His Sabah

XVII

Sabah groaned and placed a clammy, shaking hand to her head, wincing at how heavy it felt. There was also a sharp pain emanating from her temples, causing her ears to ring.

"Sabah?" a familiar voice called. Even though her eyes were closed, she could tell it was coming from nearby. "Wake up, sweetheart."

Sweetheart?

The affectionate word was enough to make her open her eyes, and the minute she did, she let out an ear-piercing scream.

Salim flinched back at the loud cry, an annoyed scowl immediately forming on his face. "What the hell?" he snapped, glaring at her. "What was that for?"

Sabah leaned back against the bed's headboard and tried to settle her thundering heart. "You...you were two inches from my face, idiot!" she cried, glaring back at him with an equally irritated expression.

"I was checking to see if you had a fever. And don't call me an idiot! I'm not the one who managed to get herself sick after not even fifteen minutes on the beach...idiot," Salim growled, plopping himself down on the edge of the bed with a thunderous look still fixed on his face. It was then that Sabah was finally able to get a good look at him.

She didn't know how much time had passed since she had fallen asleep, or how long it had been since they had returned from the beach, but if Salim's face was any indicator, it must have been quite a while.

"Salim?" she prodded, tilting her head to the side as she continued to study him. "How long have I been asleep?"

Salim turned towards her and furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you not remember?" he asked.

Sabah shook her head.

"Do...do you remember anything?"

Now it was Sabah's turn to furrow her eyebrows. "I...um...well, yes. I mean, I remember...the-the kiss and um," she cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks begin to burn. "But, I...I mean," unable to meet his eyes, she shook her head and began to play with her hands. When she heard Salim begin to chuckle softly, however, she looked up, unable to help the frown that appeared on her face at his grin.

"What?" she snapped, glaring at him with narrowed eyes. "Why are you laughing?"

Salim shook his head, a smile still playing on his lips. "I just..." he trailed off, starting to chuckle again, causing Sabah to scowl and nudge his leg with her foot.

"Stop laughing! I didn't even say anything funny!" she snapped, growing angrier by the moment.

"You didn't have to," he said, trying to force himself, it seemed, to stop laughing. "Your expression was enough."

Sabah sighed loudly in defeat and slumped against the bed, the subtle ache in her head beginning to build once more. As they sat there together, quieter now, Sabah couldn't help but notice the dark circles under Salim's eyes and his disheveled hair and clothes. In fact, now that she thought about it, he was still wearing the same clothes he had been wearing yesterday. In a simpler sense of the word, he looked absolutely exhausted.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Sabah flinched and brought her eyes to focus on his face. "Uh...I...I was just--I was just noticing how tired you look," she said, frowning at him. He frowned in return at her response, his eyes narrowing on her concerned expression.

"I'm fine," he said after a moment. "Are you sure you're alright?" His voice was tinged with a hint of suspicion and it made her suspicious, too.

"Yes," she said slowly, measuring her words carefully. "Why are you asking like that?"