He took a sip of the champagne, feeling the lump in his throat fighting back against it just like what little food he had tried to eat today had. Then he felt Ari's hand against his head, and though he tried to smile when their eyes met, the image of that woman from the night before flashed before him.
Merri shook his head, his gaze falling to the rim of the champagne glass. "I'm..." he started, though he didn't know how to finish. "... fine. Just a little tired. I... I had difficulty sleeping last night." The captain's presence had helped immensely to allow him to stay asleep most of the night, but when he woke his eyes were filled with crusted tears and his entire body felt too heavy to lift out of bed. It was only out of the necessity to get work done that he had managed to pull himself away from Wil's comfort.
Still, he didn't want to worry Ari, so he grinned again while attempting to steady his hand. "But I'm fine, really," he repeated.