Summary: SelDem bake a cake
♥
It's a Thursday afternoon when Selin finds out about Mrs.Firuze's birthday.
It's the first night in weeks that they're not cooped up in the office and she's already changed into her comfiest shorts by the time she bounces down the steps and out into the patio where Demir sits with his nose buried in a book. She wonders then, after blurting out what she's there to say, what it must take to make this man smile because yeah, there it is, the slow, incredulous blink of his long, wispy lashes, the vaguely annoyed downward turn of his mouth as he glances at her over his shoulder
"Would you please reiterate," Demir drawls, already looking back into his book "what it is that you wish to do, exactly?"
Reiterate means to repeat, although Selin has no idea why he doesn't just say that or go for the less eloquent but infinitely more cost-effective 'You want to do what?' that's written all over his face. Selin, who has since made herself comfortable on the chair opposite him, fights the urge to roll her eyes at the fact that Demir talks like he swallowed a library when he was younger and is doomed to spend the rest of his life burping up words that really only belong in textbooks at school, and, mostly, she hates that she finds it so endearing
"I want us to bake a cake," she repeats— no, reiterates— as she gives him her most convincing set of puppy eyes and watches his frown deepen as he realizes that he had heard her right the first time "for Mrs.Firuze's birthday"
"I'm reading, Selin" he mutters, keeping his eyes trained on the pages of a book whose title makes her wonder how he's not already snoring from boredom
She figures she's doing him a favor when she pounces forward, snatches the book from his hands, and takes off in the direction of the kitchen
"Not anymore!" she shrieks, tossing the words over her shoulder as she just barely manages to dodge his attempt to catch her by the waist
"Selin!" he calls after her and she laughs, the sound of it filling the house, mingled with his words of warning
"Get back here Selin, or—"
"Or what?" she challenges, wagging the book, emboldened by the table that stands between them as they circle around the furniture, dancing around it as if playing a game of musical chairs
"Or I'll make you" he says easily, shrugging before making a sudden movement which she mirrors from across the table
Selin scoffs despite the fact that something twinkling in his eyes tells her that he might not be kidding at all
Nonetheless she decides to take her chances. Sticks her tongue out at him and makes a run for it, beelining for the door to the patio only to be caught, finally, by a strong arm around her waist
She gasps, falling back in surprise, the motion of it sending them both tumbling, a mess of interwound limbs onto the couch
She lands with a grunt and with his arms settled on either side of her head, just barley catching himself in time to avoid their faces from colliding
The book, thrown somewhere off in the distance isn't what keeps him there, his body pressed up against her, his mouth mere inches from hers and well, she's not really sure what it is exactly that keeps either from moving, from detangling themselves from each other the way perfectly platonic housemates might do but there's something—something that keeps her hostage, nestled into their couch, his body settled around her like a blanket
Maybe it's the look in his eyes, or maybe it's the way her heart blooms in her chest, watered by its own little idea that maybe he feels the same spark that she does running through his veins right then
Either way neither of them speaks and she wonders, blinking up at him, if his mouth would taste of coffee, or maybe it'd taste like that smile he always seems to keep to himself. She's striken by just how much she'd like to find out as she watches his tongue dart out, ever so slightly, his lips finding moisture there—maybe it's a mannerism, or maybe not, as his eyes flicker down to watch her mouth. And the angle is right, he just needs to—
but then she wiggles, feeling like her leg might go numb from the pressure and he jerks away from her as if being pulled, standing abruptly and coughing awkwardly into a fisted hand
"So," he says, his voice breaking in a way that's not like him at all "a cake you say?"
She's breathless still, the warmth of him lingering on her skin but she manages to sit up, nod, and collect herself before launching into her spiel about homemade birthday cakes and how everyone deserves a little thoughtfulness on their birthday
"Plus" she says "they've gotten us out of some pretty inopportune situations-"
"They've gotten you out of inopportune situations" he cuts in, giving her a pointed look that suggests that the lies they told her parents still don't sit well with him
Selin frowns, pins him with a look and then holds it
It seems to do the trick after a couple moments because he sighs, throws his hands up "can't we just-"
"We can't" she interrupts, already knowing what he's going to suggest "we have to make it ourselves, it holds more meaning that way"
He wrinkles his nose and sighs again
That's precisely how they end up covered in flower, crouched down, staring into the oven watching the batter bubble
"Now we wait" she says, quite proud of herself, fussing with the timer. She smiles once she sets the correct time and looks up to find Demir watching her, a thoughtful sort of look in his eye
He opens his mouth, hesitating, as if caught between saying something or not before finally speaking, voice soft, somewhat distant with memory "I grew up alone," he says, before amending "well, not alone,in a boarding school, without a family, I mean,"
there's a wrinkle in between his eyebrows and Selin finds herself holding her breath, not wanting to ruin the moment, it being so rare that he willingly shares something about himself
"There was no one around to wipe my tears after a nightmare, to rub my back after I fell off my bike, to bake me cakes" he smiles at her then and it's like looking into the sun "I guess what I'm trying to say is that they're lucky to have you" he shrugs, looking, for the first time since she's met him, at least a little nervous
And really, there's so much she could say in that moment, so many things she wants to say but her hands are shaking, and her knees knock together from where they're tired of crouching or maybe they're in danger of giving in from how close she can feel his breath fluttering on her cheeks and—
"You have something here" she says, her voice sounding off, even to her own ears, her fingers all but trembling as they reach over to wipe away the smudge of flour from his brow
Her fingertips hover on his skin and he catches her wrist before she can pull it away, using the grip as leverage to pull her closer, nearly sending her tumbling forward. His eyes are deep with something and it sends a shiver over her skin
"Demir, I—"
But then he's kissing her, his mouth warm, opening to swallow her surprise. She's never kissed anyone but he doesn't seem to mind, accepting whatever she gives him without demanding more, moving his lips against hers and he tastes like magic, like maybe he is the wonder boy she's been waiting for all this time. The angle is a little awkward, their noses bump together but they laugh, cheeks pink, both having melted onto their knees
"You're not alone anymore" she says shyly, looking up at him from under her lashes
He smiles "yeah, I guess I'm not"
