One, two, three, four...
Eda counted every step Serkan took, intently looking at him as he walked towards her. One, his brows that furrowed when the sunlight would hit his eyes even though he had sunglasses on. Two, his muscular arms that swayed as he walked. Three, his beautiful hand that slipped into the pockets of his pants. Four, his muscular chest that was visible through his buttoned-down shirt. Five, his lower lip that he licked wet...
"Eda?" Serkan asked, waving a hand in front of her face to get her attention.
"Hmm?" She responded, snapping out of her daydreams.
"İyi misin?" He asked as he took off his glasses to look at her.
"İyiyim. İyiyim. I was just...a little distracted." She answered, clearing her throat and seeming to avoid his gaze so as to not show her look of embarrassment from checking him out.
"Tamam." He said, sitting beside Kiraz who started coughing, making Serkan look at her with worry. "Lara, can you get some water?"
"Tamam, Serkan bey." She answered, walking up to a waiter to ask for a glass of water. "Here, Kiraz..." said Lara, handing her some water.
"Teşekkürler." Kiraz thanked Lara before drinking.
"İyi misin, Kiraz?" asked Eda.
"Anne..." Kiraz coughed again.
"Ne oldu?"
"I don't feel good." Eda and Serkan started to get really worried at what she said.
"Where does it hurt?" asked Serkan.
"Here..." She then pointed at her throat and chest while coughing.
Eda then put her hand on Kiraz's forehead to check for temperature. "She's heating up, Serkan." She said with immense worry.
"I don't like this. Let's take her to the hospital." Serkan said. But then as he stood up, he furrowed his brows in thought. "Kiraz, did you eat the strawberry?" He asked as her symptoms reflect an allergic reaction.
"Hayır. Just the whipped cream on anne's pancake." answered Kiraz.
Eda quickly checked the whipped cream and tasted it. Her eyes went wide in shock as she looked at Serkan. "Çilek."
Serkan immediately carried Kiraz in his arms and ran, Eda trailing behind him. They made their way to the entrance where Dante had readied the van for their drive to the airport.
"Dante, take us to the nearest hospital. Hurry!" exclaimed Serkan as they went in with Dante nodding and immediately starting the car then zooming off.
On their way to the hospital, Kiraz started blinking her eyes close as she was nearing the state of unconsciousness.
"Kiraz?" Eda called out, rubbing her daughter's arm to get her attention...but she did not respond.
"Kiraz?" Serkan also called out, but then felt her body go limp in his arms, signaling that she had indeed become unconscious. This made Eda cry out in fear.
They came to a stop, arriving at the hospital emergency entrance. Eda immediately opened the door, rushing out of the car and into the emergency room with Serkan and Kiraz. Nurses came to their assistance and directed them to the examination bed as a doctor appeared beside them.
"Doctor, my daughter ate strawberries which she is allergic to." explained Eda.
"Okay. I'd need you to wait outside while we treat her. Rest assured that she will get well. We will update you on anything." said the doctor.
Serkan and Eda both went out of the emergency room and to the waiting room. Eda couldn't help but tear up at the thought of their daughter lying on a hospital bed. Serkan engulfed her in a hug, comforting her as she cried on his chest, also making a few tears escape his eyes.
Not long after, Kiraz was transferred to a private room to continue her rest and still keep her under observation. Eda and Serkan sat on the couch beside her bed, holding each other's hand for comfort and reassurance.
A knock on the door was heard and a doctor came in with her nurse. "Good morning, I'm Dr. Mia." She introduced herself. "...and this is nurse Gabi, she'll be taking your daughter's vitals right now."
"Your daughter had an anaphylactic shock due to the strawberry that she ate, but luckily she's fine. We had given her some medicine and fluids, and all she needs now is to rest. I recommend staying for a few hours so we can observe her state, in case there may be any changes to her condition." said Dr. Mia.
"Okay, doctor. Thank you so much." said Serkan and Eda before Dr. Mia and nurse Gabi left.
Eda then sat on the chair near Kiraz's bed, holding her hand, while Serkan sat on the bed, his hand over his mouth as his jaw clenched at the disappointment he felt towards himself.
"Serkan..." Eda said, looking at him with her tear stained face.
"How can I make such a mistake?" He spoke, making Eda sigh. "You raised Kiraz to this age—I walk into her life, and in a few days such a thing happens. How can I miss it?"
"She is still a small child. It happens." responded Eda, reassuring him that it's not his fault but he only shook his head. "You don't have to be the perfect father, Serkan. It's enough that you are with us."
Just then, Kiraz woke up, looking up at her parents who smiled in delight. "Annecim, günaydın." greeted Eda.
"Merhaba." responded Kiraz with a smile.
"Merhaba, aşkım." said Eda, kissing Kiraz on the forehead. "İyi misin, bebeğim?" Kiraz nodded in response, making Eda and Serkan sigh in relief.
"Allah'a şükürler." said Eda, finally feeling a little less worried.
Kiraz, who noticed her parents' hands on her lap, took Serkan's hand and put it on top of Eda's before putting hers last, letting them know that she was fine and happy that they were with her.
"Both of you are here, by my side." She said.
"We are here, annecim. Here, next to you." responded Eda. However, Serkan only looked down as he felt guilty as he blames himself for what happened.
"It's good that you came back from space..." Kiraz said to Serkan, making him look at her. "...and came to me."
"Teşekkürler for protecting me...baba." With Kiraz's words, a tear fell from Serkan's eye, as so with Eda.
They did not expect her to utter the very word that Serkan had been longing to hear for years. It sounded like music to his ears—he had not heard anything better than the sound of her saying it. How amazing it is to be a baba. He thought.
"Seni çok seviyorum, kızım." Serkan said, kissing her forehead.
