Always Been You - An EsZan AU / Aşk Mantık Intikam

Chapter 9

"Oh My God, this is a disaster!" Esra exclaimed, her heart pounding in her chest.

She could just see it - Zumrut Teyse looking at her like she wasn't worthy of her "prince", then telling Esra's mom how she was in fact living with a man in Istanbul, then the whole mohalle judging her, then her father being disappointed in her, and so much more. Each scenario that played out in her head worse than the one before.

"It doesn't have to be?" Ozan offered hopefully, not fully comprehending the panic in her eyes. "We could just tell her..."

"Tell her?" Esra almost screamed, "Tell her what??"

"That we are..."

She didn't let him finish. She had barely defined what they were to each other properly in her own head, she could not fathom giving it any sort of name to Zumrut Teyse of all people.

"Hayir!" she said vehemently.

She saw something flicker in his eyes, disappointment maybe, she didn't want to put a name to that either. Then his face became expressionless and he turned away from her towards the door.

"Fine, stay here, I'll send her away and buy us some time."

He hurried out of the room, closing the door behind him, and rushed to the front door.

"Oğlum!! What's going on? What took you so long?" Zumrut barged in the house followed by an apologetic Elif.

"I had my headphones on, I didn't hear you knocking," he said, "You didn't tell me you were coming."

Zumrut turned to him offended, "Since when do I have to inform my son that I want to see him?"

Ozan hugged her quickly, "Of course you can come any time Anne, that is not what I meant. But do you think you could come back a little later? Maybe go to Furkan Amca's house for a little while? My co-workers are coming over to discuss an important project and I just need some time with them." He looked beseechingly at Elif.

"Come on Anne," Elif said immediately, ushering her mother out, "lets go have lunch with Amca and come back."

Zumrut shurgged her off, "Tamam, tamam, I'm coming, I'm coming."

Her eyes scanned the living room and spotted a pink scarf on the sofa. Her lips lifted in a knowing smile and it picked it up. "Who's is this, Ozan? Is it really co-workers or are you expecting someone else?"

Esra, who's ears were pressed to the bedroom door listening to the conversation, stiffened. Dammit! She should have cleared her stuff before his mother walked in.

"No, no its nothing like that Anne, its just one of my co-workers. She left it here last time when they all came to work". He emphasized the "all" and the "work"

"Uh huh," Zumrut nodded, clearly not buying it.

Then her voice softened and she cupped his cheek, "It's good. I'm happy if you have found someone. Maybe now you can stop obsessing over Esra. That girl was never going to accept you anyway. She's too practical, too self-sufficient."

Zumrut put her hands on her hips, "Can you believe it?" she huffed in disbelief, "she told her mother she never wants to get married. That's what happens when girls are too independent. Neyse, I'm glad you have moved on son, you deserve better."

Ozan looked helplessly over at the closed door, hoping against hope that Esra hadn't heard. Elif's eye's followed his gaze and then fell back to the scarf in Zumrut's hand. She had seen that scarf somewhere before. Something registered on her face as she looked back at her brother. She threw a quick sympathetic glance his way, before hurrying her mother out of the house.