[ WP ] By the time I had finished , there was no blood left . Only ice .

What was supposed to be our third date, a quiet movie night in, was turning into a woman's worst nightmare. I had barely arrived when Phil's son called from practice. Mark's mom never showed to pick him up. Phil apologized and said he'd only be twenty minutes, did I mind waiting? He left me there, sitting alone on his sofa. His nice, white sofa. 
 
 
 He shut the door behind him and that's when I felt it, the warm, dreaded trickle closing in on my insides; gravity threatened to mock my otherwise perfect day. Shit! My period was early, but I was too late. When I stood up to go to the bathroom, I saw the drop of blood that had made its way through and saturated the cushion where I'd been sitting. I took my purse to the bathroom, cleaned myself up, and started going through his cabinets. He had to have peroxide. He had to. But he did n't. 
 
 
 *Twelve minutes. * 
 
 I went to the kitchen where I filled a glass with ice and grabbed a roll of paper towels. If hot water permanently sets blood stains, ice water necessarily removes them, right? I knelt down next to the sofa and rubbed this damn spot with ice, then blotted with a paper towel. 
 
 *Six minutes. * 
 
 I rubbed more ice, it melting and dripping between my fingers, and blotted again. The stain was letting up and paper towels were taking it in. It was working, but there was more to go. 
 
 *Two minutes. * 
 
 Five ice cubes and eight paper towels later, the horrific drop had completely vanished. I continued blotting until the cushion showed no signs of any fluids, bodily or otherwise. By the time I had finished, there was no blood left. Only ice. 
 
 *The guys were late. * 
 
 I palmed the soiled paper towels in one hand and was taking the glass of remaining ice back to the kitchen when Phil and his son walked through the door. 
 
 “ Hey I'm sorry we took so long, ” he said. “ Mark forgot his pads. Glad to see you helped yourself! ” 
 
 I held up the glass of ice to my lips and sipped. “ Hope you do n't mind, ” I flushed, “ I was parched. ”
