The sleeping medicine had done its job; Ayedah had fallen into a deep and somewhat-restful sleep, and she woke up just at the crack of dawn. She groaned slightly, not wanting to get out of her safe, warm bed, but she knew she had to face the day- just as she did so every day for the past twenty-five years of her life. "Maybe I'll just rest my eyes for a little while more," she said aloud to herself, burying her head under the blanket again. But Stormy was not going to have it; he pounced on his mistress's stomach, making her gasp as she sat up in bed. "You naughty creature," she scolded him in an annoyed voice as he sashayed off the bed and hopped onto the window-seat, eyeing her maliciously. "Well that did it," she scoffed and pulled off the covers, and headed for the bathroom.
After a good ten minutes of showering and another five stepping out of the shower resentfully and putting on her clothes, Ayedah was ready to go. She wore a neat grey long-sleeved shirt and jeans, and matched her outfit with a midnight-blue hijab. She put on her coat, grabbed her bag, gave Stormy a kiss on his furry head and headed downstairs to say goodbye to her aunt before she left. "Good luck with Burak," said Aunt Gab from where she was having breakfast at the table after Ayedah said good-morning and goodbye to her. "Don't worry, it'll go smoothly." Ayedah gave her a hollow laugh in response before putting on her surgical mask and exiting the house after grabbing her keys. Ozge and Emel were outside waiting as per usual, this time in Yigit's car to her surprise. Ayedah's stomach flipped a little, hoping that Yigit would not mention the events of the previous day, especially as she was so nervous. She got into the back passenger seat with Ozge, whilst Emel sat at the front with Yigit. "Selam Aleykum," she said in greeting, and the others all replied with "Ve Aleykum Selam."
"You ready?" Ozge whispered to her, and she nodded. "I hope so," she whispered back, as they took off down the road. The trip to Riva seemed a little quicker than usual that morning, too fast for Ayedah's liking- though at the same time time seemed to slug by, holding her in anticipation. Before long, they had arrived, and were out of the car and on the grassy ground of the set. "That went by too quickly for my liking," whimpered Ayedah. "Don't worry, it'll be okay," said Ozge. "Ah, see- here he comes now." Ayedah whirled around to see Burak Celik walking toward them and greeting Yigit with a handshake and a hug the way men usually greeted each other. He gave her a quick glance but nothing more, and the two walked away toward the trailers to prepare for filming that day. "Why didn't you say anything?" asked Ozge. "I'm sorry, I suppose I just froze," squeaked Ayedah. "And er...perhaps it's best if I do this after filming today?"
Ozge narrowed her eyes at her. "You sure you're not procrastinating?" she asked. "It'd be better to just get it over with, you know." "Yeah, but at the same time it's better if it's just the two of us alone," said Ayedah, surprising both herself and Ozge with her words. "So...er- it'll be easier to do that afterward." Ozge nodded, and gave her a small smile with a nudge. "It'll be okay, don't worry," she said encouragingly. "I have faith in you." Ayedah smiled wearily back, before the two headed off to start their day of hard work.
----------
Filming hours had just ended, and Ozge and Ayedah were in Ozge's trailer, as the actress was getting herself out of her makeup and costume. "Where would Burak be at this time?" asked Ayedah, who was pacing around and biting her fingernails nervously whilst her friend sat at her mirror-dresser. "Maybe at the training field?" suggested Ozge. "I already checked there, he isn't," said Ayedah. "Well, then he's probably at the stables," said Ozge. "Go and check there." "What if there are other people there?" whimpered Ayedah. "What if I'll have to speak in front of Yigit or Cagri or something and make a fool of myself?" "Then just ask Burak if you could take him aside for a while," chuckled Ozge casually, trying to keep her voice even to calm her friend down. "And what if he doesn't want to?" squawked Ayedah. "What if-"
"Ayedah, Dear, calm down, please," begged Ozge in alarm, turning around and taking her friend by the arm. "Look, I know it's terrifying- but Burak's decent enough not to embarrass you if you're in front of others. And I personally think he would rather be alone with you too to discuss this." Ozge's words brought some ease to Ayedah's heart, and she inhaled deeply for a few seconds before exhaling. "Alright," she said finally, and pulled her arm away. "I'll go check the stables." Ozge smiled at her, and patted her hand. "Good luck," she said quietly, before Ayedah left the trailer and headed for the stables. There seemed to be no one there as Ayedah got closer, and a sinking feeling appeared in her stomach when she realized that perhaps Burak had left early that day.
