before you leave

chapter 3

The evening was calm and peaceful, yet her heart felt heavy as she woke up to the sound of Yagiz's voice.

"Hazan, wake up," came his familiar tone, soft and comforting, cutting through the haze of her sleep. She blinked her eyes open and adjusted to the dim light of the room.

"How long have I been sleeping?" she asked groggily, her voice slightly raspy from the nap.

"A few hours," Yagiz replied, seated beside her. His presence, as always, was steady, She glanced at the giant window, noticing the darkness that had settled outside. The birds had long disappeared, their songs replaced by the quiet rustle of the trees.

Hazan sighed as she sat up. Yagiz had made them dinner, the scents of the meal still lingering in the air. They ate in comfortable silence at first, savoring each bite. There was something magical about how easy it was to be around him, how the silence between them was never awkward. It was simply... there.

Eventually, they began to talk, sharing memories from their childhood.

"I've always loved ballet dancing," Hazan said, sipping her wine and letting her thoughts drift. "But Mom never allowed me to take lessons. She thought it was impractical, a waste of time. I still went, though. I'd sneak into classes whenever I could."

Yagiz raised his eyebrow, intrigued. "What made you stop? I mean, if you loved it so much, why didn't you continue?"

Hazan smiled, a little sadly. "I broke my leg, and that's when I learned my lesson. I realized I didn't even love ballet as much as I thought. I was just trying to impress my friends."

Yagiz chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Trying to impress your friends, huh? I can't imagine you doing anything just to fit in."

"Oh, I did plenty," she replied with a smirk, playfully narrowing her eyes at him. "But not as bad as you, I bet. Tell me, what sort of disgusting things did you do as a kid?"

Yagiz leaned back, laughing. "Oh, I don't think you're ready for this. When I was about six, I thought it'd be fun to drink a bottle of shampoo because it smelled like strawberries."

Hazan burst out laughing, nearly spilling her drink. "What? Shampoo?"

"Yeah. I was convinced it would taste good! it didn't. I ended up throwing up for hours. My mom used to makes fun of me for that."

Hazan wiped away a tear of laughter. "Okay, that's pretty bad, but when I was about eight, I used to collect worms from the backyard, thinking they'd be my pets. I'd keep them in a box under my bed. One day I forgot to put air holes, and well... let's just say, I woke up to a very unpleasant surprise."

Yagiz stared at her in mock horror, then burst out laughing. "Worms? Oh, you're much worse than I ever was!"

They continued trading stories, each memory funnier and more ridiculous than the last, the lightheartedness of the moment lifting some of the weight she had been carrying. When dinner was done, Yagiz stood up, wiping his hands on his pajama pants, and extended his hand toward her with a mischievous smile.

"Come on, let's dance," he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, even though there was no music playing.

Hazan chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "There's no music."

"Who cares?" he shrugged, still holding out his hand. "We don't need music."

With a soft smile, she accepted his hand, and they stood in the middle of the room, dancing in their pajamas, the absurdity of it only making it funnier. She tried her best not to step on his feet as they moved in slow, awkward circles. The ruffles of the trees outside became their background melody, the soft breeze seeping through the window as they danced in the quiet. Chuckling when ever she stepped on his feet.

He spun her around, and she laughed as she stumbled slightly, bumping into him. She rested her hands on his shoulders, trying to steady herself, while his arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her closer. The laughter between them faded as they stopped moving, and their eyes locked, the world around them fading into silence. He gently lifted his hand, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face with a tenderness that made her heart race even faster. His eyes traced her features slowly, as if he were memorizing every details....the curve of her cheeks, the softness of her lips.

Her breath hitched, her pulse pounding so loudly she was sure he could feel it. She sighed softly, her gaze locked on his, unguarded, as if silently begging him to close the small gap between them, to let their hearts speak the words they hadn't yet said. She looked at his eyes which are filled with something deeper, more intense than she'd ever seen before.

Slowly.....so slowly, his face draws closer to hers. She could feel the warmth of his breath, the softness of his lips as they brushed against hers, tentative and testing. His kiss was light at first, almost as if he was waiting for her to pull away. But she didn't.

When he pulled back, his gaze searched hers, looking for any sign of regret or hesitation. But there was none. The only thing reflected back at him was the same desire, the same unspoken longing. And so, he kissed her again, more firmly this time, his hand cradling the base of her head while the other rested on her waist. She clutched his shirt, pulling him closer, kissing him back like there's no tomorrow.

For a few precious moments, the rest of the world disappeared. There were no complications, no heartbreak, no impossible futures....just the two of them, wrapped in each other's warmth.

When they finally stopped, both of them breathless, Hazan felt her knees weaken, almost collapsing from the dizziness of it all. If it weren't for Yagiz's hands still holding her, she would have fallen. She rested her head on his shoulder, and they stood there, embracing the quiet.

"You should go to sleep," Yagiz whispered into her ear, his voice low, pleading, as though he couldn't trust himself any longer.

Hazan nodded, stepping away from him, her heart heavy once again. She ran to her room, muffling her sobs as she cried herself to sleep, the weight of their impossible future crashing down on her all at once. She cried for the life they would never have, for the love they couldn't fully embrace, for the cruel hand fate had dealt them.

And she cried until sleep finally claimed her.

A/N:😶‍🌫️