A/N: Just a disclaimer y'all, I won't be correcting the spelling of the names with Turkish characters until I'm done writing this book so I can focus mainly on the editing :) Also ^^^ Yigit is adorable 🥺🥺🥺
Ayedah's jaw dropped as Emel brought the car to a stop, and stepped out before the three of them began to walk into the front of the tribe.
The set of the show was absolutely stunning. It was huge, laid out across a wide, grassy field and Ayedah could not help but feel that she had stepped into the 13th Century, before the founding of the Ottoman Empire. The tents were very detailed and real, arranged and positioned perfectly around the largest marquee right at the center of it all- the marquee Ayedah recognized to be that of the Bey's. There were people bustling around, setting up props and cleaning up anything that needed it, and Ayedah's heart jumped to see animals trotting around, and people on horseback.
"It's beautiful," she gasped out, and Ozge and Emel both smiled at her. "We thought we'd bring you to see the set of the tribe before we go to the trailers," said Emel. "It's definitely the most beautiful and detailed place we get to shoot in." "I'll say," said Ayedah in awe. "It's worth being an actress just to shoot on a set like this!" Ozge and Emel laughed, and someone on horseback came riding up to them- a young woman around Ayedah's age with strawberry blonde hair and green eyes. Ayedah recognized her immediately.
"Merhaba!" she said with a smile, getting off her horse. "Oh, hello, Buse!" greeted Ozge, bringing herself forward to give the girl a hug. "We didn't expect you here today!" "I decided to come and take her for a ride," said Buse, indicating her horse. She grinned at Emel and greeted her. "Hi Emel." Emel responded to her with a smile and a nod. Buse then turned to Ayedah, a slightly confused expression on her face.
"Now who's this?" she asked. Ozge grinned and placed her hands on Ayedah's shoulders. "This, my dear Buse, is Natasha Owl," she introduced Ayedah by her pen name, making Ayedah blush. "Or as she normally goes by in real life, Ayedah Harraz." Buse gasped and immediately stuck her hand out to shake Ayedah's. "I have heard so much about you," she said excitedly, as Ayedah took her hand and she shook it enthusiastically. "Ozge told us everything- how you're her best friend since you both were kids, and how you're the one who convinced her to go for her role as Bala Hatun. Thank you for convincing her, Dear- I can't imagine anyone else for the role." Ayedah smiled at her, and she smiled back. Buse Arslan Akdeniz played the role of Aygul Hatun, Osman Bey's cousin in the series- as well as one of the women who had fallen unrequitedly in love with him. "If you're here, I suppose it means Aygul's coming back?" asked Ayedah hopefully. Buse gasped dramatically.
"Alas, my presence is a spoiler!" she exclaimed, making the girls laugh. "But that doesn't matter though- not if you're going to be working with us." "Oh well we don't know that yet," said Ayedah with a nervous laugh. "I mean I haven't even met Mr. Bozdag yet." "Well, I've read your writing thanks to Ozge here," said Buse. "And I don't see why he won't accept you, your work has me in awe." "Well if it were that good, I would not be standing here unemployed," said Ayedah with a sad chuckle.
"Not for long, you're not," sad Emel, checking the time. "We should get going, Ozge, it's almost 10AM. Mehmet wants to meet her at 10:30." "Oh damn, alright," said Ozge and took hold of Ayedah's arm. "Sorry Buse, we better be running- can't let her be late to meet Mehmet if she wants to work here." "Of course," said Buse with a pretty smile. "I'll see you soon, then!" Ayedah gave her a weak wave before getting back into the car with Emel and Ozge. Emel immediately drove off back onto the road and after a few minutes, turned right into a somewhat narrow, unpaved path through the woods. "Where are we going?" asked Ayedah. "To the trailer area," said Ozge. "Where we train and during filming season, get made up." "It's not too far from the tribe, so we can get there to film," said Emel. "The trailers and training area are a little further from the tribe so it doesn't get caught accidentally on camera whilst filming- especially as the tribe is an open area." Ayedah nodded in understanding as she gazed out the window to admire the forest.
After barely a few minutes, they came out into what looked like some sort of camp, except with production trailers instead of tents and some small steel structures. "We'll bring you to see the stables later on if you'd like," said Ozge. "To see the horses." "There are stables here?" asked Ayedah, wide-eyed. "Yes, and very well taken care of," said Emel. "This production camp has been here since they started filming Dirilis Ertugrul." Ayedah's mouth formed an 'O' in awe before Emel finally parked her car amongst a few others, and they stepped out. The backstage was definitely more modern and not as impressive as the set of the tribe, but Ayedah found herself at awe in being there all the same.
