The Rest of Our Life

Morning

If you had asked Yavuz, he would have said that morning was one of his favorite parts of the day. It was not only the fact that it was usually the time he could spend peacefully with his wife but there was just something special, one could say almost indescribable, in seeing the face of the woman he loved first thing in the morning.

However, Yavuz also had a little secret he kept from Derya.

You see, Derya was not a graceful sleeper, and this fact amused him to no end. It surprised him when he first found out about it, as she was the kind of person that always had everything under control and remained cool-headed even in the worst kind of situations. Apparently, sleeping was a whole other story. Not only did she usually hog the covers but she also had a habit of turning into a giant fluffy burrito if she went to bed alone. During the night she would often toss and turn, yet somehow in the morning she always ended up wrapped in Yavuz's arms, not that he minded. Even the feeling of her hair tickling his arm did not seem to bother him in the slightest.

Today was no different. Yavuz woke up feeling well-rested, and when he opened his eyes, he was welcomed by a familiar sight that never failed to make him smile. Derya was still asleep, with her head on his chest and her arms wrapped around his middle. He checked the time on the alarm clock standing on the nightstand. 6:51. They still had a few minutes before they had to get up and get ready for work. Yavuz sighed and kissed the top of Derya's head. After some time he could feel her stir slightly.

"G'morning," mumbled Derya and nuzzled his neck.

"Morning," answered Yavuz, his voice a little raspy.

They remained silent after that, neither of them really willing to move and start the day. They both cherished those peaceful moments when they didn't have to rush out of the house. However, all good things must come to an end, and soon the alarm clock let them know that it was time to get up. As usual, Derya had to bribe her way out of the arms of the smiling Yavuz with a few kisses, and soon they were up and about.

After taking a shower and eating breakfast, Derya was almost ready to go. She stood in front of the closet, trying to find something she could wear, while Yavuz was shaving in the bathroom.

"So Kopuk finally went to the doctor's office yesterday and he got prescribed some antibiotics," she heard him announce.

The use of the word "finally" was not a stretch here. Kopuk was complaining about feeling sick for over a week but he never seemed to be interested in actually getting some medication to get better. Derya had never seen him in such a miserable state before, and, if she were to be honest, his constant whining was starting to really get on her nerves. She always knew that men were turning into huge babies when they were sick but Kopuk managed to take it to the next level. It didn't surprise her at all that he ended up having to take the antibiotics. It would certainly teach him to go see the doctor earlier next time he got sick.

"Yeah, so I've heard," she answered. "I called him in the evening and told him that he can come over for dinner today and stay for the night if he's not feeling well."

Okay, so she might have gone a little soft on Kopuk. But it was just because he was sick! At least, that's what she kept telling herself. She could totally see him stuffing himself with instant noodles instead of eating something healthy.

"Next thing we know, he'll sleep in the living room every night," muttered Yavuz under his nose.

Unfortunately for him, Derya had an impeccable hearing. She made her way to the bathroom and stopped in the doorway.

"And that would be a problem because...?" she raised an eyebrow.

Yavuz had a weird expression of his face, one that she didn't know how to interpret. Was he irritated because she offered to help Kopuk without asking him first? That couldn't be it, she mused, he too cared about that idiot more than he would like to admit. She decided to wait patiently for an answer.

"We all know what happens to sick men who end up on your couch," he finally said, wiping his face with a towel.

Derya barely managed to fight back a smile. Sometimes she couldn't believe this fool that she called her husband. She raised her hand before he could continue.

"Wait, wait, wait. So what you're saying is that Kopuk is not simply sick, but in fact he has been injected with a virus that can kill him, he and I will be among few people who know about it, then with time we will fall in love and get married?"

Seeing his disgruntled face, she couldn't help but laugh, while Yavuz did not like the amused glint in her eyes one bit. Yes, he knew he was being childish, but he really couldn't help it. And who could blame him? It was Friday and he had other plans for tonight. Plans that certainly didn't involve babysitting Kopuk.

"Joke all you can but if you take care of Kopuk, who will take care of me?" he asked, turning into her direction.

"As far as I know, you are perfectly healthy."

"But I'm not," he shook his head. "Actually, I'm terribly, terribly sick, and the only cure is my wife," he said, coming closer and putting his arms around her waist.

"Hmm, that's a tough one. You only have one wife, and it just so happens that it's me," answered Derya, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Whenever Derya referred to herself as his wife, it evoked in him a certain sense of belonging. He still couldn't believe how he got to be so happy after everything that had happened to him. Looking back though, it was all worth it. The pain he had felt, the sadness, it had all led him to this: having a home, sharing a bed with the most important person his life, holding her in his arms.

"I guess I'm lucky that way."

He could have sworn that the smile Derya sent his way was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. No words needed to be said after that. He kissed her passionately, while his hands travelled down her body to untie her bathrobe.

Suffice to say, they didn't make it to work on time, though neither of them really seemed to care.

"Okay, Kopuk, you don't have to sleep here but at least stay for a little longer. You have only finished the soup," said Derya, having brought some clean plates for the second dish.

"No, I actually really have to go. Right now. Thanks for the soup, bye!" He shuffled quickly out the door, not even waiting for an answer.

"...what did you do?" Derya turned her head to look expectantly at Yavuz, who was still sitting at the table.

"Me? Why am I always the suspect here?" he stood up and started cleaning up the bowls.

"Please, it's Kopuk. Last week I had to force him to leave the house because he wouldn't budge from the couch," she rolled her eyes.

" So I may have persuaded him into staying at Eylem's place tonight. Using very nice words and explaining the situation."

"Meaning you basically told him to go away, probably using a threat of some kind," sighed Derya.

"More or less, yes. Gotta take care of the competition, you know," he said with a smug smirk before leaning in for a kiss.