Flipped

Awakening

The foursome arrived at the venue and began mingling.  Aziz Bey was whisked away to go over the evening's docket.  Emre and Leyla led Can to the receiving area where they found some other agency employees.   Can remembered Deren, Guliz and CeyCey.  A crew member came shortly thereafter asking Emre Bey to join his father.  He asked Deren to come along too and excused himself as did Leyla to visit the ladies room.  She told Can to follow Guliz and CeyCey if she wasnt back before they began seating. 

After some mingling, Can had met several more of the agency staff, including one of their lead counsels, Metin.  The two of them hit it off and naturally clicked, sharing several of the same hobbies and interests.  He introduced Can to some of his colleagues outside the agency so he was definitely getting plenty of exposure and he was thankful since Yigit Bey hadn't arrived yet, but it was becoming a little overwhelming...  he excused himself to hit the men's room before the main presentations.  About that time, Sanem had arrived and quickly found her father and brother at the edge of the entry doors into the main seating.  She apologized for her lateness, to which Emre gave a scolding look while Aziz waved it off.  They filled her in on the agenda for the presentations as Emre started leading their father further in to take their seats. Sanem started to follow but Aziz stopped her, "Oh, you're up in the suite seating dear. I arranged you and Yigit seats in D-Block." He winked at her, thinking he was playing cupid.  Sanem gave a subtle eye-roll, but wanted to avoid tainting her baba's big night so she remained silent.  She gave Aziz a quick hug, clasped her brother's shoulder with a squeeze and took her leave.

Can had met CeyCey exiting the restroom, who told him the group will be sitting up in D-block.  CeyCey went back to regroup with Guliz, and Leyla had returned just as they started ushering people into the auditorium.  The three of them moved with the crowd toward the entrances.  When CeyCey started to veer towards the stairs, Leyla caught him, "Where are you going?" He pointed up the stairs, "D-Block." Leyla shook her head, "No, company employees are in B seating in the main auditorium." CeyCey rejoined the flow into the orchestra seating area, glancing back a few times looking for Can to let him know.  He didn't find him so he figured he'd go in to see where their seats were, and would then come back to get Can.

Can had returned to where he'd left his group but they were gone, as was most of the crowd.  He found his way up to the D-block suite just as the lights went down.  He hung back at the bottom of the terraced steps to wait for more light to locate his new acquaintances.

Sanem was moving up the stairs while texting Yigit.  She really needed to have a discussion with him about the status of their relationship, but she recognized that this was not the time nor the place for such a conversation. For now,  she would play her part and- save the unpleasantness for later.  Yigit, I'm sorry I'm a little late... I'm walking up to the suite seating now.
She quietly pulled the doors open to slip inside the darkened suite, letting a shaft of light through momentarily. 

Can turned as the door slowly fell closed in order to use the waning light to find his seat but...  he found something else entirely.

Sanem had caught sight of what she thought was Yigit's tall silhouette.  He must have gotten her text and was lingering to greet her before taking his seat.  She reached him just as the door shut, closing off the light from the hall outside.  He was turning toward her and she lifted her lips to his. 

When he turned, Can found a woman's lips.  A kiss.  He was so caught off guard he simply reacted, kissing her back.  He felt the soft, supple lips on his and readjusted slightly, positioning her plump lower lip between his.  He wrapped his hands lightly around her back, fingertips grazing the back of one of her arms and caressing her waist.

When Sanem felt him shift his lips to encase her lower lip within his, she knew this was not Yigit.  This man had a beard like Yigit, but it felt a little thicker, fuller.  He was tall like Yigit, but...   bigger.  There was just more of him.  She felt it when she was pulled ever so gently, a bit closer to him as his hands slipped behind her.  Her hands had already been on their way up to encircle behind Yigit's neck, but realizing it wasn't him, they fell short, coming to rest on this man's massive chest.  She felt sparks at the back of her arm where his fingers touched her skin, and she was overpowered by his scent.  A mix of crispness with a musky, pure male aroma.

He found himself dizzy from her fragrance too... a natural smelling mix of spicy sweetness he'd never experienced.  He fell away, a bit on his heels, breaking the kiss and he panicked a little.  He glanced to the floor, catching a glimpse of her strappy red heels before he came to his senses a bit.  He was obviously in the wrong place and hurried to remove himself, striding up the small set of steps and out the door in a flurry.

She'd felt him back away, moving toward the exit before she could react. She turned after him but only saw his blackened shadow against the stark light from the hall.  She spun back, reeling.  Who the hell did I just kiss?!  The door swung open again and she turned back again towards the door- had he come back?  To her disappointment, she was met with Yigit's embrace as he whispered his apology for being late.  She recovered as quickly as she could, addressing Yigit and getting them to their seats.

Can had flown out the door and then stunned, made his way down the staircase, passing a man heading up, and he staggered to one of the standing tables left in the foyer.  He leaned there for a moment before Cey Cey found him again, ushering him into the main seating area to find Guliz.

Neither Can nor Sanem could really focus much on the evening's events, both trying in vain to scan the crowds for some inkling of recognition.  Sanem had excused herself a bit early from her seat, telling Yigit her feet were killing her- she simply had to change clothes, and would meet him in the foyer.  As the crowds dispersed and exited the building, she could only take momentary notes of the people streaming past as she had to carry on some semblance of conversation with Yigit so as not to be outright rude.

Can made his way to the exit, trying to catch peoples' foot wear.  He found himself a bit ridiculous in doing it and realized the likelihood of catching the same pair was slim to none.  Leyla found him eventually anyway and was ready to head home, so his search ended with that.  

His thoughts however, did not end... could not end, even if he wanted them to.  He lay in his bed, just replaying the moment in his mind...  It was probably just a matter of seconds really, but it felt like... more.  It had felt like slow motion when it was happening, but also over in a flash.  He couldn't put it in any comparable terms.  He'd never kissed a woman romantically.  Well, not in his adult life anyway...  He had- on a dare, planted a kiss on a classmate in the 6th grade.  He was sure he'd contracted cooties from the exchange.  He also earned himself significant punishment from his parents over it and vowed never to kiss a girl again as long as he lived.  Tonight's little encounter was an entirely different experience and drastically changed his adolescent vow.  It had awakened things within him he'd never begin to guess existed.  And he couldn't turn it off... not just that- he wanted more. 

Though the only thing he saw with his eyes was her delicate feet in those strappy red heels, his other physical senses were all on overload... feeling her touch, hearing her breath hitch, smelling her exquisite aroma, her sweet and hot taste.  It was obviously a physical..  'awakening' if you will, but, there was also this... he wasn't sure... an internal feeling he experienced... a connection?  He couldn't quite place it, having no point of reference- all he knew is that he wanted more, but more of her specifically.  How in the hell was he going to learn her identity?!  His mind and his heart raced.  He gave up sleep and got out of bed.  He moved to his desk and looked at his latest notebook that he'd been using.  His fingers grazed the surface of the book, then fell away.  He opened a drawer and pulled out a new one.  This deserved its own, exclusive book.  He began writing- a little frantically at first, but then settled into a smooth rhythm, letting the feelings translate into words as he relived the magical moment again.  He added his own musings, making the challenge of finding her again kind of an adventure... he also touched on the 'fairy tale' feel of it and decided it was fate.  And fate would lead them back to one another.