"A mountain cabin?"
Yaman looked at the top of Seher's head. She was currently lying in his arms, leaning back against him. Yusuf was tucked in her lap napping, small hands curled under his chin. A few feet away, Ziya and Çiçek were observing a patch of wild flowers, Çiçek holding a flower catalogue in her hands, listening to Ziya with adoring eyes.
Yaman felt a sense of calmness seeping into his bones. The air smelled of green grass and fresh soil. The wind plucked leaves out of the large sycamore tree and rained them all over the ground. Here, leaning against the tree with his two treasures in his arms, his life was filled with complete peace.
Seher looked back at him, her eyebrows slanted.
"You bought a mountain cabin?" She asked again.
"Uh huh. Now that you're healed, the doctors suggested a getaway would do you good. And Yusuf's school vacation is almost over. We couldn't do anything together. It will be good for him too", he said.
Seher had a thoughtful expression.
"Of course, it will be good. But did you have to buy the cabin? We could have just rented one..."
He pressed his lips to her hair, closer to her ear.
"No. I didn't buy the cabin just for this vacation. I bought it so I can steal you away whenever I want", he said. "So I don't have to fight Little Fire for your attention".
Seher released a surprised laugh, making Yusuf stir on her lap.
"Are you telling me I'm not giving you enough attention?"
"I want all your attention", he admitted sheepishly. "But it's not possible. So this is the best I can do".
It was established then. They were going away for a week. The cabin was high up in the mount Ararat, more secluded than the other cabins and guesthouses there. During these vacation days, mount Ararat was bound to be buzzing with tourists. Yaman wanted to spend some time in peace before he had to throw himself back to work and Yusuf went back to school.
When the time came, they loaded their packed suitcases into the trunk of Yaman's SUV and got in. Yaman adjusted the rearview mirror and smiled at Seher. She was holding a big plastic box filled with snacks on her lap- ever the caretaker. In the backseat Yusuf sat in between Ziya and Çiçek, grinning at something they were saying. Ziya had insisted that they bring Çiçek along, and Yaman didn't have the heart to refuse. Now she sat, hands wrapped around a pot with a sycamore sapling, smiling at everything and everyone around them.
Their first vacation as a family. Yaman felt the same peace and calm infuse into his heart. This. This was what he'd been missing all his life. The complete family he'd craved since childhood.
************************************
The journey took about seven hours and by the time they reached the cabin, Çiçek and Yusuf were fast asleep and Seher was feeling almost claustrophobic. They'd stopped at several places for lunch and tea but everyone must be feeling the same lethargy- especially Yaman. He'd been driving nonstop for several hours now.
"Why don't you guys go ahead and check out the place while my brother and I bring in our stuff?" He asked.
Seher nodded, glad to be moving her limbs freely again. She got out and woke Çiçek up. Reaching over her, she pulled Yusuf into her arms. Her baby was getting bigger day by day- soon she wouldn't be able to carry him around so easily.
The cabin turned out to be a charming, spacious place, beautifully lit up with lanterns resembling fairy lights. A row of woven armchairs were placed on the porch, colourful cushions thrown on them. A fluffle of sleeping bunnies was faintly visible under the porch- Yusuf would be ecstatic to see them. Cold wind blew through the woods, bringing in all the comforting scents- sage and pine and the musky smell of crushed leaves.
An older couple came down the wooden stairs and approached them slowly. Hair streaked with gray, clothes meticulous, they reminded Seher of someone's grandparents, who would throw dinners every weekend and bring flowers to the graduations of their grandchildren. She felt herself easing up.
"Oh, welcome. Welcome", The woman came forward, smiling. "Hello, I'm Çeyda. You must be Mr Yaman's wife?"
Seher shook hands with her. "Hello! I'm Seher".
"Is this your son?" She asked, lightly touching Yusuf's curly hair.
He raised his head and looked around blinking.
"This is my nephew", Seher smiled at Yusuf's confused expression. "Good evening, sweetheart! Did you sleep well?"
"Uh huh. Did we come to the place, auntie?"
Seher nodded. Yusuf slid down from her arms and trailed towards the cabin, eyes already locked on the bunnies. Çiçek followed him. Seher turned back to the couple and held out her hand at the man.
