Married and not in love!!!

Growing close, pulling apart

The phone rang out with no response and Kerem felt incredibly irritated. He got into the elevator and pressed to go down. He didn't know where he wanted to go- he just wanted to find out where she was. Maybe he would drive to her home - but if she wasn't there it would be strange to land up and not have a reason to give.As he reached his car his phone buzzed.

"Hi Kerem", it was Ayse calling him. She sounded very concerned, it surprised him and made him think before he angrily responded as he intended to. 

"I was in the library and had my phone on silent. I seem to have missed your calls, is everything okay? Do you want me to come to you?", she added. 

"No, No, its okay, I was wondering where you were." Clearly she hadn't seen his message yet, he knew that would rake her anger.

"I was just on my way to the office- I always go to the library on Tuesdays , remember", she explained gently, amused that he always wanted to know where she was.

"I will come and pick you up, don't bother getting the bus", he offered."Its okay Kerem, I should be fine", she replied but when he insisted she told him where she would wait and with a smile settled down on a bench on the sidewalk. Kerem was strange she thought, he could be incredibly sweet and thoughtful, and then in the next moment absolutely annoying. 

Which now he was- she just saw his message on her phone as she scrolled through it.

"What the hell did he think of himself? Is that why he was coming to pick her up?". She got up to leave and let him come and find no one. But as luck would have it, Kerem drove in and parked next to where she sat. 

"Why are you grinning like a bear from ear to ear", she spat out as she got in the car. Kerem was gobsmacked. He wondered what happened in those few minutes since he got off the phone from talking to her. He hadn't flirted with any girls as he used to do when he dropped her in the uni in those early days of their fake marriage.He didn't feel the need to anymore, he loved hanging out with this special person.And here she was spitting venom again.

"What did I do this time round", he asked. "You don't own me and have no right to tell me when to come to the company's office", she angrily responded."Excuse me canim, you forget that I am your boss at work. And if not for our so called marriage, you wouldn't have the nerve to talk to me like that". Ayse felt put in place and kept quiet. She couldn't argue that point as it was true. 

Kerem however, felt so unhappy for having said it the way he did. The car ride was one silent journey- both Kerem and Ayse lost in their thoughtsKerem felt uncomfortable with Ayse's silence and tried striking up a conversation.

 "Did you meet Ahmet amja", he asked. 

"Yes", came her monosyllabic answer. 

"And Fatma, was she there". 

"MmmHmm", nodded Ayse looking out the window. 

Ayse kept wondering when she would tell Kerem regarding her uni plans. Maybe, after things are a bit more finalised. But why was she hesitating to tell him? Was she hoping things may change ? She wasn't taken in by the splendour and shine of his home or the high life with fancy clothes and posh cars . She found him handsome and charming and was she falling for his charms. Wasn't she more sensible than that?On the other hand Kerem stole glances at her trying to figure out the reason for her silence. 

Ayse had a strong sense of what was right and when she sensed something amiss she would speak her mind. Except when it came to his family. He swallowed a pang of pain when he thought of how his mom intentionally hurt and tormented her at every turn. Ayse did mention this to him but hadn't nagged him about it- she seemed to carry it with reasonable grace. All for the sake of Muhsin baba she always said. (Never for me, he felt)