On Thin Ice

25. Golfing Games and Hidden Nicknames

Entry #48
5/28
(3 yrs ago)
I tune into the funny sounds you make, the little things you say
The way you call me Norway, a simple nickname but one that you gave

Minnow's POV

I woke up with the worst cramps in my life and horrible back pain.

And because I hadn't thought about when my period was coming, I hadn't worn a pad to bed. I was a heavy bleeder too.

There was nothing more humbling than being on the toilet, blood on your pants and underwear. So I took a shower immediately, feeling exhausted and miserable.

I put on some sweats and wrapped myself in my pink robe. No matter what time of year it was, the moment my period started I was freezing down to my toes.

To top it off, I needed to pick up pads sometime today. Living with Whitney made it easy to not need to get pads. So I gathered all the bedsheets from the bed and walked downstairs, heading to the laundry room.

I wasn't used to being embarrassed about my period but it felt different now that I was living with a man again. Some guys were weird about periods...Brodie definitely was.

The machine started running, and I sighed and closed the laundry room door.

I was hungry, wanted to go back to sleep, and felt nauseous all at once. Walking into the kitchen, I found it empty.

Internally I was glad Søren wasn't here. I had said so much yesterday that I wasn't even sure if I could look him in the eye. And the whole throwing up on his shoes was...so embarrassing.

I hadn't felt that vulnerable in so long that it made me a little fearful. The last time I put my walls down around a guy, I got screwed over.

But right now I needed to eat. I could doom-spiral after.

Opening the cabinet Søren had cleared out for me, I pulled out the basket of all my diabetes essentials. I needed to take insulin 30 minutes before eating every meal, which I wasn't the best about being consistent with.

There were so many risks with not being consistent about my insulin shots. Nerve damage, kidney or eye problems. Not to mention I could pass out and die if I neglected for one day. Yay!

I needed to see my endocrinologist soon. I had switched providers once I got married and needed to make sure I was on track health-wise.

I grabbed the small vial of medicine and a 4-millimeter needle.

The sound of barking had me looking over my shoulder. Abandoning my things, I walked over to the window, noticing that Søren was outside.

And so was Rylo.

They were standing in the grass by the pool boxing...shirtless. I wasn't sure who to stare at. My eyes were going back and forth, trying to make sense of it all.

With the morning sun on them, they were both working a sweat, Søren punching back and forth with boxing gloves while Rylo held up two pads. Dink and Sam were playing some tug of war.

This must've been a routine thing they did because they moved with precision, almost like a dance. Punch, punch, block. Duck, block, counterattack.

It was one thing to know how large Rylo was...but without a shirt, he was a giant. And that was true even when he was standing next to Søren who was already large.

And when I refocused on Søren, I was forgetting to breathe. He was...breathtaking. Glistening in the sun, his tan skin was everywhere, taunt and muscular, overwhelming me. He had abs that I didn't even know were there and his back muscles flexed with his movements, I felt goosebumps rise on my skin.