^^^ This song could work for the ending of this chapter :)
T/W: Anxiety, Panic Attack
Ayedah spent another few exhausting yet enjoyable weeks preparing for the first episode of Season Two of Kurulus Osman. She had been up late at night writing and jotting down ideas and woke up early every morning to drive to Riva with Ozge. She continued to do so even when filming began and she had taken on more responsibilities of supervising the actors and making sure that they would be able to properly enact the scenes that she and the other writers had prepared for them.
And finally, after her, the writers and the actors' and actresses' hard work, Kurulus Osman Season Two Episode One was ready to put on air- it was to premiere on ATV Television at 8PM. Mehmet Bozdag had arranged a special dinner for the cast and crew to watch the episode together that night, and Ayedah and Ozge were getting ready. It was 2PM, and they were choosing new fashions to wear from Aunty Gab's boutique- Ozge's idea, especially when she saw that Ayedah was planning to merely go in one of her hoodies.
"Ugh, no this isn't it," grumbled Ozge, annoyed as she put away another dress. "These are all lovely- but no." Ayedah sighed as she watched her friend browse through the long racks of dresses, finding difficulty in choosing one. Gabriella had closed the store early, just for them to spend a few hours choosing an outfit. "Come on, Ozge, that blue one was pretty," she said tiredly, in hopes that Ozge would just settle for it. "No, Ayedah," growled Ozge. "It was too casual. This event is supposed to be somewhat formal- it is just a dinner whilst we watch the episode, but still I have to be presentable." Ayedah rolled her eyes, as Ozge took out another dress and said, "What about this one? It's quite nice."
"Too formal," said Ayedah, waving her hand dismissively at the mint-green dress in Ozge's hands. "How would you be able to breathe in that whilst enjoying a two-hour episode?" Aunty Gab shook her head at the two girls as they bickered about what to wear, and she smiled. "Here, my Ayedah wants to wear something too casual, and Ozge something too formal," she chuckled. Ozge put her hands on her hips and looked at Aunty Gab. "Gabriella Teyze, tell Miss Ayedah that she absolutely cannot go to the episode premiere wearing a freaking hoodie please." Aunty Gab's eyes widened as she shot Ayedah a look. "Ayedah Natalya Harraz, tell me that she is joking?" she demanded her niece. Ayedah shrunk on the beanbag she was sitting on, and said, "Maybe I was...but I swear, it was a nice hoodie, and I ironed it and all!"
Aunty Gab glared at her niece, and sighed. "Give me a moment," she said before disappearing into the back of the store, behind the cashier. Ayedah and Ozge sat in silence for a few minutes before Aunty Gab reappeared with two outfits- a white blouse made of satin-like material with a pair of wide-leg black pants for Ozge, and a thigh-length denim blouse with a pair of black jeans for Ayedah. "Perhaps these will do," said Aunty Gab, passing the outfits to the girls. "Not too fancy, not too formal, not too casual." Ayedah and Ozge took the clothes given to them and went to the dressing room to try them on- they were perfect. Comfortable, yet elegant enough for the event. Ayedah left the dressing room, sighed and went to her aunt.
"You always save the day, don't you?" she said, and her aunt smirked. "Of course I do, my dear Ayedah," said Gabriella as she looked up and down at her niece. "It's been a while since I've seen you dressed up- even if this isn't so formal." "Still better than a hoodie," chirped up Ozge as she left the dressing room in her outfit of the blouse and pants. "I swear to you I'm sure she was planning to wear one with the little Scarlet Witch symbol on it-" Ayedah rolled her eyes at her friend, but was impressed with how good the outfit looked on her. "You look lovely, Ozge," she said with a smile. Ozge smiled back, and replied with, "So do you."
They changed back into their original clothes and Gabriella put aside their outfits for the night into separate bags- the best part of it all, neither of them had to pay her. "I'd want to go out for lunch, but I want to save room for tonight," said Ozge. "Mehmet always caters his events with really good food." "Really?" asked Ayedah. "I've only tasted his tea." Ozge snorted a very unladylike laugh that she hurriedly covered with her palm. Unlike Ayedah, whenever Ozge laughed she would cover her mouth- Ayedah wouldn't, for she could never tell when she was really laughing or when she was faking it.
