Artemis (CanEm Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Twenty Nine

Officially, Sanem and Can had gotten back together. That night, after watching that silly Rom-Com, the two had decided to give dating another go. They'd established boundaries about being honest to one another and about taking things slowly. It had been the communication that they had needed for weeks and finally, things looked as if they were going in Sanem's favour.

She woke up the next morning on the couch with Can's legs entangled within her own. The sun was casting in through the glass windows and a warm spell had cast over them both. His whole leg had inserted itself between hers and his face rested inches away; he was so close she could feel the rhythmic inhale and exhale of his breathe. Sanem took this still moment to admire Can. She rarely saw him this still and it was refreshing to see him so at peace. He was also devilishly handsome, something which Sanem could truly appreciate when she had the opportunity to soak in every detail of him.

To say Sanem fancied Can was infantile, a phrase that must have been conjured up by the older generations, the ones with an interest in belittling youth love. Sanem didn't just fancy Can, she loved with a passion that was hotter than the Turkish sun in the summer. He was the one, she knew it. He was the one that plagued her mind constant; he was her true north, her everything.

As a sign of her endearment to Can and what he had done for her in the last twenty-four-hours, Sanem let her nose nuzzle his gently. At first, it was gentle but as she felt him stir, she nudged him again with a greater conviction. Groggy with sleep, Can peeled his eyes open slowly before letting a smile creep onto his mouth. Waking up next to Sanem felt like an incredible weight has been lifted off his chest.

"Morning." Sanem mumbled against him, her hand laying itself flat against his torso. She nuzzled his nose with her own and Can wanted to freeze time – he could live like this forever.

"Good morning." Can replied back with a heavily husky tone. "How are you feeling today?"

Even though he didn't outright say it, Sanem knew he was speaking in reference to the assault and the consequent nightmare she had faced yesterday. He was just worried, the lines on his forehead indicating his discomfort at bringing up the topic. However, unsurprisingly enough, she had woken up wrapped in Can and she hadn't thought about it. Protected by him and his presence, Sanem's dreams hadn't been plagued by Fabri's sickening presence ... it had been blessed by encounters with Can. She had dreamt of their first kiss, their random run-ins, his light caresses of her hair. Fabri had been an after-thought, something she never wanted to relive again.

"Better, I think." Sanem answered after some time, her body snuggling into Can just that tad bit closer.

"Sanem, I want you to know that I'm here if you want to talk." Can knew it would kill him to hear Sanem recite the details of her assault, but he knew he'd support her through everything. What she had been through was horrifying and he was prepared to hold her hand, every step of the way. "We can go to a counsellor, to the police-"

"No." Sanem shook her head; she didn't want to recount what had happened. All she wanted to do was move on and look ahead. "Just ... be here with me, okay?" Can scoffed lightly, as if she even needed to voice such a thing out loud – of course, he was going to be there for her. "Can we just ... take things ... slow?"

"Okay." Following their little conversation, the two just stared at each other for an extensive period of time, the world and its troubles fizzling away around them. They were the only things that mattered. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, they could truly take each other in. Can paid heed to the dimples residing beside her mouth and Sanem admired the light scars that marked his upper body. They were learning more about each other's physicality and it was a new venture – foreign. They were taking their time and just being with each other. As Sanem looked in his eyes, she could see, without a doubt, that he loved her more than anyone else in the world. She was his salvation, the same way that he was hers. Sanem continued to stare at him, dumbstruck by the intense emotions that she was feeling.

And then his mouth was on hers. It was only intended to be a peck – on Can's behalf. The kiss was just meant to embody how in love he was feeling in that moment. He'd missed her, being with her like this.

But unlike her usual shy self, Sanem licked at his lower lip, beckoning him to allow her access. And once Can figured that she didn't want the kiss to stop, there was nothing leisurely about its pace. There was no hesitation or walls of restriction. Sanem knew she had requested to take things slowly, but Can was her kryptonite and she couldn't stop herself once she'd gotten the slightest taste of him. She'd only been kissed by two men in her life Can and regrettably, Fabri, and it made her appreciate Can all the more. He was addictive and attentive to what she needed and desired and she couldn't get enough of him. She twirled her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer (if that was even possible) The softest of grunts resonated from within Can's chest as he could feel the dip and curves of Sanem's body paired with the feeling of her mouth on his. He seized her hips with his hands and then twirled her body round, his own body hovering over hers as they kissed with a passion they previously had never explored.

But like Can and Sanem were accustomed to, their moment of passion was disrupted quickly.

"You have a room." Before things could increasingly hot and heavy, Emre strolled into the open plan living room, reminding his older brother and his employee that they weren't in a confined space. He was practically half asleep, but even in his drowsy state he didn't want to be a witness to Can and Sanem making out. "Use it."

"Mr. Emre!" Upon hearing Emre's voice, Sanem jumped up off the sofa, Can's large t-shirt slipping off her shoulder comedically. A bright blush had overcome her cheeks at the awkwardness of the situation and she desperately wanted the walls to swallow her whole. "Ummm ... I'm going to get my ... phone-"

Sanem scampered off in the direction of Can's room and Can admired how attractive she looked in his clothing. And as his territorial mind got side tracked about Sanem in his oversized clothing, Emre cleared his throat, snapping him out of his lustful daydream.

"Great timing, Emre, thank you." Can clapped mockingly at his baby brother before sighing ... he tried to imagine how far he and Sanem would have gone if Emre hadn't walked in.

"Abe, just remember to be careful." Emre warned. He had seen Sanem last night, her scream was still ringing in his ears. "She might be okay now, but assault is hard to deal with ... just remember you're going to be stepping on egg shells for a bit."

Can simply nodded, mentally chastising himself for letting things get as heated as they had. He knew he needed to be wary of Sanem and how she was coping with the events that had unfolded. Fabri had sexually assaulted her and maybe they did need to talk about what happened eventually. Emre was right. Can needed to ensure she was one hundred per cent okay before pursuing anything sexual between them.