Page 49 of Confessions of a Virgin on a Dating App
Fine.I practically threw my cards down on the table, shoving them into my pre-release box with little regard for the fact that they were made of delicate cardboard.My period wins.Fuck prerelease, fuck my feelings for Devin, and most of all, fuck my stupid broken reproductive system.
“Uh, Avery, you okay?”
I turned my head, which caused more nausea to bubble in my stomach. Cassidy had stopped deckbuilding and was staring at me with concern.
“Yeah,” I groaned as I stood up, even though I wasn’t. “Look, I’m gonna need to drop. Can I take the car and pick you uplater?”
“Of course,” Cassidy replied. “Is it…”
“Yeah.”
Cassidy was aware of my period problems, although she never asked too many questions about them. Us women had an unspoken sympathy for each other’s period pain, but I always felt queasy bringing it up around men.
Which made marching up to the counter and telling Devin I was dropping from the event even more awkward.
“Why?” He frowned, a dark eyebrow raised. “We haven’t even started.”
“I, uh, don’t feel well.”
I had prayed that he would let me go without asking too many questions. That he would keep that same icy mask of pretending not to know me. But Devin was a kind-hearted person, always concerned about the well-being of others. Which means no matter how much I fucked up our friendship, he wasn’t going to let me just stumble out of there.
“You did this a few weeks ago,” he noted, stepping out from behind the counter. “Are you sick? Do you need help?”
“No!” I hissed, recoiling away from him. “I’m fine. Just let me go home.”
I stumbled away, my heart aching from snapping at him. But after a few paces, I stopped. The pain had amplified when I got up from the table, and it now nearly brought me to my knees.
“Avery, I can’t just let you drive home when you’re this sick.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Devin stepping toward me. “Do you need me to call someone? What if you—shit!”
I collapsed.
Chapter 14
Something isn’t right.
My mind stirred, drifting back into reality. My eyes were closed. I was clearly asleep a moment ago. But I wasn’t at home. I couldn’t feel my usual comforter wrapped around me like a cocoon, and there was no toasty Florida sun streaming through my window. Instead, I was engulfed in the smell of air freshener, cardboard, and a familiar light, earthy cologne.
A deep ache strained my pelvis, and I remembered everything.
I was just about to leave Critical Games. I told Devin I was dropping because I didn’t feel well. He tried to stop me, and…
“C’mon Avery, wake up.”
I was suddenly aware of the thick sweatshirt fabric cradling my back and legs.
I had fainted.
And Devin was carrying me into the storage room.
He knelt down, and I felt cold, hard plastic beneath my body as he settled me into a chair. His hands gripped my shoulders as he gently rustled me awake.
I finally had the strength to open my eyes. My vision was blurry at first, but I knew that pale face and mop of choppy black hair.
“What happened?” I mumbled in a bleary tone.
“You passed out,” Devin replied. Once he was convinced that I wouldn’t topple out of my chair, he released his grip on my shoulders and pulled out his phone. As he furiously typed with one hand, I continued to regain consciousness, my vision sharpening and my mind becoming more aware of my surroundings.
It’s even more of a mess in here than it was last week.