As Emel and Ozge took their bags from the boot of the car, two men walked up to them from the direction of the stables. Ayedah's eyes widened when she recognized them; Burak Ozcivit and Yigit Ucan- otherwise known as Osman Bey and Boran Alp. "Selam Aleykum, Ozge and Emel," they greeted their castmates. Ozge and Emel grinned back and returned their greeting. "Good morning, Burak. Good morning, Yigit," said Ozge. Ayedah was at a loss for words, but managed out a small "Good morning" too. "It's good to see you again, Ayedah," said Ozcivit with a smile. "Selam Aleykum, Burak," said Ayedah with a shy smile. "And you must be Mr. Ucan." "Hey, I don't get a first name basis like Ozcivit?" he asked in a falsely hurt voice, making them all laugh except Ayedah, who went red with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry," she said immediately, flushing. "I meant-" "It's alright," said Yigit with a smile. "But call me Yigit, please. And I know who you are, Ayedah. Ozge told us all about you, as you probably already know." "Yeah, I've had the same reaction from Buse Arslan," said Ayedah with a weak smile, still feeling a little awkward as she normally did around new people. "It's nice to meet you, Yigit." "An even better pleasure to meet you," he said, grinning. "As you can probably guess- I've read your creations too, and I can definitely say that I have never enjoyed reading so much in my entire life." Ayedah blushed and Ozcivit nodded.
"Indeed," he added. "Even my wife and son enjoy your writing. Fahriye specifically loved the one from the perspective of a Syrian girl in war-torn Aleppo, it was very sad but very touching." Ayedah smiled at both of them, her heart warming up. "That's lovely to know," she said. She gave Ozge an affectionate smile, knowing that her friend was the reason why all those people- who would otherwise not know of her existence- admire her and her writing. It was most definitely a dream come true, and what made it better was that these people happened to be the ones who brought her favorite TV Show to life. It was a little overwhelming, and Ayedah did her best to keep her emotions in so she could be ready for her interview.
"Now, both of you, she needs to get to Mehmet so she can do what she came here for- and that is to get hired," said Emel seriously, though she too was smiling. Ozcivit and Yigit laughed, and Yigit said, "Sorry to keep you. We best be off too- we have training." Ayedah smiled at them as the two walked back off toward the stables, and she turned to Ozge. "You beautiful soul," she whispered and hugged her friend. "Thank you for showing people my work and giving me faith that my writing can bring joy and happiness to others." "I only wish that you had realized that before," said Ozge, smiling as she hugged her friend back.
"Now go; if I'm not mistaken, you have a very important meeting to attend."
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"Selam Aleykum?"
Ayedah waited outside one of the little structures, which was labeled as 'Producer'. Emel had brought her there before going off to horseback training with Ozge. Ayedah found herself to be extremely anxious for the meeting, but tried to maintain a focus on her breathing to calm her nerves. "Ve Aleykum Selam, come in, please," said a deep voice from behind the door, and Ayedah opened it to reveal a well spaced room with a desk in the middle, and a few shelves against the metallic walls. Mehmet Bozdag, a tall, broad, mousy-haired man stood up from his desk, a welcoming smile on his face. "Hosgaldin, Miss Harraz," he greeted her. "How are you today?"
"Fine, Alhamdulillah," she said, returning his smile. "And you, Sir?" "Well, thank you," he replied. "Please sit down." He gestured to the chair in front of his desk, and waited for Ayedah to sit down before he did the same. "Would you like some tea?" he offered, gesturing to a kettle behind him on one of the shelves. "Thank you, Sir," said Ayedah, accepting his offer out of politeness even though she doubted she would be able to swallow any of the tea due to the bubbling anxiety that burned in her stomach. "I would." "I have many different ones," he said. "Is there any you prefer?" "I am not bothered," said Ayedah, trying not to sound strained. Bozdag nodded and stood up for a while, and there was a rather awkward silence as he made a cup of tea for each of them.
"So, Miss Harraz, I believe we both know why you are here," he began, after setting his cup of tea down in front of him upon the desk and passing Ayedah hers. "Yes, Sir," replied Ayedah. "I believe we do." Bozdag smiled; "Well, then, if our beliefs are correct, we are both here to discuss your position in our screenwriting crew," he prompted. "Is that correct?"
