A LEAP OF THE EARLY BIRD

Best of both views...

A great wise person once said that one's point of view depends on the point of sitting. Front, back, or sidelines. It proves true in life, love, and friendship. Especially, when all three are intertwined....

As the matter with Emre appeared to become more complex than she had thought, Sanem decided to put it aside and instead concentrate on the work at the agency. And there was quite much to be done. Being a coordinator, she had to make sure that everything was as it should have been. And then double and tripple checked. Next on her list of things to do that day was the fact that she needed to ensure that the models hired for the shoot were accounted for and ready for the job. She saw them come in, and decided to greet them. She had no idea that her childhood friend would be one of them. Needless to say, Can didn't either. He was surprised when Güliz kept gushing over the models. Though, she commented that none compared to Can. As if they could, Can thought to himself, and that immediately boosted his confidence. And, just as immediately, he felt air pop out of that confidence the moment he saw Sanem express affection toward one of the male models.

Not willing to watch from the sidelines, Can rushed to break up the pair of friends who were clearly glad to see each other. More than that, it was as if they haven't lost a single day since they last saw each other. Sanem was beyond happy to introduce Sinan to Can. And Can was beyond livid and annoyed to have to share Sanem - with anyone. Can wasn't just jealous of Sanem now, he was jealous of Sanem's and Sinan's past. To make matters worse, Sanem revealed that they were sweethearts when they were young. Just the sheer mention of this brought Can's temper out. And it was undeniable. Especially to Ceycey, who appeared to enjoy the best view of that up close and personal battle of 'Who knew Sanem better'...

As Ceycey watched the almost animated expressions of the powerless Can, he also got a glimpse of something else that no one witnessed before. Or, rather, no one looked deep enough to notice it in Can. But Ceycey did, because Ceycey was more aware of Sanem's and Can's deeper relationship. And to see Can so helplessly trying to dominate over the conversation was beyond amuzing. Even more amuzing was the fact that Can lost practically each step of the way. And Sinan hadn't even noticed it. But Sanem most certainly did. And she was looking at Can through a set of new eyes. Until Can advised Ceycey to lead Sinan and the others away. Seeing that she would have to bid goodbye to her friend, Sanem decided to embrace Sinan and give him a friendly kiss. Only, Can was perfectly aware of her intention, and there was no way he was going to permit her to kiss anyone other than himself.

And, again, Ceycey had the best view of what transpired. In attempt to stop Sanem from kissing Sinan, Can stepped inbetween them. And ended up receiving a very, very, very affectionate kiss on a cheek from Sanem. Neither one of them expected it, least of all her lips. The moment her delicate lips touched his hard beard that hid his chizzled cheek, her mouth gasped for air. Her head spun in circles, and she felt dizzy. She stepped aside and could not believe that she kissed Can. Can Bey, that's who - because, after all, they were at the Fikri Harika.

Amuzed and quite positively charged, Ceycey happily oblidged Can when he requested for Ceycey to lead the models to their work location. As Ceycey did, Can knew he was about to loose any last bit of his self control. Witnesses, or not. Çay, or no çay. No çay, he decided, because he needed something stronger to calm his nerves. So he opted for coffee. Plain and black, and as strong as possible. Whether it actually made it into the cup, that was another story. Because his hands shook, his mind shook, and his ego shook. But the more he berated Sanem about Sinan, the more she was suspicious of Can's intentions. Moreover, it was as if he was using a double standard. So it was okay for him to have a slew of so called friends, but she could not be even afforded one? The moment she realized that, Can lost his argument in her mind. Because she never reacted more passionately than when she was told she could not do something. And to top it all for him, she reminded him that he was her friend. Albeit a special friend, but just a friend indeed...

To get whatever it was that bugged them both out of their systems, they left the agency for the scheduled scooter ride lesson. And Can got what he asked for. Exactly what he asked for, since he was the one who thought of the brilliant yet not-so-well-thought-out idea to gift a scooter to Sanem for a job well done with the ad campaign. He thought that he was a patient man. Wrong. He thought that he could handle anything life threw at him. Wrong again. He thought handling a lesson with Sanem would not be so challenging. Wrong, wrong, and a thousand times wrong. He found himself at a wits end. Teaching Sanem how to steer a scooter was like explaining a multiplication table to an infant, and one that slept. The basic concept of making sure she had to pay attention to the road was beyond logic to her. But explainig how to use mirrors was much worse. Then again, Can had to reconsider that thought. Because first he had to explain to her and convince her as to WHY she had to use them.

Explaining the thought to Sanem as to why she had to use mirrors took all of his concentration, skills, and last restraints of his inner peace. First, he needed to convince her that she really did have to pay attention to what was going on behind her. He also had to make sure she even checked the mirrors in the first place. To his utter horror, she replied that she did - and she happily reported that they were clean...

Then, he had to explain that the mirrors did not act as a make up mirror to see how she looked. They acted as a measure of safety to make sure she was aware of what and who was behind her. He almost resigned his objections when she announced that she did not have to check who was behind her because she knew that he was behind her. And, after all, as a wise person once said, behind each successful woman there was always a man. He honestly chose not to correct her, and chose to keep his observation to himself that it was, in fact, the other way around...

But, with all said before, nothing made his mind blank out more than her final admission that she did, indeed, use the mirrors while they drove. She used it to check him out and look at him... For a man who always had a plan and something to respond with, he did not know what to say to her. He paused, and told her to keep looking at him, but to do so as a hobby, not as a means of precautionary measures while riding a scooter...

As a final resort, and last part of the lesson, he knew there was no other choice than to prepare her for the worst case scenario. In case she would run them into a pole, a building, or off the road. So he piled up safety padding all over her knees, elbows, and back. Though she protested at first, she could not help but fall under the spell of his eyes and his embrace, and his words of comfort and concern. And he made sure to point out that he did it all in the name of their friendship. As they drove away, accompanied by her screams of complete horror, she had to admit that she truly did enjoy the best of both views - Can behind her holding her close, and Can's endearing eyes reflected in the mirror, looking back right into her eyes...