YES, LET'S JUST BE FRIENDS

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CEYCEY WAS HAVING SOME SORT OF ANXIETY MELTDOWN AND CAN WAS TRYING TO HELP HIM..SANEM RUSHED OVER TO LEND A HAND.  IT ALWAYS TOOK A FEW MINUTES TO GET HIM TO CALM DOWN. " WHAT'S BROUGHT THIS ON CAN? " SHE ASKED..HE LOOKED AT HER AND SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS AS TO SAY, HE WASN'T SURE...CEYCEY WAS RANTING SOMETHING ABOUT, TANER WANTING TO SWITCH PARTNERS AGAIN FOR THE TEST OF THE LAST PRODUCT.. CAN LOOKED AT SANEM WITH QUESTIONS IN HIS EYES.. ' WHAT'S UP WITH THAT, SANEM.." HE ASKED ...HE KEEPS CHANGING THE RULES ON EVERYTHING."  SHE SHIFTED HER EYES OVER  TO SEE WHERE TANER WAS, AND SPOTTED HIM BY THE FOOD TABLE, GLARING STRAIGHT AT THEM.."I HAVE NO IDEA, " SHE SAID,  IT'S HIS SHOW SO I GUESS HE CAN RUN HOW HE WANTS. "  CAN COULD SEE THE LOOK OF HESITATION ON HER FACE. HE TOOK HER ARM, TURNING HER TO FACE HIM, " YOU CAN GO WITH ME SANEM,  DON'T LET HIM INTIMIDATE YOU. " HE STATED..  HE CAN'T FORCE YOU TO GO WITH HIM."    

SHE FELT HIM STILL STARING AT THEM SO SHE TOLD CAN IT WAS FINE AND THERE WAS NO PROBLEM.  SHE DIDN'T WANT TO CREATE A SCENE THERE,  ALL SHE WANTED WAS TO JUST TEST THE LAST PRODUCT, PACK UP AND LEAVE. SHE WATCHED AS TANER STARTED THEIR WAY, SMILING AND WAVING AS HE STRUTTED ACROSS TOWARD THEM.  SANEM QUICKLY WENT TO INTERCEPT HIM BEFORE HE MADE HIS WAY TO CAN. " TANER WHY ARE YOU CHANGING PARTNERS AGAIN, EVERYONE IS GETTING SUSPICIOUS."  SHE DEMANDED.  " THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT SANEM, YOU'RE GOING WITH GULIZE, CEYCEY IS GOING WITH AHMET AND I'M TEAMING WITH CAN."  HE SAID COOLLY.  SANEM KNEW THAT WAS A BAD IDEA, " WHAT, WHY TANER, JUST LEAVE IT ALONE, PLEASE ". SHE PLEADED... HE PINCHED HER CHEEK PLAYFULLY, AND WALKED TOWARDS CAN..  " CAN, I AM TEAMING WITH YOU ON THIS TEST,  SINCE WE ARE THE MOST EXPERIENCED IN THIS TYPE OF NAVIGATING, I THOUGHT WE COULD REALLY PUT IT TO THE TEST,  ARE YOU GAME? "  HE ASKED, HIS EYES DARKENED AS HE TALKED. 

WHAT'S HIS ANGLE,  CAN THOUGHT,  BUT HE WAS MORE THAN READY FOR THE TEST. " YES THAT SOUNDS GOOD TO ME, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. "  HE SAID.. HE GLANCED OVER AT SANEM, GAVE HER A QUICK WINK AND WENT TO GET SET UP FOR THE TEST..SANEM'S STOMACH WAS CHURNING, SHE KNEW THAT CAN COULD HOLD HIS OWN IN SOMETHING LIKE THIS, BUT TANER HAD TAKEN ON A DIFFERENT CHARACTER,  AND IT HAD MADE HER A BIT NERVOUS...

THE TEAMS WHERE ON THERE WAY.  HER AND GULIZE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT THEY WERE DOING SO THEY JUST PICKED A GOOD SPOT AND SAT DOWN..IT WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR GULIZE TO DRILL HER ON THE LATE NIGHT DINNER THAT TANER HAD PLANNED.  " WELL SANEM, HOW WAS YOUR ROMANTIC DINNER WITH TANER?  YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN CANBEY WHEN THEY TOLD HIM WHERE YOU WERE,  HE WAS NOT HAPPY, I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO BREAK THE CHAIR HE WAS SITTING IN." SHE TOLD HER, THROWING HER HEAD BACK AS SHE LAUGHED..." WE TRIED  TO GET HIM TO GO TO BED BUT HE REFUSED. "  SANEM ROLLED HER EYES AND SPOUTED,  " GULIZE I REALLY DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, OK. JUST FILL ME IN ON SOME OF THE OTHER GOSSIP. "   

