I glanced at the dozen outfits I had laid out on the bed, shook my head, and went back to the wardrobe to pull out something else. As I pushed the hangers back and forth indecisively, I struggled to suppress the growing urge inside me to scream at the top of my lungs.
The root of this crisis was the fact that, on top of the location and the customer base, I also had to choose something that would fit two completely opposite places in terms of purpose. And the more I looked at the clothes I owned, the more convinced I became that this was impossible.
When I finally ran out of patience, I gave up and pulled out one of my comfortable jeans. While I looked for something equally comfortable to wear on top, the doorbell rang.
I tossed the two options in my hands onto the pile on the bed and stepped out of the room to open the door.
The moment I saw three beautifully dressed, enthusiastically smiling women standing in front of me, I knew I was in trouble.
"Girls, what are you doing here?"
"You look way too happy to see us." Feyza's teasing made me smile as I stepped aside to let them in.
"Don't be ridiculous, Sapphire. I'm just surprised, that's all. I thought you'd be getting ready at your own place like me."
"From what I've heard, you tend to dress a little too casually for places like this. So I talked to the girls and decided we should meet at your place early to carry out the plan."
Nil's words only increased my uneasiness. I forced myself to ask the question I definitely did not want the answer to.
"What plan?" Aylin smirked and pointed her index finger at me.
"Our plan to glam you up." I raised my brows and looked at each of them one by one.
"Are you serious?"
"Very serious, sweetheart," Feyza said as she crossed her legs and sat on the couch.
"And why is my getting dolled up so important? Anyone care to explain that?"Nil wrapped an arm around my shoulders and steered me toward my bedroom with a grin.
"Revenge, little grasshopper. Revenge."
At this point, blaming only Kerem wouldn't be fair. As I internally composed a short ode for Bora too, I tried to say something that might make Nil give up.
"I think you all look sexy enough already; I don't need to go overboard. Besides, I've gained a little weight recently. I tried on a few things before you arrived and none of them looked right."
"Leave that to me, sweety."
A moment later Aylin and Feyza entered the room behind us. Aylin joined Nil, who was examining the clothes on the hangers, while Feyza inspected the pieces I had left on the bed earlier.
"When you said you weren't planning to go overboard, you didn't mean these jeans and T-shirt, I hope?" she said. I forced a cute expression as I answered.
"But I just bought them!"
Feyza narrowed her eyes and shot me a deadly look, while the other two shoved an outfit into my hands and pushed me toward the bathroom. Once inside, I frowned at what I was holding. The dress my sister had forced me to buy, so uncomfortable I had banished it to the farthest corner of my closet, had been found in seconds. If anything proved how determined they were to "fix me up," it was this.
Without even bothering to try it on, I stepped back out. Aylin spotted me immediately and pointed at my hand.
"Why aren't you wearing it?"
"There's no way I'm going to a bar in this dress! At least pick something more modest. Otherwise I'll gladly go back to my jeans and T-shirt."
My threat must have worked because they didn't argue this time. They simply handed me another set of clothes and sent me back into the bathroom. The black chiffon long-sleeved loose blouse was relatively merciful, but the black, sequined, high-waisted tight skirt looked far too short to me. When I returned, they all approved with satisfied smiles.
They sat me in front of the dresser and circled around me; judging by the terrified look on my face, they were enjoying themselves far too much.
Knowing that looking too "attention-grabbing" could only bring trouble, I asked them to at least let me handle my own hair and makeup, but of course, the result didn't change. Aylin buried herself in my hair tools, Feyza and Nil dove into my makeup products, all three exchanging ideas as they completely ignored my protests. Eventually I gave up wasting my breath and resigned myself to whatever fate had planned for me.
Half an hour later, when I stood in front of the full-length mirror, they smiled with the proud satisfaction of artists admiring their masterpiece. I, on the other hand, had lost all hope.
At this rate, making it home in one piece would truly be a miracle.
Despite the uneasy churn in my stomach, I couldn't bring myself to ruin their fun or dismiss their efforts, they had no idea what was really going on, after all. I forced a smile and thanked them. As I gathered my bag, Nil answered a call, spoke briefly, then turned to us.
"The boys are waiting downstairs. Since we're all ready, we can head out."
As we slipped on our shoes and left the house, I reached for my long coat, thinking the more covered I was, the better. Feyza, guessing exactly what I planned, slapped my hand away. Then she handed me a short jacket with her other hand and dragged me outside before I could protest.