"Ben de seni." She responded.
—--------------
Their morning flight had turned into an afternoon flight. Serkan had moved it so they could stay at the hospital to ensure Kiraz was all in the clear. Throughout the flight, Kiraz stuck by Serkan's side, falling asleep in his arms as she hugged him tightly, not letting go. Eda found this really sweet.
"Kiraz!" exclaimed Can, running towards her.
The Sezgins were at the hangar, fetching Serkan, Eda, and Kiraz. After the hospital, Serkan and Eda told Kiraz that she could have anything she wanted for the day—and one of the things she wanted to do was see Can. So Serkan called Engin and arranged to pick them up at the airport.
"Hoş geldi̇ni̇z, abicim!" said Engin to Serkan. "How was Italy?"
"It was eventful...especially with what happened to Kiraz." explained Serkan. He paused a little then spoke again.
"Ama, it was also..." A smile formed on his lips as he took a glance at Eda while she, on the other hand, avoided his gaze. "...interesting."
Engin and Piril looked at their friends, seeming to notice something different between them. Eda cleared her throat to divert their attention from Serkan's statement.
"Tamam. Shall we go?" Eda spoke.
"Tamam. Why don't you guys have dinner at our house?" suggested Piril.
"Yok, yok. It's fine." said Eda.
"I prepared dinner. Also, this way, Kiraz and Can can spend more time." added Engin.
"I like the idea." agreed Serkan. "Eda?"
She thought for a little bit and looked at Kiraz and Can who were running around playing tag. "Tamam, tamam."
"O zaman, hadi gidelim." ushered Engin.
More than an hour had passed by since they were at the Sezgin house—the dinner was delicious as Engin's cooking was as always superb. This made Eda not regret agreeing to go, especially when he had prepared steak and fries—Eda and Kiraz's favorite.
They were now in the living room just relaxing while Kiraz and Can were in his room, playing. Engin and Serkan then stood up and went to the kitchen to get a glass of whiskey, leaving Piril and Eda in the living room.
"İyi misin, Eda?" asked Piril, she noticed that she had been acting weirdly the whole night.
"İyiyim. Neden?" responded Eda.
"You seem a little distracted...did something happen?"
Before Eda answered, she double checked to see if Serkan and Engin were on their way back. When she was sure they weren't, she then spoke. "We...we kissed."
"Ne?" This surprised Piril.
"Did he kiss you or did you kiss him?" asked Piril.
"We kind of just kissed." Eda admitted shyly.
Meanwhile with Serkan and Engin...
"Ne?" exclaimed Engin.
"Evet, Engin. We kissed."
"What did Eda say?" Did she kiss you back?" asked Engin.
"She did kiss me back but she didn't say anything about it." answered Serkan.
"What do you plan on doing?"
"I'm dreading to talk to her. I need her to know what I feel about us and that this time I'm not leaving."
"Abi, you know Eda. She will avoid this topic." Engin pointed out.
"Well then...if I can't make her listen, then I'll just show it. After all, actions speak louder than words." Serkan smiled.
"Süper, abi." responded Engin as he took a sip of whiskey. "Hadi, let's go back before they start wondering why we're taking so long."
The two men walked back to the living room, changing the topic of their conversation as they took sips from their glasses of whiskey. Piril and Eda had also chosen to talk about something else the moment they heard footsteps going towards them.
"Engin, Piril...Çok teşekkür ederim for having us." said Eda.
"It's not a problem. You can come anytime." Engin responded. "Serkan does it all the time, uninvited." He joked, making them laugh while earning an eye roll from his best friend.
"Tamam, I'll go get Kiraz." said Serkan. He was about to turn around and go when Kiraz and Can came down from his room.
"Kiraz?" Eda called out.
"Evet anne?" Kiraz answered, walking towards Eda.
"We have to go, bebeğim. Say good night to Can." said Eda.
"Can't we stay a little longer?"
"Kiraz, we still have to go to the hotel and check-in, and your baba has to go home, too." reasoned Eda.
"Hotel?" asked Engin and Piril, confused.
"Evet. We'll be staying at the hotel just for a day or two, anyway. There's just a little cleaning to be done at the house before we move in." answered Eda. Serkan was just quiet—not wanting to argue again with Eda. He had offered for them to stay at his house but she refused...and refused...and refused.
"Are you not staying with us at the hotel, baba?" Kiraz turned to Serkan and asked.
"I—"
"Yok, he has to stay at his house." Eda answered, cutting off Serkan.
"Then why can't we stay at baba's house?" asked Kiraz, making Serkan smile from ear to ear as he knew where the conversation was going.
The question left Eda speechless. "Can and his parents live in the same house. So why can't we?" Kiraz pointed out.
"Do you not love each other?" She asked but when she did not get an immediate response from Eda, she quickly turned to Serkan. "Baba, do you not love, anne? Is that why we can't stay at your house?"
"Yok, yok. Don't even think about that." He answered, crouching to look her in the eyes. "I love you and your anne very much. And I wouldn't want anything else but for you to stay at my house."
Kiraz gave Serkan a tight hug, delighted at what she heard. "O zaman, we'll stay with you!" She exclaimed, obviously having made her decision.
"Annecim, Kiraz..." Eda warned, not liking the idea.
"Why don't we do this, Eda...You can stay until your house gets finished. As you said, it's just a day or two anyway." Serkan suggested, using her reasoning against her.
Eda felt defeated at Serkan's point and Kiraz's pleading. She had no choice but to answer, "İyi tamam. I'll call Melo so she knows where we are."
"Yey!" Kiraz cheered, hugging Eda as her thank you. At this, Eda sneaked a suspicious glance at Serkan who only raised his hands in innocence.
