Chapter Text
Any Given Weekend - Part One
“Do you have everything you need?"
Ceylin nodded her head watching as Ilgaz closed the trunk of his car. The lawyer had only packed a small suitcase and a handbag but considering it was only a three-day trip, it was unlikely she would need more than that.
After taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Ceylin sat on the passenger’s seat, meeting Ilgaz's gaze for the first time that morning when she turned toward him to fasten her seat belt. She hadn't realized that, up until now, she'd been avoiding looking directly at him.
The tension seemed to fill the air for long seconds until Ilgaz finally eased it with a half-smile as he turned the key in the ignition.
“It's a six-hour drive to Çesme. I can wake you up in a little while for us to grab a bite on the road if you want to sleep now,” he suggested thoughtfully, noticing by her facial expression that she seemed exhausted.
Ceylin had worked all night to be there early in the morning. Ilgaz felt a mixture of gratitude and guilt for putting her through that.
"That would be great,” she agreed, knowing she could use a nap.
Ceylin leaned back against the comfortable seat before tilting her head toward the window, watching the cityscape outside slowly transition to a green, life-filled scenery as the sun rose higher in the sky, announcing the beginning of another spring morning.
The lawyer tried to relax and doze off. She was exhausted after a full night spent in front of her computer getting her work done ahead of schedule so she could be free on Friday. But it seemed that her resolve to sleep wasn’t going to be enough as the events of the past few months kept replaying in her mind.
About four months ago, Ceylin's life had taken an entirely different turn when she was confronted with the difficult news that she’d lost her sister. She’d endured long days, painful discoveries, and changes she could have never foreseen.
The man who now drove beside her had been the foundation that had kept her grounded during the darkest period of her life. Ceylin knew she owed him a great deal for all the help and support Ilgaz had given her.
They had been through a lot together, and it hadn't taken long before their initial partnership had evolved into a much deeper connection.
Despite their mutual attraction, the emotional burden of the trauma they’d experienced had left them with very little room to explore the romantic feelings that had come up along the way.
It was true that, at times, they both had considered taking the next step in their relationship and becoming more than just friends but the universe had conspired to make sure it had never properly worked out. Eventually, they had taken this as confirmation of what Ceylin had suspected all along: they weren't right for each other.
Once her sister's case was solved and they were sure Inci’s murderer was unable to harm anyone else, Ceylin had shifted her focus entirely to her career. That turbulence in her life had also served to distance the lawyer from her family, which hadn’t turned out to be such a bad thing after all.
Life was slowly getting back on track for Ceylin. Over the past two months, she had rented a small apartment near the courthouse and moved her office to a different location, finally getting rid of everything that reminded her of Engin.
Unfortunately, all those changes also meant that she saw Ilgaz less frequently now. They still met at work sometimes, and every now and then, they had lunch or coffee together. But there was no longer anything forcing them to spend several days—and sometimes nights—together.
Ceylin would have to be a fool to deny reality to herself. Truth was, she missed Ilgaz terribly. He had been there for her when she was hurting the most, and the turbulence of those days was something she definitely wouldn’t want again. But becoming close to Ilgaz had been one of the few good things in that big mess. Ceylin certainly wouldn’t mind keeping the beloved prosecutor in her life, as well as the positive impact he had on her.
Ilgaz’s serenity, the way he took care of her and would always listen and give advice were things that had made Ceylin rewind and rethink many times before. Even now that they were a little distant, Ilgaz still influenced her a lot. He’d opened up her eyes to the wonderful possibility of looking at the world from several perspectives rather than just one.
Ceylin knew she was messy, impulsive, and maybe a little too independent, whereas Ilgaz was more comfortable surrounded by order, predictability, and control of situations and his life. They were completely different where personalities and courses of action were concerned.
But being aware of all those things didn’t mean that her heart had stopped beating erratically or that a smile didn’t light up her face whenever she caught sight of him, though Ceylin knew those responses would eventually fade away with time.
Or at least she hoped so.