"Yes, Sir," confirmed Ayedah. "Have you had any previous experience in screenwriting before?" he asked. "No, Sir," replied Ayedah. "However I do have some experience in writing example scripts- for assignments I did in university." "In which university were you enrolled in?" he questioned. "And what courses did you study?" "I studied English Literature and Creative Writing at Oxford University," said Ayedah. "And I have a Masters of Arts in English Literature." "Oxford University? Impressive," said Bozdag, and Ayedah tried to contain her bashfulness. "Thank you, Sir."
"What positions or jobs have you tried out for before this, Miss Harraz?" asked Bozdag. "I have applied for a job in a few magazines and newspapers, Sir, but was rejected for all," said Ayedah. "I also put myself up to find a job as a teacher, but was not accepted in any school or tuition center."
"So you have never worked at all before this?" "Only at restaurants and bookshops, Sir," admitted Ayedah. "However I was not cut out for those sort of jobs, unfortunately, no matter where I worked." "As a writer, I presume you need to express your creativity when you work?" Bozdag deduced. "Yes, Sir," confirmed Ayedah. "Is that why you were never able to comply with other jobs?" asked Bozdag, scrutinizing her slightly. Ayedah gulped silently, feeling rather embarrassed with what she was going to answer. Her voice was rather small when she replied. "Yes, Sir. I am not very flexible when it comes to my capabilities, unfortunately."
Bozdag was silent for a while, before he softly said, "I beg to differ, Miss Harraz. "You continued to attempt different jobs despite the fact that you were stepping outside of your comfort zone of writing. It's the quality attempts and efforts that count, not the result." Ayedah did not reply, but nodded slowly. She had never looked at it in that perspective; instead she had always seen herself as a failure, someone who was unable to comply with any challenge she was set up to. But the way Bozdag put her job experiences into perspective made her feel slightly better about herself, and she was grateful to him for doing so.
"May I have a look at your writing, Miss Harraz?" asked Bozdag. "Of course," Ayedah said immediately, and drew a file out of her bag. She had spent the night before printing out her work, preparing for the meeting. She passed the file into Bozdag's hands, who took it and spent a few minutes in silence looking through her work. Ayedah tried to pick up any emotion on his face; whether it was awe or disagreement, she yearned to recognize any look on his face to predict what he was going to say. To her disappointment, he did not. Instead, after spending a few minutes of silence in reading through her work, Bozdag asked a question that Ayedah did not find relevant to her work.
"Do you believe yourself to be adventurous, Miss Harraz?" asked Bozdag suddenly, after skimming through her work. "Or perhaps, resourceful? Courageous, independent? Do be honest, please." "No, I do not, Sir," admitted Ayedah. "I have always been in a very fixed environment since I was young. I do not believe I am either of those qualities." Bozdag nodded, his brow slightly furrowed. "Enlighten me of your roots," he requested. "Where are you from, originally? I suppose you were in the United Kingdom whilst you were studying, but where did you grow up?"
"I grew up in the United Kingdom, Sir," said Ayedah. "My mother is part Syrian, part Yemeni, and my father is from Southeast Asia. I lived in Central London with them, and my mother's family. I chose to move here to live with my Aunt, my father's younger sister after graduating."
"Where did you go to school, before university?"
Ayedah froze, and her insides went cold- yet she felt a burning sensation across her chest, just upon her heart. She knew she would be asked about her origins and backstory- but she did not prepare herself for talking in depth about her school. It was a topic she would rather not speak of- but in this case, she decided to persevere; she kept a straight face as she spoke. "My high school was the School Of Sheikh Amaan," she replied in a stony voice, almost blushing when she heard her tone. "I studied there for three years before going to University." "I have heard of it," said Bozdag. "An all-girls school, is it not? I believe a prestigious one, too." "Indeed, Sir," said Ayedah.
"Judging by where you went to study afterwards, I assume you did quite well?" asked Bozdag. Ayedah's heart clenched, and hid her hands from his view as she balled her fists. "Unfortunately not, Sir," said Ayedah. Bozdag frowned. "No?" "No, due to the fact that I was unable to speak, read, write in, or understand the Arabic language, the language the school taught their subjects in," said Ayedah softly, trying to keep her tone steady as memories began to swim through her mind. "If that was the case, how did you manage to go to Oxford?" asked Bozdag. "I took exams outside of school, Sir, knowing that it was very likely for me to fail my exams within school," admitted Ayedah. "Though my last exams at the high school were not dreadful, without my grades from the GCSEs I took I doubt I would be where I am now." Bozdag nodded, looking thoughtful. Ayedah hoped against hope that he would not question her language impairment; to her relief, he did not.
