𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐄𝐲𝐞𝐬 || Salim Othman X Reader

⑧_Guilty Of Innocence

You felt that something was wrong. A moment earlier, Jason seemed to want to avoid you, but now his silence was making you think, if not worry. The strange thing was, that he never turned around when he was speaking, it was clear that he was hiding something from you.

But just later, you and the two soldiers found yourselves inside a new space, which seemed to have been used as a temporary medical bay. At that point, you started to search for something that could serve to safeguard your wounds from possible infections, but you didn't find anything useful...apart some sheets scattered here and there on an old desk and so you started reading, tilting your head a bit to translate unclear words.

But when you looked up just then, you caught Salim staring intently in your direction.

《...what?》 You asked with an innocent smile, curious if the Iraqi was actually looking at you and not something else.

《Nothing, it's just—》 There, Salim didn't deny you one last look, before lowering it in shame 《Your braids. They are ruined.》

You shifted your gaze to your shoulders, as far as you could, and indeed he was right...your braids were so different from how you had styled them in the morning, because some tufts tried to stay in place desperately, but it was useless, the dust and the psycho-physical tiredness had stuck them on your forehead and neck. You had to admit you looked very awful and your anxiety just increased when another person noticed that.

《Oh, I see...》 However, you were grateful to know the person was a good one and so, you allowed yourself to turn your back on him 《...then, is it a bother to ask you to fix 'em for me?》

Definitely, when you tilted your head, Salim swallowed hard as he met your greenish eyes, staring at him insistently, but for him it was like putting his hands on something sacred and inviolable.

Once again, the Iraqi soldier begged forgiveness with a long sigh, as he approached and put his hands on your head carefully; at first, you didn't expect him to listen, but when you felt his fingers slipping through your hair, you stayed motionless while they intertwined the long brown tufts.

《Uhm, ain't this your first time, right?》 You asked while your heart wouldn't stop pounding, you had to admit it was a pleasant feeling.

《I had the opportunity to do this with my wife.》 Salim explained with a note of melancholy in his voice 《But that was a long time ago. We were still young and the years still enjoyable, in a sense.》

At this point, you couldn't help but investigate Salim's past more, to figure out what was hurting him, but without being too blunt of course.

《I assume that you and your wife were–》

《Betrothed? You must know Y/n, things are very different to how you think them and in this case, my family chose what was right for me, when I wasn't mature enough to understand it...》 Suddenly, Salim's fingers trembled and you resisted the urge to turn to grab them 《But now, there isn't a day where I think it wasn't my fault that my wife left me and my fault for raising Zain motherless. I was a fool to believe that things could work out, in the end.》

You stayed silent for a while, trying to hold the pain caused by his words, before you decided to look at his face, kind as always but with a veil of sadness in his dark brown eyes.

《Hey, you still remember what you told me earlier?》 The Iraqi nodded to that but not understanding what you meant, until you grabbed his hands to squeeze them in yours with some force 《Because the same is true for you right now. You can't blame yourself for someone else's choices, just like you can't fix their mistakes! You're his father, Salim, and whatever happens, your son will always be on your side.》