Defne & Ömer: What if we had met at an airport instead?

Chapter 3: Moving on

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading! I wanted to update earlier but I was so unhappy with what I'd written and had to re-work it. I hope you like this part. Also, unfortunately Omer and Defne are going to be apart for just a little while longer as I wanted to focus a bit on their time apart before getting them back together. 

Looking forward to hearing from you on how you like this part, especially the surprise in the end! Please do leave your comments!

Defne

Ever since she had read the article, Defne had taken to repeating to herself four words. He has moved on. He has moved on. He has moved on.

When Omer had left her on the night of their wedding without asking for an explanation and without looking back, she had been surrounded by her family and her friends who had pushed her to regain control of her life. She had been spiraling without an end in sight, both physically and emotionally until she had ended up in the emergency room with severe exhaustion, dehydration, anemia and several deficiencies.

While getting her life back on track had taken the better part of a year, she had spent the following three years putting up a strong front for the sake of her family and pretending that she herself had moved on. No one, not even Iso knew that she had harbored hope of seeing Omer again, of him gazing at her with the same love and wonderment as he always had since the very first time they had met. But now as Defne thought of seeing Omer's name printed with hers in black and white for the whole world to read, she finally accepted that there never would be a part two to their story. He had moved on and it was now time for her to as well. While this acceptance threatened to bring to board a host of feelings she had felt when he had first left, she no longer could lie in bed waiting for a release.

She owed it to the person she had become and to all the people who had helped her become that person to start looking forward.

If Omer could move on with that woman whom he had clearly loved right from the start leaving her behind, no questions asked, she could at least go out on a date with a man who was clearly attracted to her.

Pamir Marden. The new young CEO at her Company. 

He had asked her out to dinner twice, the first time had been so abrupt that she had blurted out no even before she had had time to process it. The second time had been a day after she had read the article. She had said yes, surprising herself and him, hoping that it would serve as a distraction albeit for a few hours.

She was nervous, bordering-on-anxiety-nervous at the thought of a dinner she had agreed to on an impulse.

While she knew him from work and was comfortable conversing with him within the confines of their workplace, she didn't know how she was expected to act with him at dinner. She hadn't gone out on a date with anyone in over four years and she didn't think they had all that much in common with each other. She was also worried thinking of whether his expectations from what she believed was just going to be dinner were more than what she was willing to meet.

As she tried to calm herself down and focus on the workday ahead of her, she decided to call Ms. Bartolini, the retired school teacher from the apartment next door, a kind woman and wondrous chef who was ever ready to help Defne.

"Ciao Ms. Bartolini,

Yes yes tonight is the night.

No, I haven't decided on what I'm going to wear, probably what I'm wearing to the office.

Alright Ms. Bartolini you can choose a dress for me, just nothing too much and you know what I mean when I say that – don't you?

Yes, I will be picking her up from day care and I will bring her to you by 6.30, will that be alright?