Early Bird (Erkençi Kus)(Part 1)

97. Drunken decisions

Sanem sipped on her third glass of red wine, licking her lips afterwards. She didn't like it much, but she kept drinking, just because she felt uncomfortable for some reason.

Can of course kept a close eye on Sanem and her drinking - something she noticed but she didn't say anything to - she would just smile at him when she caught him looking at her.

She had no problem with him now, and he annoyed her less and less once they started eating and chatting - which was weird to her tipsy brain but also very interesting.
They relaxed into their own conversation so easily it surprised Sanem that they ever butted heads at all and became completely oblivious to everyone else whilst in their bubble.

Polen kept drinking next to Can, getting drunker and drunker by the second, as she watched Can and Sanem. Levent himself also watched at the two, getting just as drunk and half leaning on the table. It was like they weren't there - they were the silent observers.

Can laughs a little too much at Sanem's tale of the tomato farm she visited once as she cut into said red fruit on her plate, chewing and talking at the same time.
He looks at Polen as he sobers, remembering her for the first time since their food came. She just rolls her eyes boredly, sipping her cocktail and fanning herself with her menu.

Sanem puts a piece of fish in her mouth at some point and chews - wrinkling her nose. Can grabs the salt off the middle of the table and shakes it at her with a knowing smile. He knew from experience that she would never ask, so as not to hurt anyone's feelings. She takes it, smiling gratefully and their fingers touching lightly for a split second.

Flushing as she looked into Can's eyes in that moment, Sanem breaks eye contact first, puts some salt on her fish and then keeps her gaze down as she eats, her ears burning.

The rest of the meal passes in much the same way - Levent and Polen sitting quietly or talking to each other, while Can and Sanem restarted their conversation and chatted away, passing food items over to the other's plate or tasting each other's food.

Levent tried to stay involved as much as he could, and they would talk with him too when he said something. But Polen just watched and drank, never really trying to join in. To her, she was drinking away her heartbreak.

"Hm hm," Can grabs Sanem's fork with his teeth, taking the piece of fish she hadn't even been intending for him to eat and chewing it with a smile.

Sanem blinks at the empty fork she held in her hand, then glances at Polen and Levent. They hadn't seen what he just did and when she looks at Can again he has his own fork up to her mouth in return. She steadies his fork and slurps the piece of mussel in, turning her head away to chew and he chuckles.

Levent, in that moment and even though he was pretty gone, was starting to see some things that he wasn't sure he should comment on, so he doesn't, changing the subject to travelling. Polen perks up at this, and this time it's Sanem that has stays silent as she's never really travelled anywhere.

At one point, the air conditioning hits Sanem's bare arms, and she rubs them as she listens to Levent, Polen and Can discuss America. She leans back a bit and tries to see if the server was nearby so she could ask him to turn it down a little.

"Sanem, are you cold?" Can asks in concern when he sees her rubbing up and down her arm. She looks at him when he places a hand on the one she was trying to warm herself with. Without a second thought, he lifts his free hand and flags down a different server and asks him if he could bring a jacket or a cover or something.

Sanem's face flames up and she looks away, thanking him quietly.

Can grabs the jacket immediately when it's brought over and drapes it over her shoulders, leaning closer to make sure nothing is exposed to the cold, making Sanem nervously look over at Polen. She didn't want her to get the wrong idea.