The Brothers....Their Story Continues

Chapter Fifteen

Efe watched her as she climbed the stairs back to the top deck, a few choice words had come to mind when he tried to describe her, but none he would repeat to Kadir. After a few minutes he to went up top, " Kadir, I hate to cut your breakfast short, but I think we need to get on our way. The wind has shifted and we can get some good travel in with just the sails." He kept his eyes strictly on his brother, not looking her way for fear of her giving him that look. Kadir started to object, but he stern look on his brothers face told him it was no use. "Ok Abi, can you give us a minute." They spoke in Turkish to each other, sure she wouldn't understand what was being said. She looked at them confused, and a bit embarrassed, " You can speak in front of me, if you have something to say about me. Have I done something wrong." She glanced from Kadir to Efe. Kadir smiled at her, taking her hand, " No of course not, my older brother sometimes forgets how rude it is to speak in another language in front of a guest." Efe lowered his eyes as if he was being reprimanded, " Excuse me for my rudeness, but we really do need to take advantage  of the weather while we can." He spoke in English for her to understand. She stood quickly, " Why do you have to leave so soon, we just met. Why don't you stick around for a day or two and meet some of my friends." Efe reluctantly looked her way, seeing the look that he had seen below, that look in her eyes telling him she would be more than happy to get to know him better. He looked away quickly before Kadir could notice, " No, we are on our way to Sardinia, and I want to keep on schedule."

Kadir rolled his eyes and shook his head, " Ok Abi, but I didn't think we were on a schedule, that's what you said earlier, so why not hang around for another day. You might see that woman again that you met the first night we were here." He leaned over whispering to him and giving him a wink. Immediately Efe gave him that look of authority, his eyes blazing at him, " Little brother, I said we should shove off in an hour, and that's what I mean. Please say goodbye to your guest and let's prepare to leave." He spoke almost in a whisper through his gritted teeth. Kadir had never seen this side of his brother, and to be honest, he scared him a little bit, " Sure thing brother." He replied to him, feeling a fear rise up in him. Efe left them on the deck and went back to his cabin, trying desperately to settle his nerves. He had almost made it obvious what was going on, but he wasn't about to let his younger brother be manipulated by this woman. She was evidently skilled at what she did, but he wouldn't let her hurt Kadir that way. 

It had been a few minutes when he heard his brother in the galley. He knew he was angry by the way he was banging the dishes around. Efe took a deep breath, preparing to meet his brother with a explanation, as he opened the door to his cabin.  " Kadir I know you're upset with me right now, but we really need to get started." Efe had stopped in the galley to help his brother. Kadir turned and looked at him, " Why,...why were  you so rude in  front of her, you seemed to be scolding me like I was a child." His eyes darted his way, full of hurt. Efe knew in his mind this was the right thing to do, if not, there would have been a bigger problem between them. " I didn't mean to be rude, and I certainly didn't mean to make you feel like a child." The older brother stammered, searching for the right words. " But at times you go against everything I say, so that makes me have to more forceful than I want to be." Kadir  retaliated, " You are just my brother Efe, you are not my father. There are some things that I can decide on my own."

The next couple of hours were spent in silence, as they got ready to shove off. With all the preparations done and the supplies were stocked, Kadir untied the cables that had secured them to the dock, and jumped aboard. They made their way out into the channel that would take them on their way to Sardinia. Once they rounded the southern most tip of Ibiza Island, and the wind grabbed their sails, Efe finally felt that calming relief. What could have been a problem between the brothers had been avoided, they had survived a potential disaster and he didn't want to be put in that situation again. There wasn't any woman worth the relationship that he had with his brother....

Efe was the first to break the awkward silence that had hovered over them since breakfast, "Kadir I know you are still angry, but there's some things that I do for your own good, and trust me I didn't mean to hurt you." His words stung Kadir, he always did that, always tried to make him feel inferior. He didn't look at his brother because his eyes had filled with tears, he hated it when he was so emotional, but that came from his mother, he just shook his head. Did he really thing he was that stupid, that unaware, that naive to not have seen the look Nicolette had given Efe. He had seen it the second that his brother had stepped on deck from his cabin below, and he knew the bathroom was only an excuse to get a chance to see Efe again, how dumb did his brother think he was. But he would have liked to been given the chance to handle it the way he saw fit, and not the way his brother had. 

" So your rudeness to her was for my own good, and not from the fact she was hitting on you from the minute you stepped on the deck." Kadir's voice was harsh but firm. " Do you think that little of me, do you not have any faith in my judgement." The younger brother was struggling with his words. Efe's heart sank, he had known what she was up to, her intentions, and he had made him look weak in front of her. " Abi, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had seen what she was up to. I wouldn't want to come between you and any woman, I want you to know that." Efe's voice quivered as he spoke, filled with regret  at what had happened. Kadir looked at Efe, he smiled, " I'm not a silly schoolboy Abi, and I can handle some things on my own, that is if you give me the chance." 

Efe nodded, seeing his little brother for the first time as a man. Maybe he had acted to quickly, maybe he should have let him take care of it, but that protectiveness of his younger brother came out in him with a vengeance.

" Well that was a lesson learned."  His little brother could take care of himself."  He thought. 

But he would always be there to take care of what his brother couldn't......