Emir and feriha - the untold story #Wattys2016

Part 12

Feriha acknowledged with her eyes emir to levent. She wasn't the same feriha who had walked with him to the engagement party, she was the feriha who he had known before they left 3 years ago, she was the feriha he had fallen in love with. The hard lines on her face had softened. The girl that he lived with for past 3 years wore a mask, used make up to hide her true self and here she was sans makeup, sans mask, the real feriha. He sensed his real place in her life.
Emir was quietly reading levent for the first time. He did not look like the guy who came in the engagement party with feriha, he looked like a man who had lost all battles. He felt no need to fight , he could see he was accepting his defeat.
Levent did not look at Emir. If he looked at him he would reflect his thoughts, the truth and he did not want to see his defeat in Emir's eyes. Levent walked past them.
Emir turned to look at leaving levent but feriha looked straight ahead. She did not want to look at him.
Emir tugged feriha's hand to leave, when feriha turned to him and said "you were right about him"
Emir wrapped his hand around her arm and then they walked towards the club. Feriha was going through emotional turmoil that she found hard to describe.
At the door of the club Mehmet was standing. He saw Emir and feriha approaching. Feriha was lost in her thoughts and held onto Emir absent mindedly. Mehmet greeted emir and looked at visibly disturbed feriha, she failed to notice Mehmet and followedEmir in the club.
At the club, they sat on the bar stools, emir asked for coffee.
Feriha said I don't know what to say. I feel cheated. I trusted a wrong man all along. How could I do that?" and she closed her eyes with her palm.
"feriha you know the truth, that's important. Its past now"
When they were drinking their coffee, hande came. As she entered the club she saw emir and feriha sitting from behind the wooden partition. She smiled looking at them. she walked up to them and said"so you both found each other again"
Emir turned "hande!"
"even if you hide I know it"
"nothing can escape you"
Feriha composed herself and turned to hande "what is it feriha? I thought you would be very happy"
"don't I look like' and she smiled.
"now you look. I saw captain leaving hurriedly the hotel, I called him but he did not notice me"
"truth is bitter and he drank the bitter potion now" Feriha said
"truth had to come out one day. How long would he continue to take advantage of your naivety"
"you knew?"
Hande just gave a knowing smile. "anyways won't you guys treat me with coffee"
Emir called for another coffee and the three friends chatted happily.
"okay guys see you soon !" and hande left
"I should be working Emir"
"yes"
"bye see you" emir waved his hand and feriha left.
Hande was standing infront of the hotel, when she saw koray standing across. Hande turned immediately and started to walk away. Koray ran behind her and held her arm.
"hande! What are you doing. Stop for once"
"what are you doing koray. Why do you want to talk to me. All you will tell me about your divorce but I don't want to be in any relationship with you.'
Koray came infront of her "Hande, look at me and say you don't love me anymore"
Hande jerked haer hand away and started to leave. Koray said "run as far away as you want to, you can never stop loving me" Koray put both his hand behind his head in despair. All he wanted was to win her back.
In the evening in the car on the way back home , feriha and emir remained quite. Then feriha remembered that mom had asked to meet emir." Emir should I call mom that we are reaching"
He nodded
"mom we are reaching in 5 minutes"
"I will see you in the park" said zehra
Feriha looked at Emir and asked "are you nervous? "
"what do you think?"
Feriha smiled. Emir said "for the first time I meet your mom for asking her daughter for marriage, what do you expect?"
They laughed.
Zehra , Emir and Feriha in the park:
Emir and feriha were waiting near the bench in the park. Zehra was coming towards them. Feriha looked at emir and held his hand "don't worry. I am there"
When zehra came close feriha slipped out her hand. Emir greeted zehra on seeing her , zehra acknowledged it by bending her head  a bit. She was meeting Emir first time like this. her face couldn't hide the myriad of emotions she was going through. She said " I know you want to marry feriha again, but before that I want to tell you something, we have been quite unfair to you in the past. Then the misunderstanding that you shared was not easy for you and feriha, will you be able to leave behind what she lived and did to you and live a happy life? Its not easy to forget the hurt that you shared. Will your love be strong enough to hold the tide that lies ahead, because life is not bed of roses its good and bad times together, its only with love, trust and understanding you can fight all tough times and enjoy good times."
I know you say that because we couldn't live together before. But I promise you our love is beyond all said. It can tide over everything."
Zehra nodded and said "I wanted to be just sure about this." then she looked at feriha and said " I will talk to your father tonight" feriha happily hugged her mother and emir stood behind feriha and broke into a faint smile.
Levent in the night:
Levent wanted to escape the lights of the city, he headed to the sea shore in the night. Sea was dark in the moonless night. He sat on the shore, listening to the sounds of sea. The sound of waves unleashed his inner turmoil. The crashing of the waves mimicked his heart breaking into pieces.
many years back I left home to break away from the shackles that were suffocating me. I couldn't breathe. At sea I found the freedom I was looking for. I travelled like a bird till I reached Istanbul and came face to face with love. i didn't realise when I started to yearn for those shackles again. I was pulled towards it. I loved her selflessly. I wanted to protect her and see her happy . but in this pursuit , I became selfish. I started to yearn to spend my life with her, but in all this I forgot I always loved her with a shadow. She was complete with that man. I found her because of him. Even with me, she lived with him, she was never mine.'
Then he desperately tried to hold the dry sand in his hand every time he held it, the sand slipped away. No matter how tight he held it, it slipped away leaving behind traces of sand once held. He knew he had to let her go. She will always remain like traces of sand in his hand in his life. None can take her place.