A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

In other words, Sanem.....

Can was furious. Not for the fact that Aylin seemed to be one step ahead of them yet again and got to their new possible prospect Arzu first. He was furious because it became apparent that she got to Arzu because someone within the agency told her that Fikri Harika was getting ready to sign a contract with Arzu. That was clear as day. He did not need to look for proof to know that that was it. But damned if he would let that stop him from getting the contract he was set on getting. Can Divit was no quitter. Can Divit was a winner.

As a man of a gut feeling he wasted no time on contemplating what to do next. He needed to get to Arzu. The sooner the better. As his luck would have it, none other than Sanem stepped in front of him at Emre's office. Or, to be exact, between him and Emre. The fact that Emre suggested to him that Sanem should go with him surprised him. On the other hand, the fact that she showed her surprised expression along with fear and reluctance in her eyes, did not surprise him at all. He agreed, fully understanding that their trip would most likely turn out anything but ordinary. He soon came to realize that his premonition would come true in ways he never would have expected...

The unexpected events began before the trip even started. Unable to find his driver's license, Can did what he thought logically to be the next step. He asked her to drive. And soon found out how illogical his thinking had been. He had no words for her driving skills. Or rather, lack thereof. She drove him nuts more than she drove the car. The car barely moved, and if it were a race, a turtle would have passed them long before the finish line. He couldn't hold his words to himself any longer. And commented on the way she drove. No sooner did he do that, Sanem flipped the situation around and drove faster than a madman. Because only a madman would dare to drive a car of the value of his car and not care about the speed. That was his first mistake that day... One of many that day...

The fact that Sanem decided not to turn onto the road he requested did not bother him much. The fact that she seemed to have gotten them lost in the forest did not bother him much either. What bothered him was the fact that he overestimated his own luck and trusted her to drive in the first place. And now they were stuck. Stuck in the forest. Stuck in the mud. And stuck with a blown tire. He would have let his temper get to him if it wasn't for the fact that Sanem acted so innocently about it. And genuinely surprised. His temper fizzled in less than a heartbeat. He could not tell why but instead of being angry he felt amused. And indescribably calm. He fixed the tire in no time at all. And caught a glimpse of Sanem he hadn't seen before. She was quiet, obviously enchanted by the sight and sounds of the forest. It was then that he paused and noticed what stood around them. Nature. Forest. And the beauty and serenity of it all. All of those things that he noticed played out on Sanem's face. And he realized that though she was as fierce as a storm, she had a quiet side filled with sensitivity and peaceful tranquility she hardly let others see.

His new discovery of Sanem's serene side prooved him right when they were forces to walk through the woods after his car broke down, of course through no fault of Sanem's as she pointed out. He felt the urge to walk as fast as they could to get to Arzu's hotel, yet he stopped in his track when he saw that Sanem became filled with excitement the moment she saw wildflowers growing not far from them. She became enchanted with the wildflowers. And he with her. For a man always on the go who needed to move to exist, he paused. Barely moved. Barely found the strength to breathe. He was looking at Sanem and did not see his employee. Not even the woman who got them lost. He saw a woman he kissed not long ago, who turned his heart upside down. His world upside down. Fully realizing what those thoughts inside his mind meant....

As expected, though not by Sanem, they made it out of the woods. But not out of his mind. He was beginning to feel he was loosing his ground when it came to his feelings. That never happened. Never before. Never with Polen, never with anyone else. And that made him wonder. What was it about Sanem that made him loose his grip? For a man set in his ways he was slowly forgetting what those ways were. He was crossing limits and lines his mind and heart set long ago. Only one answer kept ringing in his mind. The answer bore a name of a woman. And she was standing right in front of him. The elusive stranger who captured his heart. In other words, Sanem....