Your Grace - Burak Çelik

CHAPTER 36

"Ayedah? Are you up?"

Aunt Gab entered Ayedah's bedroom that wasn't locked; to her surprise, her niece's bed was empty and neatly cleaned. She frowned, and put the tray of breakfast she had brought up on Ayedah's desk, just in time to see her come out of the bathroom, wearing a neat, crisp white blouse and jeans. "Oh, you didn't have to, Aunt Gab," she said, as she was using a towel to dry her hair- it was shortened and cropped to reach her shoulders. "You cut your hair," her aunt noticed, and she nodded. "Thought I'd lift one weight off my shoulders, if I can't remove the rest," said Ayedah in a casual voice, though her words were deep. "I have to eat quickly though- I have to go to work." Her aunt's eyes widened.

"Work?" she asked. "Ayedah, you're exhausted-" "No, I'm quite alright," interrupted Ayedah, as she walked over to the tray and picked up a piece of toast, bringing it to her mouth before taking a bite. "I'll just go as usual and come back. No damage." Her aunt frowned; she could tell something was wrong. "Ayedah, I know you're worried about your job and want to perform your best," she began soothingly, placing a hand on her niece's arm. "But you've been through a lot these past couple of days. You need your rest."

Ayedah merely shrugged, giving her aunt a smile despite her mouth being full of toast. "I'm fine," she persisted. "Don't worry about me." Her aunt scoffed as Ayedah went around her to pick up her hairbrush, and said, "You're my niece. I'll always worry about you." Ayedah chuckled lightly, swallowing down all the toast in her mouth as she stood in front of her dresser mirror and brushed out her newly-cropped, wavy damp hair. "That's nice, Aunt Gab, but really, I'm fine," she reassured her aunt. "And if I wasn't- I will be."

Gabriella stared at her niece as she got up and darted around the room to get ready to go to work, picking up odds and ends and putting them into her bag to bring to set. She watched as Ayedah took out a jacket from her wardrobe to wear over her blouse, before putting it on the bed for later; she only stopped her when she went to sit down at the dresser to apply on a light layer of makeup. "Here, I'll do it for you," she said, having Ayedah turn around on her chair so she could face her, as she took the small dish of powder foundation out of her hands. "You've always been so pretty," she murmured as she lightly brushed Ayedah's face with the applicator. "Never ever have you needed to hide anything or enhance it with makeup...and you keep yourself so modest too. To me, as a woman invested in fashion and cosmetics, you've always been the definition of beauty. Real and true beauty." Ayedah gave her a small smile for her compliments, keeping still as Gabriella put away the foundation after applying a very light layer, and took to using the blush.

She smeared an even lighter coat of blush than she did the foundation, before dabbing Ayedah's lips with tinted lip balm. "I just want you to be okay, Ayedah," she said. "Okay, healthy, and well. I don't want you to overwork yourself because you're either worried about losing your position, or because you want to distract yourself from all of this." She finally drew her hands away, and tipped Ayedah's chin up to look at her, and she smiled softly. "Lovely," she whispered, before she went to the bed and took Ayedah's jacket for her, and gave it to her to put it on. "Thanks," said Ayedah brightly, pulling on her jacket. "You really don't have to-" "Oh but I want to," said Gabriella. "No harm in it, right?" Ayedah nodded, before taking out her hijab to wrap around her head and drape across her shoulders.

"Who's sending you?" asked Aunt Gab. "Emel and Ozge?" "I'm just going in a taxi," shrugged Ayedah. "I don't want to worry them." Her aunt frowned; "I'll take you," she said firmly. "And I'm not taking no for an answer." "Alright," said Ayedah, before she grabbed her bag and followed her aunt downstairs. They got into the car and drove off toward Riva, and before long had arrived on set.

"Look, I want you to have a good day, alright?" said Gabriella. "If you're not going to rest at home, at least relax your mind whilst you work. Promise me you won't overwork yourself." "I won't," said Ayedah. "Good," said her aunt. "Allah keep you in His Grace...Selam Aleykum." "Ve Aleykum Selam," said Ayedah, smiling at her before she got out of the car and walked down toward the trailers, crossing the production grounds before she was to reach the writers' cabin. Aunt Gab sighed as she watched her niece disappear from view, and drove off- not knowing that the promise Ayedah made would be broken sooner than later.