He is gone, Can is gone, and Sanem must learn to live his life without the one who had become the centre, the essence.
Two souls hundreds of kilometres apart, lost but never forgotten, two hearts beating the same rhythm without having the courage t...
My life is resuming a slow rhythm of long working days, laughter over coffee with Dilara's impertinent jokes during the lunch break and cheerful evenings in the company of Mihriban. Ankara is good for me, I'm rediscovering the strength I found in the first moments I moved here, in a new environment that has welcomed me with open arms, allowing me to discover a strong and independent Sanem who loves her work and feels at peace with herself and the world even if she has lost a part of herself forever that can never return to its place.
It's been almost a month since I returned and I feel optimistic that I can establish a routine that will allow me to live every day in the fullness of a job that gives me enormous satisfaction and in the joy I find in the new friendships I'm making. Hakan left last week for Istanbul, leaving me with the task of finalising, along with the creative team, the advertising campaign for a famous Turkish fashion house, Zarafet, which is launching a new women's ready-to-wear line. The company's representatives have a clear idea of how to launch the new collection and have specifically requested that the agency they normally work with, Dream Eye, rather than Hyal Etmek, take care of the photography. Hakan returned to Ankara a day earlier than he had planned to start the photo shoot for this meeting. The basic idea of the campaign is that the clothes of the new Zarafet collection are created for women who live real everyday life, we will start tomorrow at the "Suluhan caravanserai" bazaar, a historic bazaar full of life and colour where we have reserved an entire area for the photo shoot, and then continue the shoot in a street of the old city and then in a modern city park.
"A woman living her time between tradition and modernity'.
This is the slogan that will appear on all the billboards of the campaign, an idea of mine that was immediately accepted with enthusiasm by Hakan and the whole team, making me extremely happy and satisfied to have contributed to this new project.
We are now waiting for the representatives of Zarafet and the Dream Eye team to start shooting tomorrow to finalize the last details after the intensive email exchange we had in the past few days. As the others make their way to the meeting room I leave Hakan's office to briefly go back to my office to get the laptop I might need during the meeting, the phone is ringing and a client is keeping me busy for a few minutes on some details of the campaign we launched for them last week.
When I finally hang up the phone and am on my way to the meeting room I see Dilara coming out of the meeting room on her high heels and as she passes me she leans over to whisper -Sanem, you have no idea how attractive the Dream Eye photographer is, a stunner to say the least! - I smile at the usual exuberance of my new friend, who was born in Turkey but grew up until the age of 15 in England and is now totally unable to conform to the privacy of Turkish women. I'm still smiling thinking that I love that girl and her total lack of inhibitions when it comes to saying what she thinks, I enter the room when everyone is already seated at the table and I hurry to the other side of the room to occupy the seat left free for me next to Hakan, I sit down while I exchange a brief greeting with the representatives of Zarafet that I already had the opportunity to meet and I open the laptop in front of me ready to take notes. It is only after starting the writing program that I might need during the meeting that I look up and cannot believe what my eyes see. If I wasn't surrounded by so many people, at the risk of being ridiculous, I would spontaneously pass my hand in front of my eyes trying to make the vision I think I have right now disappear. I remain petrified on the spot with a clearly incredulous look, unable to understand whether I am dreaming or what I am seeing is real, so much so that I seem to catch a sly and amused smile on the face I am looking at.
¡Ay! Esta imagen no sigue nuestras pautas de contenido. Para continuar la publicación, intente quitarla o subir otra.
In front of me, on the other side of the room, leaning indolently against the wall with his hands in his pockets, Can Divit watches me intently. I shake my head in disbelief and unable to understand what's going on until Hakan unravels the mystery. "Welcome gentlemen, I am the creative director of Hyal Etmek, next to me is my copywriter, Miss Sanem Aydin. I welcome the representatives of Zarafet and Can Divit who will be the photographer of the campaign on behalf of Dream Eye - Now it's clear in what capacity he's here, what I can't understand is WHY he's here in Ankara to take care of a relatively minor photo shoot for such an internationally renowned photographer. He comes to take a seat at the big table in front of me while I try to lower myself on the chair carelessly trying to hide behind the screen of my laptop to have a few moments to recover a minimum of composure.