“Something wrong?” Ilgaz asked when he noticed her fidgeting in her seat, apparently unable to relax. “Is it too hot? We can turn on the air conditioner if you’d like.”
“I am okay,” Ceylin turned back to him with a shy smile. “I'm just thinking about what we're going to say. I suppose your family will have a lot of questions?”
Ilgaz processed her words with a heavy expression but only nodded his head in agreement. Ceylin bit her lower lip, trying to come up with the best strategy to deal with their current situation.
About two weeks ago, Ilgaz had asked her to talk to him in private after a particularly busy day at work. Ceylin could have sworn it was once again to discuss a situation that was happening more often than they’d like: they somehow ended up on opposite sides of a case and one of them had to volunteer to drop it. But the subject Ilgaz had brought up was of a much more personal nature.
The prosecutor's cousin on his mother’s side of the family was about to get married the next weekend. To Ceylin's surprise, Ilgaz’s family already knew about his marital status, but that wasn’t her biggest shock. It turned out that the man marrying Ilgaz’s cousin was none other than the youngest son of the Chief Prosecutor, Ilgaz's direct superior at work.
All things considered, it would be very suspicious if Ilgaz showed up at the wedding without his new wife. It was hard enough to keep a low profile about their situation at work where most people knew they were married and probably noticed they never arrived at work together. But if Ilgaz showed up alone at an important family event, people might see that as a confirmation that their union was just a sham.
At the moment, neither Ilgaz nor Ceylin could afford the risk of the Chief Prosecutor finding out the truth about their marriage. After all, the case Pars had initiated against Ceylin hadn’t been closed yet. Until that happened, Ceylin and Ilgaz should stick to their agreement. And if situations such as this were to come up along the way, they would just have to be patient and deal with them.
A weekend in a charming town in the company of the prosecutor was certainly a much better prospect than losing her license to practice law, Ceylin thought with a heavy sigh, hating that she was enjoying the prospect of being alone with Ilgaz so much.
That weekend, a big celebration was taking place in Çesme, the seaside town where the bride's family currently resided. Despite her hectic schedule, Ceylin had cleared out an extra day so she could be there for Ilgaz. It was the least she could do to thank him for everything he’d already done for her. But it was also in Ceylin’s best interest to be there, considering it was her career on the line too.
So much tension added to sleep deprivation and an excess of caffeine intake was slowly giving the lawyer a throbbing headache. Once again, Ilgaz seemed to notice her discomfort.
“Thanks for agreeing to do this, Ceylin,” he glanced at her before refocusing his eyes on the road, “I know how busy you are and how hard you've been working these past few days. I know you could probably use some rest but you are using your free time to help me instead. I promise that somehow I will make it up to you.”
Ceylin tried not to think about exactly how she would like the prosecutor to make it up to her. Closing her eyes tightly to fight off such inappropriate thoughts, the lawyer forced herself to focus on the conversation.
“You don't have to thank me for anything, Ilgaz. I'm the one who owes you big time. After all, it’s my fault we’re in this mess, to begin with," she reminded him with a cheeky smile that bewitched him. “I was the one who stole those toothbrushes.”
“When you put it that way..." Ilgaz raised an eyebrow, lightheartedly provoking her.
“Hey, you don’t have to agree so fast,” Ceylin was happy to see him so relaxed about the whole situation, “let’s get back to the part where you thank me and say you owe me one.”
“I'm taking you to the beach for the weekend. You can relax… No clients demanding anything. Your only concern is going to be your tan,” Ilgaz used the same strategy she usually did, changing the narrative to accommodate reality according to his convenience, “I think that makes us even,” he proposed a truce, satisfied when she smiled in agreement.
Ilgaz had forgotten how easy it was to talk to her about anything, and how much he liked it when it was just the two of them. The past few months had been a torture with Ceylin so distant from his eyes and his embrace, and yet só deeply rooted in his heart.
Ilgaz had tried, but he couldn't seem to get her out of there. Every time he thought he was getting over his feelings for the sassy lawyer, all it took was a smile from her for a spark to ignite that old flame, making his passion for her burn brighter than ever.