"Hello! It's nice to meet you..."
He smiled grimly. "I'm Kaan".
He glanced at the car.
"So your husband is the one who bought my cabin? I didn't know. He purchased it through the agency. If I'd known he was a businessman I wouldn't have sold my house to him..."
Seher blinked, hearing the animosity in his words. Çeyda nudged her husband in warning.
"So when will the construction begin?"
"I beg you pardon?" She said.
"He's going to convert my cabin into a guesthouse, isn't he? The money will be good. Mount Ararat is a popular destination among tourists", His voice dripped with contempt. "After all, what's more precious to a businessman than a way to make more money...."
"My husband bought this cabin for our family", Seher said pleasantly, cutting him off. "This will be our home for the next week and hopefully more weeks to come in the future. This place looks too cozy and warm to be just an impersonal guesthouse...."
The man looked surprised. When he glanced back at Yaman and Ziya loading off the luggage, his expression was less hostile this time.
"I better go and give them a hand then..."
Çeyda ushered them inside to freshen up and have dinner. Later, Seher carried a sleepy Yusuf into his room, which he would share with Çiçek. His eyes were already closing by the time she tucked him in. Then she went looking for the master bedroom.
Seher opened the door. Moonlight filtered in through the large window, painting everything in a soft silvery light. The smell of pine was stronger here.
Her gaze traveled over the furniture in the room- the large canopy bed, the wooden armoire and the dressing table and various other knickknacks. Their suitcases were placed at the foot of the bed- she'd have to wait until tomorrow to unpack them.
Seher walked over to the window and threw it open. A cool breeze blew in, lifting her hair off her shoulders. Their room faced a beautiful garden stretching towards a sparkling lake. Wildflowers dotted the garden and a lone cow slept near the edge of the woods, its ears twitching to every noise.
A sound from behind her made Seher turn around. Yaman stood leaning against the doorframe, watching her through warm eyes. He sucked in a deep breath and walked towards her.
"I thought I'd be used to it by now", he said, linking his arms around her waist, from behind. Seher leaned back against him, unconsciously.
"What?"
"Your beauty", he said. "But it knocks me out everytime. Like I'm seeing you for the very first time. You're so beautiful..."
And she'd thought she'd be used to his extreme compliments by now. Apparently not. Seher blushed to the roots of her hair.
"Surely you weren't thinking that I was beautiful, when you first saw me?" She asked, thoughtfully.
She remembered the moment. She'd been terrified of him, when she'd first met him. His expression had been permanently fixated in a death scowl and she'd been sure that he would kill her on the spot. The following weeks had only heightened her fear of him.
It still astonished her how far they'd come. Now she couldn't imagine a life without him.
"I was angry with you at first", Yaman admitted. "You were so stubborn. You defied me at every turn. Then I saw you for who you were- a strong, beautiful woman. Truth to be told, I was jealous of everyone around you. Even Yusuf..."- his voice was sheepish."...don't blame me. I'm possessive when it comes to what's mine".
Seher chuckled at that. She understood him. When you grow up on streets, surrounded by thieves and mobsters, with the risk of everything being stolen from you, you learn to be protective. In Yaman's case, it had triggered the possessive side of him.
Yaman brushed her hair away from her shoulders and pressed his lips to the pulse point on her neck. Seher shivered and closed her eyes. He ran his hands up and down her sides, his touch feather- soft and her body responded to him, like it always did.
"Are you tired?" He muttered against her skin.
Seher turned around in his arms, peering into his eyes which were already dark with desire.
"Aren't you tired? You've been behind the wheel for hours..."
He let his gaze wander all over the contours of her face, as if he was memorizing her. Then he pushed back her hair and cupped her cheek.
"I'm never tired when it comes to you", he said. "Besides, I have a feeling that this vacation is going to be good for us. I want to start it with something beautiful".
Seher smiled, putting her arms around his neck.
"I'd like that too..."
With a breathy exhale, Yaman leaned down and claimed her mouth in a deep kiss.
************************************
"Come take a walk with me", Yaman said, holding out his hand.
Seher looked up from her task of putting away the picnic things. They'd just had lunch. Now at the lake, Ziya was showing Yusuf how to put a string to a fishing rod. Çiçek smiled at Seher.
