YES, LET'S JUST BE FRIENDS

CHAPTER NINE

" NO CAN, I THINK YOU MEAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME, " SHE SNAPPED BACK AT HIM HER EYES GLARING.   " ONE MINUTE I'M NOTHING TO YOU, SOMEONE YOU CAN'T TRUST,  THEN YOU WANT ME AGAIN, BUT JUST AS A FRIEND, AND NOW YOU TELL ME YOU LOVE ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART. "   HE DROPPED HIS HEAD REALIZING ALL SHE WAS SAYING WAS TRUE..HOW DID HE GET IS THIS SHAPE, SO HELPLESS TO CONTROL WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN HIS LIFE.  " I DO APOLOGIZE FOR TANER COMING IN HERE AND BLURTING OUT ALL THE EVENTS OF OUR WEEKEND,  I WAS GOING TO TELL YOU MYSELF BUT HE INTERRUPTED THAT. " SHE STATED.   HER HEART WAS CRUMBLING AS SHE SPOKE, " CAN , YOU'RE CONFUSED, SO DON'T MAKE ANY DECISIONS ABOUT ME UNTIL YOU HAVE A CLEAR HEAD....

STILL CLINGING TO HER HAND IN DESPERATION, HE WHISPERED,  " I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LIVE FROM DAY TO DAY WITHOUT YOU.  THE FEAR OF BEING ALONE NOW TERRIFIES ME "  IT USED TO BE MY PREFERENCE BEFORE YOU ENTERED MY LIFE.   ALL THAT I SAID TO YOU THAT NIGHT I DEEPLY REGRET, THAT ALL CAME FROM MY OWN INSECURITIES. " HE CRIED.  

SANEM'S VOICE WAS SHAKING WITH EMOTION AS SHE SPOKE, " I TOLD YOU ONCE THAT WE DIDN'T FIT TOGETHER,  THAT MY MISTAKES OF THE PAST WOULD TAINT YOUR FEELINGS FOR ME."  SHE MUMBLED..I AM NOT PERFECT AND NEVER CLAIMED TO BE,  WHAT I DID CLAIM TO BE WAS COMPLETELY AND FULLY IN LOVE WITH YOU. READY TO DO WHAT EVER IT TOOK TO PROTECT YOU AND OUR LOVE. BUT IN TRYING TO SAVE YOU AND THE AGENCY  SEEMED TO BE A BETRAYAL OF MY LOVE FOR  YOU. "  SHE SPUTTERED, TRYING TO COLLECT HER THOUGHTS, SHE CALMLY CONTINUED, " WHAT I WOULD HOPE, IN THE DEEPEST PART OF MY HEART,  IS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE LOVED ME ENOUGH TO DO THE SAME FOR ME IF THE SITUATION HAD BEEN REVERSED.  I'M TRULY SORRY FOR LETTING YOU DOWN,  THAT WAS NOT MY INTENT. NOW IT'S TOTALLY UP TO YOU AS TO HOW WE MOVE FORWARD FROM HERE. " 

JUST THE THOUGHT THAT SHE DOUBTED HIS HEART AND THE DEPTH OF HIS LOVE FOR HER HURT MORE THAN HE COULD IMAGINE.  " I WOULD LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU SANEM, " HE CRIED. " IF YOU WANT ME TO WALK AWAY AND LEAVE WHAT WE HAD,  THEN YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED, BECAUSE I WILL NEVER LET THAT HAPPEN."...........THE LOOK OF DEVOTION AND DETERMINATION COVERED HIS FACE,  HIS EYES GLEAMED WITH DESIRE FOR HER.  THAT RENEWAL OF LOVE FOR HER HAD RELEASED HIS FEELINGS OF EMPTINESS.  HE EXCEPTED HER AS WHO SHE WAS. JUST PURE AND HUMAN, AND THAT WAS WHO HE NEEDED.......

THEY DIDN'T REALIZE HOW LONG THEY HAD BEEN THERE, SITTING, TALKING, POURING OUT ALL THEIR THOUGHTS. THE OFFICE WAS EMPTY AND IT WAS DARK OUTSIDE.... NOT WANTNG HER TO TAKE THE BUS AT THAT HOUR, HE OFFERED TO DRIVE HER HOME..THE TRIP WAS QUIET, WITH ONLY AN OCCASIONAL LOOK AT EACH OTHER, BUT THE LOOKS WERE FAMILIAR AND COMFORTING...SHE HAD SEVERAL MESSAGES FROM TANER AND A FEW MISSED CALLS, BUT SHE OPTED NOT TO RETURN THE CALL UNTIL SHE GOT HOME. CAN WATCHED HER AS SHE READ THE MESSAGES, TRYING TO JUDGE WHAT THE MESSAGES MIGHT BE SAYING.. " OH CAN, TANER SAYS THEY HAVE SOME NEW PRODUCTS THEY NEED TO TEST, AND HE WANTS TO KNOW IF WE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN PROVIDING THE FIELD TESTING. " WHAT DO YOU THINK? "  SHE EXCLAIMED.....HE TWISTED HIS MOUTH A LITTLE, LOOKING AT HER WITH CONCERN. " WHAT DO YOU THINK SANEM, THIS IS YOUR PROJECT. " HE STATED...." WELL, IF YOUR WILLING, I THINK IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL. " SHE REPLIED.." MAYBE FUN TOO, "  SHE SMILED HER BIG SMILE AT HIM.......