—--------------
An awkward silence surrounded Eda and Serkan as they stepped in his house, as after almost 5 years, she was back there—memories flooding her head. A smile formed on her lips as she remembered how they lived through his memory loss and having a baby at the same time—it was pure chaos.
"Tamam. Here we are." Serkan said as he rolled in their luggage inside. "I wasn't really expecting you to be staying here so I wasn't able to have Seyfi prepare the guest room. But I'll have him fix it tomorrow." He explained.
"So tonight, you and Kiraz can stay in my room...I'll sleep on the couch." He added.
"Tamam." nodded Eda who was carrying a sleeping Kiraz.
She then put her down on the bed and took out some clothes from their luggage so they could change into something comfortable for the night. Serkan also took some clothes from his closet before walking out of the room as Eda slowly closed the sliding doors.
"İyi geceler, Serkan Bolat."
"İyi geceler, Eda Yildiz."
—--------------
The following morning, Kiraz woke up unfamiliar to her surroundings. She was not aware where she was as she had been asleep on their way to Serkan's place. She sat still and looked around before shaking Eda awake.
"Günaydın anne, wake up." Kiraz said as she shook Eda, waking her up. "Where are we?"
Eda sat up and rubbed her eyes awake as she looked at her daughter who looked back at her with confusion. This made Eda look around as it took her a second to realize that she was in Serkan's room and it took another second for her memory to kick in.
"Günaydın, bebeğim. We're at your baba's house." Eda said as she stood up from the bed, Kiraz following behind her.
"Gerçekten?" She asked excitedly.
"Evet." answered Eda as she slowly opened the sliding door of his room.
"Ama where's baba?" Kiraz asked.
Upon fully opening the sliding door and the curtains, it revealed Serkan in the living room, asleep on the couch. Kiraz's brows furrowed in confusion at the sight of this, clearly thinking why her baba had not slept beside them.
"Anne, why is baba sleeping on the couch?" she asked, but nothing came out of Eda's mouth.
At the sound of Kiraz's voice, Serkan woke up—sitting up and squinting his eyes, looking towards them and smiling. "Günaydın."
"Baba, why are you sleeping on the couch and not in the bed with us?" Kiraz asked as she walked towards Serkan. "Are you and anne fighting?"
This made Serkan look at Eda. "Yok, yok." He shook his head. "Umm...I was working last night and fell asleep on the couch." He explained, but Kiraz still intently looked at him.
"Merak etme, Kiraz. Anne and I did not fight." He reassured her as she hugged him tightly.
"Tamam. Hadi, Kiraz, let's get ready for the day." said Eda.
Serkan looked at the time and realized that they had all overslept as it was already 7 in the morning—overslept for Kiraz and Serkan while it was just perfect for Eda. He then stood up and headed outside to prepare breakfast.
Setting the last plate of food down on the patio table, Eda and Kiraz came out of the house all dressed up to go. They're probably going to go and check out their house. He thought, his curiosity also kicking in as to what the house looks like.
"Wow!" said Kiraz, looking at the food.
"What's the occasion?" asked Eda, wondering why Serkan had prepared such an elegant breakfast—eggs benedict, belgian waffles, fruits, salad, and other fancy looking food.
"Hiçbir şey...I'm just happy to have breakfast with my family at my house." answered Serkan, giving Eda a big smile.
"Tamam." Eda responded, giving Serkan a suspicious look as she sat down on the couch with Kiraz.
"If you don't mind me asking...where are you going?" asked Serkan, making Eda smile in amusement. "I'm not meddling. I'm not hovering." He said defensively.
He's hovering. She thought. He's definitely hovering.
"Halam is arriving today. We'll be fetching her at the airport." answered Eda.
"Hmm..." Serkan nodded at this. "She'll be staying with you then?"
"Yok. She bought the old house back, so she'll be staying there again with Melo."
"Öyle mi?"
"Evet."
"Why didn't she just join us on our flight yesterday?" asked Serkan, curious.
"Yani..." She didn't need to finish her sentence as he understood what she was going to say and this just made him scoff in amusement.
"Tamam. Anlıyorum." He answered. It was plain as day—Ayfer didn't want to be in the same plane as Serkan.
"I'm full!" exclaimed Kiraz after finishing a whole plate of food. "The food was delicious baba. Teşekkürler."
"Anything for you, kızım." He answered, smiling at her lovingly.
Just as they were all done eating, they could hear two pairs of feet walking towards Serkan's house. Eda looked at Serkan as she definitely knew who was coming. At the same time, she also wondered why she didn't realize this possibility when staying at Serkan's.
"Serkan, ne—" Aydan was not able to finish her sentence at the sight of two other people she was not expecting to see at her son's house.
"Eda Hanim?" asked a shocked Seyfi.
"Evet, Seyfi." She nodded, smiling at him. "Günaydın."
"Günaydın, Aydan Hanim." Eda said to Aydan.
"Is this who I think it is?" Aydan asked, gesturing towards Kiraz as she looked at Serkan for confirmation.
"Evet, anne." Serkan answered, then sighed, rubbing his forehead. This was not how Serkan wanted Kiraz to know who her grandmother was.
"Anne?" Kiraz looked at Serkan, confused.
"Evet, Kiraz. This is my anne, your babaanne." He explained.
"Günaydın, Kiraz. I'm your babaanne." said Aydan, getting teary-eyed as she walked towards her granddaughter.
"Günaydın." She greeted back before turning to Eda. "Anne, it turns out I have a babaanne." She said, making Serkan chuckle.
"Evet, kızım. You're very lucky." answered Eda.
Kiraz then turned to Seyfi. "Then are you my dede?"
"Hayır." Seyfi answered, raising his hands to express his statement. "I'm just Aydan Hanim's sidekick."
"He's part of the family." added Serkan, making Seyfi look at him with love.