The six-hour trip seemed to take much less than that. They stopped for lunch and went shopping in a little street market along the way. Ceylin had fun when a street vendor approached Ilgaz and wouldn’t leave him alone until the prosecutor agreed to purchase one of his silver necklaces, which he gave to Ceylin as a gift after paying probably twice as much as the object actually cost.
In the final half of the journey, Ceylin took an hour-long nap, and when they finally reached Çesme, the lawyer was surprised to find herself in front of a luxurious villa with a modern design. High stone walls surrounded a vast plot of land covered in green grass. A large swimming pool could be spotted even from a distance. Right in the center, a three-story house fashioned in Greek architecture towered majestically over the smaller buildings in nearby areas.
“Is this the hotel where we're staying?” Ceylin asked, visibly impressed.
"No," Ilgaz replied nervously. He had avoided sharing that detail up until now since he had no idea how Ceylin would react, “I mean, this is where we're staying, yes. But this is my aunt and uncle’s house.”
“What?” Ceylin stared at him, wide-eyed. She was shocked both by the opulence of the place and surroundings and by the reality that they would be staying with Ilgaz's family, "you said we would have to sustain our story during your cousin's wedding! Are you really telling me we're going to have to pretend to be a couple for three whole days under the same roof as your family?”
"It won't be that bad,” Ilgaz tried to convince her as he drove inside the gates after identifying himself to the security guard, “we won’t be the only guests staying here, the attention won’t be on us, but on the bride and groom,” he spoke rationally. “Besides, my aunt really insisted on having us and couldn't say no.”
"This is going to be a disaster," Ceylin predicted.
“It won't have to be,” Ilgaz took one of her hands in his after parking the car and turning to look into her eyes.
Ceylin felt an electric rush jolting through her body. The reaction had a lot more to do with the touch of the man holding her and the intensity of his stare than with the anticipation of her recent discovery.
“Just trust me, okay? The best way to do this is to tell as few lies as we can. If they ask how we met, we'll say it was at the courthouse, which is true. If they ask why we got married so fast, we'll say that it was to avoid conflict at work, which isn't exactly a lie either,” Ilgaz suggested with his usual practicality, “besides, my dad, my aunt, and my brother won't be here. This makes things a lot easier for us.”
“I guess,” Ceylin exhaled heavily, still trying to get used to the idea.
“But we’ll have to deal with Pars.”
“What?!”
Ilgaz saw Ceylin's bafflement and rushed to explain.
“My cousin went to law school too. She was a sophomore when Pars and I were seniors,” Ilgaz explained as he pulled something out of his pocket in the hopes of distracting her, “here,” he opened a small black box revealing two different size gold rings,“since we're going to be a newlywed couple for the weekend, we ought to try to make it look real.”
Ceylin didn't realize she was holding her breath when Ilgaz caught her hand and slid the smallest band on her finger. It fit her perfectly. She wanted to say something but couldn’t find the right words so she settled for admiring the jewel in her hand and everything it represented.
Shortly after letting go of her hand, the prosecutor took the other ring from the box. He was about to put it on himself when Ceylin snatched it before she could even realize what she was doing.
“Wait," she demanded, taking a deep breath. Ceylin looked from the gold band she had seized to his hand and then to the expressive brown eyes of the man she was married to, “since we're trying to make it as real as possible, I guess it's up to me to do that.”
The lawyer gracefully slid the wedding band on his finger and then joined their hands, intertwining their fingers. She silently gasped when she raised her head and found Ilgaz's gaze fixated on her lips. His large hand remained captive between her small fingers while his eyes didn't move an inch.
Not for the first time, Ceylin felt hypnotized by his gaze. Her body leaned forward as if an invisible magnetic force pushed her toward him. The laws of attraction in physics were really a curious thing…
The lawyer had already closed her eyes, completely in tune with the vibrations flowing from his body, when she felt Ilgaz's light touch on her face. Ceylin instinctively tilted her head in the direction of his touch, his thumb gently caressing her cheek.
She could tell that moment was special. They wouldn’t forget it. Being there in the car with him away from everyone while exchanging wedding rings made even that union feel actually real.
