A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

Courage of the beloved...

What is the bridge between dreaming and having those dreams come true? What is the point in one's life when one decides to leap forward and catch the air within the wings and go after what they hold dearest in the heart? It is deciding to take hold of the courage within one's lungs. The courage to leap. The courage to hold. The courage to let go of the fear to love, and finally be loved..

Can stood at the foot of the stage, and felt as if his heart beat outside of his chest. Because it did. And it stood right up there on the stage. It beat inside of Sanem's own heart. It wasn't just pride, it wasn't just the knowledge that she rocked the presentation, it wasn't just a friend's support for a job well done. It was so much more. Much, much more.

He had every right to be proud of Sanem for delivering a presentation that turned out to be a complete success when it appeared that everything failed. He did not know whether the computer malfunctioned or whether it was a bad luck of the draw. But he knew one thing. Sanem stood her ground firmly, when everyone else panicked. Everyone, including Deren. Or, rather, especially Deren. He realized then and there that he made the right decision to entrust the presentation to Sanem. And, true, he was proud of her. He worked closely with her more than with any other employee at the agency, and he knew this presentation matteted to her as well. Because she poured her heart into it.

As the presentation neared its end, all he wanted to do was be near Sanem. To stand next to her. To praise her effort. To praise her triumph. To praise how stunning she looked in the long velvety royal blue dress. For a woman who never bothered with her looks too much, she really did not have to try hard to look beautiful. But tonight... Tonight, she just made his gut turn. He thought she was beautiful before, and she was. But, to know that she put in an effort to look the part of the campaign coordinator, made his head spin. He was not a man who wooed over women. If he wanted to pursue a woman, he did. And he succeeded. And yet, it felt different with Sanem. Because she was different.

He feared that if he would be too forward with revealing his feelings to her, he might scare her away. After all, he was the one who told her that he could no longer trust her as someone more than a friend. She respected his wishes thus far, and he was beginning to think that she would only see him a such. A close friend, but just a friend after all. And the notion of that was starting to get to him. He wanted to hold her, but he couldn't. He wanted to show her what she meant to him, but he couldn't. He wanted to bring her close and embrace her as someone more than a friend, but he couldn't. Especially since he did not know if she felt the same way...

After the presentation he could not wait to spend just a few moments alone with her. But somehow everyone wanted to talk to him, needed to talk to him, or needed him for some urgent matter that could not wait. They finally managed to have a moment to themselves, just the two of them. He stood close to her, and leaned in to whisper to her that she really did look beautiful. He was only able to say just a few words to her because, lo and behold, Ceyda appeared out of nowhere and rudely announced that since the whole show was over and done, they should leave for the after party. She paid no attention to the fact that her words hurt Sanem, and paid even less attention to Can's blank stare when she linked her hand through his arm as if in a gesture to show Sanem that she was marking her territory. But Sanem's stunned reaction was nothing compared to the way Ceyda's gesture made Can feel. No one marked him as a territory. No one. Least of all a woman whom he did not consider least bit attracted to. Thankfully, Gamze read Can's mind and advised Ceyda that they would not mind waiting a bit longer before leaving for the after party.

Just as Can was reluctantly dragged away from Sanem, Ayhan along with Leyla and Güliz came around to congratulate her on a job well done. They were all excited and proud of her. Sanem was touched by Güliz's words of praise, especially when Güliz mentioned that she was sure that Can would have rushed on to the stage to save the presentation, but he let her save the day. That meant so much to her. But, just as they were enjoying a moment of happiness, a waitress deliberately bumped into Sanem and poured an entire glass of champaigne all over her. Deliberately, because she was paid to do so by Aylin. And, even though Emre was not surprised to figure out that Aylin was behind that little scheme, he was surprised by his own distasted reaction to it...