"Ne güzel." said Kiraz.
"Tamam. We actually have to go." Eda said, standing up and holding Kiraz's hand. "I don't want to be late."
"Tamam. A van is waiting for you in the driveway. He'll take you anywhere." said Serkan.
"Serkan, there was no need for that." Serkan only shook his head at the protest. "Tamam. Teşekkürler."
Eda was about to bid goodbye to everyone when Kiraz suddenly rushed back to Serkan to ask him a very important question. "Baba, you'll be sleeping in the bed tonight with anne and I, right? İş yok."
"Ne?" This was the reaction that came from Aydan.
Seyfi on the other hand gave Serkan and Eda looks of love. "Ayy...Çok tatlı." He said.
"Seyfi, sus." whispered Aydan.
Not minding them, Serkan smiled cheekily at Eda before looking back at Kiraz. "Evet, kızım. Yapacağım."
"Tamam, Kiraz. You got your answer. Hadi gidelim." Eda said and Kiraz nodded in response. "Görüşürüz." She nodded towards the three other people on the patio.
"Bye-bye." Kiraz waved goodbye.
As Eda and Kiraz had finally left, Aydan sat down beside Serkan on the couch, obviously wanting to ask a million questions. Serkan sighed and stood up to escape but Aydan grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Bi dakka, Serkan." said Aydan.
Serkan sighed and turned to his mom. "Ne anne?"
"Bu ne?" She asked, talking about the whole setup Eda and Serkan has. "What is this 'playing house' that you are doing?"
"It's for Kiraz." He answered.
"Tamam, it's for Kiraz." She responded sarcastically. "You really want me to believe that?" Serkan did not answer.
"Gerçekten, I don't even know why you're putting up with her after she left you." Aydan complained.
This triggered a nerve in Serkan as his expression changed from annoyance to anger. "Lütfen, anne. Don't talk about something you don't know." He sternly said before leaving to go inside the house, slamming the sliding door shut.
"Did I say something wrong?" She asked Seyfi, who only shrugged in innocence.
—----------------
"Hoş geldiniz!" Melo greeted Eda, Ayfer, and Kiraz as they walked inside the once familiar house.
"Melo! Canim, nasılsın? How was living here alone for a few days?" asked Ayfer.
"At first it wasn't the most pleasant but I managed." answered Melo.
After buying back the house, Melo had volunteered to arrange and clean up before Ayfer arrived as she was excited at fixing up the house like how it used to be back then.
"You did a great job, Melo." said Eda. "It looks just like before."
"Did you used to live here, anne?" Kiraz asked.
"Evet, bebeğim. So many great things happened here with Melo, aunt Ceren, aunt Fifi, Hala, and everybody else."
"And with baba, too?" Kiraz's question made Ayfer and Melo look at Eda.
"Evet." Eda answered, smiling at her daughter before sighing as memories of their times together flooding her head once again.
"Melo, why don't you show Kiraz upstairs?" suggested Ayfer.
"Tamam. Hadi, Kiraz." Melo said as she took Kiraz's hand and led her upstairs.
As Eda sat on the couch, looking around, Ayfer spoke. "Eda..."
"Evet, hala?"
"What is this thing I heard that you're currently staying at Serkan's house?" Ayfer calmly asked, containing her frustration.
Eda sighed and thought. Melo. "Evet, we are currently staying there at Kiraz's request. Just until the house is done." She responded, emphasizing on Kiraz's name, making sure Ayfer understood that it was not her decision.
"Just until the house is done, öyle mi?" Ayfer sarcastically asked, earning a look from Eda. "Tamam."
"Öyle, hala. I'm even going to the house right now to check on it." She responded, standing up to leave. "I'll leave Kiraz here for a while. Tamam mi?"
"Tamam, canim." nodded Ayfer.
"Kiraz?" Eda called out on the foot of the stairs and Kiraz immediately came rushing down.
"Evet, anne?"
"I'll have to go look at the house for a bit. You play with Melo and hala today, tamam mi?"
"Tamam." She answered. Eda then kissed Kiraz's cheek and bid goodbye to everyone before leaving.
Arriving at the new house, Eda smiled and took a deep breath in—she could smell the flowers in the garden giving her a sense of relaxation. She then went inside to check out the whole house, making sure that everything was all set before they moved in.
"Hoş geldiniz, Eda Hanim." greeted Elif. She had been overlooking the whole renovation of the house since Eda decided to move back to Istanbul. "Everything is done. You can move in as early as tomorrow."
"Çok teşekkür ederim, Elif, for all the help." Eda thanked her before she left for the day.
The house was finally ready. They could finally move in—and this meant moving out of Serkan's house. It's not like we moved in with him in the first place anyway. She thought, although it had felt this way since they have been cohabitating in one room since Italy, and to add to that, there was that time at the resort, too.
Eda took a deep breath at the thought of Italy. She did not know what came over her for her to give in to such a temptation—a handsome man called Serkan Bolat. She shook her head from the thoughts of him and told herself...This time I'll be better at thinking things through.
—------------------
Ring...Ring...Ring...
"Efendim, Serkan?" answered Eda.
"Neredesin sen?" He asked.
"I'm at a furniture shop. Neden?"
"Hiçbir şey yok. Is Kiraz with you?"
"Yok. She's with halam."
"Tamam." He plainly responded, not sure how to continue with the conversation.
"Is that the only reason you called?" She asked.
"Evet." He answered, making Eda furrow her brows in confusion.
"Tamam."
"Tamam. Görüşürüz." Serkan lastly said before ending the call. Eda stared at her phone highly confused about the conversation she just had.
"What a weird, weird person." She said to herself, putting her phone back inside her bag.
"Hanımefendi, will you be taking this one?" asked the store staff.
