Far Side of the Dolunay

Beautiful things happen suddenly (7. Bölüm)

A/N: Sorry for the delayed update, lovely Readers, but here we are with the first chapter for the wonderful bölüm 7. I felt quite cheated not to see more of the moonlight dance scene, Nazlı and Ferit are blatantly in a feeling-not-thinking place. So this is my version and extension of how it might have continued before they went home - I just wanted more swoon 😍 As always, I truly appreciate your votes and comments! 🥰

'How did you find this place then?' Ferit Bey asked as they settled at the table.

'Ah, a good chef always knows how to find good food.'

They grinned at each other over the non-answer, then he glanced towards her hand with the cut from this morning. 'Does it hurt?'

'No, I'm used to scrapes like this... When I was little I was always bruised or bleeding: I fell off my bike, out of trees, even from my balcony. Thank god we were only on the first floor!'

He just kept smiling but glanced around and Nazlı felt the need to acknowledge her own waffle. 'I am aware that I'm giving you all sorts of information you aren't interested in.'

'I am actually - it's not like I grew up never leaving the living room.'

Nazlı laughed, 'Well, I don't know, after you saw the last of poor, tortured Signor Rozetti I think I could imagine you inside practising all the time!'

He smiled and looked away for a moment again before responding. 'I used to play football with my dad a lot, I was always running around like a crazy thing. I have this scar on my left hand from an unfortunate tackle.' He ran his finger over the scar, obviously a memento of something more than just temporary pain.

The image was undeniably charming: little Ferit Aslan, serious dark eyes in his young face, tearing around all dirty and ruffled with his dad. Nazlı imagined the grown up Ferit Aslan doing the same with Bulut, or even with his own children a few years from now. Somehow the picture fit: he'd be a good father...

No, no, NO, Nazlı: do not go there! She yanked herself back to the here and now.

'At least your scar is from good memories, mine are all from stupid things, just me being foolish and clumsy.'

His attention didn't waver, his smile still in place, as though he was enjoying swapping stories. She'd be a liar if she said she didn't feel so too.

~-~-~-~-~-~

'I told you it was good, didn't I?' Nazlı forked up another bite, savouring the explosion of flavours on her tongue, the perfect textures, how the salty breeze enhanced every taste.

'Everything is delicious. You're right, this place is an unexplored treasure,' Ferit Bey enthused, and Nazlı felt a little spurt of pride that they were of the same mind about her special place.

'There is a rule about coming here, though,' she warned him.

'Oh, yes, what's that?'

'We only bring people here if we love them very much.'

Ferit Bey's eyes stilled on hers as they both froze, and Nazlı felt the blood rush to her cheeks and grimaced at her blunder. Ooff, Nazlı, open mouth, insert foot, why don't you? She scrambled to backtrack.

'You know... best friends, friends from school, friends from work... people like that.'

He wasn't buying it, and Nazlı ducked her head to avoid his gaze and stare at her plate instead. Ostrich manoeuvre.

She couldn't shake the feeling that those dark eyes saw and understood more than she wanted him to. At the bar when he'd guessed so accurately how her day had gone she'd felt impressed, and shy, and a little awkward, and yet she was unable to pinch out that fizzle in her belly that he'd been paying such close attention...