A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

The innocence of true love...

Love evolves. Love helps hearts grow, but it also evolves in itself. And every stage of love is as precious and as important as the next. But it is in the beginning stages of it that love either roots itself deep in the heart or proves too weak to stand a chance against the winds of the world. And it is the love that grows deepest of roots that begins as a leap of the heart, and a call of the innocence of the soul...

Can Divit was in love. And he admitted that to himself without any doubt. He believed in his judgement and trusted his gut. And he never felt more calm. Strange as it may sound, no prize nor award for his photographs ever filled him with more contentment than working together with Sanem at the agency. And the more they worked together, the more he saw how much light and talent she had when it came to advertizing. Which brought him even more pleasure to work with her. What's more, because she was so innocent and new to the trade, she let her ideas guide her, not her pride. And it was that innocence that always pulled him in deeper and deeper...

Walking into the agency, Sanem asked him to keep their love hidden from the eyes of their colleagues, and most importantly Emre. Their love was precious. Their love was so new, that she did not want to attract attention nor subject their hearts to unnecessary hardship. Their love was theirs, and she asked him to keep it that was. And he oblidged her. But that did not mean he would stay away from her. Not that he would have been able to do so. Every moment away from her felt like a wasted one. To be away from her felt as bad as being next to her but not being able to touch her, to feel her heart beating next to his. When they walked in to the agency, albeit separate, he felt the urge to stay near her. He watched Sanem's face beam with indescribable light and happiness as Deren spoke with her regarding her next adventure at the agency. She was now stepping on a new ground. She not only won the competition for the automobile ad campaign, she would also beging her internship as a copywriter. All along while still performing her regular duties. To Deren's astonishment and Can's pleasure, Sanem not only thanked Deren for the opportunity, she exclaimed her happiness and full commitment to her work. All of it.

As they worked through the day, Can realized his reality was just better if Sanem was near him. What's more, it was better if he could innocently, if even presumably by accident, feel her next to him. She was surprised when he kept touching her hand during the writers meeting before the ad campaign shoot. His smile filled her with so much happiness because she knew he offered that smile only to her. But his innocent touch was still something so new to her. And it was something she cherished and held dear to her heart. But, restraining herself from wanting to embrace him was a much harder matter to accomplish. She brought him tea, as she always had done, but neither one of them wanted her to leave without an embrace. Knowing there were too many colleagues around, they opted for a handshake. Only to fight a loosing battle against the surge of yearning and the urge to kiss. Only to be interrupted by Emre...

But nothing brought more bolts of lightning and happiness to Sanem like the moment Can came to see her in the archives room. He said he missed her. He said he needed to be near her. He whispered sweety that he could barely survive without her next to him. And that he needed a dose of her love. Sanem's love. He left upon kissing her hand and letting her know he would see her later. And he missed the second time Sanem felt a bolt of lightning shoot right through her. Because none other than Ceycey appeared right next to her, right out of nowhere. And to make the most of his new discovery, he approached her with full confidence, peace, and a sense of calmness that she had never seen in him. Because the insecure Ceycey was a ball of nerves, but the confident Ceycey certain of his knowledge was coolheaded, poised, and completely content with himself. He was their cupid, and now their secret keeper. As much as finding out about them shortcircuited his mind, realizing how much they meant to each other calmed him down. Enough not to overreact. Enough to tease her about it. And he fully enjoyed it. She asked if he saw her with Can Bey. He only looked at her, and ever so stoically asked since when did just Can become Can Bey? So suddenly? So out of the blue? Oh, if those walls could talk... The stories they would whisper... Of the beloveds' endearing hideout... Of their moments... Of their love... Because that room was no longer filled with just dusted shelves and forgotten dossiers...

To evade the stares of others, and Ceycey, and to feel free and unrestrained to embrace one another, they met at the park. Their park, under their tree. That safe haven meant so much to them, and it would come to mean so much more in the future to come. Just as he always would, Can awaited Sanem's arrival. It made him smile to think that she thought she could surprise him. How could she if he loved he loved her so much that he could sense her getting close to him. Instead of surprising him, he surprised her. He bestowed the sweetest of flowers upon her, which added more beauty to the flower, not the other way around. She smiled, and that smile reached his heart and made the time he waited for her seem like a distant memory. And yet, she did surprise him. She pulled out a small blue butterfly and she revealed that she made it for him because the sight of her beloved Can always filled her with thousands of tiny butterflies.

They embraced and held onto each other as long as they could. Can, a little bit longer. Because he did not want to let go of her. Never. He was a man of certainties, honored words, and confident grounds. He was a man in love and felt that their fate brought Sanem to him for a reason. The innocence of their true love filled his heart to the brim. It gave him a new sense of purpose, a new path to follow. And the fact that she wanted to stay by his side and no longer run from him was all that his heart needed to know. Because it opened up, and finally learned to trust...