But to her relief- and added anxiety- Burak had not. The stables were almost empty of people except for him, right at the end. He was tending to a horse, and had not noticed Ayedah as she stepped in to check. "Oh, God, he's here, alone," she said aloud, clapping her hand over her mouth as she did so. But Burak either did not hear her or did not notice her, for he made no movement to turn to the entrance of the stables, meaning that he did not yet know that she was there. Calm down, you idiot, and don't make a fool out of yourself, she scolded herself.
Ayedah took a deep breath in.
It's okay, she told herself. Just do it. Go up to him. Say you're sorry. She cleared her throat nervously, swallowed, and began to slowly walk up to the stables. She entered, and saw Burak once again at the far end- except this time with a dark horse instead of the white one, and it was not inside a stall. Burak seemed to be getting ready to go riding, for he had his boots on and was strapping on a saddle. After doing so, he smiled at his horse and stroked its head lovingly. He then looked up from the horse and turned his head, when he heard her footsteps coming toward him. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment, before his expression turned rather stony and he turned away from her, looking down. Ayedah's stomach clenched, but she did not stop.
She couldn't.
"Hi," she greeted him, her voice coming out rather squeaky and quiet to her embarrassment, making her blush and clear her throat. To her relief- and slight concern- Burak responded, but just with a simple quiet and curt hum. She suppressed a sigh, and finally stopped when she was in front of him, next to the large horse. She took up the courage to stroke the dark horse's face too, just upon its thick neck, making it whinny slightly in delight. "He's gorgeous...is this Amor?" she asked. Burak nodded, still not speaking. "I can see why you love him so much," whispered Ayedah. "He's so tame and gentle, yet looks so strong, powerful even ruthless." She looked at him, and blushed when she realized that those qualities strongly resembled Burak himself too.
"Everyone says that," said Burak quietly, finally speaking up, to Ayedah's relief. "They also say I resemble him a lot too, in that sense- and I can tell you think the same." Ayedah nodded, trying not to go red as he had sensed her thoughts. "You do," she said softly. "Though maybe you only look really ruthless when you portrayed Kongar, and when you play Goktug too sometimes." Burak chuckled softly, making her heart flip, but he trailed back off into silence again. Awkwardness began to grow with the silence, and Ayedah took a deep breath- she could not hold it in or procrastinate any longer.
"Burak, I'm sorry," said Ayedah. "I overreacted, and lost my temper. And for that, I'm really truly sorry." She looked down at the ground for a while, then back up at him; he was not looking at her. "I understand if you choose not to forgive me, or if you need time," she said quietly, her heart sinking. Burak was still silent, so she sighed and decided at that moment that the best thing to do was perhaps to walk away. But before she could do so, he spoke up; "I don't blame you for being angry, Ayedah," he said, his deep voice soft and gentle, though she could still hear the hurt. "You have every right to be...I just wish that perhaps..." he drifted off, not finishing his sentence.
"Perhaps what?" asked Ayedah before she could stop herself. "That you did not pin it completely on me," he finished. "Not that much, and not in that manner anyway." He finally turned his head toward her and their eyes met briefly before Ayedah looked down, her expression guilty. "Forgive me," she apologized in a small voice, feeling tears pricking her eyes at the knowledge of how much she had hurt him, and the regret of it all. "I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry."
Electricity shot through her skin and up her spine when Burak brought his hand to her jaw, tipping it up so she would face him, and for her eyes to meet his. "I'm not angry," he said, and Ayedah saw that he was smiling. "I forgive you, Ayedah. And it's completely alright...even though I was sad, I never blamed you one bit." He took his hand back, looking down in silence for a while before meeting her eyes once more. "It's just that I do care about you a lot," he said. "You make me...you..." "I what?" asked Ayedah in a whisper. But Burak did not respond to her question; he could not seem to bring himself to say what he wanted to say, so he just dismissed his words. "Either way, I forgive you, Yazar Hanim," he said with a grin, once again using the nickname he reserved for her, to her joy and relief. "And I'm sorry too, for what happened to you. I truly am. Thank you for your apology, I accept it fully- though really, you didn't need to."
