Always Been You - An EsZan AU / Aşk Mantık Intikam

Chapter 10

Ozan sat with his heads in his hands for what felt like an eternity. Her words had cut deep, like the sharpest knife, straight through his chest. 

There was a reason he'd never expressed his feeling for her. Somewhere, in the far recesses of his brain, he had always feared that she would reject him, reject the very notion of them. And damn, he had been so right.

She'd said sorry, but she was sorry for hurting his feelings, for letting it get this far, for giving him hope, because that is who she was. But not sorry for thinking those thoughts - he was certain of that. So he knew why she was sorry, and he said so in his response. He hurt too much to say anything else. He knew she wanted more, but he couldn't give her that. Not yet...

He rubbed his hands through his hair in frustration...and resolution. He had to do whatever it took to get her out of his system once and for all. Loving her was a fool's errand and he was done playing the fool.

Esra stared down at the "I know", on her phone, for the entire ride to the new apartment. In a way, she got it. This was Ozan, he knew her - this much she had learnt from her time with him. He understood her like no one else in her life. And in the most clinical sense, the most logical sense, in a distinctly Ozan sense, it was entirely appropriate. He knew that she was sorry. But in that moment she had wanted more, and she hated herself for this weakness.

A week passed with neither of them reaching out to the other - a little bit of pride, and a whole lot of self-preservation at play.

Esra arrived early to work like she usually did these days. Her boss Furkan somehow always seemed to be there before her. He motioned for her to come into his office as she passed him on the way to the cubicle.

"Good morning Esra. I'm going to get right to the point. I have been informed that you were, in fact, the brain behind the project plan that Cinar took credit for. I'm sorry that happened, and Cinar has been reprimanded for it. Starting today you will be the lead on the project, and report directly to me."

"I..How...," Esra stammered, slack-jawed.

"The 'how' doesn't matter. Are you up for the challenge?"

Esra all but squealed in delight, "More than up for it! I promise you won't regret this!"

"I'm counting in it," Furkan said with a smile, "now, off you go."

Esra practically skipped to her desk. This was it, her chance to show them her mettle, her smarts, her talent. And there was one person who she wanted to share the news with the most. She was also certain that the same person was somehow instrumental in Furkan finding out.

She pulled out her phone and texted Ozan.

Esra : You told them about Cinar, right?

Ozan : maybe...

Esra : How? Why?

Ozan : Furkan is a friend of a friend, we were introduced over the weekend at the club. I might have let a few things slip. 

Ozan : What happened to you was not fair.

Esra : So you were looking out for me?

She waited a brief second as she imagined him trying to find the right thing to say, while also being momentarily distracted by the fact that he went to a club - that wasn't like him. 

Then she typed some more...

Esra : Were you? Looking out for me? Like a friend?

Ozan huffed out a laugh. He'd walked into that one.