(Listening : Aslı Gökyokuş - Dans Etmeye İhtiyacım Var)
We all downed our drinks in one go. When the song changed, we set our glasses on the coffee table and kept singing along, loud and dramatic.
While Feyza refilled our glasses, I took a quick break and went to the bathroom. When I came back, the scene waiting for me made it impossible not to laugh out loud.
Feyza was standing on the coffee table, dancing while swinging her cardigan in her hand. Aylin and Nil were bouncing on the couch, shaking their heads like maniacs. Between the alcohol dizziness and the head shaking, they were clearly making the whole thing harder for themselves. The funniest part was how they kept almost falling, then somehow pulling themselves back at the last second, and I had to admit, they were surprisingly good at it.
With a mischievous idea, I immediately pulled my phone out and started recording.
Right after I stopped the video, I heard a loud noise that cut through the music. I shoved my phone into my pocket and walked toward the front door, curious. When I realized someone was pounding on it angrily, I froze, completely confused. I wasn't expecting anyone. Had the girls somehow ordered something from the market in the blink of an eye?
The second I opened the door, my curiosity turned into pure shock.
"What are you all doing here?"
"Hi, Sugarflake. I couldn't reach Nil. Rüzgar said he dropped her off at your place. We called all of you one by one, but none of you answered. We thought something happened, so we rushed here." He added with a wide grin that nearly reached his ears. "Looks like it was a false alarm."
"It's impressive you heard the door but not the phones."
I lifted my hand and grinned back at Demir.
"I heard it when I came out of the bathroom."
"Well done, Sunshine. Now if you'll excuse us, we're coming in."
When I stepped aside to let them enter, within seconds, the entryway of my not-so-big apartment was completely blocked by four adult men. All four had stopped moving and were staring at the girls with expressions like they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Honestly, their shock was even funnier than the girls.
Hearing my giggles helped them snap out of it. They stopped standing in the entryway and came in, and only then did the girls realize they weren't alone.
Despite all of their uninvited audience's insistence, they ended the performance and dropped into their seats like exhausted artists after a sold-out concert.
While we drank the last cocktails Feyza had made, the guys drank coffee they made for themselves. And unsurprisingly, the one who took the most damage from this short time together was Aylin. Because from the moment they sat down until the moment it was time to leave, Demir used her drunk, slow-thinking state against her and kept teasing her nonstop.
So, in a way, he got his revenge for the coffee incident.
When I finally saw off everyone, invited or not, the first thing I did was clean up the living room that looked like a war zone. Once it was back to normal, I dealt with the pile of dishes and trash in the sink. After that, I opened the windows to air the place out, then collapsed onto the couch, completely drained.
What a night.
And still, in the last half hour, I hadn't seen Kerem anywhere. It felt like he was doing something behind my back and not telling me, but that was a problem for later, once I sobered up. Realizing I was one step away from passing out on the couch, I gathered the last of my strength, got up, and closed the windows.
I swayed into my bedroom and slipped into bed without turning on the light. I pulled the blanket over myself, rolled to the other side, and a scream tore out of my mouth.
"I think I just went deaf."
I bolted upright in fear and turned the light on. When I saw who was lying in my bed, relief hit for a second… then all my anger rushed in right after it.
"What are you doing in my bed?"
"I was exhausted. And I couldn't sleep in that crowd, so I came here."
After the scare he gave me, I wanted to yell and dump all my frustration on him, but I couldn't. Sitting there rubbing his eyes, he looked even more wiped out than I was. I let out a tired breath and sat on the edge of the bed.
"I swear, if I graduate without you killing me of a heart attack, I'll make a whole neighborhood of kids happy. If you're tired, why didn't you go to your own house?"
"I like sleeping here. I think your bed is more comfortable."
I rolled my eyes and snapped back.
"Don't be ridiculous, Hotshot. We're talking about a bed twice the size and ten times more comfortable. I could sleep for three days straight in that bed."
"When it comes to you, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't wake up for a week."
After a long yawn, he rubbed his face and asked, exhausted.
"What time is it?"
"Past two."
"Did everyone leave?"
"Yes, everyone left."
He pushed the blanket aside and stood up.
"Are you leaving?"
He nodded while pulling his phone out and checking something.
Reluctantly, I muttered, "If you still feel bad, you can sleep on the couch."
"If there was any chance I could stay, trust me, I wouldn't be sleeping on that couch. But I have to go."
He threw on the jacket he'd left on the chair by my dresser and got ready to leave. I asked suspiciously,
"Where are you going?"
"I have something to do."
"At this hour?"
"You're getting too invested in this boyfriend-girlfriend game, Sunshine."
"As long as it's not about looking for the missing man, I don't care what you do, Hotshot. Go meet your ex, go party until morning, it's not my business. But if I find out you're hiding something from me about the other thing, our deal is over."
"You're getting way too involved, Duru. I told you it wasn't your business."
"Then why am I the one getting dragged into your lie?"
"Do you think I enjoy lying to my own friends? You were the one who threatened me and chased after me for 'adventure.' If you'd listened to me and gone home that day, I wouldn't have had to lie to anyone."
"For adventure?" My hands curled. "Did you hit your head again during one of your fights?"
"And you know damn well if you weren't trying to live out that stupid show, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"I can't believe you. So I'm the guilty one now?"
I stood up, anger rising.
"Who dragged me into this in the first place?"
"If I'd known you'd cause this much trouble, I never would've done any of this!"
"Trouble?" My voice shook. "Do you realize you just said that to someone who's worried about you and trying to help?"
"Help?" His face hardened. "If you hadn't gotten involved, I might've learned what that man had to say by now!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Then you're on your own from now on! I don't care how you risk your life, and I don't care what kind of mess you land in! Go meet whoever you want!"
With a hand trembling from anger, I pointed at the door. He shot me one furious look and walked out without a word.
A second later, the front door slammed so hard it echoed through the apartment, and I sank onto the bed in defeat.
Because of him, I'd turned into someone who lied constantly, snapped at people, and walked around tense like a new problem would explode out of nowhere at any moment. And as if that wasn't enough, I couldn't believe I'd actually heard those words from him.
This was for the best. Ending this partnership was good.
Nothing with Kerem as the main theme was ever going to end well for me anyway. So not seeing him would be better for me.
Yes. Yes, absolutely. I'd definitely made the right choice for myself.
And I missed my old calm, peaceful life too.
I dropped back onto the bed and squeezed my eyes shut so hard they burned with angry tears.