desertblvsh.

❝   It's  the  fastest  way  to  get  it  done ,   ❞  she  pointed  out ,  keeping  the  bag  of  water  balloons  close  to  her  side.  An  attempt  to  hide  it  as  she  made  her  way  in.  ❝   I  can  be  subtle ,   ❞  she  countered  as  she  slightly  turned  her  body  to  face  him ,  ❝   you  did  not  say  I  had  to  be.   ❞

Roman eyed the bag she held at her side, a laugh escaping him as he stepped aside to let her in. Shutting the door behind her, he merely shook his head. "Fair call. Honestly, remind me to never get on your bad side." The grin lingered as he ushered her towards the living area. "As ridiculous as your teenage water baloon army is, albeit very effective, I'm actually really glad you're here," he admitted, the amusement slowly fading as he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, the exhaustion underneath finally showing now that they were alone. "It's been insane, Iyana."

The fire was already enough, but it felt like every day there was something new. "First it was the investigation, then that voice recording of my mom and the reverend surfaces, then suddenly I somehow had a motive to burn down half the town 'cause I've obviously been open about my stance on development." Roman shook his head, leaning back against the counter as he crossed his arms over his chest. There was a lot he'd done wrong over the years, hell.. a lot of mistakes he'd made. But knowing people were thinking he could be capable of this hurt. "People I've known my whole life are looking at me and my family sideways." He paused for a moment, entirely lost in his own thoughts, before suddenly realising he was being rude and offering Iyana an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking. What can I get you to drink?"

ozan stood with a breath held in his lungs. he watched her, the way she refused to look away. it made his heartbeat thunderous and he wondered if she could hear it too. when she ended with a question, he nodded just to enough to acknowledge that he'd heard it roll of her tongue, but he didn't trust himself enough to speak. his jaw tightened and the flutters low in his belly burned hot. how many times had tyler told him that he was a good man at heart? that he could be better? plenty. but nothing landed like her words did. "i..." he trailed off, voice threatening to break. he cleared his throat and exhaled the breath that had been sitting, stubborn and impatient, in his chest. he chuckled bitterly when the words just didn't come to him. it was nerves that made his tongue feel heavy like lead. how could he accept such kindness from a woman he'd pushed out, even when she'd given him a million reasons not to? "i'm sorry." he nodded slowly, her words still echoing between his ears.

the california branch had been entirely ozan's creation. what had been a test run from his father's point of view had bloomed into something great, something that hakan eldem had wanted his hands on the moment he realized such. "he won't. he doesn't see me as a good fit any longer." by that, it meant that his father knew that the control over ozan was done, which meant he'd prefer having another puppet in place until he could no longer pull the strings. he needed someone like himself, and while he'd tried molding his only heir, he'd failed. "he can't control me any longer and that isn't something he can accept." his father would give him another chance if he went back, but that wasn't happening. going back meant losing what little progress he'd already made with repairing his relationship with their son. that, and ozan wasn't sure he could push her out again, even if that seemed the easier option than navigating whatever this was. "this version doesn't seem terrible to me," he muttered softly, his gaze daringly searching for hers. out of every version they'd seen of themselves, this one was as close to peace as they'd known in a long time.

his mother had delivered the only warmth in his life up until he'd met nadia. she'd been a breath of fresh air and she'd shown him that there was more to life than the family firm his name was tied to. what he'd deemed love and happiness, his father had labeled a distraction, a tempory thing that pulled his only heir's focus from what mattered. ozan had hoped it would change after the birth of their son, but it had fueled hakan to push harder. "i don't think i did that well enough." not while she'd been alive. it was only after her passing that he'd stood up against the man. "i am," he breathed, his voice surprisingly steady for a man who'd felt something crack when she pulled away from him. "it's late," he finally added, noting that maybe he'd crossed a line when his lips brushed against her skin. "you'll let me know about that dinner?" it was light, but it felt like the whole world was pushing in on him.

Nadia huffed out a laugh, rolling her eyes dramatically. "She knows enough. Don't let it get to your head." The smirk lingering on her lips softened as he offered to help. It shouldn't've affected her to the extent that it did, hearing him say he had nothing but time. In the past, time had been the one thing she'd never been able to get from him, but always hoped for. And now she had it? She simply smiled and nodded, the humour fading as she watched him apologise again, and seemingly struggle with her words. "Ozan.." she said quietly, her gaze dropping for a moment before finding his again. He was broken in a way she'd never seen. "You don't have to apologise every time I say something nice about you." It wasn't that she didn't appreciate it. It was that hearing sorry every time broke her heart a little. "Just believe me for once."

The answer about his father didn't surprise her. Hakan had never wanted a son.. he'd wanted an extension of himself. "Then maybe losing his approval isn't actually a loss," she said, careful not to push it too much. "Maybe it was meant to happen." She held his gaze for a few moments, before a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "And for what it's worth, I think the company would've fallen apart without you and your dedication." The quiet that followed settled around them comfortably, and when he said this version didn't seem terrible, she felt her chest tighten. This was bordering on being dangerous, because part of her agreed. Part of her liked this version far more than she should've. Her eyes lingered on his for a second, before she looked away, a faint smile pulling at her lips. "No," she admitted softly. "It doesn't."

"I don't think it mattered to her so much as wanting you to be happy. That's all she ever would've wanted for you. She was a really, really good mother. I, um.. I always looked up to her, after Tomas was born." Definitely not her own. When he finally pointed out how late it was, she glanced toward her door and nodded, completely having forgotten time as a whole during their interaction. "Yeah, it's late." Nadia looked back at him, feeling something still lingering between them, something neither of them were brave enough to touch. "I'll let you know, o course. But if you back out, my abuela will hunt you down herself. So really, you've already committed." She began backing up towards her door, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. "Goodnight, Ozan." And for a second, she stayed exactly where she was, looking at him, before finally forcing herself to turn towards her door.

Nadia let out a small laugh, grateful for the shift away from formalities, moving to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Luke it is, then. I think if I called you Mr Sullivan, I'd start looking for Sully. He's your grandfather, right?" She'd been figuring out town connections, including that Sully was a good friend of her father's before his death. "I appreciate that, actually." She'd always been involved in Tomas' education throughout his entire childhood, but maybe a little more now that she had more time. She slipped her phone into her bag and gave Mr Sulli—Luke her full attention. Oops, she'd spent too long staring. His fault he was too pretty. "So, how's he been going in your classes?" Nadia asked, taking it as her cue to enter the doorway into his classroom.