"He does the 'tea' test to all his employees," she giggled. "None of us have passed, except you." Ayedah's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked. "Yeah, you were the one who told him to pick anything, you wanted to take the risk," said Ozge. "The rest of us all asked him the choices and chose one." She grinned at the stunned Ayedah. "You have no idea how much I wanted to yell 'I TOLD YOU SHE'S PERFECT' when Mehmet told me how you got hired," she snickered, making Ayedah blush. "I'm far from perfect, Ozge," she said softly, but she smiled all the same at her friend's compliment. Ozge waved off her friend's rejection of her compliment, as they left the store with Aunty Gab after she locked up.
AYEDAH'S OUTFIT
OZGE'S OUTFIT:
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Ayedah, Ozge and Emel made their way to the place where the big screen was set up in front of a number of portable dinner tables out on the grass. It was 7PM, and most of the cast had already arrived despite being early. Ayedah soon realized, after scanning the crowd, that the only ones missing were Burak Celik and Yigit Ucan. She had no time to worry, however, as she walked alongside her friend and Emel, who were in deep conversation about the first episode. They had released multiple trailers throughout the last month, and they all knew that fans and viewers from all around the world were on their tiptoes with excitement and anticipation.
"I hope we managed to pull this episode off alright," said Ozge anxiously. "There was a lot of action- I hope it gives the desired effect." "I'm sure it will," said Ayedah. "All of your acting was superb- when I saw the clip previews I was beyond impressed." "Wouldn't have a storyline without your writing, Ayedah," smiled Emel. Ayedah smiled back, as Mehmet and Burak Ozcivit walked up to them and greeted them. "Selam Aleykum, girls," said the two, and their Salaams were returned. "Ve Aleykum Selam." "I hope you will enjoy the night," said Mehmet with a smile. "I believe this first episode for Season Two is a good one." "The script was impressive," said Ozge with a smile. "I'm sure it will turn out great too." "You have all worked so hard and done so well," said Mehmet proudly. "I'm very impressed, especially with you, Ayedah. We're lucky to have had you join the team as one of our screenwriters- the scripts and plottlines have improved greatly." Ayedah blushed and gave her boss a small smile. "It's an honour, Mehmet Bey," she said.
"Have any of you seen Celik or Yigit?" asked Ozcivit suddenly, interrupting them carefully. "They're the only ones who aren't here yet." The girls looked around, and Ayedah frowned as she realized again that they still were absent. "No, we haven't heard from either of them," said Emel. Ozcivit turned to Ayedah.
"Ayedah? Did Burak tell you anything about being late?" he asked, surprising her. Ayedah's eyes went wide, and she was speechless for a while before she finally answered. "W-well," she stammered. "I don't have his number so I don't see how he would tell me...he hasn't Instagram Direct-Messaged me either...to be frank, I haven't really seen him in a while except between takes, but we haven't talked much." Burak Ozcivit seemed surprised and frowned, but nodded- even though it was in a rather skeptical manner before they heard voices behind them.
"So sorry we're late, here we are!"
It was Yigit, and beside him Burak Celik. "Oh, selam, Yigit," said Emel. "Selam, Emel," said Yigit with a smile as he and Burak caught up to them. "Sorry we're late- we er, got caught up." Ozcivit nodded as Mehmet smiled at them. "It's alright," he said. "Come along soon though, we're starting soon." He walked off to where someone had called him over, and it was just the three men and three women. "Everything alright, you two?" asked Ozge. "Yeah, Celik, Yigit, everything good?" asked Ozcivit, concerned. "Yes, everything's alright," said Yigit dismissively, smiling at Ozcivit. Celik was looking down at the ground, barely meeting any of their eyes. He looked tired, but he managed to straighten his shoulders all the same after he cleared his throat. Ayedah shot him a smile, which he returned- though it seemed rather forced.
