I wrap my comforter around my cold skin, trying to get the chill out of my body. My head rests comfortably on my pillow as my droopy eyes look at the digital clock on the nightstand. 8:07 pm.

I've been in bed all day, too tired and emotionless to move. Plus, my uterus is bleeding, which is always fun. Cramps, headaches, backaches - being a woman is just so great. A low sigh slips out of my lips as I close my eyes again.

Whenever I settle into a peaceful state, my mind replays the image of my dead father on that metal table. His pale features scare the living shit out of me and it's a sight I never want to see again.

I quickly open my eyes, inhaling a sharp breath. My throat is dry and scratchy, but my body is too lazy to get up and grab a water bottle downstairs.

"Stella?" Grayson's soft voice calls out.

Turning my head to look his way, my eyes slightly grow bigger. The love of my life is standing in our doorway with two bags in his hand. One from the drug store, one from the restaurant we went to the other night with Jake and Allie.

"Hi babe." My groggily voice speaks as I rub my eyes.

"I picked you up a few things." He walks closer, taking a seat on the edge of our bed.

"You got me food?" I stare down at the bag of takeout.

"Yup, tacos to be exact." He pulls out a styrofoam box along with a few napkins. "I know you didn't eat dinner."

"Oh my god, Dolan." My eyes glimmer with happiness as I sit up in the bed. "You didn't have to get me any food."

"I also bought you, uh, more tampons and pads." He awkwardly averts his eyes to the ground.

"Holy shit, you deserve the best boyfriend award." I lean forward and sweetly kiss his cheek. The fact that he went out of his way to buy these things makes my cheeks flush with admiration.

"I know you're not feeling good." He shrugs while staring at me.

"There's so much coming up, I think I need a day to recharge my brain." I sigh while slowly unwrapping the tacos from the box.

"I'll go get you some water." He says before rising to his feet. I watch him exit our room, and I can't help but smile.

After taking a few more bites, he comes back in with a cold water bottle. I groan with happiness and take the refreshment from his hand.

"I love you. Thank you." I unscrew the cap and allow the cold liquid to consume my mouth. It feels good against my hot throat.

He takes the feminine products and puts them in the bathroom. "So, tomorrow is the big fashion show."

"I know." I say while swallowing my food. "Is Ethan ready?"

"Yeah, I think he has everything in order." Grayson walks over to me and crawls into the bed. I scoot over so he can have more room.

"I can't wait to see Lanie's reaction to the proposal." I look down at him cuddling into the comforter.

"She'll say yes. Even if she thinks it's too soon, there's no way she would reject him. Ethan had fears that she might but it would never happen. Those two are the definition of textbook romance." He shakes his head.

"She loves him too much to say no. Are your parents still coming?" I ask while taking another bite of my food.

"Yup, my mom texted me before. They're really happy to see all of us again."

"Then next weekend is the showcase." I mutter while gulping.

"They're also coming to that, don't worry." Grayson nods with a smile.

"This performance is a lot of pressure." I admit with a heavy sigh.

"But it's nothing you can't handle." He points out while reaching up to tuck a piece of my hair behind my ear. "You've had showcases before."

"None of them were at Juilliard, though." Fear starts to grow in my core.

I've been trying to prove myself worthy of being in such a prestigious school. This performance is really important to me. Talent agents and producers are going to be in the audience, plus the grand prize of five thousand dollars. My fingers have been aching from practicing so much.

"Who cares what school it's at? You're going to do amazing no matter what." He leans over and attempts to kiss my lips.

"Babe, I'm chewing." I laugh while looking at him.

"I don't give a fuck." He smirks and kisses me anyway. I place my free hand on his cheek, while my other hand holds onto my taco.

"So, where's Jake tonight?" Grayson asks once our lips part.

"He went to work earlier, now he's at Allie's." I say while taking another sip of my water bottle.

"Wow, who would have thought." Grayson shakes his head.

"Honestly, I'm so glad the whole 'dead father' incident didn't scare her away." I shiver at the thought of it.

"Allie seems like a tough girl. She's the perfect match for Jake." He states.

I nod while finishing up my dinner. Grayson takes the box and rises to his feet. He walks across the room to throw out my garbage. I stare at him with love and appreciation.

"I know I say this all the time, but you're such a good boyfriend." I watch him lie back down next to me.

"You're also a good girlfriend, you don't give yourself credit." He wraps his arm around my back and pulls my cold body closer to his warm one.