"You go, Seher. I'll clean out the rest here".
Seher grabbed Yaman's hand and pulled herself up to her feet. She'd healed up nice during the past few weeks and she'd even gained some weight. There was colour in her cheeks for a change and her green eyes sparkled. Yaman smiled at her.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing", he said. "I'm glad to see you up and healthy. You're alright, aren't you?"
"I'm happy", she admitted, sliding her arm around his waist. "What about you, are you happy?"
They stopped near Ziya and Yusuf. Seher took a bottle from her pocket to rub citronella oil on Yusuf's bare wrists and calves. In this heat, mosquitoes seemed to be abundant here. They didn't want the child to be sick from mosquito bites. Once they trailed away from the lake, Seher looked up at Yaman.
"So?"
Yaman thought for a moment.
"Happy doesn't even describe what I feel. I never knew I could love or trust a woman enough to marry her. Marriage was never an option in my life. But now I don't even know what I'd do without you..."
Briefly, his mind wandered back to all those lonely months without Seher, the black void in his heart. It had been worse than death.
"Neither do I", Seher said. "We're going to be together until our hair turns white, remember?"
Yaman smiled. The hushed noise of the woods around them felt peaceful after the hubbub of the city life in Istanbul. Birds chirped on tree tops and leaves rustled in the faint breeze. The path winded through the forest, away from the lake. Before they'd left, Kaan had warned them not to stray from the main path if they decided to take a stroll in the woods. There were too many hunting trails in the mountain it was apparently easy to get lost.
Ahead of them, the path dropped downward and twisted through two, large convoluted rocks, creating what looked like a small cave. Greenery burst all around them and sunlight touched every surface but inside the cave, it looked cold and dark. Seher shivered.
"If you're scared to go down this trail, let's backtrack", Yaman said, concerned. "We can find another path".
"I'm not scared", she said, quickly. "It's just...there will be frogs and lizards, right? And what about leeches?"
Yaman smiled, looking amused.
"You're wearing boots. You don't have to worry about them".
Still, Seher clung to his arm as if her life depended on it. Just when they emerged from the other side, suddenly the sky split open and a faint drizzle started to fall down.
"What?" Seher yelled, surprised. "It's still sunny but it's also raining! Just our luck..."
Yaman peered up at the sky. No heavy gray clouds were visible and the rain looked like it was summoned straight out of thin air. Strange.
Seher reached out to catch some raindrops on her palms.
"The first rain of the dry season", she said in a dreamy voice. "My father used to say it brought sickness with it. He never let us play in the first rain".
Instantly, Yaman pulled Seher back, shielding her body with his. Seher yelped.
"What are you doing?"
"You just got healed", he said. "I don't want you to get sick again. Let's stay here until the rain stops".
Thankfully, it was dry in the cave. But soon, the air turned hot and humid. Seher's hair started curling in moist strands and perspiration clung to her brows, where she perched on a nearby rock. Yaman glanced at her flushed cheeks.
"You're sweating", he observed. "You should rest once we go back"
Seher swatted at his arm.
"Stop treating me like I'm breakable!"
Yaman blinked.
"You're not breakable. You're the strongest person I know. I just worry about you. Dr. Turgut said you came back from death. I don't want you to go through something like that again".
Seher smiled.
"I'm not always going to be super healthy, you know? Sickness is part of life..."
"You're not getting sick again! Not under my watch!" He said stubbornly. Then he toned down his glare.
"I know it sounds selfish, but I can't survive another separation like that. Nor can I see pain in your eyes ever again."
He was shocked at the intensity of his own emotions. He'd been numb most of his life, only giving into anger and pain. Love and true happiness had rarely been a part of his life. Now that he'd found both, he was terrified of losing them.
Seher's eyes went soft.
"We won't separate again. I just went away because I wanted you to live. Never- argh!"
She let out an earsplitting scream and jumped at Yaman.
"What? What?" He asked, alarmed.
"There's something moving down there", She clutched at his shirt. "Look, look!"
He squinted.
"Ah, yes. That's a tiny salamander. Very, very dangerous!"
She blushed at his teasing tone.
