated how they felt.

When I get downstairs, there’s a green smoothie sitting near the spot next to where Colton always sits.

In a glass.

On the table.

No bowl in sight.

My assumption is that it’s his, but then where’s mine?

The guys continue their conversation about Lucas’s game schedule without more than a glance toward me. I lower myself to the floor next to Colton’s chair. It feels extra uncomfortable today. All I want to do is go back to sleep.

“No.” Colton sets two plates of pancakes onto the table and then hooks his arms under mine. He pulls me up and pushes me into the chair next to his. “Not this week.”

“Why?”

“Even we have our limits, doll,” Xander says. He smiles tiredly, and it only accentuates the bags under his eyes.

“How’re you feeling?” Lucas asks.

“I’m fine, guys. It’s not like I’m sick or something. It’s just my period.”

“Rora is always miserable during hers,” Lucas counters.

“Well, it’s different for everyone.”

“So you’re going to pretend Ididn’twatch you hobble to the bathroom twenty minutes ago?” Colton deadpans as he sits next to me.

“Okay, but—”

“You’re the one who asked me to stop being an insufferable asshole,” he cuts in. “Unless you’ve decided to retract that?”

“No! God, no. Um, thank—”

But I can’t find it in myself to go on. I refuse to thank them for treating me like a normal fucking human being, especially since it took me being in physical pain for them to get to this point. If they want my gratitude, they’ll have to do a lot more than this.

None of them force me to finish, though. They just dig in to their food, so I silently follow suit, my head spinning. I appreciate not having to eat on the floor, but I wasn’t expecting any of them to treat me differently just because I’m on my period. I didn’t think they’d care.

I’m still not sure they do.

I finish off my smoothie and then nibble away at one of the pancakes on my plate. On a normal day, I could polish all this off in a heartbeat, but today, it feels like my stomach will rebel if I take one more bite. And god, I’m so tired. I feel like I could fall asleep at the table.

Colton must notice pretty quickly because he takes my plate and replaces it with two pain pills, which I quickly swallow down. Xander and Lucas follow Colton, and the three of them have a quiet conversation by the sink.

“I have a meeting,” Colton says.

“You’re the one who needs to sleep,” Lucas tells Xander.

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