Ceylin's lips parted, anticipating what she knew was about to come… It was then that an outside voice painfully brought her back to reality.
“Nephew!”
Ceylin swallowed hard as a short lady with a friendly expression on her face approached them by the car window and prompted Ilgaz to step outside.
“Aunt,” he hugged the woman and then walked around the vehicle, standing beside Ceylin as she also got out of the car, “I want you to meet my wife, Ceylin. Ceylin, this is my aunt Demet, my mother's sister.”
Ceylin greeted the lady with a shy smile but received a warm hug in return. Demet's happiness in meeting her seemed genuine, which served to make the lawyer immediately fond of the older lady.
After asking two house employees to get the suitcases from the car and take them upstairs, Ilgaz's aunt insisted on showing the outside of the property to the new family member.
“I'm so glad you agreed to stay with us,” she rambled, putting an arm around Ceylin's shoulders as she guided the younger woman toward the house, side by side with Ilgaz. The prosecutor exchanged a quick look with the lawyer, and Ceylin understood that he'd just made his point as to why he hadn't been able to refuse his aunt’s hospitality. “I hadn't seen my nephew in a long time. Ilgaz is very dear to me. We were all very excited to meet the girl who stole his heart.”
“Aunt!” Ilgaz playfully censored her.
Demet's statement wasn't exactly a lie, but no one needed to know that.
"Where's Alya?" Ilgaz asked, referring to his cousin, the bride.
“She went downtown with her sister and their friends," Demet replied, visibly happy with the events of that weekend, "she'll be back before dinner. I figured you might want to rest a little after such a long drive, so I made sure the room was ready before you arrived. I believe there’s everything you might need in there, but if anything is missing, don't I set up Ozan’s old bedroom for you two. I believe you will be comfortable there.” She blinked.
Ozan was Demet’s youngest son, who had recently moved away to go to college in another country.
“Isn’t my cousin coming to the wedding?” Ilgaz was so caught up with his aunt that he was oblivious to how stunned Ceylin looked.
“He's coming, yes, but he'll be staying outside in the Pool House. You know your cousin,” Ilgaz’s aunt spoke amiably, “he’s never been a big fan of comfort. The closer to nature, the better.”
Ilgaz smiled politely and agreed.
“We'll freshen up and make sure we’re ready in time for dinner, then. Thank you for your hospitality, aunt Demet.”
“No need to thank me, my dear. It is my pleasure that you’re here. Now rest. The weekend will be long and eventful. I'm going to make a quick run to check on the flowers for tomorrow but I’ll be back soon.”
Ilgaz nodded, then placed a hand on the base of Ceylin's spine, gently guiding her to the foyer that led to the stairs.
"What did your aunt mean when she said she made sure the bedroom was ready?” Ceylin scolded him under her breath, frowning heavily as they reached the second floor, "I'm not sharing a bed with you."
Ilgaz had to struggle not to roll his eyes. As if that had never happened before.
Ceylin might not remember, but he would never forget the night she had spent nestled in his arms in her old office. Nothing had really happened between them that night, but Ilgaz would certainly have no objection to repeating the experience.
“Right, because it makes perfect sense for husband and wife to sleep in separate rooms," Ilgaz rebutted ironically, but his tone was patient, "don't worry about it, you can have the bed and I'll figure something out for myself,” he offered, leading Ceylin into the spacious room that would be theirs for the next three days.
Ceylin noticed the huge king-size bed in the middle of the room. It was covered with soft white sheets and decorated with a handful of pillows in navy and yellow tones. Their suitcases were already there, placed beside an empty dresser and a tall closet filled with hangers for them to store their clothes.
The en-suite bathroom was possibly larger than the living room in Ceylin's new apartment. The spacious bathtub made the lawyer feel slightly better about that arrangement. It was set in front of an enormous shower stall made of dark glass walls. Large, fluffy towels were available on two marble shelves below the sink, where a selection of toiletries was within reach as well.
“Good lord,” Ceylin said, impressed, “your relatives obviously know how to provide comfort.”