Burak's words had melted poor Ayedah's heart- she had not heard such nice things being said to her before. Without thinking, she had thrown her arms around his neck and hugged him, taking him aback with surprise and shock. Yet before long, he had accepted it wholly, and carefully wrapped his arms around her waist as he hugged back. "You don't need to apologize either," whispered Ayedah, and Burak chuckled. "Thank you," he said, and it was at that moment Ayedah realized that she was in his arms, and was hugging him. She hurriedly pulled away, absolutely stunned and terrified by what she had just done. "Erh, I- I'm sorry," she said, blushing bright red. Her mind was screaming at her, and she was deeply grateful that Burak could not actually hear her thoughts. What the hell was that, Ayedah Natalya Harraz?!?
Burak merely smiled at her, and shook it off. "It's alright, I don't mind," he said casually, though Ayedah's sharp eyes could detect a pinkness in his cheeks. She chuckled embarrassedly, as her brain processed what had just happened- she had hugged someone
She had hugged someone.
Who she barely knew.
A man, no less.
Even with women- Ozge and Aunty Gab included- she very rarely took the initiative to hug someone, and was usually the one who was embraced. Her surprise was immense, and she cursed her mind as it continued to make her blush as red as a tomato, her cheeks on fire. "Are you alright?" Burak asked, concerned. "You look a little pale- yet flushed." "I'm fine," squeaked Ayedah, cursing herself again at her voice. She cleared her throat once more. "I'm fine." Burak smiled at her, chuckling.
"Well, if you're fine, and free at the moment, why don't you join us?" he asked. "Join you and whom?" asked Ayedah, confused. "Me and Amor, of course," said Burak, indicating the horse. "I was planning to take him out for a ride." "Were you now?" asked Ayedah. "So erh...you'd want me to follow along and walk the horse?"
Burak burst into laughter, embarrassing her again. "I said ride, not walk, now, Canim," he said. "We can take another horse for you to ride." Ayedah went red, and looked at the ground, silent. "What's wrong?" asked Burak, suddenly concerned. "Are you uncomfortable with it-"
"No, not at all," said Ayedah hastily. "I just...I don't know how to ride a horse. I've never done so." Burak raised his eyebrows. "I thought you said you did?" he demanded. "I said I like them, doesn't mean I've ridden one or know how to," retorted Ayedah, and Burak smirked as her feistiness returned. "Tamam, tamam, hold your horses now," he joked, making her groan as he laughed. "Oh come on, that was funny." "Sure, sure," she snorted. "Well, it's not difficult," said Burak. "Not for me anyway...and it's not a long ride to the beach. How about I teach you today?"
"T-teach me?" asked Ayedah. "You know how to teach horse-riding?" "No, but I'm qualified enough," said Burak. "I won't make Amor go into full trot or gallop or anything, so you don't need to worry yourself." Ayedah hesitated for a while; "For how long?" she asked. "Ozge's going back a little early today." Burak furrowed his brow in thought for a while, before suggesting, "Well, if that's the case, I'll take you back then. It's no problem, and I drove on my own today anyways." He looked so enthusiastic that Ayedah could not reject him. "Okay then," she said, in a rather shy voice. "I'll go with you." Burak's face cracked a smile, his eyes crinkling at the sides the attractive way they did. "Great," he said, and disappeared into the back of the stables suddenly.
Ayedah stared, wondering what he was doing before he emerged with a pair of riding boots. "I think these will work for you," he said. "Your feet are pretty small." "Since when do you stare at girls' feet, Burak Celik?" demanded Ayedah, making him scoff. "I'm just observant," he praised himself, making her roll her eyes. "Now take them- see if they fit." Ayedah did, and slipped off her sneakers carefully as she sat upon a bench that was against one of the stalls. To her relief and surprise, the boots fit perfectly.
"Well, I guess my observance really paid off," joked Burak. "Or perhaps you're secretly Cinderella with her magic feet." Ayedah choked with laughter, and reached out to lightly slap him on the arm. "You joker," she snorted, and stood up. "They fit perfectly- thanks." Burak grinned, and walked her up to Amor. He spent some time adjusting the stirrups, Ayedah watching him do so intently after sending off a quick text to Ozge, informing her of where she'd be and how she'll return home. "Now, let me show you how to get on," he said, and was about to board the horse before Ayedah stopped him. She was stung- was he really underestimating her that much? Surely, getting on a horse was easy. She wasn't going to let the man get away with this one, she was going to show him that she could do it.
