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As soon as you woke up, you knew. There was no explanation for it, you just did. Carefully removing your boyfriend’s arms from around you, you froze as you felt him stir. Maybe if you were quiet enough then he’d go back to sleep? No, wishful thinking.
“Leaving so soon?” Josh murmured drowsily, watching as you sat up on the side of the bed.
“No, I’ll be back in a moment…” He raised an eyebrow at your tone. Something was up and he knew it, too.
Josh's eyes rested upon your back with a concerned gaze as you stumbled into the ensuite bathroom. A murmur of "Shit!" could be heard, followed by the shuffling of feet and a tearing sound as you opened a pad.
"Babe?" Josh called out.
"What?" You hadn't meant to snap at him but the pain had started settling in and oh, how you loathed it. You took a deep breath and took a step out of the bathroom, "No- I'm sorry, I'm sorry. What were you going to say?"
Josh was no longer on the bed, rather standing by the bathroom door as he wrapped a navy dressing gown around himself. He smiled softly as he looked over to you, "Do you want a hot water bottle?"
"Yes, please..." You sighed, wrapping your arms around the soft, expensive fabric he wore as he leaned in to gently kiss your forehead. His lips lingered there for a moment before he slowly pulled away, "I'll be back in a moment, okay? I'll get you some pain killers as well."
"I love you so much," You squeezed his hand before releasing it, allowing him to head out to the kitchen but not before he replied with an, "I love you, too."
You crawled under the covers of your shared bed, squirming around with your futile attempts to find a position which reduced the ache that spread throughout your abdomen. Not even your legs were spared from the Hell you felt as you bunched them up to your chest.
You tried to focus more on the sound of snow stacking upon the rooftop as you laid there, eerie whispers on the night breeze. As beautiful as it was, it was not enough to dull the pain. But with the sound of familiar footsteps: your guardian angel had returned.
"Okay, here we go..." You sat up as Josh walked over with a hot water bottle in one hand and a glass of water, along with some painkillers, in the other. Josh cautiously handed you the full glass, releasing a small sigh of relief as he miraculously managed to avoid spilling it everywhere.
With a brief chuckle you popped a couple of painkillers into your mouth and swallowed them with a few gulps of water, "God, I needed that." You placed the now empty glass on the bedside table and leaned back again as Josh placed the hot water bottle on you, its heat a sweet gift.
"Thank you, love..." You watched him remove and hang up the dressing gown before climbing under the covers to join you again. He wrapped his toned arms around you, pulling you against his back as his face pressed into your hair. The warmth of his body and comfort of his presence soothed you into finding a sense of peace again. Although the painkillers were still far from kicking in, you let out a contented hum as Josh’s fingers massaged your lower back.
“You’re the best, I hope you know that…”
“It’s hard to forget when you’re always reminding me.”
You felt Josh’s smile against your hair and rolled over so you were face to face instead, “Seriously, I mean it.”
With a loving smile, Josh’s hand moved up to cup your cheek and pull you into a soft kiss. Your eyes fluttered shut as you returned the affection. He then tucked your head under his chin and pulled you closer until you almost believed you were about to merge into one being. Like you’d vanish if he let go.
“Shhh… just close your eyes, sweetheart…” And you did, and as the pain faded so did your consciousness, and all was warm…