I scoot up and press my forehead against his. Being this close to him makes me feel safe and protected, just like always.

"I try." I say with a crooked smile.

"You succeed." A grin pops onto his face.

"Have you heard anything from Colin Mulder?" I curiously ask him.

"Not yet. My dad said he's going to call me to officially hire me as their assistant coach, but so far nothing has happened. I'm starting to doubt it."

"Gray, don't doubt it. You had a great interview and you're perfect for the job." I shake my head at his discouraged facial expression.

"I'm probably younger than half of the players, they might reconsider it." He lets out a deep breath.

"Who cares? You have won more championships than I can count on my fingers."

"I'm hoping I hear from them soon so I know when to enroll for classes." His fingers find their way to my hair, and I instantly relax at his touch.

"I'm so proud of you. The fact that they even considered you is a huge honor." I mumble while staring at him.

I will never get over how good looking this man actually is. And he's all mine. His dark eyes are so captivating, every time I look into them I feel like I'm lost in a trance.

"What are you thinking about?" He whispers.

"You."

"What about me?" He muses.

"How good looking you are." I mutter, tracing the pad of my thumb over his plump lips.

"I guess I have good genes." He teases with a small chuckle. The sound vibrates through my body.

"I need to personally thank Sean and Lisa." My mouth curves upward.

He rubs his lips together before leaning down to press his mouth onto mine. It's a tender kiss that allows my breathing to hitch. I wrap my arms around him and draw his body closer.

He shifts his position so he is on top of me. Still keeping the kiss innocent, he places his hands on my waist.

Instead of slipping my tongue into his mouth or making it more dominant, I pull my lips away from his and lean up to give him a hug. That's all I need right now. He wraps his arms around my back, squeezing onto my body.

"You're the strongest person I know, Stella." He whispers while holding me close to him.

"Thanks, baby. I try." I whisper back, screwing my eyes shut.

He slowly removes his hands from my body. His eyes still peer into mine as a low smirk forms on his face. "Let's listen to some music."

Grayson gets up from the bed and walks over to the boombox that is perfectly sitting on the shelf. I place my hand on my stomach and stare at him with a childlike grin. I already know what song he's going to play.

Since we have a large selection of CDs, which range from pop, rap, and classic rock albums, his hands pick up the colorful one in the front. The vibrant colors of green, yellow, blue, and pink on the cover catch my eye. The track he's looking for is on the second side, song number four.

The minute The Rolling Stones hit Beast of Burden fills our bedroom, butterflies go crazy in my stomach. Suddenly I'm eighteen again, looking out my window.

"Dance with me." He says while standing in the middle of our room.

Normally I would say no, but something about this song and our history make it hard to deny this beautiful man.

I rise to my feet, ignoring the pain my cramps are giving me, and walk over to him. We never really do this 'notebook' romance shit, but I don't mind it tonight.

I wrap my arms around his neck while he places his hands on my lower back. We sway to the lyrics, as I stare up into Grayson's eyes.

"This is nice." I inhale a breath.

"It's really nice." He says with a tiny chuckle.

I continue to move my body to the beat, never taking my hands off of Grayson. He pulls me closer to him and I can't help but smile.

"You should go outside and hold the boombox up again." I tease with a blush.

"I don't want these angry New Yorkers to tase me or something." He shakes his head.

"Aw, what's the matter, you can't handle a little tase?" I smirk while staring at him.

"Of course I can." He rolls his eyes.

"Thank you. For the tacos, for the tampons, for everything."

"Of course. Anything my girl needs, I get. I think I've come a long way from a few years ago."

"Please, two years ago you would never run to the store to buy feminine products." I state the truth.

"It's all part of growing up and maturing. Let everyone stare at me, I don't give a fuck." He rolls his eyes.

"And that's why I love you, Gray." I say with a smile.

"I love you, too. These next few days are going to be hectic, but it's nothing we can't handle. You ready for it?"

I inhale a deep breath and think everything through. Once the fashion show and showcase are over, I'll be able to breathe again. But for now, the suffocation is just beginning.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I say while tightening my hold on him.

He leans his head down to press his forehead against mine as we continue to sway back and forth, allowing the music playing from the boombox to drown out my thoughts.

-
wanted to give you guys a cute grella chapter before the main plot lines really pick up ❤️ I feel like I've never read a story that involves the main female character on her period so I just wanted to include it to make it as realistic as possible since it happens to all girls (sorry if it was kinda random lol)