Seventeen
the morning, before she even unlocked the door of the cafe, was the courtyard. A tiny tuxedo kitten ran over to greet her, twining around her legs and filling her heart close to bursting. The cats looked even more at home than they had in the old lot, and she was once again in awe of how quickly things could change. How quickly a strange place could come to feel like home.
She crouched down to greet the kitten when she heard a throat clear behind her. Before she even turned to face the sound, she knew it was Burak and her heart picked up at just the nearness of him.
“Hi,” she squeaked, the size of her smile and the volume of her voice inversely proportional.
His mouth pulled up at one corner. “What are you so happy about?” he asked, then shook his head. “By which I mean, of course, good morning. It’s lovely to see you.”
“It’s lovely to see you, too,” she replied. “And I have some news to share with you.”
“Good news, I hope?”
Jasmine nodded. “I think so, and I hope you will, too.”
“Well, don’t tease me, please. What is it?”
She smiled. “You don’t want to wait until we’re inside with cups of coffee in front of us?”
Burak shook his head. “No, I don’t think I can. I have…let’s say, a suspicion of what it might be, and I can’t wait to find out if I’m correct.”
“Interesting.” She stood up and took a tentative step towards him. “Well, I spoke with my grandmother last night.”
“Right.” He took another step towards her. “And what did Ms. Viola say?”
“Oh, you know…” Jasmine paused for a second, unable to stop herself from smiling, while knowing her cheeks were heating at the same time. “She wants to keep living the glamorous cruise lifestyle. And she wants me to stay on here, running the cafe.”
Burak’s face split into a broad grin as he rushed towards her and pulled her into his arms. At the last second, he reared back to look at her face. “Did you say yes? Before I congratulate you and tell you how happy I am, please confirm for me that you said yes.”
Jasmine barely had time to nod before Burak was embracing her, lifting her off her feet, and twirling her around. She threw her head back, letting her gleeful laughter flow. When he finally set her back down, she saw her expression mirrored in his own.
“So we can keep being friends,” she offered, swallowing. “If you still want that, I mean.”
“I still want that. Or perhaps I should remind you that I want more than that.” He lifted her hand to his lips, placing a warm kiss across the back of her knuckles. “Can I cook for you tonight? Have a do-over of our date now that we both know this thing between us is going somewhere?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, it’s going somewhere, is it?” She smiled at him then, unabashed by the vulnerability she saw in his eyes, the way he made no attempt to hide or downplay his interest in her. “Then it’s a date.”