TANER AND CAN WERE MAKING GOOD TIME,  PUTTING THE NAVIGATOR THROUGH IT'S PACES.  ABOUT 30 MINUTES IN, TANER STOPPED ABRUPTLY LOOKING AT CAN, " HEY  WHAT'S YOUR PLANS WITH SANEM? I MEAN HOW SERIOUS ARE THINGS WITH YOU?   I'M ONLY ASKING BECAUSE I COULD FEEL THE TENSION BETWEEN YOU TWO EVERY TIME I AM AROUND." HE SPOKE WITH A HINT OF SARCASM. CAN SHOT HIM A LOOK, ONE THAT COULD KILL. " YOU KNOW TANER  IF I THOUGHT IT WAS ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS I WOULD BE HAPPY TO TELL YOU,  BUT SINCE I DON'T THINK IT IS,  I'M NOT TELLING YOU A THING. " CAN REPLIED WITH A GROWL..  "WELL,  LET ME TELL YOU, I WANT MY RELATIONSHIP WITH HER BACK. PLAIN AND SIMPLE. "  I LOST HER ONCE BEFORE AND DON'T INTEND TO LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN."  TANER SAID, HIS TEETH GRITTED WITH ANGER.  CANS' HAIR BRISTLED UP LIKE A CAT,  HIS HEART POUNDED, IN ONE QUICK MOVE HE GRABBED TANER AND PINNED AGAINST THE NEAREST TREE.  CAN GLARED INTO TANERS EYES, " LET ME TELL YOU, SANEM IS NOT PRIZE YOU WOULD WIN FROM A FAIR. SHE IS A SPECIAL PERSON,  SPECIAL TO ME AND I DON'T APPRECIATE SOMEONE LIKE YOU TAKING ADVANTAGE OF HER...WHAT IS BETWEEN US, IS BETWEEN US."  CAN SHOVED HIM FORCEFULLY TO THE GROUND THEN  TURNED AND HEADED BACK TO CAMP...TANER STOOD, SMILING HE BRUSHED THE DIRT FROM THE CLOTHES, WELL I GOT MY ANSWER ANYWAY..HE LAUGHED.  MAY THE BEST MAN WIN MR. CAN....

SANEM AND GULIZE MADE THEIR WAY BACK TO CAMP, LOOKING FOR CEYCEY TO SEE IF THEY PASSED THE TEST.. THE TEST SEEMED TO BE A SUCCESS, THE COMPASS SPORT EMPLOYEES WERE HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS SO FAR.. THEY WERE WAITING FOR TANER AND CAN TO RETURN, FOR THE FINAL TALLY..  

CAN STORMED HIS WAY BACK TO CAMP, HIS BLOOD RUSHING THROUGH HIM LIKE A RAGING RIVER.  " THAT GUY HAS SOME NERVE, " HE YELLED, AS HE WALKED UP TO SANEM. " GET YOUR STUFF, WE'RE LEAVING."  SANEM REACHED FOR CAN, " WHAT HAPPENED, WHERE'S TANER. " SHE SHOUTED.  SHE HAD VISIONS OF HIM LYING AT THE BOTTOM OF SOME RAVINE OR SOMETHING. "SANEM, I SAID GET YOUR STUFF. "  HE HUFFED.. " BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS? " SHE ASKED, AS SHE RAN TO HER TENT TO COLLECT HER STUFF...CAN HAD ALREADY GRABBED HIS THINGS AND WAS HEADED TO HIS TRUCK.. CEYCEY WAVED AT HER TO GO WITH CAN, TELLING HER NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THEM, THEY WOULD TAKE THE VAN.......

TANER STROLLED INTO THE CAMP, FULLY SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS.  BOTH WITH THE NAVIGATOR AND WITH HIS CONFRONTATION WITH CAN...." SO HE HAS A TEMPER,  HMM, THAT COULD BE USED TO MY ADVANTAGE. "  HE THOUGHT WITH A SMILE. 

SHE BARELY GOT IN CAN'S TRUCK BEFORE HE TORE OFF DOWN THE ROAD.  " CAN, CAN, WHAT'S GOING ON, CAN YOU JUST STOP FOR A MINUTE. "  SHE YELLED. " WHAT DID YOU DO?  CAN, ANSWER ME. "  SHE DEMANDED.  HE LOOKED AT HER WITH HIS EYES FULL OF RAGE AND FEAR.  THE COMBINATION OF THE TWO SCARED HER, BUT IT ALSO MADE HER WANT TO TAKE HIM IN HER ARMS.  WITHOUT SAYING A  WORD HE REACHED FOR HER HAND,  GRASPING IT,  HOLDING IT WITH ALL HIS MIGHT. HIS LOOK SOFTENED,  AND HE SMILED SLIGHTLY. 

" EVERYTHING'S FINE, SANEM,  EVERYTHING'S FINE NOW"..........HE REPLIED, AS HE LOOKED INTO HER EYES...