A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

His everything...

The journey of life makes one appreciate those who cross one's path. A wise soul once said that people meet others for a season, a reason, or a lifetime. Those who come into one's life for a season are meant to bring help in a given moment of life, and then leave, with their mission fulfilled. Those who come into one's life for a reason are meant to teach a lesson, without whom the lesson would never be have been learned. And then, there are those who barge into one's life without a moment's notice to stay in one's heart and soul forever...

Can was a man not easy to understand. It wasn't because he had a difficult character. It was because he chose not to open up to many, and as such not many knew him. The real him. He kept it that way. He preferred it that way. He never would have imagined that someone could get close enough to him to be able to gently walk into his life and into his heart with love he so longed for. He accepted his fate and what came his way, and learned early in life that if he guarded his heart, then he stood a greater chance of keeping it whole. And yet, somewhere deep inside a part of his heart hoped for a companion, for another heart to beat with the same beat, to give love and feel loved in return. The day he met Sanem, he knew she was someone much different from others. He felt a pull toward her because she intrigued him, but he never expected that he would begin to have feelings for her. Not just any feelings. Deep feelings. Strong feelings. The once-in-a-lifetime kind of feelings. The day at the beach when he went into the water after her and held her close to him changed him forever. He felt something he thought he would never feel in his life. He felt his heart open. It opened up to her, and the fact that she wanted to remain in his arms only made that heart of his open up more. And from that moment on, he knew that one day he would have to come face to face with her, and reveal his feelings to her. Reveal how much he cared. Reveal that he fell in love...

Can lived at the Divit estate with his father and brother. That was their house. That was their property. But there was another piece of land he called home. Only he knew it, and only his father was aware of it. That was his piece of heart in Istanbul. And that place was his first family home. He traveled all over the globe, but always returned to that part of Istanbul. Everchanging, yet it remained constant. He would always find peace there. He would always find solace. He could stand there, on the terrace, and listen to the sounds of his most beloved city, and feel whole again. Feel himself again. And now his heart whispered to him that the time came to bring Sanem there. To make her see what he saw in that place. To make her feel what he felt whenever he stood on that ground. To reveal how he felt about her...

Driving up to his first home made Can realize how much his life changed ever since he met Sanem. She created the perfect storm that he felt powerless against. He was confident, strong-willed, and self-reliant. He counted on himself, and always put himself first. He was a man of honor, and a man of his word. A man who never threw his words carelessly into the wind. So when the moment came that his heart told him it was time to reveal his feelings to Sanem, he truly felt just how much she meant to him. It wasn't a whim of a fancy. It wasn't a momentary phase like Polen distastefully put it. It angered him for her to ever consider his feelings in such a way. If she ever got a chance to really see him for who he was, she would have known he never took his feelings lightly. That is why he felt so much more of a connection with Sanem. She felt everything with her whole heart. She made him feel everything more deeply with his...

They drove up to the abandoned mansion. He could see that Sanem was baffled. They went inside in a way that made Sanem worry if they would get caught. But he told her she was safe. They were on the Divit property. On his land. And if anyone would catch her there, it would be him. He spoke lightly, and kept quiet to see her reaction. Oh, he was not disappointed. He could see she fell in love with the place the moment she stepped onto it. The nature, the trees, the serene feeling the land exuded. It was as if she felt that magic hidden everso quietly between the branches of the tallest trees and the delicate leaves of the lowest ivy. The place was abandoned, but it did not feel that way at all. It beat with its own heart. It lived its own life. She felt so connected to the nature an the place itself. She connected with it in a way he had hoped. And because she did, the light in her eyes shone even brighter.

He asked what she thought of his hidden piece of home. He wasn't just asking about the place, but about so much more. She loved it. Even without spoken words, he understood how she felt. Because he felt the same way. He asked if she could listen to the sounds of Istanbul. If she could hear what he heard when he stood on that land. She let her feet guide her. She stopped, turned, and closed her eyes. And let her soul fill with the sounds of Istanbul. And she heard them all. Faint at first, the sounds grew more vivid and lively. Conversations, people quarreling, the wind blowing all around them, birds chirping, children laughing. He caressed the hair falling gently around her face. He gathered her close, and asked if there was anything more she could hear? She did. Her voice, his voice...

The words he spoke just then came from the deepest part of his heart, from the darkest part of his soul finally shining with love, all because of her. He let his lips speak the words he never thought possible. But he was ready. Finally ready. He whispered that he fell in love with her. She did not reply, but held on to him tighter. He let the moment speak fot itself. Let the moment be all it could be, all that it was. Still holding on, he told her she was everywhere to him. Wherever he went, she was there with him. Whether he closed his eyes or kept them open. Whether she was next to him or not. She was there along with him in his house, sitting along with him by the embankment, in the air at the mountain hut, deep in the forest whenever he ran, up in the sky whenever he dared to look up. He saw and felt her everywhere. Only her.

He asked her if she had something to say, but she wasn't able to speak. His words spoke right into her heart and deep into her soul. She held all emotions inside, and wanted the moment to feel as beautiful as it possibly could. He asked if she were ready to run away again because of her fears. She said she would not run, for she would have truly nowhere to run. He was all roads, and they all led back to him. He smiled, and reminded them both of the only time she had not ran from him. She called him a Bad Kind, demanded a dance, chose the song herself, and fell right into his arms.  He did not have to remind her, she was embarassed enough. He told her she needn't feel bad about that evening at all. She laid her head on his chest then, held on to him tight, and did not let go. Neither did he. Neither would he, ever. Because he found his piece of heart in her very own. Because she was his soul mate. She was his everything...