Love will find a way

Unforeseen

Memories of previous day flooded her as she stared at the note in her hand.

Previous day..

Nazli was at work trying to investigate an issue when her mobile kept buzzing. It was message from Ferit.

"Lunch/Dinner?" He asked.

Dinner she said as there was no way she can step out of work now.

"Pasta/Risotto" He asked.

"Risotto" She replied

After few other questions, "Wine/Gin" Gin she sent and then cursed herself

"Haha!! caught you" Ferit replied.

Whenever they went out she ordered juice or soda, pretending that she was a teetotaller but now her secret was out. She turned off her mobile as she was not progressing much at work and decided to focus.

She was running late. Ferit will be home anytime and there is no dinner. Nazli thought she will quickly order something but opened her door lock to sense the aromatic smell overpowering the room.

"Surprise" Ferit said as he pointed to the dining table.

"Where did you order this from?" Nazli saw the dinner table laid out with risotto, tiramisu, and some salad. His messages made sense now as he asked her to pick choices among Italian food.

"I made this for you. I was home early so thought I'll cook. Tiramisu is store bought though." He frowned as he was leaving tomorrow and wanted to do something for Nazli. She noticed him sulking.

"Sorry and thanks" She gave him a bright smile which seemed to do its job.

As she settled to serve herself, he pulled her away saying no. There is something to do before you eat, he said and took out the bottle hiding in the shelf.

"Ferit" She chided.

"Oh, pleaseee Nazli... don't be so naive... I've been here for two weeks now. I do notice things." He said as he found it in one of the cupboards few days earlier but did not understand why she would lie to him.

"That's for when Asuman is here" She confessed that it was only her sister, she ever shared a drink with.

"Fine..." She said as he gave her a look and served herself some food while he mixed Gin with some tonic water.

"Wow... Ferit you're a great chef!!" Nazli praised him as she served herself seconds.

"Leave some for me as well" Ferit joined her.

By now he knew if she likes something there will be hardly anything left of it, so he quickly served himself. Admiring himself for a job well done, he let Nazli know Deniz will pick him up early in the morning.

As they settled down on the couch, Ferit handed her another glass and said "Cheers"

She gave in and he handed her the remote as well as it was her turn to pick a movie. She was about to select when he said "Let's go for a walk instead"

Nazli agreed as she recalled how she gobbled more than half of the risotto he made.

They settled down on a bench as they could see the sun set, thanks to the long summer days. Nazli realised they have come quite far from home.

"I'm going to have a headache tomorrow" She said as she realised, they drank quite a lot.

"Relax Nazli, it wouldn't be bad" Ferit assured her but she knew that it was not the case. The main reason she stayed away from alcohol was she could not handle it. As they started to walk back, he told her he would leave for Istanbul next Sunday after staying with Deniz for a week. Nazli felt his arm around her.

"I had a great time. I'm going to miss you Nazli" He said as he stood opposite her and held her hand.

It could be the cool breeze or the moonlight or the surroundings, she let go of his hands and cupped his face instead.

Before he could process what was happening, her lips crashed his and everything went blank.

Realising what she did, she immediately ran away upstairs to her apartment. Ferit took a moment to recover from the shock and then followed her. When he entered the apartment, he could see her room door was locked and she was nowhere to be seen, so he left to his room.

Next morning, he woke up to the sound of his mobile. It was Deniz, who informed him he will be there in half an hour. He freshened up and packed his bags. He thought she might not have woken up, so he quickly made some breakfast for her. There was no sign of her yet and he thought she might be avoiding him. He left her a note and asked Deniz not to come up as Nazli was still sleeping.

xxx

Nazli was unable to comprehend what happened to her last night. She could blame it on weather, alcohol etc etc but deep down she knew she had some feelings for him. She was attracted to him the moment she saw his picture and when he was in person before her, she chided herself for her even thinking about him. She tried to act cool and convince herself that it was just a fleeting crush.

Following week, Nazli immersed herself in meetings, charity work and events as she wanted to escape Deniz and Ferit. She had never kissed any man like that, and it troubled her what he would have thought about her. Deniz tried to invite her to join them in the evening but she had an excuse ready every time. Even Ferit kept himself busy in work except for some evenings when he went out with Deniz.

"Why don't you stay for another week Ferit?" Deniz asked as they checked in the baggage.

"Sorry Deniz... I've to go...It's the first time I've been physically away from office for so long and I dread to think what might have happened in my absence." Ferit chuckled.

"Fine" said Deniz giving up. Ferit asked him to leave as he headed towards security check. As he went in, he saw Nazli through the side glass doors. She was leaning on to a pillar. Their eyes met for a brief movement and she left from there.

Deniz told Nazli, Ferit was leaving to see if it would evoke a reaction but she just told him to wish him good luck. However, part of her wanted to see him one last time. It had been a week since he left her home, and she had been longing to see him.

"I miss him Asuman" It was the first thing Asuman heard from her sister, who pretended to be too busy to talk.

"Abla... Why don't you tell him the same?'' Asuman asked her sister. She knew her sister was attracted to him.

"I don't know" Nazli said and cut the call.

Nazli was confused about her own feelings. She liked him, but is she prepared for a relationship? How would it ever work out with them being in different countries?