Blank Canvas

●Epilogue●

I chuckled and shook my head in amusement. After hearing those words, I took a deep breath and nodded to myself.

Once we both reached the front door of the house, I crossed my arms across my chest. No matter how much I pretended to look unaffected, I was shaking from the insides. Atlas rang the doorbell before I felt his arm snake around my waist. I was startled but relaxed soon. "Stop worrying," he whispered in my ear and I shivered at our close proximity.

Before I could reply, the door swung open to reveal a beautiful woman in black leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. Her mop of dark brown hair was tied up in a messy bun while her face was free of any make-up. 

"Atlas, baby, what a surprise! I did not know you were in Turkey!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Atlas. 

'Oh, looks like I am not the only one to be left out of the loop.' Her accent was so thick and I found myself loving it. She was short, almost reaching my shoulders and her skin was porcelain, almost close to white.

"Yeah, mom. I wanted to surprise you like you just said," Atlas said, hugging back his mother.

They broke the hug when her big black eyes fell on me and her lips curved up into a huge smile. "And who is this lovely young lady I see here? Forgive my English, I don't really speak the language."

"No, it's fine, Mrs. Carter. Your English is perfect," I said and passed her an awkward smile.

"Oh, call me Eda." She waved her hand and rolled her eyes.

"Mom, she's Aria, my girlfriend," Atlas introduced me to her with a small blush. I would have cooed at him if we weren't standing in front of his mother.

Eda gasped and looked at me with admiration. "Oh, where are my manners? Come on in, you both," she said and gestured for us to follow her. 

My eyes bulged out of their sockets as we walked through the foyer and inside the living room. I was stumped to say the least. The interior of the room was marvelous, reminding me of the wall paintings in Atlas's house. Perfectly immaculate. 

"Atlas has been talking and gushing about you continuously since he moved to that town. It's high time you guys got together." Eda grinned and hugged me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her and patted her back timidly.

"Uh... thank you," I told her once she broke the hug. 

She didn't seem to hear it because she was talking to Atlas in a foreign language which I assumed was Turkish. Eda was smirking and seemed to tease Atlas because he seemed really flushed.

They both took a seat on the opposite couches while I just stood there, not knowing what to do. 

"Sit down, Aria," Eda said in her comforting voice and I obliged by sitting beside Atlas. "Today is full of surprises. First your dad, then you and then this big surprise of finally meeting the girl who has wrapped you around her finger." She laughed, rounding her index finger as if to prove the point and her eyes crinkled cutely. She is a woman who could be called beautiful, pretty and cute altogether.

"Mom!" Atlas scolded and I smirked at him. "Please sto - wait, you said dad surprised you. How?"

"Oh, that. It has almost been a month or so since we last saw each other so he gave me a surprise visit and can you believe the coincidence? He arrived this morning too just before you guys did," she explained. 

She was oblivious to my wide eyed look and I could feel my heart in my throat. As if on cue, I heard the footsteps and soon enough, a man in his early 50s stood at the doorway of the living room.

"Hey darl-" he stopped mid-sentence and looked at Atlas and I with raised brows. I had imagined meeting Atlas's dad in an expensive suit but here he was standing in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. 

'Wow! My luck,' I thought sarcastically.

"Dad," Atlas greeted his dad before getting up from the couch and standing directly in front of him. 

His dad patted him on the back affectionately. "Son, I didn't know you were here?" It was a question more than a statement.

"Actually I was here to meet mom with my girlfriend-" Atlas looked over his shoulder at me with a smile, "-Aria."

"Hello, Mr. Carter." I stood up as well and leaned against the couch shyly. It was hard enough to think about meeting Atlas's mother, let alone his father. 'Oh, the horror! I mean honor.'

"Call me George." He grinned and extended his arm for a handshake. Walking over to him, I shook his hand. "What a coincidence though! I love this reunion!" George exclaimed in his boisterous voice. Now that I looked at him closely, most of Atlas's features matched with his father, who I assumed used to be a heartthrob at some point in his life.

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I admit that I was a bit hesitant in the beginning before meeting Atlas's parents but they both welcomed me like I was already a family. I was more than grateful for their fresh hospitality.

During lunch, Eda talked about how she'd met George during an after-party of some event and how they instantly hit it off. She had been terrible in English and George didn't understand a single word she would speak in Turkish but they both took the effort to learn each other's native language. 

"I had literally told him, 'Why should I be the only one to learn English? If I can learn English then I think you should at least make some efforts to learn Turkish as well.' I'm glad that I met him." She laughed heartily. 

Their beautiful relationship taught me that being together with someone you love works from both sides and that both the partners should make the effort for each other.

After lunch, Atlas led me towards the backyard of the house. It was gorgeous to put it modestly because the sun rays made it look so ethereal. 

"So... what do you think?" He asked me. We were both strolling on the perimeters while holding hands and looking around at the green, lush surroundings.

"It's beautiful."

"No." He shook his head with a short laugh. "I mean my parents. What do you think about them?" He seemed a bit nervous for some reason.

"To be honest here, I didn't believe when you said that I'd love your mom and then all of a sudden I had to meet your dad too. It was all so unexpected, yes but... I like them. They are amazing people." I squinted my eyes under the sun to look up at him. "And don't worry, I would have never left your side even if they didn't like me because I love you."

He snaked his arms around my waist and pulled me closer for a kiss. I ran my fingers through his soft brown locks and returned the kiss with equal passion. "Aria..." He breathed. "I love you too."

~♡☆~♡☆~♡☆~♡☆~♡☆~♡☆~♡☆~

Honestly, I teared up the moment I finished editing this epilogue. I miss them characters :( Sadly, the book is officially over here hehe.