"Come on, arkadaslar, it's starting soon," called out Buse Arslan from one of the tables, where she was seated with her husband. "Alright," called back Ozcivit, and went over to where he was supposed to sit after giving Burak Celik a quick pat on the arm.
Ayedah, Ozge, Burak, Emel and Yigit took a seat each at one of the empty tables, not too far and not too close to the screen. "You ladies look nice today," said Yigit, in an attempt to make conversation whilst they waited for the episode to start. Burak looked up at Yigit's compliment and said casually- though not as confidently, "Yes, er, very nice."It seemed that he was pointedly avoiding Ayedah's gaze. Ozge laughed airily and said, "Thanks, Yigit. Both of you look nice too." Yigit was wearing a neat-looking flannel with jeans, whilst Burak was wearing black trousers and a denim shirt. Emel laughed aloud when she noticed, and said, "Ayedah, you and Burak are matching."
The two of them went red and avoided each other's gazes, Ayedah squeezing her eyes shut as Burak cleared his throat amidst the giggles from Ozge and the chuckle from Yigit- and Ayedah couldn't help but notice as she carefully inched her eyes open again, that other people were turning their heads to look at them after hearing Emel's comment. Both Ayedah and Burak were spared from making any more comment as the screen suddenly lit up, and the episode began to play.
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The audience chuckled when the scene playing was a moment of shy and embarrassed chemistry between Boran Alp and Gonca Hatun, making Yigit and Emel grin at each other. "I really hope they get together soon," whispered Buse to Emel from the other table. "Same here," said Ayedah with a wink, and Buse rolled her eyes. "Well you know what will happen," she grumbled, making the others laugh as Ayedah winked at her, and the scene changed to Goktug Alp giving Boran a furtive look after his little brush with Gonca. Ayedah couldn't help but giggle at Goktug's rather confused expression, making Burak smile slightly.
"I bet he'll be teasing him later on," Ozge whispered to Ayedah. "And then Boran will do the same to him when he gets a love interest." Ayedah smiled at her, but made no response as the action began, and one of the Alps were impaled in the neck by an arrow that was on fire. Bala Hatun, Goktug Alp and Boran Alp immediately threw themselves into the fight as they were surrounded by Byzantine Soldiers, and Ayedah couldn't help but find herself extremely impressed by the actors' skills- Ozge, Burak and Yigit were the ones the scenes were focused on the most, bringing out the adrenaline.
Burak whispered something to Yigit, and immediately left the table. The others didn't notice him except Ayedah, who frowned and caught Ozge's attention. "What is it?" she asked. "Nothing..." They returned to watching the episode, and soon food was served. "Finally, I'm starving," joked Emel, as they began to dig in and eat. Minutes went by that eventually turned into half-an-hour, and still Burak did not return. Ayedah herself had finished eating first, as she always did eat the least- though this time, she ate more than usual as the food was delicious. She put down the cutlery and looked around, and a pit of concern grew in her stomach. No one else seemed to notice Burak's absence- perhaps he did it often for some reason, maybe he disliked crowds or had some form of Social Anxiety. Maybe she was the only one concerned because everyone else was used to it, so she tried her best to relax herself...though she couldn't really, for she felt uncomfortable about his behaviour.
She recognized it in herself, she would always do it whenever her family would take her and her brother out for dinner back when she was a teenager living with them in London. She would get scolded for doing so, and she knew it was rude...but there were times where she couldn't help it- sometimes being around other people suffocated her, especially her family members. She wondered if Burak was feeling a similar way, but she decided not to ask Yigit as she did not want to pry in his business, and besides- Yigit's attention was on the episode, and he did not notice the absence of his friend.
After a while, Ayedah realized that she needed to go to the bathroom- she had eaten a little too much, more than her usual amount and it was causing her stomach some discomfort. "I'll be in the bathroom, be right back," she whispered to Ozge, before excusing herself from the dinner table. "Alright," said Ozge, and turned her focus back to the episode on the big screen as Ayedah left the crowded area for the bathroom on the other side of the set.
