Early Bird (Erkenci Kus)(Part 4)

50. No more pretending

Around lunch time, Can wandered down to the ground floor so he could have a quiet birthday lunch with Sanem. She wasn't at her desk however, and she wasn't in Leyla's office either, so he went down the hall a little further, only to see her and Yigit walk out of Yigit's office with her handbag over her shoulder and him next to her, smiling and nodding with a leather briefcase in his hand.

"It's going to be incredible!" Sanem laughs, and then she turns from Yigit to see Can looking from him to her quietly and her smile disappears right away. "Can?" she blinks, her eyes wide.

"My love," Can looks at Yigit shutting his office door behind them, then back at her. "I came to get you for lunch."

Sanem visibly swallows and then looks at Yigit, looking almost guilty, then back at Can. "Oh, uhm, that would be nice, but - "

"But what?" Can gives Yigit an irritated look.

"I-I - " Sanem stutters.

"We're already going out for lunch."

Can glances between them and takes a step back so he can see Sanem's reaction to his question. "Together?" he asks and Sanem looks at him again.

Her head whips from one to the other where she stood in the middle a few times and then she gives him a pointed look. "Well, yes but not like that. I mean, we're going together but we're not going to be alone. It's actually a meeting, just over lunch."

"Exactly," Yigit agrees with a small smile and turns away to avoid Can's clanched jawed look.

No one asked you, Can looks at Sanem again. "Why didn't you tell me about it?"

Sanem looks lost for a second, again looking at Yigit and Can frowns. Something was going on. She was nervous and Yigit wasn't looking at him.

"I forgot," Sanem says and turns back. "Yeah, that's all. I forgot. It's been a busy morning."

"Speaking of busy," Yigit inhales and checks his watch, "we have to get going Sanem, we're going to be late." He nods towards the exit.

She gives him a quick nod in return.
"Okay," she turns to Can and smiles apologetically. "I'm so sorry. We have to go."

Can follows slowly as she starts walking, Yigit a foot or so ahead. He was half pouting. He was hoping to have lunch with her and spend time with her and she was running away. "Where are you going to have this lunch?" he asks, stopping again and so does Sanem, with Yigit turning as well.

"Where...was it...again?" Sanem asks and widens her eyes. "We're uhm..."

Can's gaze narrows between them, his lie detector going crazy. Yigit gave no answer, just looking at Sanem looking at him.

"At a café!" Sanem says and points. Yigit nods and then looks away again. "Apparently they have good Pilaf and this writer we're meeting loves rice," she shrugs. "I would say come along but I know you don't really like Pilaf that much."

Since when? "I'm sure they have other stuff on their menu t - " he starts to say that he could just order something else but she interrupts.

"We have to go. We're already late and this guy's really full of nonsense." She gets up on her toes and he lowers his head so she could kiss him. "Love you," she says and then hurries to join Yigit.

Can stares after them as they walk out, frowning and feeling ill at ease with what just happened and for a moment he just stands there before he looks around Sanem's desk and then, still pondering, decides to go back upatairs.

*

Leyla frowns at her laptop, having opted to not go out for lunch and just stay in to finish some work. As she's saving a piece, Emre's voice has her looking up at him standing in her door.