"Admit it, mine is better" Ozgur challenged Ezgi as they sat on the terrace admiring the landscape of rolling hills.
"Come on" He insisted as she rolled her eyes.
"Fine your pasta is better than mine but don't forget my pizza was far better than yours." Ezgi responded not willing to give him the satisfaction.
"1-1 then but we still have 3 sessions to go. I'll win" He seemed confident of his abilities. They were having this competition of who made the better dish while they sat eating their own creations at the end of their cooking session.
"If you boast one more time, I promise I'm not entering the kitchen ever again. You can do all the cooking" Ezgi had enough of him boasting his skills though she realised he was much better than her in that field.
"Fine... I admit you've done well picking this wonderful location." He was surprised that she chose this gastronomic Tuscan holiday.
"I think it's time for confession" Ezgi bit her lips as he appreciated her again for this holiday.
"It was a wedding gift from Ozan..." She admitted when she got his attention. Ozan caught her looking for holidays in Italy when she was trying to book something as part of her week of vacation. He was joking about taking a gastronomic holiday so she would improve her culinary skills when their mother interrupted them. Nevin asked him what he was gifting to his sister for her wedding. Ozan cleverly cornered her into accepting this trip as their mum watched them with glee.
"That explains the cooking lessons...." He knew of her interest in cooking despite her father and brother being extremely talented chefs. He laughed while trying to avoid the olive she threw at him.
"I'm done" She got up to go.
"Are you sure you can walk down the stairs on your own?" He asked, trying to stifle a laugh. The days following their mountain trekking, she cried at the sight of stairs and he had to carry her.
"It's been 4 days now, I've recovered." She walked away. He took a last sip of his wine and followed her.
She was quite ahead when he spotted a Gelateria and decided to head there. When he was out, he saw that she was waiting for him outside. He hid the cones behind him and neared her.
"What took you so long? I don't have the keys" Ezgi was annoyed.
"Something to fix your mood" Ozgur handed her the gelato cone and instantly her face lit up.
They sat down at the table on the terrace relishing their ice cream.
"Hazelnut & Chocolate... Perfect" Ezgi was happy that he got the combination she wanted rather than forcing a new flavour.
"I still think you should try different combinations... How much worse could it be? Remember we've already tasted the worst..." He smirked.
"Argh don't remind me of that truffle one... that was awful...You guys didn't even warn me when I took a big mouthful." Ezgi recalled the time when Ozan and Ozgur sneaked her into a Gelato festival.
"You called for it when you refused to share" Ozgur reminded her. They got only 2 cups per flavour to sample as they had just 2 tickets and Ezgi refused to share. The discussion then moved on to the best flavour they tasted.
Later he went down to take a shower leaving her alone to enjoy the serene atmosphere. As the coffee and walnut hit her taste buds, Ezgi looked at the cone in her hand. When did they exchange? She had a strict no sharing policy when it came to food she liked, but it was Ozgur. He always got his way with her. It tasted good so she savoured it.
Staring at the starry sky, Ezgi thought about the changes in her life. There were no dreams or expectations shackling her anymore. Her mother instilled in her the dream of marriage for so long that she sailed through relationships with her rose-tinted glasses on and always ended up hurt. Her last relationship finally burst the bubble surrounding her and opened her eyes to evaluate the person she had transformed into.
She sat her mother down and explained to her that while she still wants marriage that alone could not be the sole driving force of her life. She focussed on rebuilding her life, did a master's in public relations and pursued her different interests like learning a piano. Yet here she was married and to a person she had no expectations from at all.
She convinced herself for so long that he was the wrong guy for her, and it would be disastrous for them. Contrary to her preconceived notions of him, he was turning out to be the one she was looking for all along.
It was starting to feel a bit chilly when Ezgi found herself being wrapped by the warmth of a blanket. She stared at Ozgur as he sat down next to her on the bench looking at the stars. He looked his usual charming self, explaining to her something about the constellations he could see.
"You'll spot the stars in the sky, not on my face..." Ozgur looked extremely smug popping out his dimples.
"True but I can still find the wrinkles just like the moon..." Ezgi tried to recover the situation.
"You're just jealous, I look perfect... However, it's you who have been looking a bit tired lately..." He retorted.
"Of course I'm tired, I've to keep up with you..." She rolled her eyes.
"Your tiredness could be due to a vitamin deficiency but don't worry I know just the cure..." He winked at her.
"What?" She narrowed down her eyes at him.
"Vitamin me" He spread out his arms to rile her up even more.
"Ewww don't you dare use those stupid pick-up lines on me that you use at the bar" She slapped his arm.
