39
The cab stopped in front of a building later that night and Tahti looked around as she alighted while Demir helped her to settle the bill. He'd asked to pick her up earlier, but she'd refused as she was sure she wouldn't able to handle the temptation if he made a move. She'd told him she'd meet him at the intersection, by her apartment but had been surprised when she'd come out to see him, waiting at the entrance of her apartment.
Demir walked over to pull up the roller door and Tahti was awed to see what a metal shop look like.
"Come in."
"Okay." She replied before she did, her eyes still accessing the place. "There's no one here, though."
"The owner likes to get off work early." Demir replied as he walked over to hang his bag on one of the stands. "I'm using his studio when it's not open and I live upstairs."
Was he opening to her again?
"I see." She replied and took another look round to see some of these successfully completed works. "I didn't know you worked this hard. Don't you think you're overdoing it?" "I still have a long way to go." He replied and Tahti envied his passion. She hated working hard when it came to her pieces.
A text came into her phone and she slipped it out of her joggers to see Henry had sent her a text.
«Tahti, I think I'll be thirty minutes late. I'm really sorry.»
"Henry's going to be a bit late." She announced.
"Have a seat, then." Demir said, walking towards her to take her by the shoulders and to lead her to sit on one of the sofas in the studio. "Do you want a drink?"
"Sure." She replied and he walked over to get two cans of lime from the fridge, before he returned her a can and plod beside her.
"It's been a while...since we last talked." He started.
"It hasn't been that long." She replied, looking ahead.
"I'm sorry...The day we went to the police station, I'm sorry for being a jerk. I shouldn't have done that to you."
"What's with the sudden apology?" His apology was too late and it didn't mean that things could go back to the way they were. "You were right about me drawing the line. When people cross a certain line, they will feel it's meaningless but...I want to change now." Change? Was it what she was thinking? Was he indirectly telling her, he was thinking of dating her? That couldn't be possible. She was probably thinking too much into his words, since she still has a soft spot for him. "Change how? Are you thinking of dating now?" She asked, and he sighed.
"I'm not sure. I'm thinking of changing bit by bit. Then who knows? I might meet my soulmate."
She sank into the sofa with a sigh. "I'll be rooting for you, then. I hope you can be sincere this time."
An awkward silence fell on them as she lowered her eyes to her almost empty can. "What is it?" He asked, on noticing something was wrong.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking of making wings."
"Metal wings?" He asked and she nodded.
"But, I don't know what kind of shape to make it though. I wish I could meet an artist for reference."
"You can." He said, a smile crossing his lips and she lightened up.
"How?"
"I know of an artist, who is having an exhibition very soon. Do you want to come when it opens?"
"Sure." She replied.
Work started in earnest once they'd finished their drinks and Tahti, who was just working with metal for the first time was amazed by how simple it was to handle. Demir took his time to teach her variety of things, from soldering to hammering into shape.
By seven thirty, she had soldered a huge chunk of metal, on her own. And by a few minutes to nine, she was almost done with smoothing the hammered metal.
The hours had been hard, but, oddly enough, Tahti didn't feel at all exhausted. Exhilaration was closer to the mark, but she couldn't admit such a thing to Demir.
"Henry said he'll be thirty minutes late but he never showed up." She said as she walked out of the workshop, after the evening's work.
"How was it? It wasn't difficult, was it?" Demir asked and she nodded.
"I think I can do it if I work hard."
He slipped his hands into his pocket of his overalls. "Call me, whenever you want to work. You'll make a masterpiece."
"Stop teasing me."
"I'm not teasing you. I like your pieces, especially this one. I'm looking forward to it."
"I'll get going." she said and spun on her heel to leave.
"Tahti." He was walking towards her, by the time she veered to him, before he slipped out his phone to dial someone.
"I changed my number." He said, when her phone rang and she took it out to look at the number. That wasn't the number she had in her directory.
"Alright, see you tomorrow." She said and turned to head home.
Stella kept flickering her finger over the customized key holder, from the cab which was parked a few metres from Demir's workshop, as she watched Tahti leave, with a smile.
For the first time in a long while, Demir stood her up for the usual date. She'd thought something had gone wrong with him when he hadn't answered any of her calls and she had up into the first cab that had come her way, only for her to see he'd been busy with that star girl, who looked like she didn't know her place.
Stella returned her eyes to him as he looked through his phone and she noticed his expressions changed. He'd probably seen her missed calls and she suspected he would call her in a few seconds.
She guessed right as her phone rang immediately and she waited for a couple of seconds before she answered it.
"Hi, Stella. Were you waiting for me?" She heard him ask. Of course, you dummy. Have I ever missed out on any of dates, she wanted to ask, but instead, she said.
"No, I just called to say I can't make it today." She clenched the key holder as she watched him smile.
"That's a relief."
"Were you busy?" She asked, on hearing his sigh.
"Yeah, a bit. I was working."
"Alright, then. Get back to work." She replied and hung up before she looked at the driver "Let's go."
"Yes ma'am."
