If You Tell Me To Stay

Chapter 50

*Author's note* 

Hey lovely readers,

A suuuper short chapter here acting as my "proof of life".

Yes. I am still alive and this story is still doing somersaults in my brain. Life is hectic and I'll do my best to get the next chapter out as quickly as possible. (I know y'all just love my cliffhanger endings)

Thank you all for your saint-like patience!

And THANK YOU to Mrs. Editor for doing an incredibly quick turnaround on this chapter. before a reader had the chance to call in a wellness check on me. If any of you do call first-responders to check on me, please ask for their most attractive paramedics and firemen. 😘

-TheDiziLadybug

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Can returned to find the cabin now toasty warm, despite Sanem's still frosty mood. He lugged the armfuls of heavy shopping bags to the kitchen counter, walking past Sanem who sat on one of the club chairs by the big picture window with her arms crossed.

"I picked out some clothes for you." Can rifled through one of the bags and pulled out a down puff jacket, a blue skin-tight ski suit, boots, and a winter beanie. "And I thought you would like these." Next he took out a pair of fluffy earmuffs and showed them to her, "They're cute, aren't they?" He was trying his best to add some animation to his voice, but even he could hear that he was falling flat. Their parting words from earlier still stung and he couldn't bring himself to truly fake a cheerful conversation.

"I want to shower," Sanem said curtly, not bothering to look at him. "I smell like you."

It seemed nearly impossible that it had only been a matter of hours since he was with Sanem on the clifftop, making love in the moonlight. It felt like a dream now. But he could smell the evidence of their lovemaking on his skin and knew it couldn't have been a figment of his imagination.

"Okay. I'll make us some food and you go shower."

"I wasn't bringing this up to ask for your permission." Sanem gave him a piercing look of disdain that nearly made him take a step backwards. "Or do I need to ask for your permission to bathe?"

Can understood that she would be angered by this well-intentioned kidnapping and that she would take her anger out on him. He expected all this, but it still didn't make it any less painful. "No, of course not."

She turned back to gazing out of the massive picture window, although Can wasn't sure what she was looking at. The darkness outside combined with the lights in the cabin meant she was just staring at her own reflection. "The water heater doesn't seem to be working. The water is ice cold."

"Right. Okay, I'll go and look at it."

While Can repaired the water heater, which fortunately turned out to be a simple fix, he reminisced about the time he spent repairing Sanem's old house after she moved to Fener. Day after day he would tackle the impossibly long list of things that needed doing. It truly was a never-ending list because for every item he checked off, he would add two more, making sure the work could never be completed and he would always have an excuse to be there. Sanem would follow him around and he would teach her all he could about home repair. Working on the water heater now, he found he missed her leaning over his shoulder.

Can cooked while Sanem showered and changed into the clothes that he had bought for her. He set her plate down on the kitchen island but soon after hearing the bathroom door open, he heard the bedroom door further down the hallway firmly shut.