A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

Perhaps she could...

She was stubborn. That's who she was. Stubborn and confident. But not when it came to Can Divit. Yes, she was stubborn, but her confidence was gone. All it took was for him to look at her, and she turned to mush. Darn, he did not even have to look at her, he just had to be there. Whether he knew it or not...

The fact that her senses always went out of whack whenever he was near her was so new to her. She did not understand why he made her feel that way. Why only him? She had two options. To either avoid him, or face him and meet her feelings head-on. The first option was practically non-existent. How could she avoid someone whom she worked for? And whom Emre kept insisting she get closer to in order to monitor and report on her findings? Little did Emre know, but he actually made it impossible for her to forget Can Bey. He made it impossible for her not to fall for Can. How could she not? Even worse, when Can himself kept giving her hints he felt something for her too?

The fact that she hurt him when she told him he was her boss and nothing else made her wonder. She was sorry. Sorry to have hurt his feelings, and sorry to have possibly blown the one chance she may have had with Can. She knew how it sounded. Impossible didn't even come close to explaining what she felt. But she did. And he made it clear he wasn't indifferent to her either. But she hurt him. And he blocked her off from his mind and his heart. Then again, maybe not completely. Although he ignored her on his way to greet Metin, he seemed to have brightened up when she brought him his tea. And then, again, he seemed to be happy to see her at the printshop. He even offered to take her back to the agency. She could not have been happier. Until...

They settled in his car. Simple and innocent as it could ever be. But to her misfortune, or maybe destiny's smiling fortune, her seatbelt got stuck. The man that Can was, he offered to help her. And he leaned in. To her demise. How else would she call it, since her mind drew a blank? All she remembered was his hand skimming across her arm. Inch by inch, her skin burned, as if lit by and internal fire. She turned back toward his face, never realizing how close he was. Less than a breath away. Her shoulder touched his beard, or rather the opposite, his beard brushed against her shoulder. If she never thought of it before, she understood now how a thousand lightning bolts felt all at once. The lightning shot right through her. She even wondered if he saw it too? She looked into his eyes, and they burned with desire. Even if she wondered just a short time ago if he would ever feel something for her, well, now she got the answer. One she could not deny.

The fact that he still lingered about her face after he released the seatbelt, made her heart tingle. He could have told her how to release the seatbelt herself. But he did not. He could have told her she could buckle herself after he released the seatbelt. But he did not. He lingered right there beside her. She was sure he could feel her body tremble. He could hear the emptiness in her mind when he looked at her. And she had to admit to herself right then, and there, that perhaps after all she could mean something to him? Perhaps she wasn't just his employee? Perhaps she could be more? Perhaps she could hold on to that little shred of hope her heart begged her not to let go of? Perhaps she just could...

That feeling of joy and confusion and hope mixed all together and filled her to the brim. And then reality struck. She remebered why she went to the printshop in the first place. And who sent here there. Can tried to compliment her on the fact that Leyla thought so highly of her that she trusted her with the project at hand. Sanem's reply that they were sisters raised his temper by more than a notch. Why was he not told they were sisters? Why had she not mentionned it before? And Sanem reminded him who he was dealing with. How dare he accuse her of keeing their sisterhood as secret? Emre knew. So did the entire office. If he did not know that, that was his fault. His oversight, his slip-up. But the more she fought back, the more she could see he enjoyed it. The more she felt insulted, the more he looked at her with that Can Divit smirk. Worst of all, she demanded he stop the car and she stated she would walk from there on in to the agency. And he did. He obliged her sweet demand, and he stopped the car. Right in front of the agency...