After surviving my first five minutes in the building—and a very questionable elevator experience, I finally pushed my suitcases inside the apartment. Moving wasn't completed yet, though. This was just phase one of the move. I still had to go back to the dorm and clear out the rest of my things before weekend.
I let myself drop onto the living room couch and released a tired breath. What a day, honestly.
As if being stuck in an elevator wasn't annoying enough, I had to be stuck there with someone who clearly thought he was a Greek god.
And somehow, in the middle of all that, he even managed to learn my last name. If we'd stayed there any longer, he probably would've recited my entire family registry.
If I stayed sprawled on the couch like this, I was never going to stop thinking about him. Besides, I had a ton of things to do—clothes to put away, books to sort ... A new home and a new life came with freedom, sure but also with a workload that could rival a shipping company.
I pulled my laptop out of my bag and put on my most energetic playlist. I was one of those people who couldn't function without music, and I had a playlist for every task and every mood.
Singing along, I made my way toward my bedroom with dance moves that had absolutely zero grace.
As I unpacked my things, I couldn't keep the goofy smile off my face. I'd been waiting for this moment for so long.
Convincing my family had been a battle on its own. I was determined to live alone, no roommates, no negotiations. And of course, my overly anxious mother was the one leading the opposition. She was the one who chose this apartment anyway, mostly because of the camera system around it. Though to be fair, the place was genuinely beautiful, I couldn't deny that.
It was the perfect-sized apartment for a single person. At the entrance, there was a small but cute hallway where you could see the doors to every room.
To the left of the front door stood a coat rack, and to the right was the bathroom. Straight ahead was the bedroom, the living room was right beside it, and the kitchen fit snugly between the coat rack and the living room.
Small place, big happiness.
For the first time in years, I felt like my life actually belonged to me.
By the time I finished unpacking, it was already dark outside, and my hunger had reached a lethal level. Since my fridge was tragically empty, I opened every student's loyal best friend—the food delivery app—and ordered something.
While waiting for the food to arrive, I turned on the TV and sprawled out on the couch. When my phone chimed with a text notification, I tore my eyes away from the TV. That's when I remembered I hadn't texted the girls about coming over the weekend.
I smiled to myself as I typed into our group chat. With Aylin living right upstairs and Feyza just one street away, getting together whenever we wanted had officially become effortless.
As I continued flipping through the channels in pure frustration, I grew increasingly convinced that the days when watching TV in this country didn't feel like physical torture were long gone.
The doorbell rang. Finally, it was here!
Carrying my food back to the living room, I gave up on the channels entirely and opened the top pick on my streaming platform. I only followed two shows regularly, but I loved both of them to an almost unhealthy degree.
I saved the serious one for another day and put on the one I knew would lift my mood while keeping me entertained.
Seeing Dean Winchester was enough to boost my mood instantly.
I was alone, in my own home, watching my favorite show with dinner in my lap, sprawled comfortably across the couch. Freedom was a beautiful thing.
I didn't even know his name…
but he somehow already felt like trouble.