A/N: Another filler chapter (I've improvised bits from the ones I've already written, aka the messy ones lol these are all just to clear them up skskdj) + Ayedah's hairstyle ^^^
Soon after watching waving Burak off and watching him drive away, Ayedah carefully unlocked the door of the house, crept through it quieter than Stormy would have, snuck up the stairs, quietly entered her room, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. It was miraculous indeed that she had gotten out of her dinner-clothes and into her pyjamas before doing so- she was so sleepy she could barely have done it.
But the next morning, just a few hours after dawn when she had prayed a very quick and lazy Fajr, she was woken up abruptly by a very enthusiastic Ozge Torer, who had apparently come to visit early in the morning and invaded her unlocked bedroom like a hurricane; as soon as she was through the door, she immediately grabbed one of the cushions that had fallen off the double twin-sized bed to throw at Ayedah's sleeping form.
"Ozge, no," she begged when the cushion made an impact with the back of her skull, and she squeezed her eyes shut before pulling the blanket over her head. "I am tired, please let me sleep just five more minutes." "Nope," said Ozge, before walking over to an armchair that was covered in a number of stuffed animals belonging to Ayedah. "I have an army now, you won't be able to sleep at all." With that, she grabbed a teddy bear and aimed it at poor Ayedah's head, just as she did with the cushion.
"Ozge," Ayedah warned, pulling the covers tighter around her. "Stop. It."
"Request denied," said Ozge in a mocking voice sounding very much like an android from one of the Iron Man movies, before throwing yet another stuffed animal- this time a bunny. "Come on, Ayedah, wakey-wakey! Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!" Ayedah's jaw clenched as she tried to keep her eyes shut, but when Ozge shot a Panda at her bottom she had had enough. "That's it," she said between gritted teeth, and emerged from the blanket. "Alright, Miss Torer, this is war." She grabbed the teddy bear Ozge had thrown and threw it back at her, making the brunette squeal. "I didn't throw that hard!" she squawked in an injured voice as Ayedah got out of bed and began shooting the remaining stuffed animals right towards Ozge's face in retaliation. "I was just trying to wake you up-" "Well well well, you woke me up, congratu-mother-fudging-lations," Ayedah snarled, making Ozge cackle with mirth.
"Stop it Ayedah!" she cried, still laughing, and tried to grab one of the plushes to throw back at her attacker.
"Oho, no you don't!" Ayedah growled and pounced to grab the one her friend was about to.
Ozge would have been the unfortunate target of the small stuffed octopus that Ayedah would have thrown at her if someone had not entered the bedroom at that very moment and taken her place- for as soon as Ayedah heard the door creak she whirled around out of instinct and hurled the soft toy right into the unexpecting Reema's face.
"Ow!" she squawked, her eyes squeezed shut and both Ayedah and Ozge went silent in shock. "S-sorry Reema!" Ayedah cried apologetically after her mind fully processed what had just happened, whilst Ozge buried her face in one of the squashy cushions to hide her squeals and chortles of raucous laughter. Reema opened her eyes again carefully, and looked around at the room that was littered in Ayedah's collection of stuffed animals and plushes. She blinked disbelievingly, before turning to Ayedah, who tilted her head in humiliation and shrugged embarrassedly. "Well, um...Aunt Gab sent me up to ask if you wanted breakfast up here," said Reema timidly, her eyes on the octopus that was staring up at her from where it laid on the floor after it bounced off of her face. "She knew you'd be tired after you were out last night." Ayedah nodded, and turned to look at Ozge, silently asking if she was going to be alright with it too.
"Yep, I'm just going to hang here today," she answered her friend's unspoken question. "I'm okay with anything." Ayedah nodded again at her, and turned back to Reema. "Thanks Reema, and yeah, that would be alright," she told her. "And er..." She bravely stepped forward, nearly squashing a tiny cat toy as she did so, running a hand through her messy dark, toffee-colored hair. "You can join us if you want," she suggested. "You know...girl chatter." Reema blinked at her, then smiled. "That'll be great," she said enthusiastically, accepting her cousin's offer. She turned to go downstairs, nearly tripping over a stray cushion as she left the room and did so.