“My uncle is very successful in his business,” Ilgaz explained, not giving any further details, “and yes, they love having guests here. They feel very lonely now that their children have moved out. Do you want to get some rest before dinner?”
“Yeah, but I’d love a bath first,” Ceylin said with excitement, already dreaming of relaxing in that huge tub before she lay down to get some sleep. The migraine that had assaulted her earlier that day was coming back in full force after the tension of being caught off guard by his aunt and the information that their pretense would have to last three whole days. “Do you have anything to treat a headache?” she asked distractedly.
Ceylin was sure that a few hours of sleep would fix her problem, but it would be a huge relief if she could get rid of that migraine before going to bed.
"Not here with me, but look at the cabinets near the sink,” Ilgaz suggested. “knowing my aunt, I'm sure there must be a mini pharmacy with essentials somewhere around here.”
Ceylin grabbed her set of clean clothes and headed to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She didn't know what Ilgaz would do while she was in there and she wasn't sure she wanted to imagine.
Ceylin realized the prosecutor had been right in his assumption about his aunt when she opened the door to one of the bathroom cabinets and found numerous bottles of pills and medicine tablets, first aid utensils, personal care items, and even a bottle of multivitamins.
She chuckled at the generous selection of medications and settled for two units from a small orange vial containing tiny aspirin pills. The lawyer then walked to the tub and turned on the taps, a smile quickly forming on her lips as a thick layer of foam began to form on the surface of the water.
Thirty minutes later, Ilgaz reentered the bedroom. He had gone downstairs for a shower, hoping to give Ceylin more privacy as they settled in. It was easy to do that for a mere half-hour but he knew he couldn’t get away with sleeping anywhere else without raising suspicion, so they might as well just improvise with what they had available.
Ilgaz found a soft comforter in one of the closets and spread it out on the rug near the bed. He was choosing a pillow from the many available on the bed when the bathroom door swung open quickly and Ceylin emerged from the inside wrapped in a huge towel.
She gave him a wide smile when she noticed his presence.
“I am feeling great,” she cheered and stared at the man she was married to, “I just had the most wonderful time.”
Ilgaz noticed her exaggerated smile and frowned, confused about the lawyer's sudden outburst of energy.
“I don't think we should be wasting our time resting, come on” she moved toward him, pulling him by the hand, “let’s go to the beach, Ilgaz. I want to see the ocean.”
She turned to head to the door but was stopped by Ilgaz, who remained standing in the same spot still holding her hand.
“Ceylin," he squinted, studying her face. She had a lazy grin and an expression of pure contentment on her face. “Are you all right? What's going on?”
“Nothing. I feel great!” The lawyer's good humor contaminated him, immediately bringing a smile to the prosecutor's face. “This bath really did it for me,” she added, unsure of why he looked so hesitant and confused. “Come on, Ilgaz, don’t be a spoilsport. Let’s go see the ocean.”
“And is this how you’re planning on going to the beach?" He raised an eyebrow, looking up and down at her.
Ceylin was barefoot with one towel loosely placed around her hair and another one tightly wrapped around her body, her narrow shoulders making her small frame look even smaller.
Ilgaz tried not to pay any attention to the fact Ceylin probably wasn’t wearing anything under the towel that could easily fall off with any sudden movement.
She seemed to realize for the first time what she was wearing – and what she wasn't – and instead of the embarrassment Ilgaz expected to see, the prosecutor was gifted with a delightful fit of laughter that warmed his heart.
"Looks like I forgot to put on clothes, doesn't it?" Ceylin shook her head playfully and went back into the bathroom but this time, it was the door she forgot to close behind her.
Ilgaz was amused by her confusion but he never stopped suspecting her odd behavior. He took a step back, trying to give Ceylin more privacy but his eyes caught the exact moment the towel slid on her body forming a pile on the floor, exposing the full length of the lawyer’s slender back to him.
Ilgaz swallowed hard as he watched her put on a blue strap tank top.