At that moment Dilara enters with a tray full of drinks, she goes around the table handing everyone what they have asked for and smiles impertinently at Can as she hands him his cup of tea. I watch from behind but I can't help but feel a little annoyed when I see him smile back and nod his head in thanks. Hakan begins to talk about the basic idea that Hyal Etmek has chosen for the campaign, the Dream Eye representative accompanying Can projects on the maxi screen the photos of the models selected by the agency for the photo shoot and I show the photos of the different locations chosen for the photo shoot. The Zarafet representatives are enthusiastic about the choices proposed and Hakan has Dilara distribute the schedule of activities and the names of the Hyal Etmek managers who will follow each step of the campaign. It is at this point that Can takes the floor for the first time after looking at the copy of the timetable in front of him.
- I would like to ask for Miss Aydin to follow the photo shoot on location if possible. We have worked together before and I'm sure that with her I can guarantee that everything will be carefully monitored and controlled minute by minute.
Hakan seems to be taken aback by the request, he casts a surprised glance towards Can and then an enquiring one towards me, but he cannot not accept the request made by the photographer of the agency chosen by the client, it would be a lack of respect. He does however bother to ask my opinion - Sanem, is it possible for you to follow the shoot directly over the next few days? - I can't refuse, I can't risk embarrassing Hakan and the agency, I nod briefly avoiding looking towards the other side of the table, I couldn't bear to see the smirk of triumph that I'm sure is plastered on his face right now.
Damn you Can Divit, what are you trying to do? I am careful not to cross his eyes again for the rest of the meeting looking anywhere but in front of me and it is with a sigh of relief that I finally get up, along with the others, to leave the meeting room at the end of the meeting.
It is Can's voice that stops me shortly after when I have almost reached the door and am ready to escape - Miss Aydin? - I'm forced to turn around and face him if I don't want to make a scene in front of everyone, I look up at him questioningly. He comes up to me together with the representatives of Dreamer Eye and Zarafet - I just wanted to thank you for agreeing to join me on these days during the photo shoot, you should know gentlemen that Miss Aydin has just allowed Fikri Harika to secure, as creative director, a prestigious advertising campaign for HXC Cosmetics which turned out to be a huge success. It was a great loss for our agency when he decided to move here to Ankara, we missed his many qualities enormously - I can't help but stare into his eyes to understand the meaning of his words and once again what I see shakes me to my core, there is a warmth that appears sincere in his eyes that I find hard to remain insensitive to.
It's Hakan's words that shake me out of these inappropriate thoughts as he approaches us, resting a hand on my back - That's right, in fact Miss Aydin, with her undoubted skills, managed to snatch that campaign from Hyal Etmek and that's why we're honoured that she decided to come and work for us, we're sure she can do great things for our company - The two of them exchange a proud, almost defiant look, in a silent dialogue that goes far beyond the words spoken. I take in the praise from both of them and then the enthusiastic comments from the representatives of Dreamer Eye and Zarafet about working with me and Hyal Etmek, I smile and say thank you for the kind words I have received and then say goodbye and retreat to my office.
I close the door and lean against it with my back and head while hugging tightly the laptop I still have with me, I close my eyes and breathe deeply to try to regain control of my crazy heartbeat.
I still can't believe that he's really here, that from tomorrow we'll be working side by side again, but most of all I can't understand WHY or at least I don't want to have any illusions about it, I have to stay calm and impassive, do my job and don't get any strange ideas that could lead me to hurt myself so much again.
Sakin ol Sanem, calm down, stay clear and firm in your determination to keep him at a distance and not allow him to get close enough to hurt you again, you promised yourself long ago when you realised you had been a naive fool who had given too much, in fact everything, to someone who didn't know what to do with you and your stupid love.
