I jolted upright at the pounding on my door. With my eyes half-open, I looked around, not understanding what was happening. The moment I realized the noise was coming from my apartment door, I shot up in a panic.
As I tried to get out of bed, the duvet tangled around my feet. Before I could even stand, I was already on the floor. When I finally managed to get up, I rubbed my butt, throbbing from the impact. Then I cursed out loud at whoever was mercilessly pounding on my door.
"What the hell is going on? Did a war break out or something?"
By the time I reached the hallway, the pounding had slowed a little.
I turned on the light first, then opened the door. Still half-asleep, I thought I was seeing things. I was about to slam the door shut again when a hand slipped in between.
"There's no war, but you've apparently slipped into a coma. I called you like forty times. I've been knocking on your door for ten minutes."
I shot a dirty look at the person standing there, somehow even more annoying than usual.
"Aren't you supposed to be a nightmare?"
He pushed me aside and walked in.
As he took off his shoes and headed into the living room, I just stood there, staring blankly after him. I could never understand where he got this level of comfort from.
With no choice left, I followed him into the living room, yawning tiredly as I muttered,
"Since you woke me up from my sleep, you'd better really be dying this time, hotshot."
Then I waved my hand in a "whatever" gesture and went on,
"Actually, better idea: you die here, I'll go back to bed. You can finally rest in peace."
I had just turned around to head back to my bed when he grabbed me by the wrist.
"Get dressed. We're going out."
At first I thought he was just messing with me and gave him a flat stare to show it wasn't funny. But when I realized he was serious, I yanked my wrist out of his hand and snapped in anger.
"Have you lost your mind? Where are we going in the middle of the night? And forgive my curiosity, but what made you think I'd go anywhere with you?"
The corner of his mouth curved up, and I knew that was never a good sign.
"We're going to live that action you wanted so badly."
I rolled my eyes and muttered, not even bothering to hide how little I took him seriously.
"Feel free to go by yourself. I'm going back to bed."
When I headed for the doorway, he blocked my path, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the door.
"Are you going to get ready, or should I throw you over my shoulder and take you in your pajamas, sunshine?"
What he said honestly made me laugh.
"You think you can carry me? Seriously?"
With a sudden move, he stepped in front of me and hoisted me up onto his shoulder. I couldn't stop the scream that escaped my mouth.
"What was it you said a minute ago? Something about how I couldn't lift you?"
"Damn you, Kerem! What do you even eat, seriously? Put me down now!"
Ignoring my struggling, he opened the living room door and headed toward the apartment's front door.
I yelled in a panic,
"Okay, okay, stop! I'll get ready. I swear. Just put me down."
"Feyza's right to threaten you. You really are incredibly stubborn."
When he finally set me down, I shot him my nastiest glare. Then I headed to my room to change, grumbling loudly as I went,
"Does a normal person ever exist in my orbit, God? Why do all the maniacs find me?"
I opened my wardrobe and stared at my clothes, having no idea what to wear. Then a voice right beside me made me flinch and spin around.
"Wear something comfortable. No need to dress up."
"What are you up to?"
He took me by the shoulders, pulled me gently aside, and started casually rifling through the clothes on the hangers.
He shoved a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt into my hands and left the room. I just stood there, stunned, staring at the door he'd closed.
Maybe he had some kind of psychological disorder he was hiding from everyone.
After putting on the clothes he'd given me, I pulled my loose hair up into a tight high ponytail and gave myself a quick once-over in the mirror.
I'd been too lazy to take off my makeup and had gone straight to bed. But since I hadn't been asleep that long, it hadn't really smudged.
In this state of exhaustion—especially for that hotshot—I was not about to bother redoing my makeup. I just wiped away the faint residue under my eyes with my finger and settled for putting some balm on my lips.
On top of still not fully grasping what was going on, I was also, deep down, still half asleep.
As I walked to the kitchen, I raised my voice so he could hear me.
"I'm going to make myself a coffee. I still haven't woken up."
