Sudden decisions

48 - Unexpected tour

Can

One by one, the lights on Venice light up as the day gives way to the night, which in this city takes on completely unique nuances. I almost distractedly observe the wonder unfolding before my eyes because my mind is focused on the present and above all on the future. I cannot imagine what will become of my life with her from now on. We will stay three days here in Venice and then return to Istanbul and everyday life with the only difference being that we are now husband and wife and we will have to find a way to live that life together. I know it's not a long honeymoon, but in addition to having several campaigns coming to an end I sincerely hope that by the time I get back the private investigator has finally gathered all the evidence I need to be able to finally take matters into my own hands and stop Emre's crazy plan.

The sound of the bathroom door opening brings me back to the reality of the moment, I turn around and see Sanem coming out of the bathroom in a simple cream-coloured dress, a sheath dress that hugs her petite body, highlighting each of those curves that only last night... I shake my head imperceptibly, trying to chase away these inappropriate thoughts, it's not really the case to go back in my mind to what happened. She stops to rummage through the suitcase for a few moments then comes to look out onto the terrace, keeping a good distance from me. She looks around in silence clearly as enchanted by the sight as I was until a short while before and I can almost feel the effort she makes not to share her enthusiasm that she feels she has to repress with me.
"I'm going to take a shower too so we can go out for dinner afterwards." I walk into the room pondering how complicated this situation is, I don't know what to think, I still can't reconcile the simple and enthusiastic girl with the cold and opportunistic woman of the audio. I grab some spare clothes and make to enter the bathroom only to freeze on the threshold when I find myself bathed in that scent. I hadn't realised how much intimacy is involved in sharing the same bathroom, the same shower, and to think that just before she was there, naked. I have to calm down or I won't get out of this situation alive, I open the window hoping that that scent will disappear as I slip into a cold shower and douse myself with bubble bath to cover every trace of her and that damn scent. Before long I'm ready, grab my jacket and wallet and then join her on the terrace and invite her to follow me. "Come, I have a reservation at a typical restaurant right on the Grand Canal.
The evening all in all flows pleasantly, in the restaurant excellent food is served but above all there is a band playing live music and this helps to ensure that the silence between us is not too thought-provoking. After dinner I instruct the motorboat driver I have hired for the evening to take us on a long tour of the canals and above all to make a stop at St. Mark's Square where the high tide is expected tonight.

Sanem remains locked in her stubborn silence, but cannot hide her surprise at the spectacle of the lampposts reflecting on the beautiful square flooded by brackish water, where passers-by are forced to move over moving walkways. When we leave, I can clearly see her delight at the sense of freedom that the wind in her hair gives her as the motorboat takes us out of the Grand Canal for a scenic tour of the lagoon. We return to the hotel just before midnight and I leave her free to use the bathroom to change while I sit outside on the little terrace to have a drink. When I hear the door open this time I don't turn around, I don't want to risk falling into temptation and losing control as happened the night before. I wait until the main light in the room goes out and only much later do I go back in to change for the night. I take something from my suitcase and go to the bathroom without daring to look towards the bed illuminated only by a few faint blades of light from the street lamps that line the canal below us. When I return to the room, however, I can't help myself, I cast a brief glance towards her who seems a tiny figure in that huge bed. She has her back to me, curled up under the sheets in a fetal position she looks even smaller and more helpless. That silhouette conveys a terrible sadness to me and I can only wonder: what are we doing to each other?
But the echoes of that audio, her words, that 'I have achieved my goal', come back to fuel my disappointment and burning anger at having been fooled.