One Step Closer

3. Sunshine and Grumpy

"Ibraim!" Hayal called as she crossed the little path from the nursery building to parking lot.

"Here came my love." Ibraim murmured which made the young woman infront of him laugh. He himself chuckled as he turned his face towards Hayal as she approached them. "Yes?" He asked as Hayal ignored the stranger standing with them and looked at him only with those eyes of hers that never failed to make him and Ihsan scared.

"What are you doing here? You should be inside.... the candidate for new manager is about to come for the interview what if she won't find you inside?" She said folding her arms on her chest, Ibraim repeated his action which made the woman infront of them suppress a smile. A cute aged couple of their small town, she loved it.

Hayal raised an eye at Ibraim copying her folding the arms moment and that is when he wrapped her arm around her shoulder. "Calm down my angry beautiful wife."

Taking notice of the young lady infront of her, Hayal removed Ibraim's arm, feeling shy. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Our candidate for the manager is already here. We were just having a little chat." Ibraim extended his hand towards the woman standing infront of him from the start. Hayal looked at her as Meral gave her a polite smile.

"Meral Ece." She extended her hand, introducing herself as a bigger smile than her's appeared on Hayal's face.

"Hayal Demir." She shook hands with her politely, her big smile never falling but when they took their hands back, Hayal again looked at Ibraim and then at Meral. "But why are you here? Ibraim, haven't you called her inside, please-"

"No, no actually we were just chatting. I didn't knew Mr Demir was whom I'm supposed to give interview to until he mentioned obviously." Meral said, lifting her shoulders looking at Ibraim whose hand once again traveled to wrap around Hayal's shoulder but she again jerked it away.

"She had a flat tire, I informed her." Ibraim said, straightening his collar.

"Thank you so much, you did her a big favor." Hayal humored and then looked back at Meral. She was wearing a floral top that had straps which were hidden by her cardigan, along with black pants and square heels that looked comfortable and professional at the same time.

Hayal took her in but she didn't wanted to attach with her good behavior and beauty too much because she knew her heart and her heart demanded happiness for her son, her granddaughter but Hayal was a woman with a very open mindset, a mix of modest and modern, she was independent and had a beautiful heart and being an independent woman she understood other woman's and their need to make a choice and to be not pressurized or rush when comes to relationships.

After another pass of smile, Hayal extended her hand towards the entrance of the building that was the nursery, her eyes knowingly went up to the window on the second floor to find those two familiar brown eyes following her, Ibraim's and Meral's every step towards the building.

It was not right to say that he wasn't happy, he actually knew that the work load was way too much for them three to handle only and people were shifting towards their small town, new admissions, new accounts, new enteries. He did showed his displeasure over sharing the space with someone else but he also knew he had to step back.

He wasn't happy, he wasn't pleased but he understood and Meral from the first impression looked like someone to keep the distance, to give him space, to not interfere in his life until he tells her to do so.

Getting away from the window, Ihsan sat on his chair, then stared at the seat infront of him which he knew would be someone else's by tomorrow. He knew he had to keep his feelings inside and let it all go with the flow because they needed it.

Being an introvert and avoiding interactions while being a man was different and he knew how that challenged him in the past and how it would do now.

He opened his laptop and the screen started glowing within another five seconds. He opened the Gmail account and wrote a draft.

To: thesoextragirl374@gmail.com
From: i_normal54@gmail.com
Cc: If I be honest.....

Dear the only person I think can help me,
I'm the most not so normal guy.... I think you might remember me, maybe you don't and I say this everytime so yes, I'm that introvert thirty six years old. I don't know who you are but I share this comfortable communication with you that is why I want to tell you something.
I'm sitting in my office, it is 10:09am and day is Thursday, I just saw my parents from the window welcoming my new office mate. I haven't told you this but yes, we hired someone actually she will be getting interviewed right now and I know they will hire her and we will share the same office.
I don't want to sound rude but I'm scared.... does this include my exposure with people? Does this include something because you know I've been hurt once too many times by same humans that I don't want it anymore, less people but more comfort is what I want and I know my mother saw me standing in the window, her eyes said that 'there is my son, my everything and I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you from the world.' She did protected me but people are ruthless, she believed people again and over and over again when I can't because everytime they broke me, they broke my mother too. I never shared with her but she knew.
Do you know what, I appreciate you for fixing other people, giving them advices and I see how opposite you are from me, you are like sunshine and I'm.... I'm lost, there is a hole inside me, a puzzle piece lost and never found. I... I want to improve and I want to be happy, be happy for my family, for my daughter and for myself but whenever I try.... I can't be happy for myself, I can't love myself because now my own self is eating me away and I'm filling myself with darkness, who will pull me out? Or will i just disappear into this? I don't know....

side question: do you think this one new woman entering my life as a colleague can help me get over everything because an interaction with her counts right?
I don't think so if you ask me.

Yours nothing,
Not So Normal Guy.

Ihsan hit sent even though he thought about keeping it as draft, he didn't wanted to keep this burden so he let it go and be free. Everytime he writes her an email, he feels empty because he just poured everything into that email, he have nothing left to overthink about as he waits for the reply to come.

He knew it might take his best friend long to reply maybe weeks but he let it be, he wrote it all down and he was at peace now. He sometimes gets curious about the person he write those emails to. Curiosity about small things like where she lives, what is her real name. It was all a mystery for him, she was a mystery and he knew better than to open that mystery box.

"Here, this will be your office." He heard his mother talking to someone, actually he knew who. Meral Ece. The steps were getting closer and he was ready. He quickly grabbed a file and a pen and started writing to look like he is working and not overthinking.

Barely seconds later, the door opened and a grinning Hayal and Ibraim entered with Meral. Ihsan didn't looked at them immediately but he knew he had to lift his head and welcome Meral, he wasn't rude, he wasn't a bad human and he for sure knew no one deserves to be ignored like that.

He lifted his head and a pair of dark doe eyes welcomed him. In the bright sunlight her eyes still was the most shinny thing in her room. She had the most beautiful he have ever seen and he knew that he was staring since a little too long.

He stood up glancing at his parents who were actually smiling with everything they can and at that moment Ihsan knew that his parents noticed him staring at Meral for a little too long and a little more than he look at anyone else.

"Meral, you will be sharing space with him, as I told you we run this place as a family so meet another part of our family. Our son-"

"Ihsan Demir." Ihsan said extending his hand towards Meral. He from the corner of his eyes could see his parents stunned because he just introduced himself on his own and that was so unlike Ihsan plus he is never the first to extend hand, he is not good at physical interactions but here he shocked them. Him introducing himself like that to Meral only became the highlight of Hayal and Ibraim's day and Ihsan knew he was going to be questioned alot.

"Meral Ece." Meral shook hands with Ihsan, keeping her eyes locked with his and smiling till her eyes while Ihsan kept a polite friendly smile on his face.

The first step in getting closer.