A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

The dashing Bad King...

Finding balance in life meant a lot to Can. The scales had to balance, no question about it. They had to balance at work, as well as in his private life. If that balance was lost, it meant that he was loosing control. And that was unacceptable on all accounts. Too bad that Sanem Aydin never gave a thought to balance or scales. As a matter of fact, the only thing she may have done with it was trip over it...

Can decided he would bring Sanem to the one place no one knew about except him. His cottage. It was his safe haven. His piece of land. Only his. And now, for the first time in his life his heart told him that his piece of land would lay safe in someone else's hands. Sanem's hands. He hoped she would appreciate it as much as he did. Somehow his gut told him not to be afraid to let her see this place. And he wasn't mistaken. Her reaction proved that she valued similar matters as he did. He also realized that now Sanem would bring her own energy to it. Her own sense of balance, if it could only be called that way. Though, he had to admit, balance was not one of the words he would use to describe anything that could be associated with Sanem. It appeared as if she hadn't bothered to learn what that word meant. No, she wouldn't bring her balance to his cottage. She would bring her perfect storm.

Since the day they met, on both occassions, his balance was thrown so off the track that he stopped fighting for it to return. Rather than fight against his luck with Sanem, he decided to just go with the flow. The fact that he acted on his instinct and led Sanem away from Fabri was out of his character. He had a hot temper, that was true, but he controlled it when it came to professional life. Yet he felt so much like himself when he did that. The fact that he brought Sanem to the cottage also was unprecedented. Yet he felt it was the right thing to do with all of his being. And the fact that he offered his shirt to her and now was looking at her dancing around the front lawn of the cottage made it seem like she always belonged there.

That day, he saw her in countless outfits. Not diminishing the beauty of the dress she just changed out of, he had to admit she looked most beautiful in his shirt. She looked natural. And she was beautiful. She simply looked like Sanem. People often assumed that he was a connoisseur of high taste, that he held beauty to high standards. They couldn't be more wrong. He was drawn to the delicate and understated natural side of life. His photographs were amazing because they always portrayed the details of the person. Details often lost if someone only looked for the big picture. But it was those details that made a difference. It made a difference to him. And the more he looked at Sanem, the more details he found. The more details he found, the more he wanted to look deeper. Realizing he could stare at her for hours was not a problem. Wanting to do so was no problem either. The problem arose when she would catch him looking at her, because she would then pause and make eye contact with him, which always ended with him loosing his balance, however little he still had of it.

Coming back to the cottage, Can could hardly believe his eyes. Or his luck. And he fully intended to be thankful for what he saw. Sanem danced with so much joy beaming out of her that it reached all the way to his heart. He hadn't realized when he began to smile. She obviously enjoyed herself, and enjoyed dancing. He swore because he realized that he lost an opportunity to dance with her earlier that day. And he did something he hadn't before. He wished. He wished he could lead her on a dance floor. He wished he could hold her close. Closer than in Agua. Little did he know that destiny listened, and his luck smiled.

The fact that Sanem froze when she saw him told him he hadn't lost his charm. So he made her speechless? So he made her jump? So he made her pause and think of only him? Good, because it was time for payback. Can Divit was not a man who swooned over women. Not without making sure he paid back with the same. After all, chopping wood shirtless would prove to be more productive. Not that he would ever admit to Sanem that he removed his shirt to pay her back for making him loose his sense of reality when she danced. And he was not mistaken in his assumption of his charm. Not by the least. Acting as if he hadn't noticed she was staring at him proved more difficult than he realized. But her expression was priceless. She was stunned. She was mesmerized. And that was exactly the result he was hoping for. He only admitted to himself he could have brought more wood...

As the evening neared its end, they ate and drank wine, and he realized he could talk with Sanem for hours. Her words and ideas jumped from sentence to topic to something completely different. And he was beginning to think that in all of the nonsense, she made perfect sense. When she mentioned bebishko he all but hugged her for it. But then she mentioned Osman, the butcher, and a quick jab of jealousy stung him in his side. That feeling made him wonder what exactly he could share with Sanem. What could she permit him to share with her? Could they ever share anything more than a meal? The thought of her engagement stung worse than the thought of Osman. He excused himself and went to develop the photographs. He had nearly forgotten that was the reason why they came to the cottage.

When he was finished he was all set on driving Sanem home. To his surprise she announced she was not done with him though. She picked one of his favorite longplay songs, called him Kötü Kral, and demanded a dance. He was speechless. Not because she was obviously lightheaded, that was understandible after the amount of wine she had consumed. Not because she demanded a dance, that he did promise her. He was speechless because she called him a Bad King. He would have understood it if she called him the Dashing Bad King. But why just a Bad King? Asking for an explanation at this time would have been as fruitful as asking her to spell out the alphabet. So he just followed her lead. By doing so he hadn't realized he made both of their dreams come true. She wished earlier that day for him to lead her on the dance floor. He wished that day for an opportunity to dance with her in his arms. And she was safe in his arms. Safe from harm, safe from the world. If wishes came true and he could afford to make just one more wish, he'd wish for her to remain in his arms forever. He realized what his heart was trying to tell him. Perhaps he did have enough courage to open up? Perhaps he did have enough courage to tell her how he felt? Perhaps he finally found enough courage to face whatever response she would offer him?

He spoke softly, feeling her head resting lightly on his chest. If he had to describe how happiness felt, he would describe how he felt right now. Just him, and just her. Just the two of them. Together. And that word sounded more profound to him now than ever before. He wanted a "together" with her. For now, maybe even forever. He finally said it, that he was who he was. He was her albatross, and he would be her Can. The strength of those words made him feel invincible. And her response drained all that strength out of him with one sight of her sleepy dream. He could not believe in the luck of his stars. He finally revealed to her he was her albatross, and she slept right through it. And he had to smile, chuckle, laugh, and sigh. Why on earth did he expect the expected from her? After all, she was Sanem.

He carried her everso gently to the cottage and laid her on the couch. He would not sleep that night. He needn't to bother. Because he knew he would sit awake looking at Sanem. His Sanem. And he would make certain she would remain his from now on.