The Brothers....Their Story Continues

Chapter Eighteen

She really hadn't noticed how tall and muscular he was on their first encounter, but when he stood and offered his hand there in the restaurant, she was in awe. She instinctively placed her hand in his to introduce herself, " Hello Mr. Divit, I'm Carolina Munro." Her eyes really seeing him for the first time. He smiled a little bigger as he warmly covered her hand with his other hand, making her feel a bit weak in the knees. " Well Ms. Munro, now that we are formally introduced, would you like to join me for dinner." Efe had blatantly turned on the charm, something  he hardly ever did, but he felt a bit intimidated by her which had thrown him for a loop. He hadn't released her hand yet, holding it purposely until she answered him, " It might seem rude to my friends if I did, so.....why don't you join us." She replied with a slight smile and tilt of her head. Just that ever so slight gesture from her made him tingle, so he accepted before she changed her mind. " Absolutely, I would love to, are you sure your friends won't mind." He asked, hoping they wouldn't refuse his company.

He motioned to the waiter that he was moving to the other table, and quickly followed her. Her friends welcomed him, both of them seeming a bit surprised at her invitation to him. " Thank you for allowing me to join you, it's not easy to dine alone, especially in an unknown place." Efe nodded to them, but keeping an eye on the beautiful woman to the right of him. She could feel his gaze, and it made her blush a bit, and she had that warm feeling that came along with being completely intrigued with someone. After making all the introductions Efe asked them how they happened to be there in Sardinia, " I take it you all from the United States, so what brings you here, just vacation or what." He asked, dying to know everything about her. She shook her head, " Actually we came for work, well we hoped to go to work here that is. At one of the resorts, we heard they were hiring for seasonal help and we thought we would give it a try." She turned looking at him a bit sheepishly. He had her in a fog, her mind barely able to function, as his eyes captivated her. " And you,...what brings you to Sardinia." She asked, looking squarely into his face. He had the most hypnotic aura about him that is was difficult to look away, he seemed to pull her in like a magnet.

He shifted in his seat, a little nervous at the way he felt. She had him off centered, almost flustered, if that could be a word to describe Efe Divit. "Uhm, well I guess you could say I'm on vacation. I've taken some time off, a hiatus, and we are sailing to a few islands in the Mediterranean." He told them, hoping it make him sound like a drifter. She smiled, " So you're a sailor, and who's on this trip with you." Her voice was soft and made him shiver, as he tried to answer, another thing he had never experienced. He blinked his eyes to release that eye contact, " My brother and I, he's my younger brother,...Kadir." She nodded and smiled, " And where is he, why didn't he come to dinner with you." She asked. Then she quickly put her hand over her mouth, " I'm sorry, I'm asking way to many questions, that's a flaw of mine, I'm too curious ." She laughed then turned away focusing on her meal. 

"A flaw,.....no,....she was about as perfect a person as he had ever seen, he thought, I would be willing to tell her anything she wants to know about me."  

He shook his head, " No you're fine, he just decided to stay in his room, he ordered room service. He likes his alone time, and I think he likes to get away from me." He said giving her a smile. 

He tried to eat as slow as possible to prolong the dinner, but there he was,staring at an empty plate. Her friends quickly excused themselves as soon as they were done, saying they were ready to call it a night, leaving the two of them there alone. She was visibly nervous, shifting in her chair, " Well, that's was a very good dinner, how was yours." She asked, fidgeting with her napkin. He smiled and looked down at his plate, " I think a clean plate is the definition of a good dinner, at least that's what I've always heard." He was trying hard not to sound flippant. He turned to her quickly, " Would you like to take a walk, I'm not familiar with the town but maybe we won't get lost." The sincere look on his face made the answer easy, " Yes, that would be great,  maybe just a short one."  He stood helping her with her chair which was something out of the ordinary for her. " Where are you from, I'm from Massachusetts, Hull Massachusetts, it's just a small town." She chattered as they headed out of the restaurant. He listened to her talk as they walked down the street, her voice covering him in calmness, yet making his heart feel an excitement that he wasn't prepared for.

After a minute, she stopped, looked at him and laughed, " I asked you a question and never gave you a chance to answer, I'm sorry. Where are you from" She asked, her eyes sparkling as the streetlight caught a glimpse of her face. It mesmerized him, how they glowed in the dark, almost unnaturally, and he couldn't look away, " I'm from Malaga, Spain,....born and raised. But my parents were from Istanbul, Turkey, hence the name Efe. That's not your typical Spanish name." He smiled trying to hide the fact he was staring at her. She nodded, " Got it, so your Turkish, interesting.....I don't think I've ever met a Turkish person before. I went to college in Boston, where there was a lot of different nationalities, but.......I don't recall Turkish." She said, thinking she had never seen anyone that looked like him before. She wondered if his brother was just as pleasing to the eye as he was, if so, she would definitely think about a trip to Istanbul, Turkey. They walked a little further down the street, toward the pier, " Yes, we've been sailing now for about 3 weeks, and decided we would get a room for a night or two. We needed a good bed and a hot shower." He was telling her, as she studied him. She had never seen such a person, he was one of a kind, the long hair his style of clothes, it was different than anyone she had met before. She wanted to know more about him, but if he was just there for a day or two, she didn't want to get to involved. She wasn't ready for a heartbreak.....

He was really beginning to relax and enjoy this conversation with her, she was starting to feel like someone he had known for a long time, the way she listened so intently to him, not taking her eyes off of him. He took her to the pier and showed her his boat, " Well, here it is, this is our boat,....well it's actually my fathers boat, but we grew up sailing with him on it. This was my Dads "saving grace", it kept him safe until him and my Mom could find each other again." His eyes tearing up from the confession. He turned away from her quickly, upset with himself that he had shown that sort of emotion to someone he had just met. But Carolina had seen it, his vulnerable side, his human side, he wasn't perfect after all. She had thought that anyone looking as perfect as he did, must be just that,...perfect, but she was seeing a passionate and sensitive person.

She touch his cheek, just so slightly he wasn't even sure she had, but that wave of heat passed through his body like a volcano. Her eyes smiled at him, letting him know that this side of him was more appealing than just his looks. " What do you mean, until they could find each other again."  She asked, begging with her eyes for him to explain. 

He smiled at her, " Well it's a long story, but a beautiful story, one that I have heard over and over all of my life and never got tired of hearing it." 

"It's a story that about a love that most people will never know in their lifetime....

"It sounds like a beautiful story,...will you tell it to me." She asked him, her voice soft and comforting.

He smiled, " I would love to....but it might take a while....