Chapter Forty-One

I woke up on the third day of our beach trip with a familiar, horrible feeling and shot up.

"Oh no." I said and ripped the covers off.

"What the heck." Aidan said and rubbed his eyes.

"Don't-don't look, just go back to sleep."

"Well it's hard when you ripped the covers off. What's going on?" Aidan asked and sat up.

"N-nothing." I said and got out of bed.

"Why are you acting weird? Oh." He said when he saw the bed. "It's not a big deal, we had bloody sheets our wedding night too."

"I-I lost track of time with everything going on. I wasn't keeping track." I was so embarrassed, my entire face was bright red. When I had gotten my cycle last month we weren't sharing a bed, it ended a few days before our wedding night so I was relieved. Now it comes three days into our trip. What horrible timing.

"Ari," Aidan said and got out of the bed and came over to me.

"I should've been counting. I don't even know if I'm late. What if I'm late?" I start to panic.

"Why would that be a problem?" He seemed confused and hurt.

"Well I-if I'm late that means…" I say and look to him. I let out a breath and force a smile. "Sorry I, last time I was late it wasn't good. I think I just flashed back to that time."

"You're ok now." He says and wraps his arms around me.

"D-don't do that I'm-"

"It's fine." He said and kisses my neck. "So are you late?"

"B-by like two days so I'm not…" I say and sigh.

"It's ok, it takes times and I'm dedicated. I'll have the servants draw us a bath and change the sheets."

I thought Aidan seeing the mess was embarrassing enough but the servants changing the sheets made it even worse. Aidan told me not to worry but it still bothered me.

"Come on, let's get in the bath."

"Y-you don't have to stay up with me."

"But I'm a nice guy so I will. Plus I can't resist the opportunity to take a bath with my wife."

"But I'm…gross." I say and cross my arms.

"You can never be gross to me. Now stop stalling and take this off."

"Y-you can't want-"

"I just want to take a bath with my wife." He says and takes the night gown off. He takes off his clothes before he picks me up and puts me in the tub.

"I can do it myself." I say and sit down.

"I know." He says and gets in behind me. "But I," he says and sits down, "like to hold me wife." He places kisses all over my neck again.

"Don't get yourself all worked up." I say and he groans.

"I know."

"I…I ruined our honeymoon." I curl up into a ball and start crying.

"What are you talking about?" He asks and pulls me in for an embrace.

"I-I started my cycle on our honeymoon and n-now-"

"Now what? Sex isn't the only part of our relationship Ari."

"Y-yeah but you wanted to do it t-the whole honeymoon and now-"

"Get out of your own head for a minute. I love you, not just your body. Didn't you say something about the 'reunion' being all the sweeter."

"Y-yeah, I guess I did. I just-"

"Just nothing. We'll have plenty of time in the future to be intimate and get rowdy. This week let's just enjoy each other's company free from any pressure or social obligations."

"O-ok."

The remainder of the trip was amazing – picnics and walking along the beach. It was just what I needed after all the stress of the past few months. What I wasn't looking forward to was the long trip back home – at least it was only 2 days back instead of 3. And we'd stop to rest in an inn the first night, which made Aidan happy.