Chapter 16

Alexander scowled in displeasure as the light burnt into his eyes through the gap of the curtain in the middle of the window. In an attempt to shield his eyes from the searing string, he tightened the grip of his squinted eyes, but it was almost impossible to do so.
The beam of light was too intense for his liking, compelling him to rise up from his sleep and begin with his day, which he did not feel like doing.
He groaned slightly but nonetheless opened his eyes in displeasure. It was blurry at first. However, it was after a few seconds that the fuzziness gradually disappeared, and he was able to see everything clearly.
When he realized that he could no longer stall getting up anymore, he let out a small sigh and turned to his left, only to find Heather sleeping peacefully.
He smiled at the sight of her.
He could get used to this. He cannot think of any better way other than waking up beside her or having her in her arms.
Despite her sleeping form, Heather looked beautiful.
Her eyes were lightly closed, her hair was flung about on the pillow, and she was inhaling from her nose with her lips resting together. She seemed at peace. He was about to reach out and brush her hair away from her face when he abruptly stopped in mid-way, his fingers nearly touching her face.
It took him a bit more time, more or less a minute before he recalled the event which took place the previous night. His eyes widened, and his smile instantly evaporated from his face. He promptly sat up straight, then leaned over Heather to get a better look at her.
He softly spoke her name, "Heather," and touched her face. But his voice came out raspy. A residual effect of sleep.
When he laid his palm on her forehead, to his fortune, she was not burning, and neither was her skin cold. Instead, the color was completely back on her complexion, and there was the healthy shine on her face, which he had missed for the last several hours.
“Heather, Wake up,” Alexander called out her name once more, but there still was no response from her. His anxiety was just about to reach its peak when he finally heard his name from her in a melodic voice as she moved slightly to make herself feel more comfortable on the bed.
"Alexander,"
“Heather! I am right here. Open your eyes for me, sweetheart.” He made another attempt, hoping that this time she would wake up and see him through her stunning Medditarean eyes.
“Alexander,” She mumbled his name once again in confirmation of his presence.
“Yes, I am right here.” He answered, waiting eagerly for her to wake up from her deep slumber.
Heather slowly opened her eyes. She tried to adjust her eyesight, and the first face she saw was Alexander, who was looking at her with utmost concern. He had a small frown on his face, his eyes fixed on her as if he was striving to give her his undivided attention.
Once he was absolutely certain that she was completely awake, he sighed with relief. She looked good to him, more than yesterday, although he was not completely confident about her precise condition.
He questioned her once she was fully awake, "How are you feeling?"
Instead of responding to him right away, she tried to sit up straight. Unfortunately, it was not a good attempt, as she lightly fell back on the bed. Alexander's fear came true as because while Heather seemed healthy, in fact, she was quite far away from it in reality.
“Be careful.” He told her while he assisted in laying half up. He repositioned her pillow behind her back and pulled the duvet all the way up to her stomach.
Heather gave him a weak but appreciative smile when she was settled properly.
"Heather Crown, you frightened the living daylights out of me." He declared. His eyes still stared at her with concern which touched her heart.
"I apologize for what you had to suffer because of me. You were not supposed to witness it. Yesterday was not one of my finest moments. However, I genuinely appreciate your assistance and concern for me. I do not know how I would have coped without you.” Heather spoke softly to him while maintaining a small smile.
"Now, Heather, stop demeaning me. This is the least I could do for you considering how long you've been caring for him. It is my pleasure that I could come to your aid when you need someone. Furthermore, you can always count on me to help you. I would never wish to see you in the state you were in.” Alexander freely conveyed his worry.
“I am still thankful to you. You are recovering yourself, and my being unwell simply has burdened you unnecessarily.” Heather said.
“Never. Do not ever think something like this. I am a lot better, and the credit exclusively belongs to you. If you hadn't arrived and rescued me, I would have been very well dead."
But Heather could only nod in response.
Alexander was looking at her, yet he was thinking hard. "Heather, if you do not mind, can I ask you a question?"
"Anything," Heather said, having an inclination of what question was going to come next.
"What transpired last night? You looked more than fine when you went with Oscar, but when you came back, you scared the wits out of me.” Alexander could not help asked her the question which has been haunting him since the moment in saw her in a vulnerable state.
“There was nothing that had never occurred before. Even I was taken aback by how much energy I expended. That was something that had never happened until yesterday evening.” As she was absorbed in her own thoughts, Heather spoke.
Her words baffled Alexander because she was talking in puzzles. He didn't grasp the underlying significance of anything she said.
Alexander said, waiting for her to elaborate, “I am afraid I do not follow what you are trying to say."
Heather, though, seemed unsurprised. She was attempting to come up with the appropriate words to communicate to him when she fell silent for a whole minute. She made a little smile and pursed her lips slightly before speaking.