"Come on, Cash. You can go back to class." Irani said after taking a painkiller. She was having an extreme case of dysmenorrhea so Cashmere took her to the clinic during their break time.

Her best friend pouted her lips at her. "What if I'd just stay here with you instead? I don't want to attend our next class. It's Trigo, Irani!"

Irani chucked at her best friend. But then she immediately winced when the pain in her belly came back.

Cashmere hates Math. It was her least favorite subject. And Trigo was their subject later this afternoon.

"You can't miss the class this afternoon. You failed the quiz last week," she reminded her best friend.

Cashmere pouted her lips. “I just don't know why we need to study Trigo when we won't even use it in the future." She then sighed. “Fine. Just text me later. I'll come here after class." she said before she stood up from her seat and bid her goodbye.

After her best friend left, the nurse at the clinic also left her alone to grab lunch.

Irani was left alone in the clinic. There was no other patient aside from her.

She then winced when she felt another searing pain in her belly. Darn. Her period was at the wrong timing. She still needed to wait for Red later.

"Ugh. Why do girls experience this hell hole every month?" Irani asked herself, groaning.

"Hey, shortcake. I see you're here."

Shortcake.

Irani stiffened when she heard that familiar voice. She snapped at the entrance of the clinic. Red was there. Standing in the doorway. He was leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing his usual ensemble. A white shirt, black jeans, and red Converse shoes.

Their eyes met. A smirk played on his lips.

"What are you doing here?" Irani asked him, her eyebrows rising in inquiry. "Don't tell me you're sick 'cause I won't believe you. People like you don't get sick, Red."

Red flashed his annoying grin at her. "You mean, handsome people like me?"

"I meant assholes like you, Red," she retorted.

"But you don't find me handsome?" he taunted, raising his right eyebrow at her.

Fine. She couldn't deny that Red was really handsome. He was blessed with good looks. But she would never admit that in front of his annoying face. Never.

"No. You looked like a monkey to me, Red," she hissed, before rolling her eyes at him.

Instead of getting annoyed, he just grinned before walking towards her. It was only then that she noticed the umbrella in his hand. “I came here to give you this," Red said, raising his hand to show her Drei's umbrella.

"But not so fast, Cassidy," Red continued. "Nothing in this world is free anymore. Everything has a price. I want a favor from you.”

Irani snickered. Her eyes slanted at the guy in front of her. “Fine. What do you want?” she asked him.
Red smiled. “I'll just tell you if I already think of something."

Irani raised her eyebrows at Red. "Fine," she said. She would agree now, but if she didn't like the favor that he'd ask her, she would then say no to him. What's important now is that she'd get Drei's umbrella.

Red then got his cell phone from his pocket and showed the screen to her. Her brows furrowed when she saw an ongoing recording on it.

“I recorded our convo, Irani. You can't back out from our deal."

She snickered. Damn. She didn't expect that he'd do that.

“Of course, what do you think of me? I won't back down from what I said." She said with a proud face.

Red grinned at her. "I just want to make sure, Irani," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

He put back his phone in his pocket before handing the umbrella to her.

“Here you go.”

She was about to grab the umbrella from Red when her belly ached. She groaned as she winced.

“Hey shortcake… are you okay?” The mischievous smile on his lips was gone. He suddenly looked concerned.
"Is that supposed to hurt that way?” he asked in a worried tone.

Irani nodded as she grabbed the white bedsheet. Red went to her. He sat beside her and took out something from his pocket. It was a bar of chocolate. Where did he get that chocolate?

“Here.” Red handed her the bar of chocolate.

“Huh? What I'm gonna do with that?” she asked, her brows furrowed in annoyance.

Red opened the wrapper of Toblerone, the put a piece of the chocolate on her lips. “Open your mouth.”

“What…” Her words were cut mid-air when he put the chocolate in her mouth. As he put the chocolate in her mouth, his fingers slightly brushed her lips.

Irani couldn't understand why she felt a small amount of electricity that travel through her skin.

“Now, close your mouth,” he said, smiling at her.

Irani blinked as she closed her mouth. She immediately tasted the sweetness of the chocolate. Suddenly, she forgot the pain she was feeling in her belly.

“Chocolate is an effective pain reliever,” Red said beside her.

Irani turned to him. Her lips almost parted when he saw the gentle smile on his face.

She didn't know why she found Red extra handsome with that kind of smile.

"You feeling better?" Red probed, examining her face.

Irani absent-mindedly nodded.

Red gave her a relieved smile. "That's good, Irani."

“Red, what are you doing here? Are you sick?" Irani immediately turned her head to where the voice came from.

It was Nurse Joy. She was standing in the doorway and looking at her and Red with furrowed brows.

Irani didn't know that the nurse knew Red.

"Nah. I just came here to check on Irani," Red answered.

Irani couldn't help but frown. Red knew she was here at the clinic.

"How did you know I was here?" she couldn't help but ask Red.

Red turned to her and winked. "I asked Cashmere."

Before she could open her mouth to answer, Red already walked towards the nurse. “Nurse Joy, I'll go back to my class now. Please take care of shortcake for me.”

"Shortcake? You mean, Irani?" the nurse asked, which made Irani blush.

"Yeah. Please take care of her for me."