Artemis (CanEm Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Forty-Five

Shock was an understatement to describe what Sanem was feeling. It was like the horror stories that her mother used to tell her about boys had finally uprooted from her mind and come to life, possessing her entirely. Sanem was unable to move as she watched the events unfold in front of her. Metaphorical vines had woven themselves around her ankles, forcing her to face the harsh realities in front of her.  At first, she wasn't sure if her eyes were deceiving her or if Can was. 

After some time, she realised it was the latter.

In the spot she had once occupied on the Divit couch, now sat Polen, Can cosily nestled beside her. The pair were fixated on the television but every so often Polen would draw her attention away from the meaningless sitcom to feed Can a piece of sushi. If Sanem didn't know any better, it felt like she was intruding in on a moment so real and so wholesome. It made her sick. It made her question whether anything that she had experienced with Can had been real. 

As the truth slowly processed through her dumbfounded state, Sanem felt the tears roll down her cheeks and the sudden need to run. She was never much of a runner. In fact, Sanem Aydin hated anything that involved extensive physical activity but today, she was ready to sprint a marathon. With her eyes still focused in on the glass house that had shattered her dreams, she back tracked slowly before making a break for it. Her turn was slow, too slow too be normal. The world lagged around her until suddenly she was flying, taking flight from the pain that were her feelings. As she moved, there was an aggressive ringing in her ears and the further she ran, the louder her heartbeat grew. But even though a pain shot through her shins and perspiration coated her forehead, she kept running. She ran and she ran, not even acknowledging where she was going. At this stage, she didn't even care where she ended up. Running was the only way to distract herself.

However, just like everything in the world, Sanem eventually had to stop. When her breathes became too shallow and her legs grew numb, she collapsed against a park bench, her tears intermingling with her sweat. 

"Idiot." She chastised herself, still winded and out of breathe. "Idiot!" Sanem's arms flew upward and she stared at the endless stretch of dark sky overhead, her eyes begging for some sort of clarity. "Why me, huh? Why is it always me?" She continued to curse at some omnipresent being until her breathing settled. But as her breathes regulated and the burn in her legs dulled, Sanem felt the emotional pain stab her suddenly. With running no longer her source of distraction, Sanem had to face the music and she knew that there were only a few people who could help her do so, her most precious confidants - Leyla, Ayhan and Osman. 

Slowly, Sanem gathered her bearings and called Osman. He'd known her his whole life and it had taken a mere 'hello' to realise that something was wrong. Osman knew Sanem like the back of his hand and like always, he was jumping the gun to be her saviour.  

"We're on our way." Thankfully, Osman hadn't asked for any explanation from Sanem, he simply promised her that her loved ones would be with her as quick as possible, a flash of chai in tow. 

And whilst Sanem waited for her ride to arrive, she took a seat on the bench she had collapsed against earlier and just glared up at the sky. She remembered falling asleep on a hammock with Can when they'd been filming a campaign out in the woods on a night like this. She remembered how sheltered and protected she'd felt with him by her side and the breadth of the Turkish sky and sea around them. There had been a magic present that night that had been snatched from her today. No longer did her heart hum with happiness, all she could foresee and feel was dread and fittingly, little splatters of rain began to fall from the sky. Despite the rain, she sat there ... questioning her relationship, her love, her life until her friends came to her rescue. 

As soon as they caught sight of her, there was an evident sadness present in her eyes, the brown too glossy, even from a distance. When Sanem's overprotective trio stepped out of the street lighting and towards natural darkness, there worst fears were confirmed. Sanem was lifelessly walking toward them. Her gait that had been smooth only a few hours prior was faltering and uneven. Her hair was ragged, loose strands falling over her features. The shoes she had worn to work were tattered and her eyes were as they had been years ago when she knew her beloved Grandfather was no more. Without second guessing themselves, Leyla, Ayhan and Osman ran for her. They were careful not to tread over one another as they shot their arms out to her. As she fell into outstretched arms, she was a dead weight, almost so heavy that they were seconds away from being a heap of limbs on the ground. 

"Sanem, what happened?" As the person with the strongest stature, Osman hiked Sanem's body up into his arms and cradled her like a child. The rain had calmed down since leaving their mahalle but it was evident that she was soaked to the bone and needed to be somewhere dry. Not even waiting for an answer, he made his way back towards Muzzo's vintage car that he had 'borrowed' for their quick excursion. 

"Sanemcim, you're scaring us. Please tell us how you got here." As Osman placed her into the back seat of the car, the three took their own seats and turned towards her expectantly. Sanem was usually so fun-loving and happy that it saddened them to see her sad. Leyla took the seat in the back beside her sister, her hand lovingly stroking the top of her head in a way that their mother would. 

"Was it ..." Osman pinched the bridge between his nose in anger as he thought of the dirt-bag that was Enzo Fabri. "Did he come for you again?" Thankfully, for Osman's sanity, Sanem shook her head no.  

"Shall we call Mr. Can?" As soon as Leyla said his name, a hiccup turned sob left Sanem's throat and the group understood exactly who had caused her pain. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, sister, I'm sorry." Leyla pulled Sanem into a tight embrace and let her cry into her chest. 

"I feel like I'm going to be sick." Sanem grumbled as Osman started the car up, the contents of her lunch churning violently within her stomach. 

"Okay, okay, it's okay. We'll just roll down a window for some air." Leyla rubbed Sanem's back gently, comfortingly, whilst Ayhan reassured them of how close they were to home. "Cry, Sanem, cry ... just let it out. We're all here for you."

But as Sanem cried, Osman, Leyla and Ayhan glanced at each other knowingly ... they were understanding of the fact that Sanem probably didn't want to talk about the details right now; however, they wanted answers and if Sanem wasn't going to give them answers, then Can Divit most certainly was.