Early Bird (Erkenci Kus)(Part 3)

56. Awkward encounters

Mevkhibe drops another seed pod on the magazine she had her eyes glued to, chewing the seed without blinking.
Every now and then, she would look into Can's eyes, get upset, look away and then she would return to the picture.

"I can't," she says after the fourth time. She's been doing her best to keep her mouth shut but she couldn't ignore it any longer. "I'm calling." She takes out her phone and scrolls down her contact list to Sanem's name.

-

Sanem looks at Can holding her hand as they walk into the parking lot. She was unbelievably happy that he was taking her with him. He smiles down at her when he sees her staring up at him and squeezes her hand.

Her phone starts ringing in her handbag and it breaks her staring spell. She takes it out and sighs.

"Give me a minute, honey," she says to him and he nods. She slows down, looking at the floor as she answers. "Hey mom."

"Hello, Sanem, where are you? You have to come home. We need to talk."

"Mom, I was about to call you. Uhm...I  have to ask you to excuse me from dinner tonight." Can points that he was going ahead to the car and she nods. "I'm on my way to a work dinner and I can't miss it."

"A work - I'll show you dinner little girl," Mevkhibe grinds through her teeth. "Oh I'll show you, you wait."

Sanem frowns. "Why are you angry? What happened?"

"I saw something that upset me, look," Mevkhibe sighs, "I don't like what I saw."

"What did you see?"

"An article. On Can. And I hate to be the one to say this but he is playing with you dear. I read the interview. He says he wants to marry you, but then in the same breath he says in this interview that he doesn't plan on getting married."

Oh. That. "Oh, no, no, mom, don't worry about that article. When he did it we weren't together. I'll explain it to you when I get home, okay...but I really need to go now, I have to go to this dinner."

"Fine, but God help you if you are late, Sanem, I mean it. I will kill you."

Mevkhibe hangs up the call and Sanem groans, hurrying to the car where Can stood waiting patiently.

She gives him a small smile, nervously holding her phone.

"What is it baby? Anything wrong?"

Sanem puffs out a breath. "My mom saw the interview you did saying you weren't planning on getting married."

Can pulls his lips in and nods. "Ah, that." He frowns at the floor. "Look, when I did that interview - "

"I know," she says before he can start explaining. She didn't want him to think she was the one bothered by it. "I know everything. You don't have to explain."

"Okay?" She nods. "Then you'll explain it to your mom, right?"

She takes a deep breath. "I will." I just hope she understands as well as I did.

Can takes her hands and kisses them, inhaling the lotion she's been putting on nonstop like it was air. She smiles and giggles a little before he pulls her to him and hugs her, kissing her cheek as well.

"Shall we go?" he asks.

"Yes," she nods and they part. He unlocks the car and gets in while she hurries to the other side, her smile dropping as the nerves settle in. She was keeping a brave face for Can but she was terrified of both the dinner and what awaited her at home.