Defne & Ömer: What if we had met at an airport instead?

Chapter 7: The feeling of being home

Hello Hello everyone! I first do have to say that I owe all of you an apology for my far too erratic updates. Believe me when I say I wish I could write a whole lot more often than I actually do. Unfortunately, in real life, I work in a profession where no day and no time of the day is my own. I'm a slave to the will of the nature of the work I do. However, I will try updating the next chapter as soon as possible so as to not keep you waiting too long. 

I hope you do like this chapter. It serves as a culmination to all that has happened in their lives so far. As always, please do drop in a comment to let me know if you hate it or love it or are even indifferent to it just so I know how to progress with the story! I will be responding to each of your individual lovely comments within the coming week. Thank you for reading and staying with this story!

Omer:

(Two months earlier..)

Sarmas.

The thought of the sarmas he had ordered from the middle-eastern restaurant downtown had him salivating. There were very few places in New York City which made just the right kind of sarmas and the right way. The place from which he had ordered them today was one of them. While even theirs never really tasted like his mother's once had or even Defne's, on days when he felt in desperate need of some comfort, the sarmas from this place quite often served as a balm to the ache in his chest.

That evening, the day of his mother's death anniversary called for sarmas more than anything else in the world. As he watched the sun go down behind the New York skyline, he immersed himself in memories of his mother and of those times in his life when pain and loneliness had been just words. He thought of the trees his mother had so loved, the dances they shared, the shoes which inspired him, the drives through the Turkish mountains, the Sunday kite flying and the chestnut dessert which he had always planned on sharing with his own family, Defne and their children.

It had been a while since Omer had had time to himself, time to sit back and think, time to sit back and reflect. When Sinan had turned up unannounced at his doorstep three years ago terrified and wondering what Omer's reaction to him would be since it was the first time they were to come face to face after the reveal of the kiralik ask fiasco, Sinan had not expected to find him so broken and desperate for some comfort. Sinan who had seen Omer through the death of his parents and whatever other things that life had thrown at him, had been shaken and afraid that Omer would never be able to get over the final loss of Defne. He had spent several days with Omer sitting in silence watching his friend closely for any signs of danger, he thought Omer would speak to him when he was ready. After over a week, Omer appeared to have come out of the coma he had sunk into and asked Sinan if he wanted to start a management consultancy in New York. There was no talk of the kiralik ask story nor was there anything said about Defne.

While Omer went about his day, setting up his office and going over business proposals and lists of prospective clients, Sinan had watched him closely, waiting for the dam to burst. It had never come. Omer stayed calm, slept, ate, worked and cooked the way he had once and while he appeared to be fine, Sinan had known that something had died inside of his friend. That was why Sinan had instead of looking for an apartment elsewhere, moved into the flat on the floor below Omer's penthouse.

Omer had known that Sinan under the pretext of work and being in a new city, was constantly watching him and waiting for him to crack. Omer knew Sinan was itching to speak about all that had happened, about Defne, about going back home someday. They worked out together every morning, met for work, worked through the day at Omer's home office, lunched together and often ended up having dinner together. Omer had seen Sinan watching him out of the corner of his eye in the initial days but Omer had said nothing. It was as if the curtains had come down on his life taking with it all the color that had once been, he had accepted that the loneliness was inevitable and for as long as Defne was alive, well and happy somewhere in the world, he'd be able to go on even if it was without her. There really was nothing to discuss, there really never was anything Sinan or anyone else could do when Omer knew the feelings and the color which had once graced his life had left him once and for all.