"Then, I apologize Miss Harraz..."
Oh God, Ayedah cursed inwardly. I screwed up. Again.
"...that I beg to differ with your opinion of yourself. You are very adventurous."
Ayedah's jaw nearly dropped, had she not composed herself in time. However, she knew that she must have displayed some show of surprise judging by the smile that was on Mehmet's face when he spoke. "Do you know why I asked you if you wanted tea, Miss Harraz?" he asked. Ayedah shook her head, still unable to speak. "It was not only out of courtesy, but I wanted to know how you would respond," he admitted. "You accepted my offer; and when I asked if there was a certain tea you would like, you were willing to try any. Simple as it was, it alone already proved to me that you are adventurous as a person, and willing to take on something new- just like the fact that you are willing to take on this job, knowing that it is not easy and that you will face many challenges."
"You have also proved to be very resourceful and independent, from the way you handled yourself in high school to achieve what you have achieved despite the barriers you faced. It also shows your courage. I have to say, I am not only impressed by your work and experience, but by who you are as a person."
Ayedah blinked, and could not contain her blush this time. "T-thank you, Sir," she said, stuttering slightly out of surprise. "Those are very touching compliments." "They are the truth," said Bozdag with a smile. "And I believe that I have decided to hire you to assist in writing the script for Kurulus Osman."
Ayedah's jaw dropped, and she hastily shut her mouth again out of embarrassment. Her heart was racing and her mind blown- she had gotten the job! "Thank you, Sir, it is an honour," she said, and Mehmet Bozdag smiled at her. "It is my pleasure and honour," he said, pressing his palm to his chest gracefully. "You may leave now- I expect you back here next week- we plan to begin filming Season 2 in about a month, we need to get the blueprints of our first episodes ready." Ayedah nodded, and the two stood up. "Of course Sir. Thank you so much, really- I am honoured and grateful," said Ayedah, unable to contain her smile. "May I be excused?" "You may," said Mehmet with a smile, and Ayedah grabbed her bag and left the room after saying her salams.
She could not believe it; she had actually gotten the job! Her heart was soaring, and for the first time in a long, long time-
She was expecting something good.
She could not help but believe for something positive to come out of working as a screenwriter, especially for her favorite TV Show! It was a dream come true, and Ayedah couldn't help but smile. She drew out her phone to text Ozge and ask her where she was so they could meet and she would tell her everything.
AYEDAH: OZGE, WHERE ARE YOU?
OZGE: AT THE TRAILERS. HAVE YOU FINISHED?
AYEDAH: YES
OZGE: OMG. HOW'D IT GO?
Before Ayedah could send off 'I'M IN', she nearly dropped her phone when her body was slammed against something hard. Oh my God, not again! She groaned internally. First at the vet, now here. Why am I suddenly bumping into everything... She opened her eyes, expecting to see a wall that she had stupidly slammed herself into, with her eyes on her phone and she had not been looking where she was going. But instead in front of her was a familiar-looking man; tall, well-built with deep, beach-blonde hair. But when her soft brown eyes met his, he was immediately fully recognizable.
And suddenly, Ayedah was finding it hard to breathe.
His eyes...those striking, unusual, beautiful ocean blue eyes...
She knew them. She knew them well...for the mere image of them had been plastered onto her mind for the past few days, since the evening she returned back home after her recent visit to the vet.
She could not believe that it was him, the man with the striking eyes from the vet. But that was not all...he was the man who portrayed the very character she admired so much in the show, the man whom she was most anxious to meet.
He was Burak Celik.
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😱😱😱
Well I'll be.
Not Mr. Celik out here melting hearts and nearly breaking faces 😅🤣 Well, anyways guys, looks like our baby finally recognizes the dude from the vet who 'nearly destroyed her face'. And even more importantly, she's gotten her job ;)
I wonder what's going to happen next, eh, do you think they'll immediately kick it off as friends?Or shall it be a slowburn...(muwahahaha)
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to comment and vote Lovelies
Ayesha <3
Ps: I'm a little unsatisfied with the pre-development atm between her and Celik, or 'the man from the vet' cuz I feel she doesn't mention him enough for there to be any development the last two chapters. So just a heads-up that I'll be lengthening the previous chapters a little bit and changing things slightly, e.g her admiration of Goktug- I have to add a little bit more of that in 😅
Anyways, take care y'all