Artemis (CanEm Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Eleven

When Sanem left for her walk, she hadn't been thinking straight. She'd left her phone on the table top, had failed to take a jacket for the cold weather and wasn't in the appropriate walking shoes. Nothing had gone right today because all her mind could focus on was Can and Polen.

She could picture them tucked away in London together in this big and airy apartment. Can was used to wealth, even though he had spent a lot of his time travelling and London was the perfect balance between the two. He could be wondering the endless stretches of countryside one day and then be going to fancy bars and sushi restaurants with Polen the next. They'd waste their days lounging in the big parks or shopping and then Polen would be walking down big runways and Can would be capturing each moment with his beloved camera.

It was the perfect bourgeoise lifestyle and Sanem knew she just couldn't compare. With her mother's cooking and her nosy neighbours, Sanem's life was simplistic and ... easy; everything that Can wasn't accustomed to.

Sanem even thought back to the day of Polen's birthday. She had already been on edge because Polen was living in the house with Can and he was throwing her this extravagant party, but her heart had broken into tiny little pieces when she'd learnt from Guliz that Polen was planning to stay in Istanbul. Guliz had gotten it all wrong but it didn't stop Sanem from hurting. Can and Polen had a connection that was evidently unbreakable and that was a hard fact to swallow. Sanem was so inexperienced with boys already and it made her self-conscious and unworthy when comparing herself to a model like Polen. In fact, unworthy was already something she was feeling because of all of the lies and deceit.

It even made her angry. Sanem knew she'd wronged Can and he was entitled to hate her but now, it felt like he had wronged her. How could he even think of falling for someone like her when he'd been with someone like Polen? It was unfair. It was unfair that he made her doubt her choice in clothing and styling of her hair. Not only that but how could he disrespect the things that they had gone through by running straight back to Polen when things got tough? It made Sanem wonder ... would it always be like this? If they'd stayed together, would he always feel the need to confide in his ex-girlfriend when things didn't go as planned? Because from what she knew of relationships, Sanem knew they never went smoothly. So would Can just be bouncing between her and Polen?

And with all of these toxic thoughts plaguing her mind, Sanem had ran out the door before Osman could spot her crying. She slipped on whatever shoes she could find, and she made a beeline for the only place that could comfort her in moments like this ... the sea.

The sea had always calmed her. There was something about the endless stretch of blue that made her feel so small. Her issues always seemed insignificant when looking out at the water. The earth was so big, and it humbled her, made her think of something other than her worries.

So, Sanem perched herself on a rock and just looked out on the sea. The early morning sky was surprisingly bright for this time of year and she fixated her gaze on the clouds as they drifted. It made her feel like a child again, picking random shapes out of the clouds. She lay back on the rocks and she got lost in herself and the sky and the sea. There was one cloud that looked like an alien, another that looked like a rabbit, the next like a dragon ... Sanem played the little game with herself until the darkness of the evening crowded her. The sky had faded from its light blue to a deep colour in no time and Sanem's eyes widened in disbelief.

She hadn't realised it, but she'd spent the whole day just gazing out into the world with no human contact. It made her conscious of the time and she jumped up from her spot on the pursuit to head home. As she jumped up, she was aware of the aching in her back now. She'd been lying against uneven rocks all day and she was sore, sorer than she'd noticed. But with her mother's impending scolding in her mind, Sanem knew she needed to head home and quickly. Ignoring the pain in her back, Sanem headed towards her neighbourhood.

However, as she walked down the little side roads, Sanem felt a presence behind her, like she was being followed. The presence was notable and close enough for Sanem to feel it greatly and she felt her heart drop. She'd never been in a situation like this before. Her parents had always advised her to head home when it grew dark around these areas and she mentally chided herself for letting things get to this stage.

Too scared to look back on what she might find, she pulled her arms around herself and began to walk hurriedly. With her breathing laboured, Sanem tried to remember all that she could about self-defence. She had read a book here and there, but she didn't know if she'd be able to execute any moves effectively if it came to it. It did not help that now that her attention had been drawn away from the ocean that Sanem realised she was cold, freezing actually. There were goose bumps raised on her arms and bare legs and as the presence behind her grew closer, Sanem began to sprint. All thoughts of self-defence thrown to the wind, Sanem knew her best chance of survival was to run. In a frenzied panic, she ran as fast as she could until suddenly stopping in her spot.

"Sanem!" He had called out for her, this man who had been following. "Sanem, wait!" The voice was familiar, one she'd heard many times throughout her life. "Sanem!"

Turning around, Sanem was met with that same brunette hair and medium stature – this was a man she recognised and she was surprised to see him, here of all places.