"What's wrong with my lines? They always do the trick." He raised his collar feeling proud.
"Right? They worked well to the extent you needed my help to chase them out the next day." Ezgi remembered the time when she went to his apartment one morning to see Ozan and a stranger opened the door. Ozgur acted as if Ezgi was his girlfriend and she took undue advantage of the situation by hitting him a few times.
"You had fun that day, didn't you?" Ozgur smiled recalling how much she hit him pretending like he cheated on her.
"A little bit" Ezgi indicated with her hands and smiled.
Ozgur focussed on her face that glowed under the moonlight as she smiled. He could not understand this sudden fascination with admiring her face. Those lips looked perfect tinted red. It complimented her face so well.
"I thought we were supposed to be looking at the stars in the sky..." There was a hint of smirk on her lips and her eyes lit up.
"I was but it seems like I'm blinded by the one shining next to me..." His eyes still focussed on her. At this point, he lost track of whether he was trying to annoy her or being honest.
"Ozgguuurr" Ezgi got up to go when he tugged her hand and she fell on him. Her hands went around his neck, their noses touched as she inched closer to caress his lips. She opened her eyes to meet his and a sudden dread filled them. They let go of each other.
"I... I think..." Ozgur stammered trying to find the right words to say.
"I'm going for a shower" Ezgi fled from there, not prepared to have a conversation or worse, expecting him to abandon her.
"Great" Ozgur threw his hands in the air and sighed as she disappeared. He managed to scare her away.
xxx
Next morning, Ozgur turned around to look at her as he opened his eyes. Since when was it okay for him to share the bed with someone as he always preferred sleeping alone. He tucked away that stray strand of hair behind her ear. His mind was in a mess and he needed to spend some time alone to clear his head.
Ezgi woke up to an empty room, there was no sign of Ozgur just as she expected. While she wore her heart on sleeve, Ozgur was quite the opposite. He was more restrained when it came to his feelings. She knew she had to find him.
Ozgur sat near the hilltop but instead of admiring the view that surrounded him, he was lost in his own world. He never analysed what caused him to propose to her but felt the change in the way he looked at her ever since she walked towards him in full bridal glory. He was falling for her but a part of him feared about meeting her expectations. Any mistakes would ruin everything between them forever.
"Next time would you prefer to escape to some beach or a plateau..." Ezgi settled down beside him tired.
"Wouldn't it be too easy for you then?" Ozgur chuckled, not surprised at the fact that she found him. She did it earlier as well when he escaped home as he got overwhelmed with the situation at home following his fathers' indifference and his mother's pretence that it was okay.
"Lucky me there was only one hill you could escape to here..." Ezgi checked the maps and realised that this could be the only place he could escape to.
It was something Ozgur did when he was overwhelmed with the situation and was confused about what to do. Sevim was too perfect at times, she always carried on with a smile on her face no matter what and shielded him from any sorrow.
"Maybe it's my luck that you find me always" Whenever he was troubled, she reached out to him somehow. There was no doubt, she was the one for him.
"Can we go now? I've a surprise for you." Though she wanted to tell him to share his thoughts with her, she decided to leave the conversation for a later time. Last time they were emotional, he proposed to her and she agreed.
Ezgi relived the moments that happened last time and led them to change the course of their relationship forever. She saw him walk out of his family home and get into the car without acknowledging her. Noticing his tensed form, she followed him down to the cliffs. He ran crazily for a while and finally settle on the ground. She went and sat beside him reaching out for his hand. There was silence for a long time and finally he asked her to marry him as they watched the waves crash on the shore.
"Let's go" He got up and held out his hand for her, which she willingly took.
"You might have to lift me down the steps again." She frowned as they descended the hill and made their way into the town.
"At your service, my princess" Ozgur faked a bow, causing her to chase him to their stay.
"Vespa? Is this the surprise?" His eyes went wide acknowledging the scooter in the driveway.
"Yes, but we need to freshen up and look up the routes first" Ezgi opened the door and went in. She called a rental before leaving to find him and arranged for it.
Once they were ready and researched on the route, they set off on the journey. As the wind hit them, he suddenly felt carefree and enjoyed the ride. Halfway through he let her have a go, but she was afraid even to hold the handlebar. With his arms enveloping hers, face near her shoulder he helped her steer the handlebar. She tried her best to focus on the road while his breath fanned her neck. He let her go slowly and she could finally concentrate better. This has been on her bucket list for so long. She enjoyed driving it as she found her balance while he spread his arms and legs in the air and enjoyed being the passenger.
xxx
Longest I took to write a chapter... I'm confused more than them... anyways let me know what you thought