Early Bird (Erkenci Kus)(Part 2)

95. Punch drunk love

As night came, the group have settled after all the excitement of the afternoon and the fires have been lit. They were all just lazing around, relaxing on various cushions and sleeping bags, drinking coffee ot tea and chatting or playing with balls.

"I spent quite a lot of time in the mountains of Italy at one point," Fabri was telling Deren just a few feet away from where Can sat with Sanem.

"Oh, I love mountains," she gushes in return and he nods, humming as he glances at Can and Sanem.

Can looks away from the two of them and back at Sanem, who's head he was holding an icepack to, sitting in front of her on a camping chair.
"How do you feel?" he asks.

"Better," Sanem answers timidly.

"You scared all of us, do you know that?" Can looks down and back up. "I was very scared and worried."

Sanem, who was already feeling embarrassed knowing she had them all looking for her, blinks and glances around them. "I was a little scared too," she admits. "And I'm sorry for ruining - "

"You didn't ruin anything. But just so you know, I won't be taking my eyes off you," he informs her.

Sanem stares at him for a second and then starts to smile a little. "Is that so?" She liked the sound of that very much.

"When it comes to you going back into the forest again? Yes," Can nods and sniffs, shrugging before he grins.

"I understand," she says sheepishly and looks away. What did I think he meant? Of course he means the forest because I'm an unlucky klutz.

-

Fabri leaves Deren to go to Gamze at a fire instead. As nice as Deren was, she bored him very quickly.

He passes Can and Sanem, who were staring at each other and sighs when he sits down next to Gamze who turns her head and smiles at him.
He eyes the cup in her hands and then nods. "Coffee is good for the soul after an eventful day."

"It is, but this is tea," Gamze lifts her cup and takes a sip, still smiling. "I don't drink much coffee anymore."

"Turks have tea and Italians have coffee," he jokes.

She chuckles and then shrugs. "This cup is thyme though, not normal tea."

"Thyme?"

"Hm hm. Very relaxing, you should try it."

"I will. Next time."

Fabri looks over at Sanem and Can again and then back at the fire, with Gamze eyeing him sneakily.

-

"And how did you end up there?" Can asks, shifting the icepack a bit closer to the bump on Sanem's head. She was telling him how her journey into the forest started off well and then she lost her way at some point.

"A better question is what was this ditch doing in the middle of the forest?" Sanem asks instead of answering. "I don't get it," Sanem shrugs, blinking at Can.

"That wasn't a ditch it was the Grand Canyon." Sanem giggles at his huff. "An even better question is how didn't you see it?" He shakes his head. "But I think I know, so I won't ask."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, forget I said anything," he laughs and she chews the inside of her lip, smiling a little. "And it was probably just a trap some hunters dug to catch a bear or a boar but they got you instead."

"Mom wouldn't be too surprised to hear that," Sanem snorts lightly. "I'm always ending up in some kind of trouble."

Can glances over at Fabri once again looking at them and then turns to Sanem with another smile. "Drink your tea," he urges and she obeys right away, nodding and lifting the flask to her lips.