A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

The unexpected intruder...

Can felt great. More than great. He felt phenomenal. It was his first week back at the agency and his first presentation. And he won on his first try. He had to admit that the partial credit for his victory belonged to Sanem because she was the one who put the idea of the bird of albatross in his head. But the fact that she already figured it out meant he needn't bother to tell her that. The important fact was that they won...

He was glad he came up with the idea of throwing a party for the agency at the Divit's home. It meant a time of celebration and an opportunity for the workers to bond. And seeing Sanem in a relaxed state of mind was just an added bonus. She was happy. He could see she was enjoying herself. He caught himself gazing at her and caught himself smiling just by looking at her. And he did not care if anyone saw that.

The fact that he stood by the grill offered him satisfaction from preparing delicious food, as much as it offered him a way out from unwanted conversations. He was a reserved man, and chose to observe conversations rather than joining them. But that was never the rule when Sanem came around. He had to admit that she was a gamechanger. And she had no idea she was. Whether she came into a conversation or she started one herself. He listened to her and somehow did not mind speaking his mind. It was no different when Sanem kindly requested to have her meat placed on a piece of bread. Though Deren scolded her for requesting too much, he simply replied that he liked his meat that way too. And decided that having a longer conversation with her was exactly what he needed.

Finding Sanem sitting alone was just the kind of luck he hoped for. No witnesses, no unwanted ears that might affect the way Sanem's mind may respond to his questions. The fact that she felt baffled by his companionship made him smile. The fact that they both admitted that neither of them knew what the other was thinking made him smile even more. He asked her why she chose the bird of albatross as the name for her mysterious stranger. And wondered whether she had any idea that that was the nickname his friends called him. She replied that she read about the albatross once and that name struck a note with her. It fit the image she remembered about the stranger that night. He agreed to that wholeheartedly. But it was her reaction when he told her he saw the albatross that gripped at him. She listened to his words. She paid attention. And she couldn't hide how his words made her feel. She cut the conversation short, but he hoped he would get more chances to speak with her that evening.

Little did he know that his hopes of one-on-one conversation with Sanem would come to fruition sooner than he would have expexted. And definitely in a way he never expected. How could he have expected that when he went to change his shirt due to the smell of the overpowering smoke of the grill that he would come face-to-face with Sanem. In his room. In his shirt. Seeing her standing defenceless with hair still dripping with water was more than his mind could comprehend. It wasn't able to. How was it possible to keep finding her alone in parts of his home? He asked her, though he knew her response would again be an illogical one. And he wasn't wrong. How on earth was it possible that from all of the people that ever visited his house she was the only one that fell in the pool? How was it that she was the first one - and most likely the last one that ever would? He could not hide his amusement. How could he? Before him stood a woman who went into his room, felt no remorse to borrow his shirt, and in turn accused him of tespassing against her privacy? He had no words for her. He just knew that she made his head spin. Added to that complete confusion was the fact that she again did not wear her ring. Again. And when he confronted her about that she fought back, with hot flares in her eyes. He did not know what bothered him more. The fact that she did not wear it, or the fact that she had it with her and placed it back on her finger right in front of him. He did not know why neither scenario bothered him more than he cared to admit...

He left her in his room, fully knowing he would never feel the same about that room. Or that shirt. Or her, for that matter. Damned if she were, but she had no problem whatsoever barging into his mind. Whether in person or in memory. His unexpectes intruder did much more than just walking into his room. He was beginning to realise she was walking into his mind. And the fact that he wanted to keep her there made him more uneasy than ever before...