I folded the last couple of clothes and placed them into my suitcase. After forcing and squeezing it shut with some effort, I straightened up and looked around. It looked like everything was finally ready.
And today was the day. In just a few minutes, I was going to be officially done with the dorm for good. No roommates, no curfews, just freedom. Just peace. I whispered to myself with a goofy smile, "If I die, at least I'll die free."
After saying goodbye to all my roommates, I put on my black leather jacket, swung my backpack over my shoulders, and headed downstairs.
Since the girls had been kind enough to carry my stuff downstairs while I was in the bathroom, I happily called Feyza to tell her I was ready.
Ten minutes later, a car pulled up in front of the building. Feyza stepped out first, followed by a tall, well-built guy.
When they both walked up to me, Feyza introduced us. "Atlas, this is my close friend Duru. Duru, this is my boyfriend, Atlas."
He reached out his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Duru," while I was busy studying him closely.
Up close, he looked pretty handsome: dark brown hair trimmed short on the sides and longer on top, blue eyes, sharp features, and a muscular build obvious even under his clothes.
Of course Sapphire's boyfriend looked like he'd been handcrafted in a Greek statue workshop. Why wouldn't he?
But I couldn't say the same for the endless tattoos covering every exposed patch of skin, stretching from his arm all the way up to his neck.
"Nice to meet you too, Atlas. Wow, you look like a Renaissance painting." Thinking out loud was probably my worst habit.
While I rubbed my arm where Feyza pinched me for my bluntness, Atlas was laughing at us.
"Your friend's adorable, Feyza."
Feyza shot me a sharp look. "You should see her when she's quiet, sweetheart."
Not missing the threat under her tone, I flashed her an innocent smile. "Shall we load the rest of the stuff? You two must have places to be, I don't want to keep you."
I grabbed the box filled with my books and placed it on the back seat. Once Atlas put the suitcases in the trunk, we all got in the car and drove off.
While giving Atlas directions, my curiosity got the better of me. "Are you in school too, Atlas?"
He smiled at me through the rearview mirror. "Yeah. Senior year, psychology."
I smiled back. So even studying psychology didn't solve everything, apparently. I mean, someone with that many tattoos couldn't be entirely normal.
"So… do you live with your family?"
"No. I live with a female friend from my department."
I snapped my eyes wide open and turned to Feyza. She just shrugged and smiled as if he'd said, 'I live with five brothers,' instead.
At that point, I was convinced this girl wouldn't panic even if the world caught fire. Okay, sure, I wasn't the type to flip tables out of jealousy, but this level of chill was definitely not normal.
When we stopped by the garden gate of the apartment building, Feyza was laughing and telling Atlas something.
Since I hadn't followed their conversation at all, I got out of the car, grabbed the box, and turned back to them with zero context. Meanwhile, Atlas had already taken out my suitcases and was carrying them toward the entrance.
I hurried after him and said, "You can leave them here. I'll take the rest up with the elevator. You two go enjoy your date." Feyza had joined us by then.
"Are you sure? I can take them upstairs for you."
"That's really kind of you, but no need. Thanks for bringing them this far. And if we ever meet again, drinks are on me."
Feyza, amused by my excitement, grabbed Atlas's hand with a cute grin. "Let's get going, darling. All she wants is to be alone in her new place and enjoy herself."
This was the beauty of close friends, they understood you instantly.
I grabbed my things and walked to the entrance, feeling both the quiet and the promise of my new life settle around me. Whatever came next… at least it would be mine.