"Do you have it in white?" She asked.
"I'll go check if we still have some." answered the staff before leaving.
Eda browsed along the decor and furniture store looking for a few final touches to add to the house. She found an adorable star-design lantern, perfect for Kiraz's room, next to it was a robot like figurine. This made her smile as it reminded her of Serkan.
"Buying something for the new house, hanımefendi?"
"Serkan? How did you know I was here?" She asked, surprised.
"I called the driver." He smiled, making Eda roll her eyes. "So, what are we doing right now?"
"You know, you just invited yourself to something you're not invited to." said Eda, referring to how she did not want him to be there.
"I get that complaint a lot...especially from you." He playfully admitted. "How's the house?" He asked, as he followed her through the store.
"It's done. We can finally move in tomorrow." She said, excitedly. The thought of them leaving his house and him not being able to see them almost 24 hours a day, made Serkan sad.
"What time will you be moving?"
"Hmm...maybe around 2 in the afternoon." Serkan pursed his lips as he knew that he had a very important meeting during that time. Eda perfectly knew this as she had access to his calendar. She didn't want him to be there for reasons she wanted to keep secret.
"Tamam." He sighed. "I have a meeting during that time so I won't be able to go but—"
"It's fine." She quickly answered, smiling at him.
"As I was saying, I'll maybe see you after my meeting. Hopefully." He was also unsure as he had left a few workloads since flying to Italy and he definitely had to catch up.
"We'll see." She shrugged, confident that he wouldn't be able to go.
"Pardon." said the clerk. "Hanımefendi, we still have some in white. I've added your order to the counter. Is there anything else you're looking for?" He asked.
"Weren't you looking at the lantern earlier?" Serkan asked Eda.
"Evet, add the star-design lantern, over there, too." She said.
The store clerk was about to leave when Serkan suddenly spoke. "Do you have any scented candles? We were thinking of spicing it up tonight." He jokingly asked, earning a light jab and a stern look from Eda.
"We actually do." He answered, happily leading them to the candle section. "We have different scents but couples really love the cherry blossom. So, I'd suggest that."
Serkan tried his best to hold in his laugh as the store clerk took him seriously. I mean who wouldn't. He thought. "Ahh, cherry blossom. Öyle mi?" Serkan asked, smiling suggestively at Eda wherein he earned another stern look.
"Evet." answered the clerk.
"We'll get 10." Serkan said to the clerk who nodded in response before taking 10 candles to the counter.
"Ne yapıyorsun?" asked Eda.
"Ne? Don't you like the candles?" Serkan asked innocently.
"Hayır!" She exclaimed quietly.
"Didn't you like the cherry blossom candles in Sapanca? Because I always thought you did. Yani...you showed me you did." He playfully remarked, winking at her.
"Yeter, Serkan!" She exclaimed quietly again.
"That's not what you said in Sapanca." He said, giving her a smug look. "Bu arada, Kiraz was conceived there. Just in case you forgot that magical time."
He then walked away and proceeded at the checkout counter to avoid Eda's look of annoyance and death stares. These looks and stares may be true but Eda was also hiding a smile underneath it, amused at the things Serkan said.
—---------------
"İyi akşamlar." Serkan greeted as Ayfer opened the door, not really too happy seeing Serkan at her doorstep...but she had no choice.
"İyi akşamlar, hala." Eda also greeted, holding back a laugh from the tension between Serkan and Ayfer.
"Hoş geldiniz." Ayfer said, welcoming them as she opened the door for them to enter.
"Baba!" Kiraz exclaimed, running towards Serkan who had just entered the living room.
Serkan then carried her in his arms and smiled. "How was your day, Kiraz?"
"I had fun with Melo and halam. We made pinwheels and put it upstairs so it would spin!" She said. "Hadi, baba. I'll show it to you."
"Anne!" exclaimed Kiraz as Eda also entered the living room. "Let's go upstairs. I'll show you the pinwheels I made."
"Let's have dinner first, tamam bebeğim? Then we'll go upstairs." said Eda.
"Tamam." Kiraz nodded.
They sat awkwardly during dinner, feeling how Ayfer was towards Serkan. Every now and then Eda would strike a look towards her aunt, making sure she doesn't say something Kiraz would start wondering about.
After dinner, Kiraz quickly dragged her anne and baba up the terrace to show the pinwheels that she made. They sat on the couch and looked at them spinning as the wind blew. This also made Eda and Kiraz shiver at the cold breeze that also hit them.
Serkan noticed this and put Kiraz on his lap and engulfed her in a hug, warming her up. He was about to put an arm around Eda when Kiraz, who was facing Eda, spoke.
"Baba, anne is also cold. You should also hug her." Kiraz instructed, making Serkan smile and Eda takenaback.
"Evet, kızım. I was already planning to." He answered.
Serkan looked at Eda with a mischievous smile while Eda only looked back at him sternly as if saying 'you planned this'. With Kiraz on his lap, intently looking at her parents, Serkan put one arm over Eda's shoulders while the other reached out to embrace her. Their heads perfectly placed on the crook of each other's neck as they deeply breathed in one's scent—this made them close their eyes and just be in the moment.
However, they were interrupted by Kiraz who slipped herself in between the two, making them separate just a little, enough for Kiraz to snuggle to them with all of them finally feeling warm—Kiraz at the warmth of her parents and, Eda and Serkan at each other's increasing body temperature from the closeness they were in. Oh, the tension.
—------------------
The night came by fast as they were now back at Serkan's, walking up to his house hand-in-hand with Kiraz in the middle. Luckily, Aydan wasn't around to bother them. A bark came from the patio, signaling that Sirius was around, and this made Kiraz run towards the sound, leaving her parents behind.
