A love reborn from the ashes.

24 - Aziz and Mihriban

Flight Havana - Istanbul

Mihriban

It had been a wonderful vacation, Cuba had been a true paradise on earth, now I was going to stop by my friend Zeynep's for a few days to help her sort out a few things in anticipation of her daughter's wedding, and then I would finally be back home.
I had had a good time, I couldn't deny it, but I missed home, my cottage on the shores of the Bosphorus and most of all I missed my little Nihat and his mom, I couldn't wait to hug them again!

Finally the signal sounded indicating that the seat belts could be unfastened, I got up to go to the toilet in the queue, watching the faces of the passengers as usual.
It was something I had always enjoyed doing. Who were they? Where were they going? What stories were behind their travels? Who were they going to or trying to reach?

As my gaze wandered through the faces of strangers my eyes met those of the one I would never forget.
I stumbled to my feet in surprise, which became dismay when I saw him stand up sharply to parry in front of me.

- Mihriban, is that you? It is not possible, after all this time -

- Aziz-

His name came out choking in my throat, I couldn't believe I had him in front of me after 32 years, not that I had any cash of course. I looked down at my hands, I didn't know what to say, I only knew that my heart was pounding and my mind was suddenly blank. Was it the altitude?

- You are always beautiful- he told me. I raised my head suddenly, I certainly didn't expect a compliment, on the spur of the moment in the middle of the corridor of an intercontinental flight.

He wasn't bad either, he had aged of course, we both had, but in those eyes I could still see that young man full of dreams and hopes with whom I had fallen madly in love a lifetime ago.

A slight cough behind me made me realize it was time to move, we couldn't block everyone.
I looked at him one last time before I started walking again, a fleeting thought crossed my mind: what would it be like to grow old together?

Aziz

As the signal came on, I unbuckled my seatbelt to finally stretch my back a little after so many hours of immobility.
Poor me, what an ugly thing old age is, I thought.

I looked up and my heart skipped a beat.

HER!

It was definitely her, the years might have passed, she had changed as much as I had, but those eyes were unmistakable to me. They were the eyes that, more than anything else in the world, I associated with sweetness, happiness, warmth... in a word, love.

I stood up without realizing it and blocked her passage.

- Mihriban, is that you? It's not possible, after all this time -

- Aziz-

Even simply hearing her voice whispering my name again was like a breath of fresh air in this heart that had been locked for years.

I couldn't help but say exactly what I was thinking at that moment.

- You are always beautiful-

She looked at me intensely for an indefinite time until someone did not incite her to clear the passage, she started to move again and I had to give her space. I sat down restless, I waited what seemed to me an infinite time until I heard her come back.
As she passed me by I grabbed her wrist.

She stopped on the spot, lowering her gaze on me, our sad looks said everything there was to say, there was no room for words, there was only an immense regret for what could have been and instead had not been.

She lifted her head proudly, pulled her wrist from my grasp and with a barely whispered word - Hoscakal, goodbye - walked out of my life again.

I tried to intercept her when she disembarked but only managed to spot her at baggage claim but then lost her in the crowd as she exited the airport.