Just as I was about to fill the kettle, he appeared in the kitchen doorway.
"Don't bother. We have to leave right away. We'll grab coffee on the way."
By the time I'd put on my boots and shoved my phone into the pocket of my leather jacket, I'd stopped questioning his sanity. I had started questioning my own.
What the hell was I doing, giving in to the childish threats of a guy I barely even knew, in the middle of the night?
I followed him out of the apartment. When I headed straight for the stairs without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed my arm.
"The elevator's this way, sunshine."
I jerked my arm back and enunciated every word.
"I am never, and I mean never, getting into the same elevator as you again."
Two minutes later, while he was pressing the elevator button, I stood there with my arms crossed over my chest, scowling straight ahead.
"If you try to carry me one more time, I'll kill you with my bare hands."
"Are you always this aggressive when you wake up?"
"Do you always drag people you've just met somewhere by threatening them?"
He shook his head lazily from side to side.
"No. You're the first."
When the elevator stopped, I let out an angry breath and stepped out first.
When we reached the garden gate, I waited for him to unlock it. Then I got into the car after him. With that, my bad mood suddenly shifted.
The moment I sat down, the comfort of the seat made me smile in sleepy contentment. I muttered in a drowsy tone,
"Make that coffee for two, hotshot. I could sleep on this seat forever."
"Seriously? Even getting into a car makes you think about sleeping?"
"If I had a license, I'd prefer to drive, obviously, but as things stand, all I'm allowed to do is sleep. And what's wrong if I like sleeping, anyway? You've all ganged up on my sleep today. Nobody's let me get any rest in peace!"
He laughed at my complaint and started the engine. I leaned back, stretching out a little more comfortably in the soft seat.
When my phone wouldn't stop buzzing in my pocket, I couldn't take it anymore. I pulled it out and muted the group chat.
I saw dozens of missed calls from an unknown number. I turned back to the man beside me to finally ask something I'd missed.
"Who did you get my phone number from?"
"Does it matter who gave it to me?"
"Of course it does! I need to identify the traitor around me so I can cut them out of my life for my own good."
He grinned and shook his head. I rolled my eyes in exasperation. If I ever found that mole, they'd regret it.
Half asleep, half awake, I was sinking into the seat. A coffee cup was placed in my lap, and I opened my eyes. I must have dozed off for a moment, because I hadn't even noticed the car stopping.
As I sipped my coffee and watched the road, I slowly started to wake up. The first thing I noticed was that we were in an area I'd never been to before.
"Aren't you going to tell me where we're going?"
"You don't need to know. In fact, not knowing is better for you."
With a defeated sigh, I turned my head toward him.
"Be honest, you think being mysterious makes you more attractive, don't you?"
"I don't need to be mysterious to impress you, sunshine. I'd say I've already proven that enough."
As I set the empty coffee cup down beside me, I answered in a mocking tone,
"Your imagination's on fire too, apparently. I bet you believe in unicorns as well."
Just then, the car braked suddenly and I barely managed not to slam into the window.
"Are you crazy? Are you trying to kill us?"
He unbuckled his seat belt and turned toward me, moving in slow motion. My brows furrowed.
What was this guy up to now?
The closer he got, the more I pulled back until I was practically plastered to the seat. As he kept closing the distance between us with that unsettling look in his eyes, I started to really panic.
He stopped right in front of my nose and just looked into my eyes for a moment.
As I watched the caramel color of his eyes slowly deepen into chocolate brown, I felt like I was losing my grip on reality.
There was something almost hypnotic in his gaze.
Then his eyes dropped to my lips, and his low voice filled my ears.
"If you're not affected by me… why aren't you breathing?"
I hadn't even realized I'd been holding my breath until he said it. I exhaled slowly and tried to defend myself, praying my voice would come out steady.
"It has nothing to do with you. The car stopped so suddenly that I panicked, that's all."
When he looked into my eyes again and let out a low laugh, a sweet warmth spread through my whole body.
How was it possible for someone to smile that beautifully?