Ayedah exhaled in relief, smiling to herself; she had decided that, hard as it was, she wanted to include Reema in her life just a little so as to break the ice between them. Perhaps she could start with something she knew that any girl would enjoy- gossiping about a dinner with a male friend's family.
"You asked her to join us?" asked Ozge in a skeptical voice, looking surprised as she watched Ayedah disappear into the bathroom for a while so she could brush her teeth and quickly take her medication. "Yes I did," she answered, before grabbing her hairbrush and going to sit on her bed that was covered in her disheveled blankets. "Just to involve her, you know...be nice." Ozge cocked an eyebrow, but said no more as she allowed herself to relax on the armchair, though she nearly had to stand up again when she felt something underneath her.
"How many stuffed animals do you have?" she asked, pulling out a small Pikachu from underneath her bottom. "You seem to have one armchair specifically for them." "Just little souvenirs that I've collected around," said Ayedah dismissively. "Most of them were from quite a long time ago; they made me feel a little less lonely when I was still studying or back in secondary school even- though it was admittedly kind of odd to talk to them." Ozge nodded in response. "Understandable," she tittered. "I can't say I've never done that either. Did you ever get caught?" "Aarif did once," Ayedah's lips curled a small smile at her friend as she continued to brush out her hair. "We had a good laugh about it." Ozge chuckled, and playfully aimed the Pikachu at Stormy from where he was sprawled out on the window-seat. Ayedah shook her head when the small soft toy hit the cat lightly on the stomach, and turned away, bending her head in an odd angle to attempt to do her hair in a certain style, but then Ozge scuttled over and sat down on the bed behind her.
"Here, let me," she said, and pulled the brush out of Ayedah's hands before gently running her own through her hair. "French Braid?" "Yes please," said Ayedah, looking up at her friend for a while before Ozge nodded and began to work her fingers through Ayedah's long hair.
"MashaAllah, your hair has always been so naturally wavy," sighed Ozge in admiration and half-jealousy as she raked her hands through her friend's long, shoulder blade-length hair. "The way the ripples and curls are arranged so perfectly imperfect, it's just gorgeous." Ayedah blushed at her friend's comment and said in a stark attempt to avoid any more compliments, "Your hair is beautiful too, Ozge."
"Ah, I see what you're doing, Miss Humble," teased Ozge, making Ayedah chuckle. "But thank you- still, it is nothing to compete with yours. Not even Yigit or Celik has hair that is as epic, and their hairstyles rock those of everyone else's on set." "Epic," snorted Ayedah. "What a word to use for hair- Burak's hair is nice though. Looks like caramel." "Hmm, I suppose," said Ozge, obviously not paying much attention to the thought of Burak's hair- though she was still thinking of him of course, but in a different manner.
"So, speaking of Burak, before Aunt Gab and Reema come up, why don't you start telling me about last night?" she asked. It was clear she was waiting for an opportunity to bring up the topic. "Spill the tea, Canim." Ayedah sighed, unable to hide a smile.
"Ooh, looks like it went well," grinned Ozge, who had taken a peek at Ayedah's reflection in the dresser a little way from the bed and noticed the bashful smile that had the girl's lips curled up. "It did, actually," she said. "Burak's family were really nice." "Were they?" asked Ozge eagerly. "What were they like?" "Well, his sister was lovely," said Ayedah. "She was the one who greeted me and opened the gate to let me into the house." "Isn't she pregnant?" questioned Ozge, amazed. She had never met any of Burak's family, but a while earlier she heard that Busra was pregnant mid-conversation. "She must have really wanted to see you if she crossed that courtyard of a front garden to come and let you in." "I was surprised too," said Ayedah. "But she was fine and well, MashaAllah- and oh my goodness, she is gorgeous." "I bet she looks like Burak," said Ozge, and Ayedah nodded. "She does," she agreed. "In fact all three siblings look strikingly alike- Emirhan looks exactly what I imagined a teenage Burak to look like."
"Do they all have blue eyes?" asked Ozge. "Or-" "They all do," said Ayedah. "All the same beautiful blue eyes." She shook her head after a moment's pause, then smiled; "But it was how they were that really beguiled me," she spoke in a soft voice as she reminisced about the previous night. "How they were together as a family." "What were they like?" asked Ozge, continuing to brush and untangle Ayedah's hair. "Tell me. I'm dying of curiosity." "I'm sure you are," laughed Ayedah. "But I'll tell you; they were so full of life, every one of them. Just as Burak is." Ayedah continued to narrate the events of the previous night to Ozge from the smallest details- from how they welcomed her to how they conversed with her over dinner.
