Star-Crossed

Chapter Six

"Yamac, slow down! You can't just burst in there!" Sasha followed Yamac to the restaurant where her family is dining after he took off abruptly. Yamac ignores her warnings and walks straight into the back room, where Zahit and Tomris are sitting. Sasha waves the wait staff away as they try to stop Yamac.

The last thing we need is anyone else getting involved in this. Zahit stands up as Yamac storms up to the table. "To what do I owe this visit, Yamac bey?" He said. "Hello, Zahit. It's been a while." Yamac said. Zahit smiles and sits back down, spreading his napkin in his lap and resuming his meal.

"Not quite long enough." Zahit's eyes move to Sasha, as if just noticing her for the first time. "Did you come with Yamac, Sasha?" He asked. Yamac folds his arms over his chest. "I went looking for Sasha. We started talking. I saw her tattoo." He said.

Zahit pales slightly, then picks up his napkin, wipes his mouth, and pushes his plate away. The tattoo that covers my scar. When he almost lost me. "And what did you learn?" Zahit asked. "Is that why you did it? Is that why you attacked me?" Yamac asked.

"Wait, Zahit, tell the truth." Sasha said. "You have to understand, it was an intense time for all of us." Zahit said. "So you tried to solve the problem." Yamac said. "I would have done anything to protect my daughter from the likes of you." Zahit said.

"I was not a danger to your daughter." Yamac said. "The scar on her wrist would say otherwise." Zahit said. "Excuse me? Why did you think Yamac was a danger to me?" Sasha asked. "He's the reason you tried to hurt yourself." Zahit replied. "No, he's not. What did you do, Zahit?" Sasha said.

"Sasha, why don't you and your mother step out while Yamac and I have a chat?" Zahit asked. "Zahit, I'm not going anywhere." Sasha said. "She deserves to know, Zahit." Yamac said. Sasha's mother, Tomris, places an arm on Zahit's shoulder, showing him she is staying aswell.

When Zahit only continues to stare at Yamac, lips pursed, Yamac turns to Sasha. "A week or so after I sent you to take care of yourself, Zahit showed up with some of his buddies." He said. "This is not something she needs to hear." Zahit said.

Yamac continues as if Zahit hadn't spoken. "I hadn't left my apartment since you left. It was a dark time." He said. "For me, too." Sasha said. Yamac reaches out to take her hand, running his thumb over her scar again. "I didn't know how dark. I'm so sorry, Sasha." He said.

"So, why did he visit you?" Sasha asked. "Sasha, this is not something you need to worry about." Zahit said. Yamac raises an eyebrow at her, a silent question as to whether she wants him to continue. "Go on." Sasha said. "Zahit and his guys showed up and beat me into a bloody pulp." Yamac said.

Sasha covers her mouth. "It wasn't your fault. It also wasn't your fault that Zahit decided to put a bullet in me as a final warning." Yamac said. The pieces click together as Sasha remembers Yamac's evasive answer about his own scar. "Yamac. The scar on your shoulder... Zahit put it there?" She asked.

Yamac's smile is rueful. "I'm sure he never wanted you to know." He said. "Don't speak for me, Kocovali." Zahit raised his voice. "I'd do it again. If I'd known you were back, I would have done something about it before she found out." He said.

Sasha and Yamac continue to stare at each other, ignoring Zahit, but are interrupted by the click of a gun being loaded. "Because of you, my daughter tried to kill herself. What did you expect to happen when you came here, Yamac?" Zahit said.

Sasha looks to the table to see that Zahit is now standing, his gun placed at Yamac's head. She takes Yamac's hand firmly in her own, twining her fingers with his. "I'd say what the hell, dad... but this clearly is something you've done before." She said.