The Return To Love

Chapter One

      Can Divit and Sanem Aydin had been thrown back together with such a force it had taken them both by surprise.. Both of them coming home to Istanbul for their fathers' illness, neither expecting to see the other, but hoping beyond hope that they would... 

      They hadn't seen each other in seven years, and both of them had changed, at least Sanem had. She was a more mature Sanem Aydin than before, not too afraid to be open or show her feelings.

      But they each still had that longing for one another....There was still a fire that burned inside, still a love that they neither one of them had replaced with someone else...or had they wanted to.

      A last minute meeting at the airport was all the proof that they needed.... They knew this love wasn't over...this love had never died....It only needed to be found again....

      One touch, one smile, one tender kiss and they knew this was..." The Return To Love"

Chapter One....

      So here they were..... At this place, a bench on the pier, overlooking the sea, and Can....well, Can being the same dynamic person he always was, had turned Sanem upside down. 

      She gazed into his eyes, the same eyes she had looked into all those years ago, and she felt the same rumbling of excitement. The same uneasy feeling of losing herself to his charm and disarming good looks.

      But why was she so nervous, so skittish, so overwhelmed by his presence. She thought she had gotten past all of that stuff over the years. She had practiced in front of her mirror so many times just had she would handle herself if she ever did meet up with Can Divit again..but right now she could not recall any of those witty comments that she had invented in her mind..

      She was like a deer in the headlights, of not a mere car, but of a train, barreling down the track, heading directly to her heart. 

      Then she felt it, like a bolt of lightning, a jolt of a current so powerful she was sure he could feel her shaking, as his lips touched hers so softly. Yes,....a kiss from this man was always unforgettable, but this kiss was unexpected. 

      She let herself return the kiss, just as gently, but with just as much passion. Her body was tingling and it was all she could do to keep from lunging helplessly into his arms...as that warm and so familiar feeling swept over her.

      After a few seconds they parted. Can was breathing in and out heavily, as if he had just done his morning exercises. He rested his forehead against hers, his warm breath spreading over her face as he tried to catch his breath..

      " Sanem, I'm sorry, I couldn't resist any longer. I had to touch you, feel you,...your lips." He whispered breathlessly, his arms still clinging to her.

      She licked her lips, trying to moisten them before she spoke. Her mouth was dry, so her first words were garbled and a bit grainy, " Can, I..I.. I didn't expect that, but it was just as I remembered. I think your touch is ingrained in my memory." She revealed, her eyes still closed as she relived the moment...

      In that moment all the memories, all the emotions, all the best of them, flooded her mind from every nook and cranny of her brain. She had not forgotten any of them, not one kiss or embrace, or one single tear she had shed over the years.....

        Can moved back, inspecting her face, a face that he too had ingrained into memory. "Sanem, I know I have a lot to explain, and I want to, I want to tell you everything. But I don't want to be afraid you will walk away from me." He spoke quietly, as if he was embarrassed.

      Sanem grinned, " Ahh, you mean like you walked away from me. Without letting me explain, or even tell you I was sorry,... you mean like that? She said, her voice sounding condescending.

      Can winced, the words stung his heart. " Well,..yes, l guess so. I know what happened was wrong, but I was broken, I had shattered into more pieces than I could pick up. So I had to go..." He said, regretting every word he was saying.

      Sanem stood and walked out closer to the edge of the pier, looking out at the dark blue water. She thought about her home in San Cristobal, and the water that surrounded that island, and how many times she had thought about walking out into that water and disappearing from it all.

      For all the times she had prayed for this day to come, the joy of seeing him again, the relief of knowing he was okay.... It felt even better than she expected. But she wasn't ready to step back into that role of losing herself to him again. She needed to take it slow, she needed to forgive him for leaving her...... she wanted him to say he forgave her for making that first and most damning mistake.....

      She knew this wasn't going to be easy...nothing with them had ever been easy. But in her gut, she knew she wanted to try... " Can, I think we both need a minute to process what had happened." She said, turning to look at him. " It has been a shock to each of us, so let's take a bit to get use to idea." 

      Can studied her face, a face he knew better than anyone. " What are you saying?" He asked, seeing a much more mature and self controlled person than he had known before. 

      She smiled, "I'm not going anywhere, accept to a hotel. We,...I...need some time to,... get over the shock of seeing you again." Sanem stammered, feeling the uneasiness of his gaze.

      " Ahh, a hotel. You're not going to your parents house. If you want you can come to my house,.... I mean the cabin. That's where I'll be staying now that I'm not leaving town." He offered, as he stood and moved toward her.

      She felt the heat rise up in her face. " No, I think it's best if I go to a hotel. I need someplace neutral, without so many memories." She spoke, looking down at her feet.

      Can reached out, placing his hands on her shoulders and letting them slide slowly down her arms, " So the cabin... you went there. I knew it, I knew you were. I found that scarf... and it had your smell on it. I thought I was losing my mind." He muttered, leaning in close to her.

     She sucked in  her breath, " Yes, I went there.... I don't even know why. I just couldn't keep from it." She gushed, feeling the tears burn her eyes. " I dropped the scarf there, and I even went back to try and find it...but it wasn't there. But you had already found it?" She asked, timidly looking up at him,

      " Yes, I found it and took it...just like your bandana. It was filled with the smell of your cream, and I couldn't leave it. I told myself it was a sign, a sign that I needed to find you again. But Emre and CeyCey convinced me that it would be best if I just left town and not think about you anymore." He revealed. " So that's what I was going to do.... But,.. I...I." He stuttered, his heart fluttering from her closeness.

      Sanem stepped back, looking at him, puzzled and confused. " So you talked to CeyCey....he knew you were here?" She uttered, almost in a whisper..

      Can nodded, " Yes, he came to see dad at the hospital... but he didn't tell me about your dad." He said, as he begin to realize that the truth had been kept from him..

      " Sanem,... so you talked to CeyCey when you were here. He knew you were here and didn't tell me." He snipped, as that feeling of betrayal hit him....

       Sanem frowned, " Can, I think that our friends and family are playing with our lives, just like they did in the past... " She huffed....