Ozge laughed when Ayedah told her of how comical a person Burak's younger brother Emirhan was, especially with his constant teasing of his older brother. "I wouldn't be surprised if Burak did put a love potion in there though," snickered Ozge, making Ayedah scoff. "Though to be honest he doesn't need to." Ayedah rolled her eyes as her friend sniggered away, and said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure."
"They sound amazing, Ayedah," Ozge admired. "And they sound like they treated you so well." "They did," Ayedah smiled. "They really did...and the atmosphere with them was so easy- and so beautiful." "Mm, and what do you mean by that?" asked Ozge. "They were enchanting," said Ayedah, her voice turning soft and quiet as she spoke of the feelings she experienced whilst spending time with Burak's family.
"I was just so captivated by the way they were so comfortable with each other...the way they were so happy with each other. The way you could see how much they loved each other. Like how a family should be." Ozge smiled as she began to plait Ayedah's hair, twisting and threading her long, dark locks into a french braid. "You felt at home, I hope?" she asked.
"Yeah, I did," Ayedah said, her tone of voice still gentle. "It was a beautiful thing to experience...to see a family that was happy with each other despite what they've been through.." Ozge noticed how Ayedah's voice turned shaky as she went on, and felt a clench in her heart knowing that her friend was remembering and thinking of.
"I'm glad you had fun," she chuckled, to take Ayedah's mind away from thinking of what had happened with her own family. "So, are you considering marrying into that family now?" Ayedah blinked and blushed, laughing nervously as Ozge succeeded to distract her. "No, obviously not," she sputtered. "I can't possibly think of anything like that yet." "How could you not?" asked Ozge, shrugging as she worked to tighten the braid that was forming in Ayedah's hair. "Come on, Ayedah, you can't be that blind to the signs." She grabbed a hair tie that had previously laid on the bedside table, before wrapping it tightly around the end of the braid, securing it. "There," she said, after pulling out a few threads of hair here and there to make it look fashionably fussed. "Done."
She took out her phone and used the camera app to show Ayedah her hair, and she smiled when she saw it. "Thank you, Ozge," she said, grinning up at her. She loved the style her hair was in- but in all truth, what she loved the most was how Ozge ran her hands so gently through her hair in the process of doing it up, and she knew her friend felt the same way when she herself would do it for her. They spent a few moments admiring it, and Ozge made adjustments here and there where she felt was necessary.
"What do you mean by 'blind to the signs', Ozge?" asked Ayedah after they had finished taking a look at her hairstyle. "What signs? What blindness?" Ozge sighed. She was enjoying herself, but the topic was becoming serious. "Ayedah, I don't mean to scare you," she started off slowly. "But when a man brings you to see his family...you know it's important. It means something." "What?" questioned Ayedah, though deep down in her mind- she knew what Ozge was going to say.
"Marriage of course."
Ozge was not even the one who had spoken up and answered, but it was Aunt Gab who did when she came into the room with a loaded breakfast tray, Reema following behind.
"If a man brings you to see his family, especially in these cultures, it is important," Aunt Gab repeated Ozge's sentence with more elaboration, as she placed the tray carefully on the ground just ahead of the couch and behind the bed, in front of where Ayedah and Ozge were sitting together. "That is something of general knowledge." Ayedah nodded slowly in understanding. Her aunt smiled at her as they all settled down on the soft rug to eat, Stormy attempting to join them but immediately taken out of the room to be brought to his own food bowl down in the kitchen. "Oops, ladies only, Stormy," joked Reema, making Ayedah and Ozge giggle. Aunt Gab came back soon enough, locking the door behind her.
"Where's Aarif?" asked Ayedah. "Immigration office," replied her aunt. "To examine and check out his and Reema's VISAs for them to go home later on this week." "Ah," replied Ayedah, her heart sinking a little at the thought of Aarif leaving. She felt that they had not spent enough time together, and she did not even get to know Reema as well yet. But she was jolted out of her grim reverie when Aunt Gab asked her, "So I can assume you had a good time with Burak's family."
