It started with the headaches.
Caroline presses her fingers to her forehead, closing her eyes as she rubbed her fingertips against it. "Ouch," she murmurs, heading into their kitchen. Tyler looks up from his book from where he's sitting in the living room.
"You okay?" he asks, standing up. He walked into the kitchen, where Caroline was measuring out two ibuprofen into her hand, and tossing them back with a lengthy glass of water. She swallowed, and nodded at him, giving him a faint smile.
"Totally," she says. "I think I was staring at the TV too long."
Tyler raised an eyebrow. "The TV was off."
Caroline shrugs, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Then there's nothing to worry about," she says, but her lighthearted tone was masking a deeper concern. Tyler could tell; they'd been together for so long that he knew something was wrong by the way she took in quick breaths.
Later that night, Tyler caught Caroline checking her weekly planner before she stashed it in her nightstand. She looked up at Tyler, and gave him a small smile.
Tyler, meanwhile, crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Everything alright?"
Caroline nodded quickly. "Definitely," she says, but her brow was still creased with worry. "My headache cleared up hours ago."
Tyler decided not to press the subject, and instead walked up to the bed, crawling on top of her as he pressed his lips against hers. Caroline moaned into his mouth, and held his face in her hands, holding him steady as Tyler's arms bracketed on either side of her head.
They briefly pulled apart, gasping for air. Caroline's kisses always left him breathless, always leaving him hungry for more. He dipped his head down once more, capturing her mouth with his, and felt Caroline's arms twine around his neck. His hands slid down, gliding against her gentle curves before gripping her hips.
"I love you," Caroline whispers breathily.
Tyler's heart twanged delightedly at those words, and his stomach did that flip-flop of euphoria. Every time she said them, they always rang true. It wasn't constantly; they would wear out their meaning if she kept that up. But it was often enough that Tyler never grew tired of hearing them.
"I love you so, so much," Tyler says back, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. Caroline smiled up at him, and tugs mischievously at his tank top. Tyler sat up, pulling it over his head, and tossing it to the floor. He helped Caroline out her own skimpy nightdress, leaving her in her black lacy bra and panties.
Caroline splays her white hands against his chest, running her fingers across it as she explored the muscular expanse with touch alone. Tyler groaned in approval, and leaned down to close the distance between them. He gripped her thighs, and pushed up her legs. Caroline's legs bent automatically, and Tyler's torso slid across hers as his mouth latched onto hers. Caroline's hands were still running across his chest, but were now more constricted in their movements. They found their way out, and held onto his muscular back as Tyler began to move his hips in slow movements.
They were teasing motions, just enough to elicit moans of impatience out of Caroline's mouth. She slid her hands across his back, and she broke their kiss.
"Tyler," she said, and her word was now a command. She was glaring up at him in a way that was adorable, like a puppy baring its tiny teeth. "Don't tease me. Not tonight."
"As you wish," he replied, and that coaxed a smile out of Caroline. He shifted just enough to pull open the nightstand drawer, and snatched a condom out. He rolled off of Caroline, lying next to her as he pulled off his boxers, tore open the small square package, and easily sliding the condom onto his exposed length. As soon as he was done, Caroline immediately rolled over on top of Tyler, straddling him as she sat up. She smiled nervously at him, and he raised an eyebrow.
"You sure that you're OK?" he asked. He never pressured her into doing something—sex, for instance—that she wasn't in the mood for or comfortable with. She was firm with her convictions, and told him off if he tried to entice a seductive vibe out of her. He always backed down, silently telling her that the offer was still up on the table for a later time. Caroline would always surprise him with a coercing kiss, sometimes five minutes after the fact.
"If I wasn't before, I am now," she smiles, kissing him deeply.
Caroline laughed in relief the next day, with her smile suddenly contorting into a grimace of pain.
"Ugh, I hate this feeling," she groaned unhappily as she pressed the electric heating pad to her stomach. "It's seriously the worst, Ty." She was curled up in a fetal position in the middle of their—Tyler loved that it was theirs—bed, wearing nothing but one of Tyler's oversized T-shirts and sweatpants.
Tyler was lying next to her, rubbing soothing circles with one of his hands into her thigh from where he was pressed up against her back. "I don't envy you," he replied, and Caroline stuck her tongue out at him. "Do you want me to go out and get supplies for you?"
"Yes please," Caroline whispered, and Tyler kissed the top of her head as he sat up. He pulled one of the colorful quilts over her slender frame before grabbing his wallet.
"The usual?" he asked, and Caroline nodded meekly, her face bright red from where it was visible under the covers.
"I'm sorry, it's totally gross and I know how guys hate looking at the stuff, never mind buying it," she murmured apologetically.
Tyler laughed, and gave her a quick kiss when she frowned. "It's alright," he said. "I'll be back soon, OK?"
Once he was in his car, Tyler was quick to put together the events of last night and Caroline's obvious relief of today and what that meant. He sighed in frustration, and he wished that she would just share her concerns with him instead of acting vague about her emotions. But Caroline's time of month had come around, and so there was nothing to worry about. He wouldn't pester her about it, especially since she was a little ball of pain in their room.
But why would Caroline be worried in the first place? They were always careful even when they took risks and got caught up in the heat of the moment. They always had a healthy stash of condoms in their bedroom, and it kind of embarrassed Tyler by the sheer amount they used up each month. He always bought the most reliable brands; was Caroline worried that one of them broke?