The Return To Istanbul

Chapter Twenty Seven

      Emre watched Leila walk down the hall, relieved that Can and Sanem had not bumped into each other. As bad as he hated to see his brother leave Istanbul, he was glad he had. 

      Leila took a deep breath as she stopped in front of her dad's room. She was so annoyed at Mr. Emre for thinking that Can and Sanem hadn't forgotten each other, even if it was true. She was so glad that Sanem was leaving Istanbul now, and for her own sake she hoped she never returned.

      The airport was busy for a weekday afternoon as Can stood there looking on the board for his gate. He had a little time to spare before his flight was to leave, so he decided to have that final cup of Turkish Tea in the cafe. 

      This had been an exhausting trip, he thought, as he weaved his way through the crowd to the small cafe tucked away in the corner of the mezzanine. But he wasn't sure if he was all that glad about his decision to leave and never come back. That was beginning to feel a bit to final for him.

      As bad as he wanted to turn back time, undo some of the things that he had done and said, he knew it may not make a difference. Maybe Sanem didn't feel the same way, maybe she had found happiness with her new life and didn't miss him at all. 

      A strange rumbling in his stomach struck him as he sat down at the small round table. He had never considered that before. A small twinge of pain seemed to pierce his heart as he thought of the possibility. He closed his eyes, forcing the thought to vanish from his mind.

      He mechanically sipped the hot tea from the paper cup. Not at all the way he liked to drink his tea, but this would have to do. After all, it would be the last cup of Turkish tea he would have for quite some time. He savored the hot liquid. This had to be the best tasting drink he had ever had.. especially when Sanem had made it for him, he remembered, thinking back on those times.  

      It seemed as if it was just yesterday that he sat at his desk at the agency enjoying her specially  brewed tea. He wasn't  sure what she had done to it, but was by far the most delicious tea he had ever drank, or was it just the fact that she was the one to bring it to him. The thought of it made him smile. He looked around the small cafe to see if anyone was looking at him, and how silly he must have seemed, sitting there smiling awkwardly to himself.

      These were the things that never left his mind. The denial of her feelings for him in the beginning, the way she sent him such mixed signals. He recalled all the times he had bared his heart to her about the way he felt, and all the times she had rejected him. She was like no one else he knew, she challenged him, she made him fight for her.

      He closed his eyes, taking the last sip of the tea. Now it was time to let go.....now it was time to try to forget what they had....now it was time for him to accept what he had done.. He had killed the love she had for him. 

      Sanem handed the money to the driver, " Thank you for getting me here so quickly, I certainly didn't want to miss this flight" She remarked, as she grabbed her carryon bag and exited the taxi. One last look around, one more long breath, drawing in the smell that was so distinctively Istanbul, before she boarded her flight to Rome...

     The decision not to return to Istanbul had been a tough one to make, but it seemed to be the only one. So many memories of how her life had been, it hurt to badly to think that maybe he had moved on. She had to face that thought, the possibility of Can not having the same feeling for her. She inhaled and exhaled forcefully as she walked toward the open door of the airport.

      She had been there many times but each time she was overwhelmed. The crowd of people always distracted her. She searched for her flight on the huge board of incoming and outgoing flights. " Ahh, there it is, and it looks like I have barely made it." She mumbled under her breath.

      Of course her gate was at the farthest end of the airport, and the thought of getting a tea before she boarded would be out of the question now. She picked up her bag and headed toward her gate. Istanbul airport was one of the largest airports in the world, and getting to gate 39 to catch her flight would not be easy...

      Can had finished his tea and decided to make his way to his gate to wait for his flight time. Maybe he would call CeyCey and say a final goodbye to his friend. They hadn't left on the best of terms at the last meeting, and he didn't like being at odds with him. Just a quick call to say goodbye.....and NO questions about Sanem....He said to himself. 

      He was in a world of his own as he rode the escalator down to the terminal floor. His mind still  full of her and what he had left behind. He needed gate 12, so as he stepped off the escalator he looked around to see which way to go. He spotted the sign that pointed left to Gate 12, so he stepped out into the crowd of people and headed left toward his gate.

      Sanem had gotten caught up in a sea of people as she worked her way through the terminal. She was beginning to panic, wondering if she would be able to make it to the boarding bridge in time. She looked around at the next gate ahead, " This is only Gate 10. I will never make it in time." She spoke to herself. 

      As she weaved her way through the crowd, she felt a hard shove from behind, causing her to stumble and drop her shoulder bag. She stopped, trying to bend over to pick it up from the floor, but the rush of people going by kept pushing her further away. She fought her way back through the crowd to where her bag was lying on the floor. 

      Just as she bent over to pick up her bag it was kicked aside by another person. She lunged for it, trying to stop it. At the same time she was reaching for the bag, she felt a strong hand grab hold of her arm to keep her from falling, " Excuse me, but I'm trying to retrieve my bag." She snapped, jerking her arm free from the hand.

      She quickly snatched her bag from the floor and as she stood and turned to continue on her way through the airport she ran into the man that had grabbed her arm..." Excuse me" she huffed, " Can I pas.....she stopped in mid sentence as her eyes came to rest on the face of Can Divit......

      The loud noise from the busy terminal had suddenly grown dead silent, all she could hear was the beating of her own heart......Her lungs were refusing to fill with air, and she felt lightheaded. She closed her eyes and then opened them again, blinking several times. No, she wasn't seeing him.....he wasn't standing there so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face......

      Can couldn't move, he didn't want to. Was it her, was she standing there in front of him. He opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't make a sound. The shock of it had left him unable to breathe, to think, to even feel. His body was trembling and he couldn't make it stop.....

     After what seemed like hours, he finally managed to utter a word, " Sanem....Sanem, is it. Is it really you." He asked, his voice straining to talk. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but his body was paralyzed. His eyes had locked onto her and he was unable to look away.

      Sanem could barely speak as she answered, " Yes Can, it's me. What...why....what are you doing here." She stumbled with the words, her heart beating so hard she was afraid she would pass out......

In that second, their lives would change forever......