With the guys again.

These low-level boxing matches go to 4 rounds, and it was on the fourth one that it ended with a solid KO from Ben. When the ref lifted our friend’s glove, it was like the guys and I were finally able to breathe properly again.

“Fuck me, my heart doesn’t race this fast even when I watch my favorite team play…” Mark said with a hand to his chest.

“He shouldn’t need to get his shit kicked in for a full round to wake up, but at least he did,” Thomas said.

Kevin and I groaned in agreement.

After an awful first round, Ben seemed to wake up, like Thomas said, and finally began to fight properly. His reflexes were good, his jabs were sharp and his right hook a threat from the moment it grazed his opponent’s nose the first time. The third round was a little more even, but Ben managed to close it out with a KO in 1 minute and 23 seconds into the fourth round.

With how close it was, however…

“I doubt he’d be able to go partying after this,” Kevin said, grimacing.

“Yeah… Let’s go wait for him outside,” I suggested. The guys nodded and we exited the arena.

We waited outside for Ben after sending him a text and he came out to see us with some noticeable bruises on his face, but surprisingly not as bad as we thought they would be.

“Hey, you don’t look like a total mess!” Kevin said, going over to him to give him a handshake and a light shoulder bump.

“The worst of it came in the first round, and I had my guard up. Still… What a sorry first win, huh?”

“A win’s a win,” Mark told him. “Though you should probably get hit less if you plan to keep winning for a long time.”

“That’s the plan. My coach already scolded me.”

“You got a win and got scolded? Reminds me of middle school…” Thomas said, grinning.

“Congrats, Ben. It looked dicey there for a moment, but you won convincingly,” I told him, giving him a soft pat on the back, worried even places where he didn’t get hit could hurt.

“Thanks, guys. And… Sorry, but I don’t think I can go out tonight. I got told to rest up.”

“We figured. Don’t worry, we’ll have other opportunities,” I told him. “Need a ride home?”

“No, don’t worry. A friend from the gym will take me. But thanks.”

“Hey, good job out there,” Thomas said, giving him a thumbs up.

“You killed it. Well, not literally, but yeah,” Kevin said, doing the same.

“Make sure you win the next one, too,” Mark told him.

Ben smiled and we all waved goodbye as he walked off.

“So? Should we go, too?” Mark asked.

“Wait, there’s a drugstore nearby, right? I need to buy something,” I told them.

“Oh, if we’re going, then I’ll take this chance, too,” Kevin said.

“What do you need to buy?” Thomas asked as we started walking.

“Menstrual pads,” Kevin and I said at the same time. We were surprised, but we laughed it off.

“Oh, I didn’t know you two were going through that time of the month…” Mark said.

“Funny,” Kevin said.

“Wait, you guys buy your girls’... stuff?” Thomas asked.

“Sometimes, yeah,” Kevin said, to which I nodded along.

“So… You know what the girls use?”

Again, almost like we had synced up, Kevin and I frowned and asked, “Wait, you don’t?”

“You do?” Mark asked back. “WHY would you know this?”

“Why wouldn’t we?” I asked back as we walked into a drugstore. “It’s a thing they deal with literally every month.”

Admittedly, my girls say it’s become a way less of an issue for them, but that doesn’t mean it stopped happening. It just means that their mood swings aren’t heavy and that the headaches, cramps and all other symptoms are very mild. They still bleed.

“Sure, it was weird the first time I had to go into the store with Lena,” Kevin said. “But if you get used to it, you can help her out. How would you feel if your dick began to hurt for a week every month and you pissed blood throughout the thing?”

Both Mark and Thomas winced.

Right now, both Grace and Alice started going through theirs, and knowing I’d be out, they asked me to buy some pads since they forgot to bring some during the move.

“Laugh if you want, but I’m going to support my girl every time she goes through something uncomfortable, and this shit happens every month,” Kevin said.

“I would’ve laughed a year ago, but not now,” Mark said.

Thomas sighed. “Dating Lena is the best thing that’s happened to you, Kevin. You’ve grown.”

“Unlike you,” Kevin teased back.

“Fuck you, I was being serious.” Thomas said, sighing and shaking his head. Then, as we went through the aisle where all the pads were, he asked, “So… How do I ask Maria about it?”

“You just do,” I told him. “Get ready and open your ears for a full on lecture, though.”

Kevin nodded in agreement.

We went back to the parking lot and found our cars. Keving had recently gotten one. A fairly old model that wasn’t in the best shape, but it ran well and was cheap. We waited for a bit until Lena joined us, then Thomas and Mark got in my van while Kevin and Lena followed us.

“I’m serious, though. Kevin is a lot more mature, lately,” Thomas said. “Makes me feel like I’m lagging behind.”

I smiled. “I’m just glad he and Lena seem to be getting even closer. At least, he’s clearly super serious about her.”

“...” Thomas sighed. “And… How are you and Lyla doing, Mark?”

From his seat behind us, Mark asked wryly, “Do you really want to know?”

“...Yes, just don’t give me details,” he admitted. My guess was that Thomas was more interested to know if Mark was doing well rather than how his ex was doing.

“We’re… getting closer. Taking it slow. Though I’m afraid that… she’ll get tired of how slow things are going.”

“...” Thomas groaned. “She won’t. I bet she prefers it that way. Relax and take it at your own pace.”

They left it at that, and I doubted this would ever not be an awkward topic for all of us. After all, I invited Mark over, but not Lyla for very obvious reasons.

Still, it was fun to be able to catch up with the guys.

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