His Sabah

XX

Hiii guys. I'm so sorry for my late updates! But this chapter, although it's not as long as my other ones, is dedicated to a reader who motivated me to update and gave me some really great ideas to keep the book interesting. I won't say her username or anything in case you want to keep it private but if you read this, thank you!! xx

~Two weeks later~

"Good morning Sabah!" Sabah's mother-in-law squealed as she did every morning. Sabah smiled at her as she took her seat at the kitchen table.

"Good morning Ami Jaan," she said. "How are you feeling today? Is your throat better?"

"Oh it's much better now," she said, stirring some honey into her tea. "The medicine really helped, I fell asleep right after taking it."

"That's great," Sabah said, placing a slice of toast on her plate. Just then, Salim entered the kitchen, dressed in a sharp, fitted suit. He was preoccupied in strapping on his Rolex, but at the sound of Sabah and his mother greeting him, he looked up.

"Good morning," he replied, his voice taut and still a little raspy from sleepiness. His gaze lingered on Sabah for much longer than it needed to, causing her to blush and look down at her plate.

It was their second day back from their trip and although Salim had been nothing but kind for the rest of its duration, it was still a little strange to see him continuing such behavior back at home. She had, after all, been used to nothing but harshness and coldness from him in this home. She knew things would be different now but it was still new and therefore she needed time to become accustomed to it.

"How are you, sweetheart," his mother asked him as he sat down. He nodded tightly, as serious as he always was.

"Fine," he said, glancing at Sabah again as he chewed on a piece of toast just as she was. She refused to meet his eyes, feeling her cheeks flushed in heat.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," he replied, picking up the newspaper that had been set by his plate, as it was every morning. He began to scan the front page as he continued to eat his breakfast, his eyebrows coming together as a certain piece of news caught his interest.

Sabah watched him, curious to know what he was reading about, a bad habit she had still not learned to control. Unconsciously, she had leaned towards him in hopes to catch a glimpse of the paper, when suddenly, his eyes darted up to her. She flinched in surprise and leaned back, looking down at her plate in embarrassment. Salim cleared his throat and she heard the newspaper rustle as he turned the page.

"The stocks are down again," he said, shaking his head in irritation. He wasn't speaking to anyone in particular it seemed, and yet both Sabah and his mother looked up at him.

"Oh?" his mother remarked, frowning. "That's not very good."

Salim sighed and set the papers aside. "Does it really matter?" he asked, meeting her eyes. "As long as our company's stocks are doing fine, I don't really care."

Sabah frowned. He seemed to be in a bad mood today for some reason and she couldn't understand why. They had had such a wonderful time on their trip and even after they had returned. So then why, all of sudden, was he acting so cold and distant?

Suddenly, he scraped his chair back and stood, adjusting his cuff-links as he did. "Oh, are you leaving for work, sweetie?" His mother asked, following his action and standing as well. Sabah stood too, watching his reaction as he sighed in exasperation.

"Of course. I'm the boss, aren't I?" he said, his tone clipped as he made his way out of the kitchen. Without thinking, Sabah rushed after him, her mother-in-law's reminders to her son to drive carefully and remember to eat fading into the background as Sabah scurried to catch up to him.

"Salim," she huffed, reaching him just as he was about to leave. "I-"

"What?" he snapped, turning to her.

She felt herself retreat a step at his tone, feeling her heart sink in disappointment. Looking away, she began playing with her hands as she always did when she grew nervous. "Um, I...I...I just wanted to...say goodbye...before you left," she mumbled.

Salim was quiet for a moment before he let out a long sigh. She saw his shoulders relax as his hand fell away from the door handle. "I'm sorry," he said out of nowhere, surprising her. She felt her eyes widen as she stared at him.

"W-what?" she stuttered, shaking her head in confusion, her eyebrows furrowed.

Salim was watching her closely, the corner of his lips rising in a small smile. "I said I'm sorry," he said, his tone amused.

"But, but I don't understand," she said.

"For my behavior," he said, frowning and looking away momentarily. "I wasn't being necessarily...warm to you or Ami this morning."

"Oh," Sabah said, looking away again. "Um, I noticed that too..."

"I'm just a little stressed, I guess," he said, sighing again.

Sabah felt worry constrict her chest. "Why?" she asked, stepping up on her tiptoes to be closer to him. "Is...is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I mean, mostly. Just work," he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Work? So, that's what has been stressing you out? Just work?"

Salim dropped his hand and gave her a confused look. "What do you mean? Did you think it was something else?"

Sabah hesitated. "Um...I...well, I just thought that..."

"You thought I was going to treat you like before," Salim stated, his tone not questioning, but firm. "Didn't you?"

Sabah nodded, feeling embarrassed. She still couldn't look him in the eyes, afraid that he could see the tears that threatened to form there. Suddenly, she felt his hand on her arm, leading her into a empty, secluded hallway.

"Sabah," Salim said gently, tilting her chin up to meet his gaze. "I told you, I wanted another chance. I'm not going to blow it." His voice was serious and his eyes honest, so honest that it left no room for doubt in her heart. 

She nodded, her face lifting towards his unconsciously. "I...I know. I'm sorry too. I believe you," she said softly. Salim's lips turned up in a smile, his gaze dropping to her lips. 

"Good," he said, his voice barely a whisper. She hadn't realized how close they were standing until she could feel his breath fanning across her cheeks.

He was moments from kissing her, but she moved away before his lips could touch hers, afraid that someone might come across them in such a position. "Y-you should go," she muttered, blushing.

Salim groaned and moved away from her. "Fine," he scowled. "But, don't think you don't owe me later." His mischievous smirk caused her heart to somersault. She hid her own flustered grin as she walked behind him towards the door.

She was just closing the door behind him when all of sudden he spun back and kissed her, sending her nearly stumbling backwards in surprise. He was jogging down the stairs before she could even react, but the soft snickers of the door men caused her entire face to burn before anger began to take over.

"H-how dare you Salim Meer, you stupid, stupid...idiot!" she sputtered after him, flustered and humiliated. She could see and hear him laughing loudly as he climbed into his car, quickly shutting the door behind him and speeding away before she could even descend the stairs.

"Ugh," she spat, stomping her foot in disgust. "Stupid idiot dummy." She shut the door loudly and began stalking away when her mother-in-law appeared from inside the kitchen.

"Sabah? What was all that commotion about? Is everything okay?" she asked.

Sabah turned to her with an annoyed expression. "Yes," she muttered, still bitter. "You're son is just a stupid idiot, that's all."