The Thing About Love -SenÇalKalpımı‬ EdSer Story (complete)

19. Game Plan

Serkan woke her up in the middle of the night to give her more fluids and another dose of medication and then Eda fell back to sleep. When she opened her eyes again it was early morning. Serkan had pulled the chair close to her head, and was slumped over the edge of her bed asleep, his head resting on his crossed arms. Her heart filled with love and happiness - he really had gone above and beyond. Surely that meant something. It had to!

She reached out tentatively –not wanting to wake him up, but unable to resist the urge to touch him – and brushed his hair gently off his face.

"I love you Serkan Bolat," she whispered into the quiet of the room. She was half afraid he'd heard her. But he didn't stir, and she didn't know if she was disappointed or relieved. She shifted a little closer to him and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, then lay back on the pillow, her hand on his cheek, and faded back to sleep. 

That's how Serkan woke up, with the warmth from her body on his arms and the scent of her in his senses. He stretched slowly and looked at her, relieved that she finally looked calm, a tiny smile on her lips. He felt a deep tug in his chest, and he pressed his hand to his heart, trying to control the unfamiliar feeling.

Eda stirred and he dropped the hand at his chest quickly. She blinked and opened her eyes slowly, first one lid then the other, as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight. It was cutest thing to watch, her face scrunching as she resisted waking up. His heart lurched in his chest when she looked at him and smiled. She looked so much better, her color was back and her eyes had cleared, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

He'd been mulling on a plan ever since he had come to a realization about his feelings for her, and he was itching to set it in motion. All the gears were turning and clicking into place and he felt a rush of adrenaline. This was his sweet spot – his engineering mind thrived on planning and executing.

"You're looking much better!" he declared, rising from his chair. "There's soup in the kitchen and I've texted Ceren to come and be with you for a while. I've already told Engin you won't be coming in, so take all the time you need to feel better." He looked at his watch, "I have a couple of things to get done today, so you may not be able to reach me, but I've also told mom's driver to help with whatever you need."

Eda tried to interject but he seemed to be on a mission to get out there, almost bouncy with energy to get on with his day. "Serkan, can we talk..."

He interrupted her, "I'll see you later ok? Take care of yourself." He bent and kissed the top of her head, and all but ran out of the room.

Eda

Eda watched him leave in disbelief. That was it? He'd done his duty as a friend, boss, former lover, whatever, and left looking rather pleased with himself. Her stomach might be feeling fine but her heart felt an altogether new kind of pain. Something inside her had shifted when she'd watched him sleeping all bunched over in the chair. She had realized that she didn't want to give him up, that she was willing to play by his rules.

Let's give it a shot and see where it goes - isn't that what he said? Well she was willing to put her heart on the line for him. What was that saying that it was better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all? What irony then, that she was ready to move forward just when it seemed like he had moved past.

The doorbell rang and she shuffled downstairs slowly to answer the door. The moment she saw Ceren she burst into tears, and told her everything.

"Let me call him," Ceren offered, rubbing her friend's back sympathetically. She knew more than anyone how averse Serkan was to the idea of love. Her heart ache to see Eda hurting this way, and she fell the urge to smack her brother on the head.