Did Ceylin have any idea how wonderful she was? Ilgaz thought she was beautiful, in every sense of the word. He would love to show it to her by exploring every bit of her body with his hands and his lips, but his conscience forced him to turn around, taking her out of his field of vision.
As soon as Ceylin left the bathroom again, this time in white shorts that revealed her wonderful toned thighs, Ilgaz was once again given the impression that something was very wrong.
Ceylin tripped over one of the suitcases opened on the floor as she passed him, despite having plenty of space to move in the room. If Ilgaz hadn’t quickly reacted and caught her with an arm around her waist, it was likely that the lawyer would have had a nasty fall.
“What is going on here?” Ilgaz knew he was holding her against him longer than necessary, but he couldn't let go. He tightened his embrace around her and Ceylin stood on the tip of her toes in response. Her face was closer to his now, and she was still looking at him with an ethereal, relaxed expression her face, “what are you up to, Ceylin?”
She splayed her delicate hands on his chest and tried to push him away but Ilgaz pulled her even closer, feeling the full extension of her body pressed against his.
“What are you talking about?” she scowled, visibly offended. “I didn’t do anything,” the lawyer complained, still trying to get rid of him, but with barely any effort. Being so close to Ilgaz and smelling the woody scent that was so characteristic of him was numbing her senses, “you need to learn to relax, prosecutor. Or is it against your strict and boring rules to have fun?” Ceylin mocked him with a childish grimace. Then she laughed at the skepticism stamped on his face, “you know what, you're uninvited to the beach. Stay here and be a grumpy old man. I’ll jus-“
"What did you take, Ceylin?" Ilgaz interrupted her gently.
After having her so close for a few seconds, he couldn’t help but notice her rapid breathing and constricted pupils. Those reactions were off, considering she wasn’t making any physical effort and they had only a dim light inside the room.
“Aspirin for my headache,” she replied, annoyed by that interrogation, “and a wonderful bath for my soul,” Ceylin finally released herself, pushing him away at the same time Ilgaz let go of her and headed to the bathroom before she could finish her thoughts.
Ceylin followed him, watching as Ilgaz rummaged through the medicine cabinet. Within seconds, he found the orange vial she had put back there. The label did really say it contained common aspirin.
But one more look at Ceylin’s expression was enough for the prosecutor to disregard the label completely.
“This can’t be aspirin. It’s something else.”
“Are you illiterate?” Ceylin asked playfully and took two unsteady steps toward him before unceremoniously grabbing the vial from Ilgaz’s hand and holding it too close to the prosecutor's eyes. “See here? A-S-P-I-R-“
Ilgaz burst out laughing, making Ceylin glare at him.
Was he laughing at her?
She wanted to be annoyed, but for some reason, she was overtaken by an amazing feeling of euphoria, so she couldn't help but laugh too.
"We are silly, aren't we?" Ceylin once again delighted him with a charming smile. She felt like she was in another dimension. “We’re wasting time here, Ilgaz. Let's go to the beach. I want a meat pide. Oh, wait, do you think we can buy a kebab around here?”
"I thought I was uninvited to the beach,” he took a step in her direction, unable to resist flirting with her.
“You are uninvited," Ceylin smirked, "but I want you to go anyway."
“Do you?” Ilgaz brought his face dangerously close to hers.
"I do," Ceylin didn't look away, "I always want you near me, Ilgaz."
The honesty of her confession caught him by surprise. Ilgaz made a superhuman effort not to take her in his arms and kiss her the way he'd been dreaming of doing since he'd met her.
"And you” Ilgaz gently chucked her under the chin using his forefinger and looked straight into her eyes, "are higher than a kite.”
“What?"
“I'm saying you took something, Ceylin” he shook the bottle that supposedly contained aspirin. “I have no idea what exactly it was, but I'll find out.” Then Ilgaz delicately ran his finger along the outline of Ceylin’s face, fascinated by her dazzling beauty. “The only thing I am sure of right now is that I can't take my eyes off of you for a second for the next few hours,” Ilgaz didn't know if he should be amused, concerned or both, “because it’s very likely that, until the end of the day, we’ll both have a headache much worse than the one you had when we first got here.”
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