#14:

Matt blanched and looked away from me.
"He was right in the end.- he whispered.- you did end up getting into his room."
"That's not the point."
"No," he mumbled between his teeth, grabbing my wrist in one of his hands and squeezing it, hard. "But I want to know…did you go through his stuff before or after you fucked him?"
My chin fell off and rolled on the floor.
"Now you're the one who's crazy! Not even dead would I let your brother touch me. You may have forgotten everything you've made me suffer, but not me! Also, Mark hates me, I still remember he used to call me “broomstick”.
"My brother only lets the girls he fucks into his room," he accused.
With a strong tug I managed to get him to release my wrist.
I was at your house on Sunday, Ramses invited me´to his bithrday party, but you didn't even notice because you were face sucking to... Well, that girl!
"Oh." I saw him raise an eyebrow.
I rubbed my wrist. Luckily his grabbing hadn't caused any bruises, but it hurt just the same.
"Forgive me…"
-It doesn't matter. Now get out of my way I want to go."
"What do we do with the studying-together thing?"
"Ask me tomorrow, I'm not in the mood to think about that now."
******
"Rosario! Rosario, are you there?"
They knocked on my door desperately, and I, curled up on mybed, just wanted to die once and for all.
"Open up! If you are there open the door!"
I groaned and climbed out from under the duvet, dragging my feet and wishing a thousand times that there would be an earthquake and that the earth would swallow the Montalvos. I opened the door and Matt stormed in.
"You're hurt? What happened to you? Did someone try to hurt you again?
He asked while he looked all over me and touched my arms , checking for the presence of any obvious injury. In other circumstances his excessive touching would have angered me, but he was not touching me with sexual intent, he was in medical mode. Making sure in the most practical and quick way that I was okay.
"Stop it," I scolded him, "you're behaving like a madman."
A sharp pain overwhelmed me and I contracted, placing a hand on my abdomen and grimacing.
"What is it? You have turned pale."
"I'm having colic.- I whispered, walking to the bed and letting myself fall on it.- Ouch."
I pursed my lips and closed my eyes, praying that he would just go away. I didn't want to whine in front of Matt, it made me feel weak and pathetic.
"I didn't know you had kidney disease." he commented.
I bit my tongue to keep from expressing my annoyance and glared at him.
"What I have are cramps...menstrual cramps!" I yelled, turning into a ball on the bed.
“Oh."
I heard my bedroom door close and I sighed in relief, settling back on the pillow and thanking God that Matt Montalvo had gone off and left me alone, but…
"Is it always like this?" he whispered and when I opened my eyes to find him standing right on the edge of my bed.
Horror! He hadn't left, but intended to continue playing the Good Samaritan. I responded with a snort. He pursed his lips and before I could protest he kicked off his expensive shoes and climbed onto my bed.
"What do you think you're doing?" I yelled in alarm.
"Somewhere I read or saw somewhere...I don't remember...but body heat is supposedto help in these cases.
Body heat? What the hell?
Matt settled next to me on the mattress, and very slowly placed the big palm of his hand on my abdomen, moving it gently down, over the housecoat I was wearing, until it rested just on my lower abdomen. I bit the inside of my cheek.
"It would be much more effective if there was skin-to-skin contact," Matt whispered.
I looked into his eyes and despite the fact that we were together on the bed and he was touching me in a way that could be considered intimate, his expression was closed, calm, sure, it was an expression that I had seen thousands of times, it was the expression of a doctor facing a patient and trying to help him. I filled my lungs with air, pulling my robe up to the height of my chest, exposing the shorts that fell below my hips and Matt placed his warm hand on the place that tortured me.
"Is it always like this?" he repeated. "Are all your periods this painful?"
"No. But I've been kind of out of control lately. Sometimes my period doesn´t come or it comes twice in the same month.- I bit my lip at the strong colic that went through me.- and this month has been more painful than usual."
"It could be due to a hormonal disorder."
"I know, I think it's a product of the stress I've been subjected to.- I whispered.- I didn't want to do it, but as soon as this month passes I'm going to start treatment with oral contraceptives to regulate my cycle."
"You shouldn't self medicate."
"And I won´t. I already consulted with professor Sierra, it was he who recommended it to me."
"All right."
We remained silent for a few minutes, and while I looked directly into his eyes he caressed the skin of my lower abdomen moving his little finger.
"Before you arrived I had taken a painkiller. It should start working on me in a few minutes. You can leave if you want."
He smirked at me and placed his arm under my head, moving closer to me and settling down.
"I'm not leaving here until you fall asleep. When you wake up you will feel better. It is not so?"
"Matt..." I protested.
"I know this doesn't change anything between us.- he answered annoyed.- I'm just helping you."
I didn't mean to be ungrateful, in truth, that whole situation was making me feel weird. Matt's body heat and the floral scent that enveloped him were causing me strange thoughts and desires. I closed my eyes and tried to relax, before I knew it I was already asleep.
When I woke up, Matt was gone. Instead I had left a thermos of chamomile tea on my bookshelf.
*Drink it, it will do you good.* He left it written in the note.
I huffed and poured myself half a glass, it was still slightly warm.
*******
That Thursday I was on duty again. During the visit pass I couldn't concentrate, I was so nervous my hands were shaking, but the night went smoothly, thank God!
"Have you thought about studying together?" The good twin approached me when I was leaving hospital.
"Yes."
"And what conclusion did you come to?"
"Guys!- Lizet interrupted us, coming towards us.- a cyclone enters on Saturday, all school activities have been suspended until further notice. We have to return to our respective municipalities today!"