As Ayedah made her way to the bathroom, her ears caught the sound of raspy yet rushed breaths, and she frowned. She looked around frantically, looking for whoever was breathing in such a way, and her eyes fell upon the side of one of the trailers after walking around for a while. Their brown-irised orbs widened to see that it was coming from the very person who had been absent from the screening for nearly an hour- Burak Celik.
Burak was slumped on the ground, against the trailer Ayedah recognized as his, and she could not tell if his face was more red or more pale; in addition to all that, he was shaking violently. She rushed over and knelt down next to him.
"Burak?"
Burak's eyes widened and his head shook when she got closer to him. He tried to speak, but the words that came out of his mouth were incoherent and his eyes were red with tears. Ayedah's heart clenched at the sight, but she wasn't going to sit and watch his suffering- she grabbed his left wrist and began to massage it gently, pressing her thumb into his pulse to slow down his heart rate and tapping on the ball of his joint with her forefinger. "Deep breaths, okay?" she said, smiling at him despite how worried she was deep down, but she was determined and made sure not to show it. His breathing was slowly improving as the minutes seemed to snail by, but not enough. He was still shaking, his heart rate still high and his breathing shallow but rapid.
Ayedah needed to find a focus point to distract his train of thought- one immediately came to mind. She laughed to get his attention, and said, "Hey, remember when we first met?" Burak's forehead creased at her, showing that he was thinking, and he nodded his head. "Yeah? Well, remember when I was being a real doofus, and talking on the phone as I walked when I probably shouldn't have?" asked Ayedah, chuckling. "And then you slammed the door in my face? God, my nose hurt, but I think I kind of deserved it- I wish I've got it on camera, it was pretty funny you know." Burak chuckled through his rapid breaths that were finally decreasing in speed, slowly but surely. "And then- then we were talking about our pets?" said Ayedah, continuing the train of thought from the topic of their first meeting. "Stormy and Jax the cats? Here- I'll show you a picture of Stormy..."
Ayedah used her free hand to take out her phone and showed him a picture of Stormy as he lay sprawled out on her laptop's keyboard, making Burak chuckle again, the ends of his lips slowly curving up into a smile. "He likes doing that," she said in a falsely annoyed voice, dramatizing a sigh. "Always likes to disturb me...you know once, I was having a nice nap on my nice comfortable couch, and he jumped on my head?" Burak laughed properly this time, and finally he was able to take proper control of his breathing. "That's right, Burak, breathe in and out," said Ayedah encouragingly, keeping the smile on her face so as to not increase his anxiety if it fell. "Breathe in deeply, and then take a long exhale." She inhaled deeply herself for him to follow, then breathed out an exhale that lasted for around ten seconds. Burak repeated after her a few more times, before he finally stopped shaking. He leant himself against the trailer, breathing in and out deeply to calm his nerves.
"There you are, you got this in the bag," Ayedah said with a smile, and he returned it- though rather weakly. He did not seem capable of a reply, but Ayedah didn't mind- he needed to rest his lungs after the attack. She looked around, wondering if there was anyone watching them.
But she saw no one.
She wondered what would've happened if she had not found him; there was absolutely no one around, everyone was at the dinner area. She frowned unconsciously with the concern she felt, and then there was a sudden tug on her hand. She turned to see Burak looking straight at her, the deep, blue-colored irises of his bloodshot eyes focused on her, and only on her as he finally spoke;
"Stay. Stay with me."
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Well now, what do we have here O_O
Well, here's the double update as promised :) In Sha Allah I'll still be able to update like normal even when school starts though. Well, what did you think of this chapter anyways, I quite enjoyed writing it- you all don't think we're going too fast do you? I hope to give these two dorks the development they deserve hehe
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote+comment :)
Lygs,
Ayesha <3
P.S: Thanks for 1K on this book and 12+ K on Yasak! Love you all