Wherever You Go

Chapter 25

Yagiz quietly leads her through the living room to a door on the left side of the apartment. It is spacious and has the same stunning view as the rest of the apartment. It is evident to Hazan that he has got some work done on it recently, perhaps maybe creating a seating area with cozy chairs and a television on it. Hazan notices that just as he said, there a door where one can enter the room direct from the corridor.

" I hope this is ok Hazan. If you are not happy please tell me, there are other rooms you can move into" Yagiz says and maybe he is also thinking about the bedroom comment since his cheeks redden slightly.

" I mean there are guest rooms" he says hastily and Hazan avoids his eyes.

"This is ok Yagiz, you really should not have taken so much trouble to arrange this. I was ready to stay in a dormitory" Hazan says putting down her shoulder bag , beside the big one that Yagiz has wheeled in.

"It was no trouble. In the early days when our business was established, one or two people did not have permanent homes in the city. So they used to stay here and I got it designed in a way that they will have some privacy." Yagiz says and Hazan automatically thinks of Farah. Is she a partner in his business? Has she stayed here in this room? Or did she occupy his bedroom? It brings a physical pain, that Hazan involuntarily winces, before she could stop herself.

"What is the problem Hazan?" Yagiz , whose eagle eyes noticed the visible flinching of her. Hazan colours deeply and shakes her head rendered speechless by his question. Yagiz sighs and turns to her, talking softly, but determinedly.

"Hazan if you are not too tired can we talk for a minute outside?" he asks in a tone that indicates he will talk to her whether she says ok or not. Yagiz walks out of the room and to the living room. They could have spoken inside the room, but he was finding it too distracting and the setting too intimate to have his head straight. For both their sanity he needed to talk to her, if they were to stay in at least cordial terms in this arrangement. Hazan quietly follows him towards the couch, mentally slapping herself about her absolute stupidity.

"Hazan, you are here and you came here because you wanted to be near me right?" Yagiz asks his voice unreadable and husky. Unable to fathom where this is going, Hazan says a soft yes.

" If you are not going to be straightforward and communicate with me I am going to be uncomfortable. I feel additional pressure since you are at my place, not knowing whether you are ok or not. You have known me for a long time now Hazan. Let's at least try to communicate as friends?" He asks, his sea green eyes intent on her face. Yagiz watches as her eyes glitters losing the nervousness in them.

"Ok Yagiz. But it goes for you too." She says looking up at him and he almost rolls his eyes. Of course , what did he expect? This was Hazan and she will never let him escape with anything.

" When I decided to come here, I did not want to be a burden to you. But now I am compelled to become one. So if you do not communicate with me clearly I am going to feel uncomfortable about whether I am a bother to you"

" Agreed Hazan. And let's go back to what we were discussing?" He says, and there is almost a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Which one? " Hazan retorts for she thought she had successfully dodged that bullet. Yagiz moves closer to her in the couch, too close for his comfort. But he needs to know why she flinched and he intends to know it by any means.

" What ran through your mind back there in the room that you were so upset?" he asks, gently lowering his head towards her and watches her becoming redder and redder. She bites on her lower lip hard and looks down, not meeting his eyes. Yagiz feels his resolve wavering, distracted by her nearness and the quivering lip that has turned extremely red.

" Hazan, didn't we agree about this just now? Not a minute and you are violating the promise" Yagiz says, his voice dropping further as he continues to look at her lips. Hazan looks up at him and he sees embarrassment written all over her face. Hazan sees the way he is looking at her and the heated look in his eyes makes her very hot suddenly. Why was he looking at her like that? She has never seen him look at her like that. She then notices that they are sitting extremely close and his head is almost touching hers. None of these are helping the current predicament that she has put herself in.

"It's nothing worthwhile discussing Yagiz"

" Hazan please" His voice is a husky command. He is not going to let her slide by and it is not possible to lie to him either. He has always recognized when she lied, from day one. Lying to him despite that and the newly made promise is not a chance she can take anymore.

" Am I going to see Farah frequently?" is what is finally comes out of her mouth. There is silence for few long seconds and Hazan risks a glance at him. His face is very surprised, like Farah was the last person he expected her to think about right now.

" She said she will be in Poland for a long while. So not immediately. But you will at some point. What exactly is your worry Hazan?" He asks gently, as if talking to a baby. Hazan shakes her head, helplessly, his gentle voice further unsettling her.

"I know she was unpleasant to you sometimes Hazan. But I put her in that position by bringing her into this stupid game. " Yagiz says in a regretful voice.

"But you cannot be afraid of her. Are you?" Yagiz probes, even gentler and Hazan shakes her head, not trusting her voice. The electricity between them is growing by the minute and their voices are dropping lower and lower.

"Then what is the issue? You know that there was no such relationship between us. " he says again and she nods. Yes she knows that. He has chosen her above them all. He has ignored his lifelong friend, all her advice and all her schemes against her. A woman he met mere months ago. And she has destroyed everything.

"C'mon Hazan. You cannot tell me the truth even once?" Yagiz continues to whisper, but this time his voice has a shadow of disappointment. She cannot afford to disappoint him more than she has already.

"I cannot bear the way she touches you. And I don't want to watch it everyday " Hazan says finally, her voice barely audible , even in the pin drop silence of the apartment. She is keeps her eyes down, afraid to look up. Yagiz slowly place two fingers below her chin and lift her face up to meet his eyes. His eyes are unreadable but he has a slight smile in his face.

"So you cannot bear when anyone touches me?" he asks, another husky whisper.

" No one else dares to touch you" Hazan points out and his smile widens.

"Except you" Yagiz says, remembering all the times she has touched him, from early days of their acquaintance. Even those days he would suffer from her touch but rejoice in the knowledge that Hazan seems to touch him more naturally and instinctively than she touches Sinan. Hazan gives him a warm smile at that that really melts his insides. Whatever he feels about her, Yagiz is glad that she is finally here and they do not have anyone from their old life around them.

" I am so glad that I came here. Even if I had to basically blackmail you into it" Hazan says softly, taking courage from the way he is still looking at her. Yagiz finally gives in and tuck the strand of  hair behind her ear tenderly, everywhere his fingers touch seems to be igniting fire.

" Go and sleep, it's been a long day for you" he says finally removing his lingering hands from her hair.