THE STORMS WITHIN

The heart's chosen one...

When it comes to true love, it knows its power. It knows its hold on the heart. It knows its unlimited ability to make one understand fate. Understand destiny. Regardless of the amount of time it takes to understand it. Regardless of tears shed. Regardless of fears, failures, and presumably lost hopes...

Standing in front of a mirror, Can adjusted his crisp and fitted white shirt. He smoothed his perfectly groomed and gently highlighted hair, secured into a bun. He contemplated whether to put on a black vest, or not. After giving it some thought, he chose to leave it hanging in the closet. He looked into the eyes of the man staring back at him in the mirror. He narrowed his eyes, and made sure he looked the part of the son of a groom. He wondered whether he looked good enough for his father, whose heart was about to surrender itself completely to Mihriban on this very special day.

Little did he know that for the last few minutes, he wasn't alone in the room. Standing in the doorway of their bedroom, Sanem watched Can with nothing but love in her eyes. The moment he noticed her, he straightened up, and complained that he wasn't made for formalwear. He wasn't made for shirts, slacks, and if she thought he would even consider wearing a tie, he would contemplate changing his pants for jeans in an act of rebellion. She only smiled, and advised him that she had something better for him to wear. Something that meant a great deal of love to both of them. Seeing that he had yet to select a pendant to complete his utterly masculine and undisputedly Can Divit style, she brought him one that she hoped he would wear. She brought him the pendant with the moonstone engagement ring.

He was stunned. To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. He looked down at the palm of her hand with the pendant and moonstone ring in it. The moonstone shone in the sunlight with a crystal clear reflection. He looked up into her eyes and asked her what made her take the ring out of the treasure box? After all, they agreed to keep it safe. She smiled, came closer, and placed the pendant in his hand. She told him that days like this day were meant for celebration of love. And the moonstone ring was a true testament of their love. Of its strength. Of its meaning. Of its power to conquer the darkest of days.

There was something in the way she said the last words that gripped at his heart. He put on the pendant, and matched it with the one with two albatrosses. He did not need to look in the mirror to be sure that his look was complete, all thanks to Sanem's surprise gift to him. He knew that it was. He brought her close, took her face delicately in his hands, and kissed her dearly. He let his forehead rest on hers, and whispered his favorite words to her. Ahh, Sanem, ahh. There wasn't a woman in the universe that knew how to touch his heart in a gentler and kinder way than his beloved Sanem. But, he knew if she wanted to make this day special and filled with even more love, the pendant could not make it through the day out of the treasure box they brought back from Galapagos, all on its own. It needed a match. It needed its companion. It needed their bandana.

He eased away from Sanem just enough to be able to look into her eyes. And told her that if he were to wear the moonstone ring pendant, she would in turn need to wear the bandana. Their beloved and one of a kind bandana. Now she laughed, and winked at him. Ahh, Can Bey, Can Bey, she whispered. The man she married was a man with a true soul of a romantic no one else saw in him but her. She stood up on her tippy toes, wiggled her tiny nose against his, and turned around. His grin turned into a full smile the moment he noticed that she tied her hair up with the bandana. Their bandana. And it was a perfect match to her stunning white dress. His Artemis, flesh and bone, he thought. And one that made him realize that some arrows were meant to hit their target in order to make one heal. He pulled her closer, and kissed her again. And again...

Aziz's voice coming from the main room brought them back to reality. After all, this day belonged to Aziz. Aziz and his beloved Mihriban. Sanem giggled when she tried to pull away to go to Aziz, only to have Can pull her back in for one more kiss. She ticked the one spot she knew where to tickle Can to completely undo him, and he released her. They walked to the main room, and Sanem could not help but smile. Divit men sure looked the part when it came to making an impression on a woman's heart. Aziz, Bulut, and Emre stood by the kitchen counter and argued whose tie looked worse. One look back at Can, and Sanem knew better to even suggest that he should wear one as well. Likewise, one look at Can, tie-less, and Bulut took his off. No way would he go a day-long wearing a tie if Can did not wear one. Emre then said that it appeared it was all-for-one, one-for-all, and took his off as well. He wasn't against ties, quite the contrary, but he would not be the oddball today. Not today.