"Hoş geldiniz, Serkan bey and Eda Hanim." Seyfi greeted. "I prepared the other room for you. I've also moved your bags there."
"Teşekkürler, Seyfi." said Eda.
"Rica ederim." He responded before leaving.
"You're obviously happy." Serkan said.
"Why shouldn't I be? I'm finally sleeping on a separate bed from yours." Eda noted.
"Tamam." He put his hands in his pockets then spoke quietly. "You know you like it."
"Did you say something?" She sarcastically asked.
"Yok, yok." He answered, shaking his head.
"Kiraz, gel. Let's go inside." Eda called out to Kiraz who ran towards the door to go in, Serkan following behind.
"Bebeğim, we'll be sleeping in a different room tonight. Tamam mi?" said Eda.
"Tamam, anne." Kiraz nodded.
They proceeded to go down the hallway and towards the room Eda had stayed in when she was pregnant with Kiraz. Going in, Kiraz jumped on the bed and snuggled to one of the pillows. This made Eda and Serkan look at the bed then look at each other as a memory came to both of them.
"What can I do?" He asked, worried.
"It's okay, Serkan. This will pass. Doctor Asya said walking or resting will help. I've already rested so now, I'm walking." But it wasn't really helping Eda at the moment and Serkan knew this—it was obvious.
"Gel." He took Eda's hand, surprising her as he pulled her to the bed. "Lie down." He instructed.
"Serkan—"
"Just listen." He interrupted, making her shush and just nod in response. She lay down on her side, facing the window and sighed as she pulled the blanket to her belly.
"Now what?" She asked, annoyed.
This made Serkan smile. He didn't respond to her question and only moved to answer her—he had slipped himself under the covers and laid next to Eda, shocking her.
"Serkan, what are you doing?" She asked, trying to turn her head to look at him as she was caught off guard by his actions.
"Just relax. I'm not gonna do anything suspicious. Tamam mi?" He made it clear so she would not start stressing.
"Tamam." She answered, rolling her eyes as she turned to look back at the window.
"Just trust me." He whispered into her ear as he got nearer. This sent shivers down Eda's spine.
Serkan slowly closed the gap between them, pressing his torso towards her back, spooning her. He carefully slipped his hand under her arm, hugging her, his hand on her belly, right where their baby girl was. Eda closed her eyes and smiled as she put her hand on top of his.
Just a second ago, she was restless and in pain but now, she was fast asleep in his arms, false labor completely over. He lightly caressed Eda's belly with his thumb as he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
"Kiraz, why don't you go and get ready for bed?" said Eda, breaking their gaze.
"Tamam anne." Kiraz answered, going inside the bathroom.
"Umm...I'll probably let you get ready, too. Then I'll come back to say good night to Kiraz." Serkan said before walking out of the door and into his room, also preparing for the night.
Eda took a deep breath, looking at the bed once again as the memory kept replaying in her head, making her touch and rub her now flat belly. Kiraz, who had just stepped out of the bathroom, saw this.
"Is there a baby inside you, anne?" asked Kiraz, out of the blue, making Eda jump in surprise.
"Yok, Kiraz. There isn't." She made it clear. "What made you say that?"
"You were rubbing your belly just like how my classmate's mom did when she had a baby inside." Kiraz explained.
"There is no baby inside my belly, Kiraz. I was just..." Eda didn't know how to explain what she was doing so she just took a deep breath and repeated, "There is no baby inside my belly."
"Tamam."
"Hadi, let's finish up." said Eda, walking back inside the bathroom with Kiraz, a change of clothes in hand.
After they've gotten ready for bed, they heard a knock on the door and in came Serkan. Eda was clear on what she said earlier, that they'd be sleeping on separate beds tonight and this meant that Serkan will be sleeping alone. So he only came to say good night.
He walked towards Kiraz and sat on the bed, tucking her in. "Baba, can you tell me a story?" Kiraz asked.
"Tamam." He took a deep breath and started with his story. "Once upon a time..."
Ring...Ring...Ring...
Eda's phone rang, cutting Serkan from his storytelling. She looked from left to right but couldn't find her phone as it only continued to ring and seemed to come from outside.
"I'll be back, I probably left it in the living room." Eda said, getting up from the bed as Kiraz and Serkan nodded before going back to his story.
Indeed, Eda found her phone on the coffee table. She picked it up and finally answered the call, silencing the ringing phone.
"Hala?"
"Canim, will you be coming here tomorrow after dropping Kiraz off at the school or will we just meet you in the afternoon?" asked Ayfer, confirming the schedule for tomorrow.
"I'm not sure yet, hala. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know."
"Tamam, canim. İyi geceler. Görüşürüz." Ayfer lastly said before ending the call.
Walking through the hallway, the room next to where they were staying called out to her. She had the urge of opening the door, wanting to know what had now laid inside the room. Her hand took hold of the door knob and opened the door. Her breath got caught and a tear fell from her eye.
The room, which had used to be Kiraz's nursery, a surprise that Serkan gave Eda years ago, still looked the same...just as they left it. The crib was still there, and also the rocking chair, the sofa, the dresser, everything. The room looked like someone had always lived inside.
"You opened the room." said Serkan, walking inside the room, making Eda look at him. Kiraz had already fallen asleep and he wondered why she had not come back yet, only to find her inside the most precious room in his house.
"You kept it like this all these years?" She asked, another tear falling from the corner of her eyes.
"Evet. I wanted to keep Kiraz with me and this was my way of having her." He explained. "There were days when I felt so low, and being inside this room would always give me the comfort and strength that I needed."
More tears fell from Eda's eyes freely as she looked Serkan in the eyes, seeing how sincere he was. He neared her and put his hand on her cheek, brushing away her tears before hugging her tightly. They stayed like this for a few minutes before Eda suddenly laughed, breaking the moment they were having.
