March 2nd, 9:37 AM - Elgin Hall Residence - Chicago, IL Preston's POV

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Labs for PHY2091 are cancelled today. Please refer to the online class forum for instructions to complete the online module. Have a great Wednesday!

Having only the lab on Wednesdays, Preston's entire day had become free. He grinned at the thought, thinking about all the things he could do on his unexpected day off.

Maybe I could get Azura to go get some ice-cream? I could use it as a substitute for her ridiculous lessons.

Grabbing his clothes, he took his sweet time in the bathroom and decided to make a proper lunch before heading out.

As he got the ingredients out for a stir fry, he glanced at his roommate's door which remained shut. Playing it safe, he decided to let her sleep in.

Quietly humming as he diced the vegetables, Azura's door flew open. The disheveled girl walked out and Preston could sense the animosity rolling off her in waves.

Not uttering a word, he continued his task, trying his best to not acknowledge her presence. This was a new mood for him, one he had yet to face. While he had no clue as to why she was acting in such a way, he also lacked the confidence to ask her.

Making her way into the kitchen, he watched from his peripheral vision as she headed straight to the cabinet with the first aid kit. He listened for the rummaging before she let out a string of curse words.

Deep breathes, Prez. Just turn around and start easy with a simple "Good morning". 

Mentally chanting to himself, he turned around, ready to try and engage with this version of Azura that seemed ready to chop his head off.

But his words stopped in his mouth as he saw her double over, clutching her stomach in pain.

The initial fear and nerves were gone, and he immediately went over to her, worried. "Azura, what's wrong?"

But as he touched her, she flinched and shot him a deathly glare. It froze him in his place. She quickly softened though and offered an apology through gritted teeth. "Sorry. It's the stupid fuckening."

As soon as the words left her mouth she winced and Preston was brought back to his senses. "The what?"

"Red wave..." was all she said as she tried to stand at her full height whilst taking a deep breathe. 

"You mean, your period."

"Yes, I mean my period! What else could the fuckening be!" she snapped, her eyes briefly a blaze with rage before she groaned in pain, again.

"Okay well, can I help you? Are you looking for something?" 

Dry pastas are in aisle 6. You are such an idiot Preston. He wanted to slap himself for sounding like a stupid employee at the grocery store.

"Tylenol, know where it is?"

"Yeah, one sec." He went back to the same cupboard she had checked moments ago, and found the bottle hidden at the very back. Silently handing it to her, he watched as she poured the pills into her hand. When he counted four, he yanked her hand before she could throw them into her mouth.

"What the fuck!"

But he merely took two of the pills and placed them back inside the bottle, making sure to take the bottle out of her reach. Filling a glass with warm water he handed it to her. She gave him the stank eye but swallowed the pills after washing it down with the water.

"Relax on the couch, I'll bring you a hot pack."

"I'm fine. Just give me the Tylenol bottle."

He shook his head, and daringly held onto the bottle despite the cold stare directed at him. Setting the couch up with pillows and blankets, he called her over again. Had she not been in much pain, he knew she would have fought back. She stared at him suspiciously which only made him smile in humor. It was a cute expression, the tip of her nose scrunching lightly as she frowned.

Creating the best makeshift hot pack with a towel, he found her rubbing her abdomen as she laid there on the couch. She seemed so vulnerable that it made him momentarily forget the sassy diva he was so used to interacting with.

He wanted to gently move her hand so that he could place the towel, but he stood there like a statue. Finally forcing out a cough to get her attention, he handed her the warm towel.

She visibly relaxed as soon as it was placed, allowing herself to close her eyes peace. Smiling to himself, he let her be as he headed back to the continue to make lunch.

It was probably a little under twenty minutes when he heard her faint cursing again.

"You okay?" he asked, quickly wiping his hands on his apron.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." As he came to her side, she refused to move from where she stood.

"All good, go back to cooking. I'm good," she said halfheartedly as she tried to block his view. Thanks to his height, he peeked behind her to see a red stain on the blanket.

Taking a quick glance at her, he noticed how quickly she averted her eyes as she tried to reach backwards for the soiled linen. "Sorry about that. I'll buy you a new one tomorrow, promise."

Not understanding the embarrassment behind it, he gently moved around her already grabbing hold of the sheets. "It happens, don't worry about it. Go, wash up, I got this."

But as he turned around to go wash them, he found her standing there and staring at him.

"What?"

When she was silent, he became worried, leaning forward lightly. "Is it the cramps?" he asked, concerned that she might be in a lot of pain.

Preston had never seen Azura dazed. She was always in control of the situation. So, when she stared at him with a mixture of awe and confusion, he was found feeling confused too.

What? Was something on my face?

The thought had him lightly brushing the sides of his lips and cheeks. Offering another tidbit, he had learned, he commented, "Trust me, I heard if you take a warm shower it helps." With a smile, he forced himself to move towards the laundry room.

When he finally heard the water running, he relaxed. Why was she so confused? Am I overstepping here? Am I making things weird?

He was left to wonder if he should just give her some peace and quiet but decided he would do it after he finished making lunch.

As he wrapped up the stir fry, he watched from the kitchen as she came out of the bathroom with a new hoodie and shorts. Grabbing the second towel he had microwaved, she finally spoke up when he was within ear shot.

