2 - Forever

Sanem

I was in the neighbourhood all day at my parents' for the final preparations before the wedding in a few days. It had not been easy for them to trust Can again and accept  our reunion, they had suffered so much during my illness and had felt a deep resentment for him, but basically they have always loved him, they understood how much we still love each other and they welcomed him back with open arms.

I take the taxi back to the estate, eager to hug him again after a day apart, now that we have found each other again it seems like a waste of time not being together, I get out in front of the big gate and pull my jacket over my chest against the wind on this cold December evening. I head for home, looking around to see if Can is at his place or mine, but I am distracted from these thoughts when, as I take the driveway to my house, I smell a delicious and inviting scent in the air.

I hurry my pace, curious to understand where it comes from, my stomach already rumbling with hunger, when I find myself in front of an incredible scenario: strings of white lights have been woven into the branches of the trees in front of the large windows of my house, the lawn has been transformed into a fairyland, the fire is lit in the brazier and a richly laid table has been set up nearby.

I feel like I'm back at the cabin, on that night when he took me away from the neighbourhood, away from my parents, up in the mountains to his cabin to watch the stars.

I look around for him and there he is, at the edge of the illuminated area with a hand lazily resting on a large telescope, his hair tied back like it was that night, he smiles at me with that wonderful smile that has always and forever will be able to make my legs tremble, he approaches the table romantically set with lots of candles and flowers and extends a hand towards me as a sign of invitation.

- Can? -

- Come aşkım, my love-

I approach smiling surprised by all she has done to prepare this evening.

- Can, I feel like I've gone back almost two years or am I wrong? -

- Evet, yes I don't have our cabin anymore and I tried to recreate here the same scenario we experienced at the beginning of our story hatırlıyor musun, do you remember? -

- How could I forget Can, it was one of the most beautiful nights of my life, we were so happy and in love... like right now -

He smiles as he pulls the chair away from me to sit down and sits down in his turn pouring me a drink - That's right, happy and in love you said it right, I think if possible we are even more so now or maybe I can appreciate it more because I was so afraid of losing everything and I realize how precious it is -

I shake his hand which he holds on the table while I drink a small sip of the wine he poured me thinking "Yavaşça, slowly Sanem, be careful, enjoy the evening otherwise you risk to get drunk and not understand anything anymore". The dinner is excellent, the atmosphere relaxed and romantic, we look at each other across the table with eyes sparkling with the love we have laboriously found and regained.

At the end of dinner he gets up and holds out my hand, smiling. "Come Sanem, come and look at the stars with me like that night.

He takes my hand and he guide me towards the telescope he has prepared for us far from the lights of the garden, he tells me to look through the lens and hugs me from behind whispering in my ear.

- Do you recognise it? It's Orion, the constellation you told me about one night while we were swinging in a hammock by the sea.

I was already in love with you and was finding it hard to admit it even to myself. Your story helped to enchant me even more, your enthusiasm, your vitality, your daydreaming won me over with no way out.

It took a while, but after a while we were at the hut, on a cold night like this one, looking at the stars as we are now, and that is how that night Sanem should have gone. It should have been that very night the beginning of our FOREVER, because I already knew that I would never let you go again. I want you always and forever, through thick and thin, if you want it the way I want it, we'll grow old together.

Always and forever -

I look away from the telescope to turn and look at him excitedly with a questioning look.

- I already knew that you were the only woman I could ever love, the only one who had been able to touch my heart, who had bewitched it and made it her own. What came next was just useless pain, suffering and anguish that I wish we had not experienced. I would like to rewind the tape Sanem, I would like to go back to that night at the cabin, more than two years ago, and I would like to have done this -

He moves away from me while lowering himself on one knee, I look at him with my eyes wide open surprised and excited by the wonderful words he has just said, I see him take out a small box from his pocket and open it, a small light shines from inside a ring that this time is not made with moonstone, but with a stone that I recognize immediately surrounded by small diamonds.

-Do you recognise it, Sanem? It's the amber stone from the pendant I gave you for your birthday, remember? The woman who gave it to me told me that it would take me to my beloved and so it did, you kept it and in the end she managed to bring me back to you.

I saw it among your jewellery and I took it to take part of it and make this ring out of it.

If you want to wear it on your finger I'll know that you're with me, that you'll be with me forever as it should have been two years ago, I should have asked you to marry me so as never to let you go, we would have faced everything together without ever letting go of each other's hand, unfortunately this was not the case. Let's do it now Sanem, will you be my beloved? My bride? My everything? Will you marry me Sanem? Will you be with me forever? -

I look at him ecstatically, my heart bursting with happiness for what I'm experiencing right now, I pull him by the hand to invite him to stand up and wrap my arms around his neck looking deeply into his eyes.

- How do you think the naive Sanem of two years ago would have answered you? And how do you think today's Sanem, who has grown up, lived a lot, gone through fire but thanks to her love for you has managed to rise from the ashes, would answer you? I've always loved you Can, sincerely and deeply, I'll never stop loving you, you're my everything, you're the man of my life, the other half of me and I know for sure that without you I couldn't live Can, so what can I say except EVEEEEETTT, YES!

I'll be happy to be your wife Can Divit, I can't wait to call you husband -

He holds me tightly and gives me a kiss in which there is all the desperation of a love that has lived a lot but has overcome everything, a deep love, the love of life and for life.

We are happy, we are together, we are about to start a new journey side by side, finally we are about to exchange with a solemn promise the vows of fidelity and love that will unite us ... will unite us forever.