"Ne oldu?" asked Serkan as he looked at her, releasing her from his embrace.
"I just remembered the time when Kiraz needed a diaper change and you quickly handed her to me and called it perfect timing as you already had to go to work." She explained, laughing.
"It was the truth. I wasn't escaping." He said defensively, raising his hands, making Eda laugh even more.
"Tamam, tamam." said Eda, her laughter dying down. She then sighed and looked into his eyes. "Çok teşekkür ederim."
"For what?" He asked.
"For keeping this room as it is..." She answered.
"Neden?"
"Yani...It makes me happy to think that even though you pushed us away years ago, you still at least kept a piece of Kiraz with you." Sadness was evident in her voice as her finger stroked the edges of the crib.
The once light atmosphere around them turned heavy at what Eda said. Serkan looked down at the mention of what he had done before—guilt filling him. Looking back at each other, he gave her an apologetic look; however, what he found in her eyes was confusion and confliction—like she wanted to say something but couldn't.
Eda sighed then gave Serkan a warm smile. "İyi geceler, Serkan Bolat."
"İyi geceler, Eda Yildiz." He responded, also giving her a light smile before she left the room.
—-----------------
Serkan was having coffee at the patio dining area while he waited for Eda and Kiraz so they could have breakfast together. They were all now back to their normal life with Serkan busy with work, Kiraz having school, and Eda double checking things for the move later in the afternoon.
"Günaydın, baba!" greeted Kiraz as she stepped out of the house with Eda.
"Günaydın, kızım." He greeted back before looking at Eda to greet her too. "Günaydın, Eda."
"Günaydın." Eda responded, sitting down opposite him as they all started with breakfast.
"What are your plans today?" asked Serkan.
"After I drop off Kiraz at school, I'll maybe go to hala's and check if all the boxes we shipped arrived so we'll be ready for the move this afternoon. Then I'll pick up Kiraz after school then go straight to the house." She explained, not sure why she did but she did anyway.
"Tamam." He nodded. Serkan tried his best to move his meeting but he and Lara had no luck in doing so, making him stuck at the office for when Eda and Kiraz move.
The day came by quickly as it was already past 2 in the afternoon. Serkan was in his office, waiting for his client to arrive when he kept getting a call from an unknown number. Finally, after multiple rings, Serkan decided to answer the call.
"Merhaba. May I know who this is?" asked Serkan.
"Merhaba, Serkan bey. This is Alia, Kiraz's teacher. She's the only student that hasn't been picked up yet and she insisted on calling you." At this, Serkan immediately rose from his seat and prepared to leave.
"Baba, can you come and get me?" He heard Kiraz speak in the background and this broke his heart.
"Çok teşekkür ederim. I'm on my way." He answered Kiraz's teacher before ending the call and putting his phone in his pocket.
Just on cue, the client and his associates arrived, finally entering the production floor, guided by Lara. Serkan stopped by them and shook their hands.
"Mr. Bolat, it's finally great to meet you in person." said the client.
"Likewise, Mr. Smith. However, I cannot meet with you because something urgent just came." He explained.
"But we flew all the way here." reasoned Mr. Smith.
"For that, I do apologize, but I hope you understand." He responded. "Mr. Sezgin will be meeting with you instead." He signaled Engin to take over who quickly stood by Serkan's side, shaking the hands of the client and his associates as he introduced himself.
"I do hope that we can meet on better terms. Thank you so much." Serkan lastly said before leaving the office and hopping into his car, in a hurry to get to his little girl.
Finally arriving at the school, Serkan could see that Kiraz was indeed that last student there. She was with her teacher at the play area, obviously being distracted until someone would come and pick her up.
Serkan went inside the school, going through the security entrance then proceeding to where Kiraz was.
"Kiraz." He spoke, smiling at his daughter.
Kiraz turned around at the sound of his voice and a big smile spread across her face. "Baba!" She exclaimed, running towards her baba who immediately carried her and hugged her.
"Anne and baba are very sorry, Kiraz." Serkan said, apologizing for not being able to fetch her on time. Although, he did wonder why Eda wasn't able to get her or at least tell him that she wouldn't be able to.
"It's okay, baba. Teacher was here to play with me." said Kiraz. Serkan was very thankful that Kiraz was very understanding.
"Tamam. Hadi, say thank you and bye-bye to your teacher." He said to Kiraz.
"Teşekkürler. Bye-bye, teacher." She said, waving.
"Çok teşekkür ederim." He also thanked the teacher before they left.
—-----------------
"Tamam. So, I just go straight then right?" asked Serkan.
"Evet, baba." answered Kiraz.
They were currently on their way to Eda's new house and Kiraz perfectly knew how to get there. Eda was going to be in for a surprise when she sees them arrive. One, because Serkan is there, and; two, because she may have forgotten to fetch Kiraz.
The more Serkan drove around, the more the place became familiar to him. "There, baba!" exclaimed Kiraz, pointing at the 2-storey house with a contemporary design.
Pulling up on the driveway, Serkan's heart started racing. He got out of the car then opened the door for Kiraz, who immediately ran looking for her anne.
Serkan was frozen, looking at the house.
"Serkan?" Eda called out from behind him, making him look at her in surprise. His heart skipped a beat.
"Anne!" exclaimed Kiraz, running to Eda, engulfing her in a hug as she crouched down.
"Bebeğim, çok özür dilerim. I didn't mean to forget to pick you up from school." apologized Eda.
She had also just arrived—coming Kiraz's school. Before Kiraz and Serkan got to the house, Eda had left, realizing that she hadn't picked up Kiraz, but only to be told by the teacher that baba had already picked up Kiraz.
