A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

A mind of the stubborn...

Love can make one believe in the happily-ever-after. It can make one believe it is better to go through life with the beloved one's heart within their own. But it can also make one stubborn beyond reason. Trusting one's perception of love can make one all too confident in their actions, and by doing so they fail to see that it is not in holding reigns of control that their love grows, but in letting go of that control, and letting life and fate lead the way toward that happily-ever-after...

The fact that Can met with Akif at that exact same time as Sanem spoke with Ayhan proved wonderful to the fates of love. And life. They were both madly in love with each other. But both just as stuborn. Neither Can nor Sanem realized that what was beginning to sprout and grow in their heart was more important and bigger than their fears. And neither of them knew what to do, because they never experienced emotions with such intensity in all of their lives. Akif came to Can to speak about Metin. He could not believe how Can could dismiss his longtime brother-at-heart so easily. He confronted Can. And though Can made it look as if what just happened did not affect him too much, Akif knew the truth was much more complex than that. Can trusted Metin. And trust was everything to Can. But more importantly, what hurt Can was not that Metin lied, but that he bent to Huma's rule. He chose Huma over Can. And that, in Can's eyes - but most painfully in his heart, hurt the most. Not the betrayal, but Metin's choice of who to side with. And as stubborn as Can was, he did not want to even hear that as the agency's lawyer, Metin was obligated to supply documentation to Huma as well since she was a shareholder of the agency...

Seeing Can's thunderous mood, Akif chose to stay by Can's side, and fully aware of the necessity to change the subject of their conversation, he felt relieved when Can mentioned Sanem. And then Akif felt surprised and completely astonished to hear Can's words. And Can's admission of his feelings for Sanem. He knew Can was not a solitary man. He had been in a few relationships before. But he never spoke about his feelins toward anyone so openly. Not even about Polen. So to hear him proclaim affection, nay, LOVE for Sanem, was of profound meaning. But Akif had to laugh. Sanem was not making it easy on Can. Not by any means. She had Can running in circles, and she most likely was not aware of it. What surprised Akif above all, was the fact that Can said he was the one who went after Sanem and revealed his feelings to her. Whomever Sanem was to Can, she was definitely someone special, and someone he took seriously. And Akif laughed both out loud, and deep inside, because not long ago, when he first met Sanem, he mistook her for Can's fiance. He trusted Can's judgement back then, and did not question it at all when he met Sanem. And he was sure not to question it now...

At the same time, Sanem did her best to make Ayhan understand what it was that she felt for Can. How she felt about it. And how she herself was trying to understand it all. And neither of it made sense to her. But as Ayhan pointed out, would it have changed anything if she understood it all? Was not love all about feeling love and not about understanding it? She had no idea how fitting and accurate her words were, because just as she was speaking about love with Sanem, Akif was doing just that with Can. And they both were not getting anywhere. Because both Sanem and Can were too sure of themselves and too stubborn to see that what they were both fighting for was the same side of love. The same meaning of love. And that battles could not be won in love. They could only be conquered by that love.

As it turned out, both Can and Sanem were called back to work. And they resumed work back at Can's house. Sanem could not have felt further away from Can. He was cool, withdrawn, and firm in his conviction of staying away from her until she made up her mind to reveal her feelings for him. After all, a battle was a battle, regardless of how much it hurt him too. Sanem sat beside him. And he could hardly keep up the facade of not being affected by her closeness or the inability to look her way or into her eyes. He made a petty excuse of going to the kitchen to make coffee. He needed air, needed to breathe. It did him no good, because Sanem went after him. He could see she was hurt by his cold shoulder. But so was he, because she did not tell him she loved him too. Moreover, she not only told him that she loved him in a brotherly kind of way, but added salt to his wound by telling him she did not find him attractive. That he did not believe one bit, any of it. So he decided he would stay clear off her, and away until she realized that she needed to admit her feelings for him both to herself and him as well.

But as with every battle, there comes one that suffers the consequences. In this case, it was Ceycey. Having accidentally overheard Sanem call Can only by his name, not by his full title, he approached her. He demanded an explanation. Her actions were always aloof, but that one crossed the line. Can Divit was Can Bey. Not Can. Not just Can. Not to him, not to her, not to any low level employee. Sanem looked at him and was baffled. She was in Can's kitchen, and after today's conversation with Can she finally was comfortable enough to call him by his name. She got used to it in her heart. So in her mind calling Can by only his name was as normal as him calling her by her name. But Ceycey did not know that. Yet, something in her heart whispered to let him in on their secret. Because it would be safe with him. She was sure of it. So she revealed all of it, and all of it in one breath. Can requested she call him just Can. Because he was in love with her. And she was in love with him. He kissed her the night at the gala. He was her secret beloved. He was her albatross. And they kissed again that night at the opera when Ceycey saw Can back in the tuxedo. But Ceycey would have to keep it a secret. Only he would know that secret. And only he would know about them...

Sanem's heart felt comforted by the fact that she finally shared everything with Ceycey. After all, he was the one who linked their lives together by telling Sanem to go up to booth "D". But Ceycey's heart felt quite the opposite. Extremely opposite. Polar opposite. As opposite from comfort as humanly possible. He held his breath, held his heartbeat, and froze in complete shock of his system. And then, he let all of the unsurpassed energy within him loose. He let it all out. Let it scream out of him. He scared Sanem, scared everyone, and baffled Can. All looked at him and could not believe what they were seeing. All were used to his fainting or near fainting spells. But no one ever saw him react in such an overpowering, frenzied, and feverish way. He screamed, ran into the ivy covered fence and all around the garden, only to end up jumping in the pool. And screamed all of what he learned from Sanem right into the water.

Those around him looked in disbelief at what they just witnessed. But he would not reveal what was entrusted to his heart. Because though his heart may have been weak, his spirit recognized the severity of his friends' feelings. Because he too trusted Sanem. And because he valued Can's guidance and the fact that he was becoming more of a friend to them both...