A Necessary Journey

Another Chance

Absently, he stroked his fingers down Defne's bare arm as she lay against his shoulder. He was elated. He wasn't about to let her go this time, there was nothing that could come between them now. No secrets, no lies. 

"I'm going to tell my grandma... about us, I mean."

He froze for a second before placing a bent finger beneath her chin and raising her eyes to his. "Are you serious?" She nodded and he sighed in relief, if she was going to speak to Turkan, it meant that she was sure of them. She wouldn't speak with the older woman at all if she wasn't certain of him. "I think that'd be for the best. I want us to get any potential problems out of the way now... we've both been through so much, both been hurt... but I acknowledge that I really hurt you, Defne. What I did was..."

"Stop... please? Let's just put the past behind us? It's obvious that we can't be apart, somehow we always wind up back here, let's just focus on being together? I don't want to think about everything that came before. I think we've both been punished enough."

Kissing the tip of her nose, he smiled gratefully. "You're amazing, and I love you so much. You're right, the past is behind us, let's focus on what's in front of us, our future... I promise I will make every day beautiful, Defne." Squeezing her against him, he kissed the top of her head. 

He stretched, sated. Making love to Defne was always exciting and new, in a way that sex had never been before. When she started to sit up, he pulled her back down. "Where are you going?"

"Sukru will be here soon, we should get dressed. I need to shower."

"No, no way. I've just gotten you back, I'm not ready to let you go just yet."

"But Sukru..."

"Will be gone for at least another hour or two. How about this? Let's work from here today?"

She gave him a disapproving look and he smiled cheekily. "I promise you, I will behave. We really do need to get the final sketches over to Marco, I need to finalise a couple of them. I just... I want to be able to see you, and hold you, eat and drink with you. You've no idea how hard this separation has been for me, how having you so close and not being able to love you has tortured me. Please?"

She chuffed at his pleading look and shook her head, bemused. "Fine... but as soon as you start..."

"I won't. I won't. Now come back here, let me love you for another few minutes before we need to get up... then, I'll make breakfast."

"But you already ate."

He raised his brows with a small smirk. "You made me burn all of those calories. I'm hungry again." Biting her lip, she hid a small smile and buried her face back in his shoulder. It was true, their estrangement had added a sense of desperation to their lovemaking and she was sure she'd feel the effects of their energetic coupling ripple through her muscles later. "Sukru will bring some groceries later for lunch, and maybe I'll even be able to convince you to stay for dinner... maybe the night, if I'm very lucky."

She looked up at him. "Omer, I need to speak with my grandma. I need to go home tonight. She won't be happy about this, you need to be prepared for that."

Sighing he hugged her tightly, his lips finding the crown of her head. "I know. I know." Pulling back to look at her, he met her eyes nervously. "What about Serdar and Nihan, Iso? What did you tell them, after..."

"I didn't tell them." She heaved out a small sigh. "I told them that I wasn't sure, that I wanted to find myself before I committed to a relationship with you again."

"What?"

"Omer... this is no one's business, but ours. I knew how they'd react, they'd try to protect me, and they'd never allow..."