" OK, THEN LETS DO IT "  HE SAID WITH CONFIDENCE ....HE FELT LIKE HIMSELF AGAIN, READY TO FIGHT FOR WHAT HE WANTED...AND HE WANTED SANEM BACK.. ..CAN DIVIT WAS NEVER ONE TO LOSE..

THEY STARTED MAKING THE PLANS THE NEXT DAY.  TANER HAD ALREADY PICKED THE PLACE AND MADE ALL THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CAMPING TRIP.  TANER WAS ANXIOUS TO TRY OUT THE NEW PRODUCTS AND HAVE A CHANCE TO BE ALONE WITH SANEM....

THE OFFICE PERSONNEL WAS EXCITED, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A FEW,  FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUT AND HAVE SOME FUN...WITH CAN AND EMRE HAVING SUCH A RIFF IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP, HE DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE BUT THE GUYS IN THE OFFICE TO BOND WITH.......IT WOULD BE GOOD TO BE OUT IN NATURE.  MAYBE HE WOULD GET SOME ALONE TIME WITH SANEM, HE THOUGHT..

THE VANS BROUGHT EVERYONE TO THE CAMPING SITE,  THE AREA WAS BEAUTIFUL AND ALL THE NECESSARIES WERE IN PLACE. ALL THE TENTS WERE UP AND EQUIPPED.  TANER ARRIVED A COUPLE OF MINUTES AFTER THE VANS, GREETING EVERYONE IN HIS USUAL WAY.  HE TOOK CHARGE IMMEDIATELY, AND OUTLINED THE EVENTS TO FOLLOW.  HE BROUGHT ALONG TWO EMPLOYEES FROM COMPASS SPORTS TO AID IN THE TESTING..THEY HAD A NEW GPS TRACKING SYSTEM AND A VOICE COMMAND NAVIGATION. 

FIRST THE AGENCY EMPLOYEES GOT SETTLED IN THERE ASSIGNED TENTS, SANEM HAD BEEN PAIRED WITH GULIZE AND THEIR TENT WAS PLACED NEXT TO TANER'S.  CAN WAS ALONE IN HIS TENT AND WAS PLACED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AREA...SANEM WAS  INSTANTLY ALARMED...BEING THAT FAR AWAY FROM CAN, AND IN THIS ENVIRONMENT HAD HER UNEASY.  HE ALWAYS MADE HER FEEL SAFE, NO MATTER WHAT... CAN, SEEING THE LOOK ON HER FACE, AT THE ARRANGEMENT, ASSURED HER HE WOULD STAY CLOSE AND SHE HAD NOTHING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT..

AFTER LUNCH THEY WERE TO MAKE THEIR FIRST TEST OF THE GPS SYSTEM..THEY WERE TO GO IN PAIRS. THEY HAD TAGGED ITEMS THAT HAD BEEN PLACED ABOUT IN DIFFERENT AREAS, TO FIND AND RETURN.  TANER HAD MADE A LAST MINUTE CHANGE, PAIRING HIMSELF WITH SANEM AND MOVING GULIZE TO GO WITH CEYCEY.  CAN HAD PREFERRED TO BE ON HIS OWN, SO HE LEFT EARLY, UNAWARE THAT THE SWITCH HAD BEEN MADE.  AS THE AFTERNOON WORN ON AND THE PEOPLE STARTED TO MAKE THEIR WAY BACK TO CAMP WITH THERE FINDS, SANEM WAS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND. SPOTTING GULIZE AND CEYCEY, CAN RUSHED OVER AND ASKED ABOUT SANEM..GULIZE TOLD HIM THAT TANER HAD SWITCHED PARTNERS AT THE LAST MNUTE, AND HE WAS WITH SANEM...

IT WAS LATE AND THE AFTERNOON WAS SLIPPING INTO EVENING. CAN WAS FRANTIC AND ASKED ONE OF THE OTHER COMPASS SPORTS EMPLOYEES TO ORGANIZE A SEARCH FOR TANER AND SANEM..STATING HIS CONCERN FOR HIS OWN EMPLOYEE..PULLING CAN ASIDE, HE WHISPERED.. " THERE'S NO NEED TO WORRY MR.DIVIT, THEY ARE FINE.  MR. TANER HAD A ROMANTIC PLACE SETUP FOR THE TWO OF THEM FOR DINNER. " HE SAID WITH A WINK..

HIS BLOOD WAS STARTING TO BOILING, AND HE WAS READY TO START A SEARCH TO FIND THEM ON HIS OWN BUT HE KNEW HE WOULD HAVE TO TRUST SANEM AND NOT MAKE A SCENE.......

HE DID TRUST HER , HE THOUGHT,  BUT HE CERTAINLY DIDN'T TRUST TANER...................