Ayedah nodded at her, and began to tell her everything she told Ozge earlier. Her eyes sparkled as she replayed the memories of the night before whilst telling the story to her aunt and cousin as they began to eat their breakfast, at times smiling uncontrollably even when she was chewing on her waffles. She suddenly found herself narrating the moment right before they had dessert and tea, where Burak walked into the room just in time to hear his family ask her if she was happy to have met him; and then for her to answer that she was indeed happy to have met him, along with being and feeling very fortunate. She left out the butterflies in her chest that she had experienced when she said it, and the way her eyes locked with Burak as he leant against the doorframe of the dining room- for that was a memory she chose to preserve just for herself.
"I'm happy for you, Ayedah," said Aunt Gab, smiling as she placed a clean hand on her niece's. "You deserved this...and if Burak's family enjoyed their time with you too- which from what I hear, they definitely did- then that's good for you." "I've never felt anything like this," said Ayedah. "The way they welcomed me, took care of me- like as if I was one of their own. They made me feel safe. Wanted." Aunt Gab smiled, inclining her head in understanding- but Reema was looking down at her food rather dejectedly, though none of them noticed except Ozge, who frowned. "Do you have something to say, Reema?" she asked, trying her best to not let her voice sound sharp; Reema's head looked up and her eyes met those of the other three women. "Er, no, nothing," she said, slightly pink.
"In that case-"
"Wait," Reema interrupted Aunt Gab, who was about to ask Ayedah another question. "I want to say that I'm happy for you, Ayedah." Ayedah's eyes widened slightly at Reema as she spoke. "I'm glad that this is your life now," continued Reema. "You deserve it. I'm happy that you were happy with them." Ayedah stared at her for a while, before her lips curled up in a small smile. "Thank you, Reema," she expressed her gratitude. "That's...that's a nice thing to say." Reema smiled back, before scooting in closer.
"So are you going to marry him?" she asked, taking a bite of a strawberry. "With all of this happening, you must be, right?" "Just as I was about to ask," said Aunt Gab. "Any thoughts on that, Ayedah?" Ayedah flushed pink, scrunching up her nose the way she always did. "We haven't even talked about our relationship being more than friendship, Aunt Gab!" she exclaimed. "Let alone marriage." "You don't have to do the 'dating phase' before marriage, you know," said Aunt Gab in a sly voice. "And by now I can tell both of you are close enough to consider marriage- plus, I saw you kiss his cheek before you came into the house. You tell me now, since when have you done that to a friend, or to anyone at all?"
"You didn't tell me that!" squawked Ozge accusingly as the color of Ayedah's face became a deep red of a beetroot. "I guess I forgot," she squeaked, her voice small. "And erh...well..." "How are you going to explain that one now?" asked Gabriella, smirking. "It was only out of instinct," Ayedah protested. "And it was nothing...besides, it's probably not the first kiss on the cheek he's gotten before." She found that her voice had sounded rather sour as she said it, but no one seemed to notice.
"Well, as dark as it was, I can tell he was very pleased," said Aunt Gab. "I saw it too," claimed Reema, nodding at them all as they turned to look at her. "He did look very happy, Ayedah." Ayedah stared at them all for a while, before surprising them when she broke into a smile that displayed the dimple in her cheek and the small one on her chin, chuckling whilst doing so. "Well I hope you all are right, then," she said in a reluctant yet giddy voice, as they all grinned along at her before continuing to have their breakfast.
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Hours later, after Ozge went back home, Ayedah was sitting down at her desk working on some work for Mehmet for when they would go back to work the next week. Stormy lazed sleepily at her feet whilst she had her speaker on, playing a playlist of her favorites from Lewis Capaldi's songs. As she hummed 'Before You Go' under her breath, she heard a knock at her bedroom door. She turned off the music and turned on her study chair, to see her aunt leaning against the doorframe.
