Melody POV
The cramp hit me like a wave. Sharp, low, and constant.
I pressed my palm against my lower abdomen and curled further into the passenger seat of my car. My car. Still. Even after everything. I had promised myself I would stop sleeping here, but I hadn't found the strength to return to Marvis's place…not fully. Not after the confusing rush of emotions we'd both danced around the night before.
The night that changed something in me.
My phone buzzed. I didn't even check it. My body was too heavy, my stomach aching too much to care.
I knew what it was. I hated this time of the month.
Not because of the pain, though that was terrible enough, but because it always made me feel small. Weak. Like my body was trying to slow me down when I had no time to stop.
A soft knock at the car window made me jump.
Marvis. Of course it was him.
I didn't know how long he'd been standing there, but his sharp eyes studied me like I was some puzzle he couldn't quite solve. I unlocked the door without saying anything.
He opened it gently and crouched beside me.
"You didn't answer your phone," he said quietly.
"I didn't want to talk," I replied, voice low.
He didn't speak for a while. Just observed me. Then his eyes flicked to the small trash bag near my feet where I'd thrown a used pad wrapper earlier.
He understood instantly.
"I see," he murmured.
I expected him to tease me or look uncomfortable. Most guys would. But Marvis just nodded once, as if cataloguing the information somewhere inside that strategic mind of his. Like it mattered.
"You didn't eat," he added after a beat.
"Didn't feel like it."
He stood up straight. "Come with me."
I blinked. "Where?"
He didn't answer. Just opened the passenger door fully and waited.
I hesitated, then finally grabbed my coat and followed him. Every step felt heavier than the last. I didn't want to walk far. I didn't want to talk. I just wanted a warm blanket and silence.
To my surprise, he led me to his car.
He opened the door like a chauffeur, letting me sink into the soft leather seat without a word. Then he got in beside me, started the engine, and drove.
We didn't talk on the way. I liked that about him.
He always knew when not to ask questions.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled into the underground garage of his penthouse. He didn't say a word as we entered the private elevator. I leaned against the wall, breathing through the cramps. He didn't comment, but I could feel his eyes on me the entire ride up.
When the doors opened, the lights in his apartment flickered on softly. The scent of something warm…lavender, maybe…floated in the air. I followed him in without thinking.
"Sit," he said, motioning to the long couch in the living room.
I obeyed.
He disappeared into the kitchen, and for a few minutes I closed my eyes and just breathed.
When he returned, he carried a small tray. On it: a bowl of steaming oatmeal with banana slices, a glass of water, and two wrapped painkillers. My eyes widened.
"You didn't have to"
"I did," he cut in, setting the tray on the table in front of me. "You won't get better by starving."
I stared at the meal. "You cooked this?"
"I can use a microwave."
I almost smiled.
He turned away, but I caught a flicker of worry in his eyes before he masked it again.
I picked up the bowl, grateful more than I could say. As I ate, he disappeared again and came back holding something behind his back.
"Here," he said simply, tossing a small hot water bottle into my lap.
It was covered in a fuzzy pink case.
I stared at it. "This is… girly."
"It's warm," he replied, folding his arms.
"Where did you even get this?"
"I have a housekeeper. She shops too much."
I hugged it to my stomach, letting out a small sigh as the warmth seeped through me. I didn't say thank you. I didn't need to.
He sat down at the far end of the couch, watching me from the corner of his eye.
"I'm sorry if I ruined your day," I said after a while.
"You didn't."
"You're always so calm, even when you're angry."
He didn't reply.
"Do you ever get scared, Marvis?"
"More often than I like."
That surprised me. "Really?"
He nodded. "But I don't let it stop me."
I looked down at my bowl. "You know… you didn't have to come find me."
"I know."
"But you did."
"I always will."
Those three words settled into me like gravity.
We didn't say much after that. I finished eating slowly, curled up with the fuzzy water bottle, and let my body sink into the couch. I didn't realize I was dozing off until I felt a blanket being draped over me. His scent lingered on it.
He didn't touch me. Didn't try to stay close. He just made sure I was warm. Fed. Safe.
And somehow, that meant more than anything he could have said.
As I drifted off, I realized something strange.
Even in pain, even with my body aching and heart unsure…I felt peace.
For the first time in a long time, I wasn't fighting alone.