"I can do it myself, thank you very much," she said firmly, taking Burak by surprise. "You don't have to show me." Burak blinked at her. "Okay, at least let me help you up, though," he said cautiously after a bit of thought, putting out his hand. "No, I can get on myself too," snapped Ayedah, getting closer to Amor, but Burak grabbed her arm. "Ayedah, that's a bad idea," he said urgently. "You could get hurt. It's not as easy as it looks." "I thought you said riding a horse wasn't difficult?" taunted Ayedah, making Burak frown at her. "It isn't, but you're still a beginner," said Burak. "It will be more difficult for you of course." "Well, I'll prove you wrong," said Ayedah stubbornly, wrenching her arm from his grip and grabbing the saddle to pull herself up as she had seen others do it.
"Careful," warned Burak, readying himself in case anything happened. "I'm always careful," joked Ayedah, and put her foot into the stirrup. She attempted to pull herself up, but her foot got tangled and she immediately lost balance. She gave a little squeal as she fell back, expecting to hit the ground- but once again, found herself in Burak Celik's strong, agile arms as they caught her from behind. "See what I mean?" scolded Burak, though to Ayedah's embarrassment, she could feel from the spasms in his chest that he was trying desperately not to laugh. "Well I suppose I did overestimate myself a little," she said in a small voice as she untangled herself from his body.
Burak smirked at her, and took her hand. "Come on, let's try again," he said. "And I won't let you fall, I promise." His words, though simple, hit her hard- Ayedah found herself blushing once more, averting her gaze, and nodded. "I trust you," she said, before looking back up at him and allowing him to help her. Burak then had one arm carefully latched around her waist, and he held out the hand of his free one for her to step on for balance so he could hoist her up. "Up you go now," he said, and Ayedah carefully yet successfully boarded the tall horse, and placed her other foot in the opposite stirrup. "There you go now, that wasn't so hard," said Burak with a grin. "Though I still do not recommend you do that on your own just yet." Ayedah chuckled embarrassedly, as Burak took Amor's reins.
"You just relax there now, I'll walk him," he said. "Keep your back straight and your feet in the stirrups."Okay, but where are we going?" asked Ayedah, doing what he told her as Burak led them out of the stables into the woods. "Just to the beach, it's not far," Burak told her as they continued on. Ayedah found the saddle rather comfortable, and it was oddly easy to keep her back straight. She was also surprised with how her legs were able to reach the stirrups- for she was not a very tall girl, at a height of 5'3, one of her biggest embarrassments. It made her feel short around nearly everyone- especially Burak- ever since she had reached that height and stopped growing. But even though sometimes she hated it, others seem to find it rather adorable- Ozge for instance, who was 5'6, would often tease her and call her 'Kucuk'im', and enjoyed it immensely. Though Ayedah would pretend to be annoyed, she secretly enjoyed it too, but she was glad that Burak had not made any nickname for her regarding her height- especially as to her, he was excruciatingly tall. It would be too embarrassing, she thought. Though rather sweet...
She pushed away her thoughts immediately, her cheeks aching as she forced herself not to blush. However, Amor seemed to sense her feelings, and gave a little sly whinny. "Oh shush, you," she said, embarrassed. "He likes you," chuckled Burak. "Oh and you don't?" taunted Ayedah, unafraid to mess with him. Burak stopped abruptly, and so did Amor. Ayedah's stomach clenched, wondering if she had said something wrong. Burak turned to look up at her; "Oh I do, very much," he replied casually, and continued to walk as if nothing had happened. "I have a high regard for you, actually." Ayedah went very red, squeezing her eyes shut for a while to think of what to say. "Gone speechless, eh, Yazar Hanim?" asked Burak, smirking though he didn't turn around. "Nope, just not surprised," Ayedah quipped wittily. "Because why wouldn't you like me, I'm fantastic." Burak chortled loudly, Ayedah joining in; with their laughter, they continued the rest of their journey to the beach with immense enjoyment, oblivious to time itself- as well as the world around them.
----------
A/N: *giggles* Well, I guess I delivered :")
Aren't these two so dorky and cute lol? But anyways, yes, another early update (wow I'm updating like twice a week now HAHA this ain't normal-) for you guys. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Lygs,
Ayesha <3