Your Grace - Burak Çelik

CHAPTER 27

"So why exactly did she decide to go with you?" asked Aunt Gab, as she and Ayedah got themselves busy in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Reema had gone to her room, and Aarif was in the living room with Burak and Stormy the cat. Ayedah had given them curt greetings before busying herself with the dinner they were preparing- she wanted to make sure that Burak would at least enjoy what he ate, if her cousin and brother made him feel uncomfortable. And perhaps, she did want to escape having to converse with either Aarif or Reema. She knew that even if she tried to talk normally with Burak, one of the two would try to join in, judging by how they were earlier in the afternoon- how Reema was, anyway.

"She just wanted to talk," mumbled Ayedah in answer. "We haven't exactly conversed since she came...I guess that she wanted to see how I was doing." "The same Reema who drove you up the walls and triggered many meltdowns?" she questioned smartly. Ayedah sighed.

In all truth, she did not know how to really feel about Reema. She had not forgotten the countless times she had to bear seemingly never-ending emotional abuse, many times for deeds she did not commit. However, Reema did seem somewhat different to her- though she was insulted by the way her cousin seemed to think so low of her, she felt like the younger girl was making an effort to at least start a respected relationship with her. I can't blame her anyways, she told herself. I did disown and leave the family, including her. It's no easy feat, to accept me back as someone of her flesh and blood. She did her a favor after all- if telling her what her family's original plans for her was a favor, that is. Even if it made her feel a lot more worthless to them than she already did, at least then she felt a little better about having left them; it did not feel that she had acted so selfishly anymore.

Overall, she could tell that Reema was uncomfortable with her- but perhaps she was doing it all for Aarif. From what she saw, she was sincere, and did care for Aarif just as her brother cared for her. She felt bad that she was not enjoying either of their presence the way she had with Aarif when he had come alone the first time, even though Reema and her had made amends. But either way, Ayedah made a mental note to pay more attention to them for the duration of their stay- one reason was to lessen her aunt's burden, and the second was to try and at least get along with Reema, for her brother's sake. She knew she no longer had a say on who her brother chose to marry or big decisions as such, but she did want to support him. And as his sister, she would.

"She wanted to make amends," explained Ayedah finally to her aunt. "She wanted us to be friends, if not family...for Aarif's sake." Her aunt nodded, still slightly skeptical. "Is that why she came along?" she asked. "That I don't know for sure, but she definitely wanted to get this done," said Ayedah. "She had been trying to take me aside and do so for a while, apparently, but never got the chance to."

"That would be my fault, I suppose," said her aunt with a guilty laugh. "I tried to keep her and Aarif away from you for a few days, I knew that Kurulus Osman was entering the middle of the season- even though you did sacrifice one day for them, I could tell you were about to be caught up at work. I didn't want you to be stressed." She smiled grimly; "I guess that went kind of wrong, if Reema was hell-bent on talking to you- and not about anything bad," she said, and Ayedah quickly grasped her arm.

"Hey, I'm sorry," she said. "It's not like you're a free woman, either. I should've offered to help out with them too...this is your house, after all, and they came without notice." Gabriella smiled at her, and patted her hand. "You're very selfless, Ayedah," she said, making Ayedah smile softly. "But this is our house. You even help with many of our finances, even though you don't need to. And don't worry, handling your brother and cousin was fine. Aarif is my nephew too, after all." She smirked suddenly; "Though who knows how much longer you will stay in this house?" she said, shrugging before she turned to cut up some tomatoes.