A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

No jealousy at all..

A photoshoot involved many things, all of equal importance. But one thing always mattered the most to Can. His attitude about the photoshoot. His approach toward the matter being photographed. His perception of what was to be portrayed. His attention to detail. The keen understanding of what he was trying to capture. And what he was about to capture was Arzu's inner beauty. The problem was, she had none...

As such, Can knew his day had to have the kind of flow that would ensure the photoshoot's mood would stay positive, and that the photoshoot would go snoothly and end the sooner the better. So he made sure the day began on a good note. He successed in that, because seeing the smile on Leyla's face when he advised her she may go back to work made him feel even better. It also reassured him she was no spy. Her smile was pure, and so bright that he could not help to smile back at her. The fact that she asked if she could go back to work right away pleased him. It also reminded him he had his work laid out for him as well. If only it passed by smoothly...

The moment he thought that, he realized there was no chance of that. After all, Arzu was there, and she made sure no one forgot that she was the star. No one, most of all Sanem. He could not understand what it was about Sanem that made Arzu treat her so badly. Then again, and he had to admit he found humor it that, Sanem could barely stand Arzu herself. He knew he should not have condoned Sanem's attitude, but he could not help it. He found her actions to be an an exact replica of how he felt about Arzu. And she fought back against Arzu with a head held high, and a backbone only a few could own up to.

If he wasnt't crazy about Sanem before, he for sure was now. How else would he explain the fact that he was supposed to photograph Arzu but could not help himself and kept photographing Sanem? How could he justify the fact that Sanem stole away his attention without as much as a lift of a finger? How was it possible that for a man who never took his eyes off the object being photographed until his job was completed, all he could look at was Sanem? All he could think of was Sanem? All he felt was Sanem? Especially when he found her speaking with some barely attentive and poorly bearded photoshoot aide. Not on his watch, he vowed. And it was not jealousy. No, not at all... He had to admit he felt worse after telling her to pay attention to the shoot, nothing else. Because as much as he requested that of her, he knew darn well he would not be able to do the same...

He had to admit that amid all the chaos, he needed a minute to himself to release the tension. To recharge. To calm down. He needed solitude as much as another man would need air. He needed to escape from the crowd gathered in the garden and hide away if only for a moment in the kitchen. And he found Sanem. Everso sweet, and as bright as sunshine on an early summer sky. She looked beautiful. And the fact that she spoke calmly and lightly made his temper dissolve into nothing. She made him forget reality and himself for a moment. He needed that, and she offered him exactly what he needed, without even knowing she did.

As the photoshoot neared its end, he had to admit he was exhausted. Pleased, but exhausted. The fact that Arzu kept getting more and more annoying did not serve his temper well. Or everyone else's for that matter. But somehow Sanem helped ease the tension, and in a pure Sanem manner put Arzu right where she belonged. Down on the ground. Can did not know whether to bash Sanem first or quiet the production crew down. Whether to scold his employees or tend to the spoiled star of the photoshoot who was no star at all. In the chaos of it all, Sanem turned out to be the star of the evening, with a smile to match the undeniable sparkle in her eye.

When the evening all but ended, everyone left but Sanem stayed behind to make sure everything with regards to the photoshoot was completed and packed away. He would not admit it to her, but he was glad she did. He was grateful for her help, but that was not all. He could not explain it, but he slowly realized he was looking for her company. For her closeness, for her smile. He could not believe how self-absorbed Arzu had been all through the day. That feeling only intensified when they stayed alone. She really thought she stood a chance with him. If Arzu only knew how he felt...

Realizing what Arzu was really after made his sick. Realizing he had no way out made him feel even worse. Then he saw Sanem. The fact that Sanem was still inside the house brought him an undescribable relief. He hoped she would stay longer, if only for a bit. He had no idea that her words, coming from somewhere deeper within her, would make him forget Arzu was even there. Her simple words made him hope that she cared. Did she really care? Care for him? Care for them? She told him, in her simple yet beautifully meaningful words, that if he told her not to go, then she would not go. And if he told her to leave, she would oblige him and leave. Those few little words would come to him whenever he needed refuge from the unbearable world. He would remember those words a year from now, two years from now, five, ten, for all eternity. They were simple and pure. Just as she was. He wanted noting more than whisper for her to stay...

He could not believe the next turn of events. Sanem left, but Arzu stayed. Then Sanem returned, and through an unforeseen turn of events, all thanks to Sanem's appreciation for strawberries, he was freed of Arzu's suffocating claws. He could not believe his luck. For all that had happened. For the day that had gone, with Sanem again by his side. For the fact that Arzu finally left. And for the fact that Sanem stayed. He was beginning to feel something, and realized she felt something too. Whether she was ready to admit it or not. But one thing was for certain, he was not ready to let her go. Not just yet...