The Business Trip Part 2

Hayat

Meanwhile Hayat has a very busy day at work, Emre sure was a hard task master, she has a lot of backlog and had very little time to catch up with the schedules, but Emre does drop in a couple of times to check on her, he seemed to be genuinely concerned, Emre was quite curious to know what was going on with Hayat and Murat as they seem to behave quite strangely when he had met them the other night, and what did Murat think of her moving in this neighborhood, something was amiss and he couldn't quite figure out what! Somewhere down the line, Emre still hoped that there was a chance with Hayat, whatever it was, it would have to wait, they were into production for the summer line and he had his hands full, he had started to rely on Hayat quite a lot and was just glad that she was back, Hayat glances at the incoming message on her phone, she hadn't realized how time had gone by and it was Murat checking if she had lunch, so engrossed was she in her work that she had forgotten all about it until she reads his text and reprimands herself for having forgotten about it, well she better get something to eat, lest he came there personally with lunch. She grabs a healthy bowl of salad and a sandwich and gobbles it all down, somehow her appetite seemed to have returned, but she did not want to acknowledge that it was because of the reappearance of her husband. Why did she suddenly feel so secure? Like everything would be alright, but what if he disappeared again and what about Cagla, she couldn't pretend that those pictures did not exist. 

The rest of the afternoon flew by with little accomplished, there was a ton of work to be done, models had to be assigned for the showing, distributors to be contacted, deliveries to be scheduled, it was going to be a busy month. As she was putting away the last of the files into the cabinets, she hears the phone beep again with a message from Murat "At the door, waiting", apprehension kicks in as she is reminded of the living arrangements. Collecting her coat and bag she heads towards the elevator and bumps into Emre. "Done for the day Hayat? Could you come in a little early tomorrow, we have an 8 o'clock meeting with one of our important clients, I want to make sure we do not miss out any detail discussed and want you to take notes." Emre informs her, and although mornings had been rough on Hayat lately, she accepts as she already feels indebted to Emre for all that he has done for her. " Yes, Emre, I'll be here" she replies.

Murat grimaces seeing them walking out together, he can't seem to forget that this was the same man who had put his wife's life in danger a few months back and seeing them like this was like twisting a knife in his heart. Just as she is coming down the stairs, Hayat stumbles and Emre quickly reaches out to steady her, Murat jumps out of his car, concerned for Hayat, "I got her Emre, thanks for your help" saying he jerks her arm off of Emre's grip and helps Hayat down the stairs and into the car, "I can buckle myself Murat, I'm not a baby" she snaps, "you don't have to be my savior", Murat just gives her an angry stare and doesn't fall for the bait, he has to control his temper. And his stubborn wife was really not helping.

After driving in silence for a few minutes, while waiting for the light to turn green, he asks her "How are you feeling?", as he turns to look at her, he catches his breath at the sight that greets him, she is fast asleep, the day must have worn her out, he gently pats her hair and kisses her brow and then lightly touches her belly wanting to feel the connection to his baby, she stirs and opens her eyes to catch him staring at her face, as if it was the most natural thing to do, she smiles and her face lights up, those dimples flashing, and then reality sets in, the guard is up, the moment is lost, the light turns green, and he drives away, "Shall we grab something to eat?", "Do you have any cravings?", he takes her by surprise, she looks away and mumbles, "Not really, I haven't had the time to think about food, I have been busy just trying to come to terms with what happened to us." she says sincerely, her voice quivering, and then the façade that she had been holding on to, just crumbles and the tears start running down her cheeks, she cant hold her sobs, the stress of the last month weighing her down yet again, Murat is taken by surprise, he quickly parks the car by the curb and pulls her into his arms, "I'm so sorry Hayat, I'm so sorry, please don't cry, I swear I will make this up to you, please Hayat, please sweetheart, I love you, I have been so mad at myself at not being able to provide for you that I lost sight of everything, shush, shush, he rocks her in his arms, Hayat slowly pulls away and wipes her face, " I want to go home and be alone Murat, can't you see what this is doing to me, to be with you like this, I'm a mess, please let me be'' she cries, Murat just turns away from her, and says quietly, "Anything but that Hayat, I can't leave you alone, I promise I wont bother you but I can't stay away from you, I am already feeling guilty for having left you in this condition, and I'll be miserable if I am not around you, please." He begs. Hayat relents and just nods her head.

They eat out in silence and head back to her apartment, she is relieved and at the same time disappointed to see the sofa bed. She also notices that her kitchen is well stocked with healthy food. " Won't you even ask me what I have been busy with?" says Murat, Hayat who was going thru her mail, which had some bills, simply shakes her head, "I don't want to get involved, I don't want to be drawn in, I have just managed to regain my sanity, I don't want to lose it again, Murat", the constant rejections would have put anyone off but not Murat, he knew her very well, it was all just a brave front, behind it he had already caught a glimpse of her love for him, she can try as much as she liked, but he wasn't going anywhere, he was here to stay!