"Selam," she said, smiling. "Can I come in?" "Hey," Ayedah greeted her. "Sure, come on." Her aunt closed the door and invited herself to sit on the window-bed, and Stormy got up and walked away from Ayedah to curl up next to Gabriella. "Is there anything?" Ayedah asked as she watched her aunt stroke Stormy's fur gently with her long, slim fingers. "Yes," replied Aunt Gab, looking up from Stormy to face Ayedah. "I'm going to Ankara for a business call. The day after tomorrow, first thing in the morning I have to witness an important signing of a contract with the trade committee." Ayedah's aunt's success and mastery with her company had given her a position in the Turkish Business Council; she would often travel for them as an ambassador, even though when Ayedah came to live with her she had made a deal to make it only part time so she could focus on her business more whilst being able to live with her niece.
Ayedah nodded; "Sure, I'll be alright with Aarif and Reema for a few days," she said. "When are they leaving?" "The day after tomorrow," said Aunt Gab, grimacing at the shocked look on Ayedah's face. "But you said-" "Yes, the signing is the day they're scheduled to leave," said Gabriella. "I'm sorry Ayedah- you'll have to handle it by yourself." Ayedah nodded after a few quiet moment's cessation, before she replied slowly, "It's alright. I'll figure it out."
Aunt Gab smiled. "I was wondering if you could ask a certain someone to help you out," she said, her voice turning sly. Ayedah frowned. "A certain someone?" she asked, confused. "Who?" Her aunt cocked her eyebrows, and Ayedah knew then who she was talking about.
"Burak?" she asked, and Aunt Gab nodded. "No- I can't possibly." "Why not?" asked her aunt in a nonchalant voice. "Well- what if he's busy?" Ayedah questioned. "Plus I..." She sighed. "You what?" asked Aunt Gab curiously. "Is something wrong?" "No," said Ayedah. "But I don't want him to think that I'm taking advantage of him." Aunt Gab frowned. "What on earth makes you think that he'll feel that way?" she asked.
Ayedah scrunched her nose. "Well..."
She looked down; she was at a loss for words, not really knowing what to say to Aunt Gab to explain her thoughts and feelings. She had the thought weighing on her mind for months, yet she had hidden it in the back of her head- until the previous night, as Burak drove her home. Something he said had uncovered it from where it had been buried deep inside her mind, forgotten temporarily.
"Is it because Burak's been with other girls before?" asked Aunt Gab in a kind voice, making Ayedah look up at her. "And this is all new for you?" Her aunt was always so wise and sharp, it was infuriating at times. "Are you secretly Jean Grey, or Scarlet Witch and making me believe you're my aunt?" asked Ayedah, narrowing her eyes at Gabriella, who laughed at her joke. "Because you really don't fail to read my mind." "Well, neither Wanda Maximoff nor the Dark Phoenix know you as well as I do," said Aunt Gab. "And sometimes when you know a person, at times better than they know themselves, you don't need telekinesis, magic or psychic powers to read their mind." Ayedah smiled at her.
"And well, I've known you and seen almost everything you've been through since you were a little girl, Miss Ayedah Harraz," said Aunt Gab. "And I'm probably the only one who's seen this much of you, the only one who knows you this well. So it is pretty clear to me that you are afraid- afraid of taking it further between you and Burak. For many reasons too." Ayedah sighed, and nodded; it was true, she could never hide anything from Aunt Gab. "So let's focus on this one," continued Gabriella. "You haven't answered my question- is that one of the reasons you're doubting all of this, and all you both have already experienced together."
"Yes," answered Ayedah after a few moments of hesitation. "It's just that..." She sighed again; "Romance is so new to me," she said softly. "But not to him. From what I've heard- from himself and others- he's been with many girls aside from his ex. If we turn this friendship into a romantic relationship, perhaps get married even...every first I'll have with him I will always know that he would have had with someone else." She smiled grimly, sniffing slightly. "Every kiss, every hug, even every time we'd sleep together...he would already have done it all with someone else," she said in a slightly bitter voice. "Even the marriage itself wouldn't be a first for him. It wouldn't be special anymore. Not to him anyway." "Is that what you think?" asked Aunt Gab in a pitiful voice. "That it isn't special to him?"
She shook her head. "As mature as you have grown, Ayedah, you're still naive and impulsive," she said placatingly. "And I cannot blame you for feeling this way, though- you've never felt or known romantic love before. Probably have been afraid to even, with everything else that you've experienced. The pain of romance would be such a bother to be added to the list." Ayedah scoffed lightly, though she agreed with her aunt.
