A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

Just a stretch of an arm away...

Waking up with a heavy heart is never easy. Waking up with a disappointed heart neither. But waking up with a heart that gave up and gave in to the despair of lost love is the hardest of all...

Sanem had barely slept. She tossed and turned. Every minute of that longest night of her life was filled with Can. His voice, his smile. And she missed that voice. She heard him whisper "Sanem", she heart him whisper "stay". She heard his laughter, echoing in her soul. That bellowing sound of a thunderous roar always filled her with joy deep inside. She missed his eyes. His eyes possessed the power to penetrate all the way to her soul. She saw the depth of his bronze eyes each time she closed hers. That night seemed like a neverending cycle to her. She would close her eyes to keep looking into his eyes, to the point of tears welling up inside her, so she would open them to chase away those tears, only to close them again because she would miss the sight of his eyes. Her hands missed his touch. The way her hands felt against his chest when they danced ar the cottage or when he rescued her from falling at the Bride Rock. The way her hand felt in his hand each time he reached for it. Her hand still burned with passion from the moment he reached for it at the office and told her he was no fool and she was no child.

He was right. She was no child. And the reality of those words rang loud in her conscience. Because one had to pay for their mistakes. Even if they were made with good intentions or because one was forced to follow someone's rule. She was now left with two choices, neither one of which would let her belong to Can in the end. So she chose the least painful of the two choices. She would stay away, so he could move on, so he would remember her for the few good moments in life when they felt happy being close to one another. She knew she would...

She told her father she would end her work at Fikri Harika. She was afraid of what he would say. But he only embraced her. He saw the pain in her eyes and heaviness in her heart. And he did not push for answers if she did not find the courage to reveal them to him. His words were true though. He would give his life for her. For her to be happy. So if she told him she would be happy again to work at their store, then so it would be. And he welcomed her back with full happiness...

She returned to her roots, to the one place she knew best. To the shelves, and the products, and the customers and their stories. She pretended she was happy. But the truth was she missed the agency. She missed Ceycey. She even missed Deren. She tried to convince Ayhan she was glad to be back. But they both knew how foolish that was. The hustle, the bustle, the chaos of the colorful world. It was so much of what Sanem had hoped to find in life. It WAS Sanem. So much so that she felt like crying again. So she forced herself to cheer up and offered a soda to Ayhan. She went in to the store. And felt her heart leap out of her chest the moment she stepped back out if the store. Because she saw Can.

Speechless, breathless, lovestruck, frozen stuck where she stood and ready to jump into his arms. She was all of those things in that very moment. But most of all she was happy to see him. Because he came. He came to her. For her. Judging by Ayhan's reaction, she realized she knew how Sanem felt. Of all the things Ayhan could have said. She called him beautiful. Ha! That he was, and Sanem knew she could not agree more. But he was too sure of himself. And that never sat well with Sanem. She would not play by his cards. She had a deck of them herself. And no one told Sanem what to do or where to stand. Or where not to. Not even Can Divit himself.

His actions raised her pressure to the point of boiling. She was glad to see him, but she hadn't felt the need or necessity to let him know that. To her amazement he appeared to enjoy himself. That smirk on his face grew more and more confident with each passing minute. He winked at her, blew her kisses. As much as she wanted to hit him over the head with the apple he cut up and ate, she would very much want a piece of it too. Because the more confident he grew, the more she found him irresistible. How was it possible for him to be vulnerable in his feelings for her and at the same time burst out with that over-confident male ego? She hadn't a clue.

All she knew was that he was next to her. Just a stretch of an arm away. Because he chose to be by her side. How she wished it could be like that in the future. Them. Just them. Just Sanem and her Can. Can and his Sanem. No worries or boundaries or lies in between. She swore she would stop dreaming, but it was more powerful than her. Especially since he was next to her. Especially because he was confident in his ways with her. Because he told her he would be back...