"It's okay, anne. Baba went to get me." Kiraz happily spoke. "I even showed him how to get here."
"Tamam. Ne güzel, annecim." Eda responded, smiling at Kiraz who then smiled back before running towards Melo, leaving her parents.
Eda sighed and stood up, looking back at Serkan who had not taken his eyes away from her—his heart still racing. Serkan lightly shook his head, trying to make sense of what was in front of him.
"You...You bought the house." He finally said, a light smile forming on his lips.
"Evet."
"Ne zaman?"
"When I found out that you were selling it, I had to buy it. I still want Kiraz to grow up here, like how we planned it to be." Eda answered, pain in her voice. "She loves the house a lot." She smiled.
Just then, Serkan realized something—the drawing. The house on the drawing that Kiraz drew for him was this house—that's why it looked really familiar to him. Only that, it was now slightly redesigned.
"The drawing..." He suddenly spoke. "This was the house in Kiraz's drawing, wasn't it?"
"Evet." She answered, smiling.
"So the two people in the drawing...it was me and you. Who do you think the others could be?" He cheekily asked, smiling at her.
"Are you two gonna help or are you just ogle at each other?" exclaimed Ayfer, calling them out from the entrance of the house.
"Tamam, hala. Tamam." Eda exclaimed back, embarrassed at her aunt's choice of words, making Serkan smugly smile at her.
Their afternoon was filled with moving Eda and Kiraz's personal stuff into the house. Serkan and Yusuf, being the only guys there, were assigned to carry the boxes upstairs and into their rooms. While Melo continued downstairs, Ayfer arranged Kiraz's clothes and toys in her room, and Eda with hers.
Finally after hours of organizing, they were done. Yusuf and Zehra had gone home, while Ayfer and Melo were still around, and of course, Serkan was still there, too. They were currently in the living room, drinking tea, after a delicious dinner made by Ayfer.
"Baba?" Kiraz called out as she went down the stairs.
"Evet, kızım?" He answered.
"Where are your stuff? Why are your clothes not in the closet?" asked Kiraz, looking at Serkan who was sitting beside Eda.
"Uhh..."
"Kiraz, baba will not be staying here." said Eda.
"Neden?"
"He has his own house. The one we stayed at yesterday. He lives there." added Eda.
"Ama Can's and Zehra's anne and baba live in the same house." Kiraz reasoned, making the adults look at each other.
"Are you and baba fighting?" She asked.
"Kiraz, where are you getting this?" asked Serkan.
"Can said that when his classmate's anne and baba fight, his baba does not sleep on the bed or in their house." said Kiraz, making Eda and Serkan look at each other. "So are you and anne fighting, baba?"
"Hayır, Kiraz. Merak etme, we are not fighting." Serkan respond, seriousness in his tone.
"Tamam. So when are your stuff getting here?" She asked, smiling excitedly, making Serkan laugh.
"It's on its way." He answered, giving her a nod and a smile.
"Güzel." Kiraz smiled, then gave Serkan a hug. Eda once again had no choice, closing her eyes in frustration.
"Uhh...tamam...I think we'll go ahead." Ayfer said as she stood up, feeling awkward at the recent conversation as she, too, was not able to do something to prevent it.
"Ayaz will drive you home." Serkan offered, referring to the driver.
"Yok, yok. We'll just take a taxi." declined Ayfer.
"Ayaz is already outside. I insist, Ayfer Hanim."
"İyi tamam. Teşekkürler." answered Ayfer, not wanting to argue about it. "İyi geceler. Görüşürüz."
"İyi geceler, Dada. İyi geceler, eni̇şt—Serkan." Melo quickly changed it, making Serkan smile in amusement. "Görüşürüz." The two then left, closing the door behind them.
"Hadi, Kiraz. It's time to sleep." said Eda, standing up from the couch, Serkan following suit with Kiraz in his arms as they went upstairs to her room.
As Serkan laid Kiraz on the bed, Eda sat beside her on the bed, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "İyi geceler, bebeğim."
"İyi geceler, anne. İyi geceler, baba." said Kiraz.
"İyi geceler, kızım." responded Serkan.
Serkan and Eda were about to leave when Kiraz suddenly spoke. "Anne, I have a question." Eda closed her eyes at this, getting scared at what else might come out of Kiraz's mouth.
"Tamam, bebeğim."
"Baba will be sleeping with you, right?" She asked, remembering that Serkan had slept on the couch the other night. She wanted to make sure that her parents were really not fighting.
"Evet. We will be sleeping together." Serkan answered, smiling at Kiraz before raising his eyebrows at Eda and giving her mischievous grin to which Eda only responded with a warning look.
"Seni çok seviyorum, kızım." Serkan then kissed Kiraz on the forehead. "Hadi, anne. Let's go to bed." He said as he stood up and walked to the door.
Eda gave one more kiss to Kiraz and followed Serkan, who had already left for the room. Upon entering, she found him sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling suggestively at her.
"Evet, Eda Yildiz."
—--------------------
A/N:
This chapter is just waaaay too long with just it being story fillers to complete the whole idea of the plotline. Especially for what's to come in the next chapter. 👀🤔
Chapter notes:
- One reader was able to guess the strawberry allergy scene. Props to you! 🕺🏻❤️👏🏻
- Does anybody remember the drawing Kiraz made of the house?🫣🤭
- To me, the reveal of the house did not really play out well when I wrote it as oppose to what goes on in my head, but I hope it gave off the feeling of excitement 🥲😅
- Just wanted to highlight the power Kiraz had on this chapter! 🤣🔥🥰
There's a few clues in this chapter which you will find out the meaning to in the next chapter. 👀🕵🏻🕺🏻🤭
Let me know what you think! What plans does Serkan have now that he's staying at Eda's?
Hope you enjoyed!