Erkenci Kuş One-Shots/Short-Stories #CanEm

4. Yours -Part 3

The final part of the trilogy in the one-shots. This follows "Special Friends" and "Where Do We Go From Here?"

https://www.wattpad.com/681134389-erkenci-kus-one-shots-special-friends

https://www.wattpad.com/681236716-erkenci-kus-one-shots-where-do-we-go-from-here

I felt like Can and Sanem needed some resolution :)

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Can stayed back late that evening; he was the only one left in the office. The conversation with Sanem in the archive room earlier in the day, had made him feel calmer. He felt hopeful, like there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and all he had to do was walk towards it.

He locked the door to his office, sat at his desk and opened the drawer. The torn parts of the letter she had written stared back at him. Yes, he had torn it up without reading it that day. He was so filled with rage and sorrow, he didn't want to hear another word from Sanem. But that night, before he left the office, he had picked up the pieces from the garbage can and dumped it in his desk. Maybe he owed her that much.

Can knew he had an issue with trust and forgiveness. His relationships with his mother and Metin were proof enough. But maybe Sanem was a turning point in his life, maybe he owed the people who loved him a second change - both for their sakes, as well as his own.

Carefully laying all the fragments of the letter on the table, he started piecing it together. As the words formed into sentences, his eyes filled with tears, but he labored on. He didn't want to miss a single word. The extent of Aylin and Emre's duplicity shook him again. His poor Sanem had been caught in the crossfire. They had taken advantage of her trust and naiveté and it filled him with rage.

She confessed everything in her letter, the folder, the ring, the pictures she took for Emre. He remembered how she followed him into the forest, tracked down the hacker to exonerate him, with no thought to her own safety. Yes she had lied to him, but from fear, not from malice - and he could forgive that.

He stood up from his desk with purpose, and strode out of the office. He starting running down the stairs - maybe he would go to her now. Then he looked at the time, and stopped. It was close to 8pm. Hardly an appropriate time to show up at the mohalle. He sat down on the steps, just like he had once before. But this time with hope in his heart.

He was sitting there, lost in his thoughts and reading her letter again, when he heard Sanem say, "Can Bey? Are you ok?"

He looked up surprised.

"What are you doing here? What are you thinking of?", Sanem asked, concern written all over her face.

"Sanem, I was thinking of Sanem", he said, his lips breaking out into a small smile.

"Can....", Sanem wasn't sure where this conversation was headed. The last time they sat on these steps, he had been a broken man, and he had broken her heart.

Can smiled widened when he realized she had dropped the Bey. He stood and held up her letter. "I read it Sanem, I get it now, I understand why you did it. I want to put it behind us", he said, with tears in his eyes.

Sanem lunged at him and hugged him with all her might, knocking him off balance. He held her with one hand, and the rails with the other "Whoa, we don't want this to be the end", he said laughing, "Its supposed to be a new beginning."

"What are you even doing here?", he asked.

"I came to pick up some files. Osman gave me a ride. He's waiting for me outside.", Sanem said. "But I could tell him to go back? I can tell my parents I'm staying with Ayhan?", she asked shyly, hesitantly.

Can kissed her long and hard. "Definitely! Come on, I want to take you to the cabin. I'll cook your favorite meal. We can watch the stars, and you can tell me more tragic love stories", he said, teasing her.

Can bundled her into the truck and drove to the cabin. He didn't want to waste another minute of this beautiful night.

They entered the cabin and Sanem wandered around while Can gathered all the things he needed to cook his special meal. This was the first time she was in the cabin since the party, and it felt good to be back. Like she belonged here. She turned towards the book shelf, wondering if he was reading anything new since the last time she was here, ...and gasped out loud at what she saw. There was a picture of her in the white dress with the white flowers in her hair, framed and sitting front and center on the shelf.

"Can, how..., when..., I don't understand!", she turned to Can, confused. "When did you take this? Why is it here?"

"Sanem, askim", he said softly, moving towards her and taking her face in his hands, "I think you know why its here. You didn't even realize I was taking this picture! You looked like an angel that day - a mischievous, innocent, beautiful, angel. I didn't have any hope that we could be together, but I started falling in love with you in that moment, and I wanted to capture it forever."

"Oh canim, I'm yours, now and forever", Sanem whispered, reaching up to his lips and kissing him with all the love that she was holding in her heart.

"Mine, forever", he repeated, kissing her back.