Page 114 of Let the Light Shine Through

“Besides sleeping?”

I quickly check my rearview mirror before merging into the right lane and answering, “Yes,” to Gia.

Her laugh crackles through the speakers, making me grin. We’ve spent the past two months together practically inseparable, and I don’t think I can hold my parents off any longer for a family dinner. I thought taking Gia sounded like a good idea. Not only because I hate being away from her, but I also want my mom and dad to finally meet her. I’ve never brought a girl home, but Gia’s not just any girl. She’s my girlfriend.

Girlfriend. I used to fear the term. Like it meant something so serious, so final. Now it feels almost like a mockery. Gia’s more than a word, a title. She’s just more.

“Shit!”

The vibration cuts off followed by a couple of heavy thuds.

“What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She mutters something under her breath that I miss.

“What are you doing anyway?”

I wanted to meet her for lunch at Al’s, since she’s supposed to work today, but I’m running a bit behind after the meeting with my financial advisor.

“I’ll call you back.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m almost to the pizzeria now.”

“Why?” Her voice comes out clipped, which is…unusual.

“Umm, to see you.” Do I need another reason? “Is that a problem?”

Some rustling from Gia’s end fills my cab, then she grounds out, “Shit,” again, making my eyebrows dip. “Hey, I gotta go, okay?”

The line goes dead a second later, leaving me in a state of total what the fuckery. Seriously. What was that?

I contemplate beelining it to Al’s anyway but ultimately decide against it. Maybe this is one of those times where she needs a breather. Lately we’ve been spending almost every waking moment together in one way or another, whether it’s at my place or hers or off on some spontaneous excursion.

Maybe she’s on her period.

When does she get that? Actually, now that I think about it, she hasn’t had a period since we got back from Willmont, and by my estimation, she should’ve. At least once.

Although she is on the pill, so maybe not? I’m not sure because she’s never told me. The only thing Gia has been clear about is that even though she’s on birth control, she still wants me wearing a condom every time we have sex.

That’d explain why she was snippy on the phone. And why she might not want to see me.

But why couldn’t she just say that? I wouldn’t care. I’d still want to hang out, even if we couldn’t have sex or whatever. Can women have sex on their periods? It seems like it’d be messy but still doable. I mean, if she wanted to. Which isn’t a requirement for us to hang out.

No wonder she’s dodging me. I’m a fucking idiot who doesn’t even know when his girlfriend’s cycle is…or what cycles even are exactly.

A grocery store comes into view, and I pull in, finding a spot away from other cars to do a quick internet search. It’s still warm out, being the end of September, but there’s a breeze with a bite to it, announcing that fall has arrived, and I don’t want any doors slamming into the side of my Chevy.

After learning more about periods than I ever planned on knowing, I head inside to load up on all things Aunt Flow might require for her stay.

A double-pack of pain reliever, heating pad, four kinds of chocolate, and a pint of ice cream later, I emerge through the automatic doors. I stopped by the tampon section, but yeah, no. That shit is way above my skillset. There were different sizes, scents, and materials. Does she use organic? Applicators? And why, if applicators are an option, are there ones without them? Do women carry around their own applicators then?

What the fuck is an applicator?

I almost asked someone for help but chickened out. Unless Gia herself gives me a detailed list of exactly what to get, I’m never going near that part of the store again if I can help it. Too many choices, too many possibilities to get it wrong.

I also grabbed two face masks for us to try along with foot massage cream I could use on Gia. I figured I’d distract her with some spa stuff. And despite my findings saying to avoid salty foods, I got some popcorn to balance out all the sweet. Who really cares about a little bloating when your uterus is literally shedding itself? If a woman wants salt on her period, she should eat salt. All the fucking salt.

Back in my truck, I catch sight of a brown-haired skater I’d know anywhere, except she’s not skating; she’s strolling down the sidewalk with her skateboard up behind her head, an arm on each side. One of her back wheels is missing, which explains why she’s walking but not where she’s walking to.