"Of course. Sorry. The sudden movements scared me..."
"You're still practically on my lap", Yaman pointed out in an amused voice.
If possible, she blushed harder. She tried to slide away from his lap, but Yaman tightened his arms around her waist.
"Let me go", she said, pushing her hair back. "I'm sweaty!"
"So am I. I don't want you to catch a cold".
Seher gave a surprised laugh. "I'm literally burning up!"
"Just be in my arms. Always", he said.
Seher puffed out a breath and leaned against him, staring at the shower of rain. Yaman concentrated on her face- on the kaleidoscope eyes and her wavy chestnut tresses, the rosy cheeks and her pale, parted lips.
"Stop it", she whispered.
"What?" He asked, still distracted.
"Stop looking at me like you're going to eat me!"
There was laughter in her voice.
He brushed his thumb over her cheek and peered into her eyes.
"Is there any other way for me to look at you?"
She exhaled, shakily.
Yaman always marveled at how he responded to Seher. One moment, he was basking in her warmth peacefully and the next he wanted to kiss her until both of them ran out of breath, unbridled passion simmering just under his skin. He felt alive with emotions only she could evoke in him.
Seher gave a nervous cough and hid her face in her hair.
"Ahem... The rain has stopped", she said. "Should we go back?"
Still unbelievably shy... Yaman felt a wave of fondness sweep through him. He wouldn't have her any different.
He stood up, pulling her along with him.
"Sure. When we go back, I'll start a fire in the living room and we'll have our coffee infront of the fireplace".
Seher nodded happily.
************************************
The sickness hit her out of nowhere.
Seher barely made it into the bathroom, before she lost her dinner. Ignoring her cramping stomach, she brushed her teeth and took a hot shower to clear her head.
This was the fourth day she was feeling sick after they'd returned from the vacation and went back to their daily routine. She'd only felt a mild discomfort at first. Then it was soon followed by violent nausea and throbbing headaches. By the third day, she was sure that she'd caught a stomach bug during her stay in mount Ararat.
Seher brushed her hair and came out of the bathroom, after pinching her cheeks to add some colour into her milky white skin. Yaman was already up, yawning slightly, working on his iPad. His dark hair was adorably sleep mussed.
"You woke up, early?" He asked, blinking.
"Uh huh", she said, avoiding his eyes.
She remembered how worried he'd been of her health. There was no need to scare him because of a small sickness. It would pass.
Yaman disappeared into the bathroom and Seher slumped against the couch, sighing. It was almost ironic that she would feel sick right after their magical vacation when she'd boasted to Yaman about her being unbreakable. She put her head on the armrest and closed her eyes.
Seher jerked up, when the bathroom door opened and Yaman came out, buttoning his cuffs. Hastily, she reached for a magazine on the stool next to her, pretending to read it.
"You're still here?" He asked sounding surprised. "I thought you've already gone to check on Yusuf".
"Yusuf must be sleeping in today, let him sleep", Seher said. "Why don't you go downstairs for breakfast? I'll come right after I finish this article".
Yaman narrowed his eyes. "Everything is alright, isn't it?"
She nodded without missing a beat.
"Of course".
After he left, Seher rummaged through the medicine cabinet and popped a Pyridoxine for nausea. Then she went downstairs, careful of her steps on the staircase and entered the dining room.
Everyone was seated around the table. Yusuf was giving Yaman a huge smile and Ziya was saying something to Çiçek who was pouring his tea. Seher briefly wondered how she came to be a part of such a beautiful family.
Yaman turned and smiled at her.
Before she could return it, Seher braced herself against the wall, hit with a bout of sickness so violent, she felt dark spots swimming in her vision. Her knees trembled under her and she swallowed hard.
A chair scraped across the floor and Yaman's worried voice rang out.
"Seher?"
I'm alright...She wanted to say but her mouth wouldn't shape the words. A wave of dizziness swept over her and she promptly collapsed, sinking into the darkness.
❤️
*Cough* stomach bug *cough*😁
Emanet is a psychological thriller. The people who still think it's a family show, are just kidding themselves 😂😂😂
If you enjoyed the chapter, give a vote and drop a comment 😘
-nocturnal4ever