Can was up first, so led Arslan downstairs, releasing him into the garden to relieve himself. Can stood outside for a moment, feeling the morning sun on his skin and listening to the birds singing - the first signs that spring was on its way. Arslan bumbled around, sniffing at the grass and rummaging through the flower beds and bushes.
Once the dog was finished, Can whistled him over, stepping back inside the house. He walked over to the sofa, where the kittens were tangled together, still half asleep. Ihsan yawned, stretching his front legs out towards him.
"Morning, Sanie." He whispered to the light ginger tabby, scratching under his chin and making him purr. They were growing so quickly, Can was amazed. They looked nothing like the scrawny, starving little creatures Sanem had bought home just a few months ago. Their weight had come back quickly, and with time to grow and the added illusion of bulkiness their long fur provided - the kittens were starting to look like cats.
Sanem appeared at the doorway. Being Sunday morning, she hadn't bothered to change out of her pajamas yet. Can smiled. His wife was always beautiful regardless of what she was wearing, but there was something so endearingly cozy about the sight of her dressed in her favourite pj's. It reminded him of hot chocolate and melted marshmallows, and sitting around the fireplace in the middle of a snowstorm, the flames burning the cold air away and warming his heart. He loved it. Can watched as she walked to the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.
Having grown up moving from place to place with parents that were always arguing and pulling the family apart by the seams, Can had grown up never truly understanding the meaning of 'home'. It's why he'd spent so long traveling. No nostalgia or sentimentality tied him to Istanbul. It was a few months before he had proposed to Sanem, that he started to realise that home wasn't just a place - but the people in it. That it was found in the little moments. In the feeling of comfort and warmth that flooded through him when he woke to find his wife sleeping in his arms. It was in the soft and sleepy side of her that he had fallen in love with. When her eyelashes would blink open, messy haired and bleary-eyed, as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the window. It was in their drowsy exchange of 'Günaydın', whispered through smiling lips every morning. And now he finally understood, because he had found his home. In Sanem. In Sanem and her large, extended family - a patchwork of caring neighbours, close friends and relatives. In Sanem and her collection of ragtag strays that he loved with all his heart. And now, In Sanem and the tiny little baby - their baby - that she was carrying inside of her. Still so small, and barely even showing...
Wait.
Oh my god. Can stared at her, his breath catching in his throat as his eyes focused in on her frame.
Sanem placed a bowl down on the counter and was reaching for a box of cereal in the cupboard above her when Can crept up silently behind her. The feeling of his hands settling around her waist made her jump. The box slipped out of her grasp, falling. The contents scattering over the floor.
"Can!" She huffed. "You can't just go around grabbing at me whenever you feel like it just because I'm..." She trailed off, catching sight of the mesmerised look in his eyes. Sanem frowned, wondering what had suddenly come over him. One of his hands had settled on her lower back and the other under her belly button.
"You're showing," He whispered, slightly breathless with amazement. She followed the direction of his gaze to where his hand was rested against her stomach. Sanem nearly gasped.
Sure enough, there was the smallest, slightest, tiniest swell to her stomach. She hadn't noticed it herself - hidden under her loose fitting clothing. She quickly pulled her top up, causing Can's hands to move away, exposing the bare skin of her tummy. Sanem placed her own hand cautiously over the miniature bump.
"I'm sure that wasn't there yesterday!" She exclaimed, brushing her palm tenderly back and forth over her skin. Gazing in wonder at the sight of it. Can grinned, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. Sanem let out a small excited laugh, leaning into his embrace.
"Can," She breathed, pressing a palm over her mouth. "We are having a baby," As if it had only just dawned on her.
"Yes. Yes, we are." Can chuckled, brushing loose strands of hair away from her face. Then leaning forward to cover her in kisses until she was giggling.
Eventually, after a few minutes of fussing over the new curve of her belly, Can stepped back, the sound of cereal crunching under his feet.
"Whoops," He frowned, he'd barely even registered the mess being made. Too caught up in the discovery of the development in her figure. While they had been distracted, Arslan had taken the opportunity to start eating the cereals scattered over the floorboards - and was disappointed when they suddenly dragged him away from the feast. Sanem held him out of the way while Can swept up. Slightly guilty for ruining her breakfast and feeling a protective urge after seeing the baby bump, Can offered to cook. Sanem nodded, moving Arslan to the sofa to cuddle with him.
