Only for You

43: Signs & Signatures

Zac shook his head as he took in the scene before him. This was the fourth night in a row that Fatima had fallen asleep at her desk, and he wasn't surprised in the slightest. Her pencil was still in her hand, a sketchbook filled with designs sprawled out in front of her, and her head rested on her folded arms.

He set the grocery bags down on the island before making his way over to her. The soft sound of her breathing filled the quiet space, and despite his amusement, concern flickered in his eyes.

"Babe," he called gently, brushing his fingers over her arm.

Fatima stirred slightly before her eyes fluttered open, groggy and disoriented. "Hey," she mumbled, voice heavy with sleep.

Zac chuckled. "Hey, baby. You fell asleep again."

She blinked a few times, trying to wake up fully, before glancing down at her sketches. "My bad..."

"The bedroom's right there," he teased, pointing toward it.

She sighed, sitting up straighter and rubbing her eyes. "I was on a roll."

Zac gave her a knowing look. "Mhm, clearly."

Fatima yawned, covering her mouth before reaching for her pencil again. "I still have a thousand ideas—"

"Baby," Zac interrupted, his voice firm but soft. He crouched next to her chair, his warm palm rubbing slow circles on her back. "That can wait. You're always sleepy lately. Go get in the bed."

She hesitated, opening her mouth to argue, but the exhaustion in her bones was undeniable. A deep, draining kind of tiredness she couldn't seem to shake. It had been creeping up on her for the past couple of weeks, but she had just chalked it up to overworking herself.

"Alright," she murmured, finally obliging as she stood. A slight wave of dizziness hit her, and she instinctively reached out, pressing a hand against Zac's shoulder to steady herself.

His brows furrowed. "You good?"

"Yeah," she said quickly, shaking it off. "Just got up too fast."

Zac stood, watching her closely. "You been eating?"

She waved a dismissive hand. "Yes, I've been eating."

He crossed his arms. "Eating real food, or just drinking coffee and snacking on fruit like you usually do when you get in the zone?"

Fatima pursed her lips. "...Define real food."

Zac exhaled, shaking his head. "That's what I thought."

She grinned sheepishly. "I'll eat after my nap, promise."

"You better." He kissed her forehead. "Go lay down. I'll put this stuff up and make you something to eat when you wake up."

Fatima nodded, dragging her feet toward the bedroom. Zac watched her go, still rubbing his chin in thought. She had been extra tired lately. Sleeping more, losing her appetite, getting lightheaded. It wasn't like her.

Brushing the thought aside for now, he turned back to the grocery bags, determined to take care of her—whether she liked it or not.

4 hours later

Fatima stretched as she walked into the living room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Zac called from the kitchen, smirking. "You were out for a good four hours. I had to check a few times to make sure you were still breathing."

She chuckled, leaning against the counter. "It was a good nap."

"You said that about yesterday's nap too," he teased, shaking his head as he grabbed a plate from the counter.