Regret - Part II

Regret - Part 7

He hadn't driven for more than a few minutes , when he started to regret leaving Sanem alone at home. Jeyda was constantly insisting that he meet McKinnan and her incessant persuasion were getting onto his nerves. He couldn't seem to turn a corner without bumping into her. Her tricks were wearing him out.  He just hoped he could remain civil with her and maintain a professional relationship.
If he was truly honest though,  more than Jeyda,  it was Sanem who was the reason for his perpetual bad mood lately. The otherday he heard CeyCey complaining to Sanem that Can Bey nowdays was worse than Deren in the office. He shook his head at the absurdity of the situation.

Mostdays he felt like a stranger in his own house. For Sanem, it was like, he didn't exist. A few days back he had come home to find Sanem, Osman, Ayhan and CeyCey celebrating Leyla's birthday. Even Emre was invited but no body had asked him to join. Osman and Ayhan had looked embarrassed. A guilty Leyla had offered him a piece of cake which he had accepted graciously but not her hasty request to join the festivities. He had taken one look at Sanem and had realized she somehow hadn't wanted him there. That had actually hurt.  Much more than he was willing to acknowledge. He couldn't seem to be doing anything correct recently. He stayed away from Sanem mostly because he was sure that's what she wanted.  He had heard her say to Mevkive that she didn't love him.  It had shattered his hopes of getting closer to Sanem.  She was in his house, in a room next to his with just a wall separating them. Yet he felt like she was slowly drifting away from him and he was powerless to do anything about it.  Her proximity also aroused his senses like never before.  He couldn't go to any corner in his house without inhaling her lingering scent. So unique,  so tantalizing, his personal brand of aphrodisiac....a loud honk caused him to come out of his reverie. This couldn't go on. This way any man would lose his sanity. He had to confront Sanem....
" Hello Mr. Mckinnan this is Can Divit.
I am sorry I cannot make it to the meeting today... "
" Oh but I am not aware of any meeting scheduled for today Mr.Divit." Mc Kinnan sounded surprised.
"Ah maybe Jeyda mixed up the dates..sorry to bother you... " Can just about managed to excuse himself and ended the call.
It was a good thing that he had parked his car at the side prior to making the call.  In his current mood he was liable to cause someone bodily harm. He hated lies and here Jeyda had manipulated him with a lie to meet him alone. But he too had lied to Sanem,  hadn't he? his conscience needled at him. No! He squashed the thought vehemently. He had come to meet McKinnan, to discuss the project he was interested in collaborating with Fikri Harika, or so Can had thought. He just hadn't mentioned that Jeyda would be there too. And currently he didn't want to dwell on the "why" of that omission. He turned the car around and made his way back home.  He had a home bird to tame...

As soon as he reached home, he strode purposefully towards Sanem's room. But the room appeared unoccupied . "Was she still sitting by the pool?" frowned Can.  He changed course and walked towards the open courtyard. At first he couldn't spot Sanem,  then his eyes alighted on the motionless figure lying face down by the pool chair. Can's turned as white as chalk. For a few precious seconds his limbs simply refused to cooperate. He rushed towards the fallen figure like a demented man and dropped to his knees beside it.
He gently turned the body and came face to face with an unconscious Sanem.  Her face was etched with pain and eyelids still wet with residual tears. Those tiny drops of moisture devastated Can.  He cradled her head close to his heart and with gentle fingers wiped away the grass and dirt from her face.  He then checked her forehead for any injury.  Finding none,  he gingerly lifted her limp body and carried her straight to his bedroom. He layed her on the bed and removed her shoes.  Her clothes were dirty but they could wait. He went to the washroom and returned with a mug filled with water.  He sprinkled some on her face and called out her name.

Sanem felt like she was swimming in the sea at a great depth. She couldn't hear anything, see anything but above all she was most happy to not feel anything.  Not feel the enervating pain  in her legs,  not feel the loneliness the seemed to be an essential part of her life now but most of all she didn't feel the debilitating sting of Can's betrayal.
Suddenly she felt like she was being pulled back to the surface by unseen hands. A powerful voice beckoning her to come back. She realized with a jolt that she desperately wanted to listen to that voice,  do anything it asked in that gentle hypnotizing cadence.

Sanem came to herself with a start.  She opened her eyes and looked up at a very very worried Can.
" Are you ok Sanem?" he asked her a little desperately.
"My leg... " was all she managed before gasping with pain as she tried to sit up.
"Do not try to get up Sanem. Please.  I am trying to contact the doctor..." Can pushed Sanem gently but firmly back to bed.
"Hello doctor,  this is Can Divit speaking... Yes I wanted to discuss about Sanem Aydin.. " his voice faded as he moved out of the room.
Sanem looked around and the first thing she realized was that this was not the guest room. While puzzling over this piece of trivia,  she then realized that Can had come back early, too early. "Had Jeyda not turned up? Why was Can back this early"
Her errant thoughts were cut short as Can reentered the room still talking on the phone.
"Yes Sinan,  I can do that.  I know how to. Yes I will see if that helps.  Ok I will call you back with an update." Can placed his phone on the table.  He crouched beside the bed and looked at Sanem with worried eyes.
"I may need to lift you to a sitting pisition to work better on those cramped muscles Sanem." he said gently before lifting her body from the bed and placing it at an angle so that he could work better on her legs.

He looked at Sanem as if asking for some sort of permission but she didn't realize for what till he slowly drew the hem of her dress to expose her very sore knees.  Sanem swallowed hard but did not project her inner turmoil on her face. She braced her self for that first jolt of pain and it was painful,  oh how painful. But underlying that pain was the exquisite feel of callused fingers working against her sensitive skin. She gasped once again when he probed at a throbbing muscle. Can looked up at her apologetically but he didnot give up on the ministrations. He coaxed and probed at the recalcitrant muscles to ease them up with sure and deft move of his long fingers. Sanem exhaled her breath for the first time without causing pain to shoot up her legs. She relaxed and closed her eyes with a tiny smile hovering on her lips.

Can looked up at Sanem and the beatific expression on her face caused him to stare at her hungrily. He had not come in any contact with her physically these past few weeks. Currently he felt like a very hungry man who was presented with a full buffet and he had no idea where to start. Sanem made a soft hum of pleasure as he managed to ease a specially stubborn muscle. That tiny sound transported the whole situation  to a different level. Can felt hot all over. Sanem had the softest skin possible, delicate like a lily. He felt himself growing more and more aroused as she continued to make more humming noises of pleasure at his deft ministrations.

Sanem felt like she was in hell. The pain in her leg had eased up considerably, almost to the point of being nonexistent. However it was now being replaced with a pain of a very different kind.  Sanem couldn't control the way her body reacted to those skilful fingers stroking sensualy against her soft skin. The underside oh her knees were very sensitive and her indrawn breath as Can touched her there didnot go unnoticed by Can either. He looked at her in the eye and made contact in the same location once again. Sanem lowered her eyes to hide her reaction but she couldn't hide her body's reaction to his touch from his experienced eyes.
" Sanem,  we need to talk..." Can managed from a mouth gone dry.
" Can I... "
" No more running away Sanem. Please" Can pinned Sanem with a determined look.
That statement reminded Sanem of another situation long back when Can had said the exact same words to her. She had been powerless to act on them then. The many lies she had told him standing between them like a merciless sentinel. But now there were no more lies or secrets between them. Maybe she didn't need to run any more but write her own destiny. Maybe it was time to start afresh and take charge of her life.
"Tamam Can Bey.. " she said with a small smile on her face.

To be continued....