"So you think that I am special to him?" she asked slowly. "That all we've done, has meant something?" "Of course!" exclaimed her aunt, smiling. "Look, I may have not known Burak for long. And I don't know what his relationships with other people were like. But the way he looks at you and the way he treats you...you're definitely special to him, Hon." She grinned as Ayedah's lips slowly curved upwards in a half-grudging smile. "Plus, there has to be something that you've done with him that would be 'a first', if you want reassurance," added Gabriella. "You don't have to think of it now if you can't remember."
"Maybe," Ayedah said, her brain already raking through her memories. Aunt Gab nodded, and clapped her hands together. "Okay, so when are you going to ask him to help out with Reema and Aarif?" she asked. Ayedah's eyes widened. "Well I...I'm still thinking about it," she mumbled, scrunching her nose again.
Aunt Gab raised an eyebrow, sighed, and then snatched her niece's phone from where it was on her desk. "Hey, what are you doing?" asked Ayedah in alarm. But she was too late to reach out and stop Gabriella, for in a blur she had already unlocked the phone and sent off a text, before handing it back to her. "Done," she claimed with a grin. "Now just wait for him to reply." Ayedah gave her aunt a bewildered look, before looking down at the screen as she read the message that had been sent to him from the WhatsApp application:
AYEDAH: Good Evening Canim benim, I just wanted to ask if you could be a dear and help me with sending my brother and cousin to the airport the day after tomorrow? No one else is available.
Ayedah went very red, and squeezed her eyes shut as she smacked her palm to her forehead. "Since when do I call him 'Canim benim'?" she asked weakly. "And I do not speak like bloody Mrs. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice!" "Well, I assumed that he will enjoy it nonetheless," said Aunt Gab, shrugging as if it were the most casual thing to do. "Plus, even if you tell him that I sent it off, it would be a good laugh." Ayedah was about to retort, before she heard the notifications bell go off in her phone, resulting in a pit of surprise and horror in her stomach before she took the initiative to look down at her phone.
BURAK: 'Canim Benim' eh? Getting bold aren't you, Yazar Hanim'im? ;)
Poor Ayedah went an even deeper shade of red, and felt very much like sinking down to the earth's core as she hastily typed back.
AYEDAH: That was my aunt typing for me, I'm sorry 😭
BURAK: Explains a lot- especially as I know you well enough to know you don't speak like that- but it was funny, I have to admit that 😂
Ayedah looked up from her phone to shoot a glare at her aunt, who did nothing but smirk at her. She sighed, and continued to text him.
AYEDAH: Whatever, Celik. But yeah, there isn't anyone available to send Aarif and Reema for their flight the day after tomorrow- I guess you were the first person we had in mind.
BURAK: I'm glad I was :)) don't worry, I'm free then- I'll be over whatever time you need me over.
AYEDAH: Thank you so much, Burak...you're a lifesaver 😅 and sorry if it's a bother.
BURAK: Not at all, I'd do anything for you, Ayedah :) and I want to say thank you for being my comfort through reminiscing about the past with me last night...and for having dinner with me and my family. We all loved having you.
On the other side of the conversation, Burak hesitated for a while, his fingers hovering over the screen before he typed his final text to her.
BURAK: And thank you for all the times you've chosen to spend your precious time with me. Every moment was special, know that.
Ayedah blushed at his latest text, unable to hide the smile that stretched so wide that her dimples were showing, as she chuckled softly. "What did he say?" asked Aunt Gab. "He said yes," answered Ayedah. "And erh-" "I can tell by the look on your face, he said something cute too," her aunt sniggered mischievously as she grinned at her niece. She got up from where she sat and patted Ayedah's shoulder. "Thank him for me," she said with a smile, before she left the room with Stormy at her heels. Ayedah watched her leave before she turned back to her phone and replied quickly to Burak's text.
AYEDAH: That's nice of you to say, I enjoyed my time with all of you as well. And about your past, I only spoke facts, just so you know. Goodbye, Burak. Thank you, and see you soon.
It was then after she sent off her text that her mind fell upon the realization that she was the first person who had read to him.
It was then impossible for her to hide her smile.
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A/N: These two are cute lol 🥺❤ ma babies + Happiest of Birthdays to our best boy Burak <333
Lygs, Ayesha