Perfect. The only lifeline I had left had just been snatched away.
When we reached downstairs and I saw four cars lined up, and four very attractive men, each with their own style, I froze in surprise. This revenge was getting stranger by the minute. Nil moved next to Bora and called out to the others:
"Gentlemen, don't forget our agreement. Take good care of your partners tonight."
For a moment, I could swear Bora matched Nil's sly smile. If I didn't know he was the one being punished, I'd think he was enjoying this just as much as she was, but that wouldn't make any sense.
Following their instructions, Demir escorted Aylin and Rüzgar escorted Feyza to their cars, opening the doors and waiting for the girls to get in before taking the driver's seat themselves.
Kerem, meanwhile, stood right in front of me with his hands in his pockets, not bothering to hide the irritation on his face. Clearly he couldn't speak with the others around. I took advantage of the opportunity to quietly study him.
Wearing all black tends to make anyone look striking, but on him the effect was leagues above average. His outfit, a pair of black pants, a T-shirt, and a fitted jacket, looked like it had been tailored by a master. He'd styled his hair to match the polished look, parting it mostly to the right and leaving his forehead exposed.
I didn't want to give him more ammunition to tease me with, but resisting this dangerously attractive sight wasn't easy.
When Nil cleared her throat, he gave her the same irritated look he'd given me earlier, then got into his car without a word. I exhaled, smiled at Nil to signal everything was fine, and got in beside him.
Before I could even fasten my seatbelt, he turned to me sharply.
"Where's the other half of this outfit, Duru?"
"I thought you liked it when other people threatened me, hotshot."
"This is not the time for jokes. I'm serious."
"You think I want to go there looking like this, Kerem? The three of them stormed my house and forced me to get ready. Since I couldn't tell them where we were really going, I had no chance to refuse."
"Then go upstairs and change."I sighed in frustration.
"Feyza took my keys."
He muttered a string of curses, most of which seemed to involve Bora, as he started the engine and drove after the others. Apparently someone's ears were burning tonight.
"How are we supposed to ditch everyone without being noticed and get to the other bar?" I asked. He gave me a quick look, then turned back to the road.
"Leave that to me."
I rolled my eyes and leaned back.
"Great. Now I'm even more worried."
As I stared quietly out the window, his phone rang. From the sound of it, the caller was a man, and whatever he was saying, Kerem did not like it. He gave clipped answers and ended the call.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing I can't handle."
By the time we parked and walked toward the others waiting for us, he looked deep in thought. Trying not to assume the worst, I focused on Feyza tugging at my hand.
Since I'd never been here before, the first thing I did upon entering was look around. One glance at the décor and the people having fun was enough to explain why I'd never heard of this place. For someone with my budget, this nightclub was way too luxurious.
Following Nil and Bora, we headed upstairs and settled into one of the VIP booths. As Demir ordered drinks, the girls were already starting to move with the blaring music.
I slipped off my jacket, set it next to my bag, and listened to their cheerful chatter with a forced smile. Normally I'd have more fun than all of them in a place like this, but given my current situation and mood, it was understandable I wasn't exactly in the party spirit. Nil must have noticed, because she stopped talking and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Did Kerem say something to upset you?" With Feyza and Aylin also staring at me curiously, I shook my head and smiled.
"It's not him. I'm just not in the mood, I guess."
Nil smirked, grabbed one of the shots that had arrived, and handed it to me.
"Down this. You'll perk right up."
Not wanting to ruin their excitement, I knocked back the shot. Then the ones Aylin and Feyza put in front of me. Slowly but surely, my uneasiness began giving way to a warm, careless buzz.
Nil laughed. "Now it's time for phase two of the plan. Ready?"I turned to them, clearly confused.
For some strange reason, I ended up being the last person to hear about any of these plans.
Aylin and Feyza agreed without hesitation, and before I could even ask what was happening, they grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet.
"You guys enjoy your conversation. We're going to dance," Nil said. It took everything in me not to roll my eyes. Dancing at a club? They must've planned this so hard.
I didn't complain and followed them downstairs. The place seemed even more crowded now. For the first few minutes I swayed awkwardly among the dancers, but eventually their energy caught on and I started having fun too.
Then I looked up, and saw Kerem and the busty girl beside him.