"I can't figure you out."

He frowned as he swapped the towel on the arm rest with the new one. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...you freaked at using a papaya in a fingering demonstration yet here you are changing period blood sheets and being...just," gesturing frustratedly at him, "nice." She was no longer looking at him, her eyes squeezed shut as another wave of pain hit her.

"You're clearly in a lot of pain, what kind of person would I be if I wasn't nice?"

"You would just be like the other guys I know and that would be normal," she murmured as her eyelids relaxed. Preston took note of how she tucked her body into a fetal position. This was the girl that made me run for the hills.

Thinking back to it now, he could not help but chuckle quietly.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing," but he wasn't convincing since the stupid smile didn't leave his face.

She forced one eye open and peeked up at him. "You got a sister?"

Amused at the random question, he shook his head. "Nope, only child."

"Big family with lots of aunts, and grandmas?"

"Unfortunately, no." 

"Then the only answer left is that you have an amazing mother figure."

He shouldn't have paused for as long as he did; not after being able to overlook that minor detail in his life for so many years. Yet the simple word acted as a trigger, causing him to go rigid. His brain tried to pull up images associated with that dreadful title but he had locked those memories in the deepest part of his brain a long time ago. 

Lightly patting his chest, he cleared his through. "Nope, single father actually."

She stared at him, puzzled. "A single father and he taught how to take care of a girl during her period?"

He mocked offense, "Hey, fathers can be compassionate too. Besides, I had a mom."

Her tone, like her gaze, softened. "Had?"

Realizing how his statement must have sounded he quickly corrected himself. "She's alive! Well, I think. She left us when I was young. My dad deserved better."

"Did he find someone after?"

He shook his head, a small smile making his way to his lips as he thought about his old man. "Nope. He devoted his time between his job and me and made sure to raise me into a respectable gentleman. His love is equivalent to that of a mother's, so he never made me feel like I was missing out on not having a mom."

But his voice unbeknownst to him turned slightly bitter at the end. "Hell, if I'm being honest, I'm happy she left because there was nothing great about her anyway."

Even in her tired and pained state, she was able to look at him with just as much intensity. After dealing with her interrogation style, he knew that his answer didn't satisfy her curiosity. "She seems to have left a mark," she offered cautiously.

Preston was quick to deny, his lips forming a strong frown to reject her claim. "No. Whatever she did or when she left means nothing. I couldn't care less. She was an extremely selfish person who happened to have hurt one of the most selfless people I know. More than her leaving me behind, I can't fully get over how she broke my father's heart."

Azura nodded silently giving himself a minute to calm down. The topic should not have riled him, since it's been over a decade since he saw that woman's face. He couldn't even recall how she looked like.

But Azura broke the tension by giving him a lopsided smile. "Huh, so instead of anger your father taught you respect and compassion? No wonder you're like this, your father's a saint."

Preston smiled as he took a spot on the adjacent sofa. "He's an OBGYN actually."

Her mouth formed a silent 'ah' as she understood that correlation. "That explains it. We need more father's like him in this world."

"Yeah, I guess we do," sharing a smile with her. The fond memory of the most important person in his life brought a sense of peace over him.

As they sat there in silence, the timer went off, indicating that the food was done. Quietly standing up, he went back into the kitchen. In a plate for himself and in a bowl for her, he handed her food before resuming his seat on the adjacent couch.

"You didn't have to do that Preston. I would have been fine with some Tylenol."

He chuckled at her simple solution but reassured her that he wanted to do it. "If you're alone the next time the 'red wave' hits fine, but until I'm here I'm not going to let you overdose on Tylenol."

A pillow was hurled in his direction, but he easily caught it, laughing at her childish actions. "I told you I wasn't overdosing! I'm not suicidal."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Seriously, if word gets out Veronica might as well think I've become your girlfriend."

But Preston wasn't annoyed with the comment. In fact, he couldn't find it in him to be bothered if Veronica found out.

"Why don't you have a boyfriend?" he blurted out.

He munched in suspense, slightly wondering if he was overstepping. But the shrug she offered made him relax. "Because it's too much work. If I have a boyfriend, I can't just use him for the physical pleasure. That's just part of it. I'd have to be emotionally and mentally available." She finished another spoon before adding, "and right now, I'm not. So, it's easier to just have friends with benefits who know my rules."

He nodded in understanding, and in an odd sense was impressed with the maturity she had expressed with her answer. 

So no heartbreak past huh? I mean if anything she probably would have been the heartbreaker. 

"What if one of them falls for you?"

She looked at him thoughtfully before slowly explaining her solution. "Then I have to end things. I'm not trying to hurt them. Sure, I'll seem like a bitch, but at the end of the day I'd be doing more good than bad by making that call."

She's actually kind of mature and practical. 

Again, he could find no fault and Preston felt a sense of fascination as he listened to her. "Okay, but what if you fell for one of them?"

Her eyes asked him if he was being serious because she lightly snorted. "That will never happen."

"But if it does?" he pressed. He didn't know where this interest had come from, or why he should even care about the answer in the first place.

She held his stare, which he did not waver from. His curiosity had taken control and for some reason he needed to know the answer. "Then I'd leave and go as far as way as possible." 

Word count: 2284