cont from ...Ch 10..
(Thoughts in bold italics; conversations in bold)
Serkan , " There is only one way. Marry me Eda."
Eda stared at him for a long moment, " Yes I will, Serkan." She promised him. Serkan took her hand up and said, "Lets go tell them that."
Eda: " No wait. Why do we need to tell them anything. We can tell them after....I mean after.." her voice stumbled over the word marriage in her anxiety.
Serkan signalled no emphatically, " No I wont do this like a coward. We have to do this conviction, looking them in the eye."
Eda: "You do know they will try their hardest not to let us marry."
Serkan: "Then you and I will prove them wrong. There is nothing that can stop us, unless we want them to."
And so back they went to the penthouse where Seyfi was just ushering Aydan Hanim out. It was evident there had been angry words in that room once Eda and Serkan had left, as both women were fuming. Serkan motioned to his mother back into the room and stepped in himself holding Eda by hand.
Serkan: " We, Eda and I heard both of you. We heard the anger, the nastiness and the desire for revenge in your hearts. And we heard the desire to live that revenge through us, Eda and I, in your words. This is what we have come to tell you. We will not let you use us. We had nothing to do with the tragedies, we are in fact the victims of the deaths and will not become your instruments to cause more tragedies. Therefore we have made a decision. Eda and I ", and he held their linked hands up," Eda and I are getting married.". His words dropped like a pebble into the still waters causing ripples and ripples and more ripples.
Eda watched the expression on her grandmother's face, the sheer anger and disbelief, and shrugged closer to Serkan," This is our decision and you cannot do anything about it. Yes Babanne I can see you are thinking your usual criminal thoughts, whether to kidnap us, or get Serkan beaten, or file false cases, or cause the company to fall down. Try your best, you will only lose me just as you lost your son. I am warning you here, one false step from you and you just see what I will do."
Serkan continued, " We are not doing this like cowards, like you getting my brother kidnapped and letting someone go to jail for it or a coward like my father for shirking responsibility. We are informing you, knowing full well that you will try and separate us. But know this, you will not win from here onwards."
He turned towards Seyfi, who was the only one in the room who looked happy at the announcement and mouthed Congratulations at them and motioned him to escort his mother and they left the room .
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They stepped out and ran into Melo, Ceren and Fifi, who were standing outside the room worriedly. He motioned everyone to follow them. And finally in the room he told them " Eda and I are getting married" dropping a bombshell on a day of bombshells. In the clamor of exclamations he finally got them to listen to him. "Look you know how it is. We can only stop this crazy cycle of revenge once we get married. I can't see any way of reasoning with them."
Melo spoke up; "I am very happy you will now be my Eniste for real. But why aren't you both looking happy."
Eda knew her friends would guess sooner than later but she smiled back at her friends, " This is not really the best way of doing it. But we have no choice."
Ceren the ever practical, spoke up, "Serkan you do know we should get some protection for the both of you, avoid going out too much. When do you want to get married? Don't let this wait too long."
Serkan and Eda both spoke up; "We haven't decided." Eda continued: "Can you give us a minute, girls.?"
Alone they both felt a little awkward. They had not processed the information as yet.
Serkan: "Are you okay?"
Eda :"Yes I am.... So we are getting married?"
Serkan: "It seems so..are you having second thoughts?" he asked.
Eda laughing nervously: " No no. ..Its just that we are marrying so suddenly. I ...don't ..know.."She shook her head determinedly. "No no second thoughts. I just didn't think it would be like this."
Serkan with a dark inscrutable look on his face said, "Let's not talk feelings and emotions right now. You understand why we are doing this, don't you? I will not be pushed around anymore by your past and mine. I need to protect you, protect us. And stop this revenge madness."
Eda felt a twinge of sadness but knew it was her mad evil grandmother who had triggered this entire chain of events and there was no way of stopping her except by marrying Serkan so if she tried to destroy him she destroyed Eda too. She immediately adopted his business like tone, "Ok when do you think we should do that? The marriage I mean."
Serkan: "Day after tomorrow. Lets go and apply for the license and get the tests done ASAP. And day after tomorrow lets get married. Is that ...okay?" even he stumbled as the finality hit him. This had been his dream but now he didn't know what to think, his brother's image floated in front of him.
Eda, " Okay day after tomorrow". For a long moment both looked at each other confused. Then Eda put her hand out and they shook hands, both unable to express the fullness of their hearts.
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The friends' gang swung into high gear. Engin, Pyril, Leila, Ferit and Ceren, Melo and Fifi . They anticipated problems, set the venue, put together a very small guest list and organized clothes. Ceren organized security for both Eda and Serkan discreetly with Ferit's help and found a detective to keep an eye on Babanne's movements.
Eda and Serkan tackled Ayfer and Aydan separately on their own. Aydan was not against Eda but she was still mourning her son's death so even though she didn't try to tell Serkan to not marry Eda, she definitely did not plan to attend the wedding. Ayfer on the other hand, was besides herself with the worry that her mother would try and harm Eda and Serkan. She did not support Eda in her decision because she knew her mother, knew how out of control she could get.