When Can returned to the table, he realized Sanem was nowhere to be found. First thought of silent annoyance quickly gave way to concern. And then, concerned concern. He found Güliz, who explained that a waitress poured a drink over Sanem, and took her to the restroom. But that was a while ago. Too long of a while for him not to be concerned. Without a moment of hesitation, he rushed to search for her. The longer he searched, the more concerned he grew. It was totally in Sanem's character to get into trouble in the most inconvenient moment, but it was not like her to just disappear. He was used to the sound of her voice, so the silence due to her being gone from his side bothered him. More than he was willing to admit. Or, was he...?

He found her. Needless to say, he should have been more surprised to see her stuck in the back wall window of the restroom. He should have been. But it was so much like Sanem that all he could do was accept the fact that there must have been a reasonable explanation for her current situation. There must have been. He was just hoping it wasn't her way of trying to escape from anyone that evening. Alas, it was not. Of course she came up with a totally out of the ordinary scenario that somehow made perfect sense. A perfect sense. And only she had the ability for that to happen. The only thing left to do was to get her out of that window. Pushing her back in was no use. She dared him not to try it because the side table that she stepped on tipped and fell. Leaving her with no way to climb back through the window. And since she was left hanging, she was unable to climb out of the window either...

There was only one way out. He saw no other way. He would pull her out. He put his moonstones in his pocket for safekeeping, and gently touched her hand, giving her a delicate tug letting her know to get ready. His first attempt to put his arms around her failed. Only Sanem would have found it totally amuzing to laugh out loud now - but she could not help it. Anyone would have laughed if Can Divit ticked them. But she composed herself, and waited for him to calm down too. He gave it another try, another tug, another pull. And his skillfull hands and Albatross strong arms pulled her out into safety.

She could hardly believe it. He saved her. Again. He pulled her to safety. Again. And right into his arms. Again....................

He wanted to make sure she was alright. He needed to be sure no harm was caused to her. A brief thought ran through his mind that he was thankful he found her. And then, that thought lingered. It stayed on his mind. In his heart. And he realized he wanted the thought to stay there, in his heart. More importantly, he wanted her to stay in his arms. And not just now, not just this evening. He told her that since she was safe and out of the window, then perhaps they should go. She agreed, and suggested he should go first, and she would follow soon after him. He denied her request. NOW OR NEVER, his heart screamed within his chest. He asked her why should she walk behind him? She replied that he was her boss, she was an employee, and as such she could not be there by his side all the time. NOW OR NEVER, his heart repeated and screamed louder. He told her she would walk with him, not behind him. She asked him in what capacity would she walk with him? As who? NOW OR NEVER - NOW! His heart screamed within his chest so loudly that he finally listened. Finally realized what it was trying to tell him. Finally realized what it meant.

He told her she would walk by his side a his darling, as his girlfriend...

She froze. She shook her head. She barely found the right words to reply that they were friends. Friends. She did not get to repeat it again. Her words, or rather the sound of them, lay silent and soundless underneath the kiss he laid on her lips. It was sweet, it was passionate, it was filled with a bit of urgency of his own lips missing hers for so long. So long. Too long. He held on to that kiss for as long as possible. Fact of the matter was, he felt unsteady realizing just how much he missed her, how much he needed her.

He eased away from her just far enough, mere inches away. His eyes traveled from her lips to her eyes to her lips again. His heart missed her, his lips missed her, but he had no idea how much his hands missed holding her face in them. And, now, she was there, with him, next to him. He felt his heart drum steadily in his chest now. He whispered to her, holding her precious face in the palms of his hands. He whispered to her, no longer afraid of the words that came straight from his heart. He whispered to her, confident in his feelings as much as in the future they would bring.

He whispered to her that he was tired of the friend game. He was. And the sound of his spoken words flew right into her heart. Into her soul. And the words meant the same to them both. The words reafirmed them that their love had not ended. They reafirmed them that their future was just beginning. They reaffirmed them that with the courage of the beloved one's love, all things were possible, even a happily ever after...