---
"You still don't have any plans for today, right?" He asked a while later, as he carried two plates filled with roasted tomatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon and buttered toast. Can walked towards her, settling them down on the coffee table. Sanem shook her head. It wasn't unusual for her to spend Sunday's with her parents, Leyla or Ayhan. She picked up a plate, thanking him.
"Today, I am all yours." She smiled at him. "Did you have something in mind?"
"Uh, yeah." He replied, taking a seat beside her. "You mentioned a while ago, about wanting to liven up the house a bit. And I agree. It's in desperate need of decorative flair. But I don't want to just go out a buy a bunch of meaningless stuff. So I was thinking..." He stopped, watching her attempt to discreetly tear off a slice of bacon and offer it to Arslan. The puppy sniffed at the treat, then took it from her hand, munching on it. Sanem turned back to Can, giving him a cheeky shrug. "I was thinking," Can repeated grinning at her. "That we could spend the day on a road trip of sorts. Going back to everywhere we have been to together, anywhere we have been on dates, places we went together with work, anywhere we can think of. Then we could find, or buy if necessary, some sort of token memoir from each place."
"Tamam," Sanem nodded, excited by the idea. She took a mouthful of food, thinking for a moment. "Oh!" Her face lit up. "Do you think we could get away with stealing that hammock?" She grinned. He knew which one she meant, the one on which they had fallen asleep together underneath the glimmering stars, watched over by Orion. He smiled at the memory.
"I think that might be a bit difficult, Sanem." Can confessed light-heartedly.
---
They spent the whole day driving around, Arslan enjoying the adventure from the back seat. Tracing out the history of their shared memories over a map. They began, naturally, in the theatre where they had first unknowingly met. Can realised for his plan to work they would need to do things that weren't entirely legal. They broke in through the back entrance, and after exploring for a moment, found their way up to their viewing box.
"What do you think?" Can asked, picking up a pretty, glass flower vase that had been sat on a table in the corner of the room. Sanem gave him a questioning look. She had been joking about stealing the hammock, but Can seemed serious.
"What if it's expensive?" She asked.
"Then we will buy them a new one. But this particular one is more valuable to us than a replacement would ever be. Because it came from here, and it's special." She did like it. Intricate petals were carved over the side, light green vines weaving down the glass. They were in need of some, the flowers from Metin were currently housed in a water jug. Sanem nodded.
They continued on their journey, even traveling as far as Ağva. Can managed to convince the bewildered hotel manager to let them buy a few things from the very room they had stayed in. Sanem had tried not to laugh during the conversation, but the look on the poor man's face was priceless. He ended up agreeing in an attempt to get them to leave, allowing them to walk away with a rug and a few potted plants.
They didn't steal the hammock. But they did take one of the overhanging wind chimes. Sitting on the beach for a few hours as a lunch break, Sanem managed to dig up a collection of seashells to add to their collection of trinkets. They stayed for a while, eating the picnic Can had thrown together, and trying to persuade Arslan to swim in the water.
---
When they returned home, the sun had already set. Can had to carry Arslan inside, he had fallen asleep on the ride home.
Over the next week, they decided on suitable homes for each of the new items. The rug was placed in front of the fireplace. Metin's Cordelia's were relocated to the vase and placed next to the window in the kitchen. Sanem poured the seashells into a glass jar, leaving them in the en-suite bathroom. The wind chime was hung from the pergola. Sanem brushed her hands over it, listening to the melody it produced. She could hear the noise in her memory, her senses reminded of the morning she had woken up with Can in the hammock. It made her smile.
Can selected a range of photos from their honeymoon - some Can had captured himself and a few Sanem had taken. Along with photos of Arslan, Ilkay and Ihsan, to be made into canvas prints. They arrived a few weeks later and were soon hanging in various places around the house. Can's favourite, an image of an albatross in mid-flight, was displayed in the hallway. It was one Sanem had taken while on a ferry between the islands. Can was aware of his wife's artistic talent, but had been taken aback - and a bit jealous - when she managed to get the shot.
The house was starting to look like a home. And it was just in time because as the weeks passed, Sanem was beginning to look more and more pregnant. Can was the happiest he had ever been.