A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

If cute wasn't the word...

Integrity. That is the difference that sets apart those who say they will complete a task entrusted onto them from those who actually do so. Integrity is a virtue. It entails traits such as ethics, righteousness, and trustworthiness. Sanem possessed all of them, and she believed that once someone agreed to do something or complete a task, they should be held accountable for their word. Likewise, she held herself accountable for her words as well...

Sanem agreed to come to Fikri Harika one last time. She agreed to sit in during the meeting with Aunt Remide. She agreed to bring Can his last cup of tea. And she hid away in the archive room. Away from Deren. Away from other co-workers. Away from Can. She would have loved to sit close to him to soak last bits of his charm while she was still there, but she knew she would not be able to finish off the campaign's documentation, and that was the reason why Deren asked for her help. So she worked hard and put her heart and ideas into her work. She worked with full concentration and mind set on completing the task as soon as possible. That was true, until Can stood right in front of her. She hadn't noticed at first how long he stood there. Did he just come by? Or did he stand there for the longest moment studying her in hopes of remembering how she looked behind her favorite desk at the agency?

She looked up, and he lost his train of thought. He came downstairs into the archives to look for something. What was it? Was there something he needed from there? Was it someone? His mind drew a blank. A complete blank. Sanem looked like a vision. Raven hair, red shirt, her beautiful fingernails clad in red nail polish to match her shirt. She had an aura of effortless beauty not many possessed. And when she looked up at him, he could have sworn he could drift forever in the seas of her bronze eyes. He pretended to search for something. And he found it. Her reflection. Like a lovesick teenager, he noticed Sanem's beautiful face reflecting in one of the boxes atop the cabined. And he lost himself all over again in his gaze.

She worked, while he pretended to know how to breathe. She looked up again. And he forgot how to breathe altogether. She asked what he was doing. So he confidently replied he was looking for the "Galina" project files. But that reply was too quick and as incoherent as he was.  Where exactly the folder was located, he hadn't a clue. In the A,D, E, C, or F folder? The letters played no role in his mind. He would not have been able to find it anyway. And the reason for it was simple. Sanem. So she helped him, and reminded him what the letters on the folders stood for. He in turn triumphantly announced that his brain remembered the sequence of the letters of the alphabet, only proving he really was as incoherent as he appeared. He reached for the file and pretended again to know what it contained.

She could not believe how obvious he was in his actions. If she didn't know better she would have asked him if he was okay. But he was. He just acted so much unlike himself. She tried her best to describle how he acted just now. If cute wasn't the word, she would not have known what else it could be. A grown man, ruggedly handsome, and he seemed to have forgotten the alphabet. That alone made her love him even more. And she caught her thoughts from reaching her heart. It would not have been able to accept anymore than it already felt...

As the day neared its end, she met with Mrs. Remide and Can at the compound Mrs. Remide requested of them to see. The compound was magnificent. Run down and in a very poor shape, but she could already imagine what it could and would soon become. She could even imagine a little organic farmer's market within its walls. The ideas she presented to Mrs. Remide brought her affirmation that the ideas she had could one day become reality. She could see that Mrs. Remide was not only a strict woman, she was also a woman of vision. She soon left them so that they could finish off researching the compound and its grounds. They worked together with Can. They worked well. Until she realized she could no longer bear to be enclosed with walls with him. If she stayed any longer, she would not be able to leave. Him, or the agency.

She went to the door, and found it closed. Unable to open them. She asked for his help. He tried his best to open it, and she had not realized before how strong he really was. He pulled at the doors, and everything shook. The door shook, the walls shook, the ceiling shook, and so did her heart. The door was stuck. No, it had been locked based on what Can told her. They had no choice now. They were stuck together. They searched for the light and she announced that she saw a lamp high up near the ceiling of the office. But it was out of reach. So he lifted her up, and brought her down. And once again she found herself right next to his lips. Right next to his eyes. And secure in his embrace. She wished upon all the fates of the world to let her stay there. Right in his arms. His eyes called out to her soul louder than her soul ever heard. The love in them, the sorrow, the hurt, and lost hope. All were there, as deep in his eyes as she could reach for them. She could not bring herself to let go. But knew she had to. She would not let him remember her and this moment they shared by the tears in her eyes.

She eased away from their emprace and found he was hurt. She retrieved her oil and tended to his wound. She looked up. And realized tonight would be the last time she would look up and into his eyes. It would be the last night she would hold his hand and let her heart feel his touch. Because she lied. Because she hurt him. And in doing so she hurt both of them. Because she deprived them of the possibility of love that could have lasted beyond all eternity...