As I knocked on Feyza's door, I tried to warm my freezing hands by bringing them to my mouth and breathing onto them, even though I hadn't taken them out of my pockets the whole way. When the door finally opened and I saw her, I grinned.
While I looked like an Eskimo, buried in layers of thick clothing that left only a tiny part of my face visible, my dear friend looked like a wingless version of a high-end brand model, and her front door currently resembled a secret passage that opened straight from the equator to the poles.
"Duru? What a nice surprise! Come in."
She stepped aside with a cute smile that was equal parts surprised and pleased, and I rushed inside and shut the door behind me. As I started peeling off my cabbage-like layers, Feyza watched me curiously.
"How did you manage to go outside in this cold?"
"Don't even ask, Sapphire! Right now I want to lock that woman named Ayşe in a deep freezer for three days and when she screams for help, I want to sit on top of the freezer and sip my hot drink happily!"
"For God's sake, stop watching horror movies, Duru!" she scolded, then sighed. "And I told you not to take that class. This is what happens when you don't listen to me."
"Is it normal that you're slowly turning into my mom?" I grinned when she rolled her eyes. "Like you don't know me, Sapphire. Do you really think there was any chance I'd choose studying for an exam when I could get away with an assignment instead?"
While I talked, I walked into her bedroom, grabbed the blanket off her bed, and carried it into the living room. After I made myself comfortable on the couch and pulled it over me, stuffing the edges in tightly, Feyza laughed as she watched.
"You know this wouldn't happen if you were a guy, right?"
"Excuse me?"
"That woman is fifty and single, Duru. The whole school knows she has a weakness for young men, except you."
The professor's face flashed in my mind and I got goosebumps.
"If I were a guy, I'd choose taking an exam every week a million times over getting close to that El Mayra."
"Then introduce her to your boyfriend. If she doesn't give full marks to all your assignments after that, then I'm not Feyza."
"Sure, because pimping out a man was the one thing missing from my life," I shot back, then waved it off. "And what boyfriend? Forget it."
"Don't tell me you fought again!"
With a sweet smile, I said, "No. This time, we broke up."
Her brows pulled together.
"Are you crazy? Who smiles after breaking up with their boyfriend?"
I answered with a flat, unimpressed look.
"Says you. Like I'm the one who celebrates every breakup by going out with someone new."
When her serious expression didn't change, I let out a tired sigh.
"What do you want me to do, Sapphire, mourn the guy I dated for exactly one week? We tried. It didn't work."
"You sounded totally fine on the phone. What happened overnight that you broke up?"
If I didn't change the subject fast, there was no way I could handle the incoming questions, each one worse than the last.
"Ugh, whatever. It's done, it's over. Leave me alone," I said quickly. "You tell me instead. You remember last night, right?"
"Are you warm yet? Want me to turn the heater up?" I chuckled at her attempt to dodge and nodded.
"Turn it up, turn it up. And while you're at it, brew some tea. Did you study for your exam tomorrow?"
"I finished before you came. It's going to be test anyway. It's not that hard."
"Good." I pulled my phone out. "While you make tea, I'll call Aylin. Maybe she finished studying too."
When she nodded and headed to the kitchen, I took my phone from my bag to call Aylin, then noticed I'd missed a call from a number I didn't recognize. I'd forgotten to turn my ringer back on after leaving the library.
Like I always did in these situations, I ignored the unknown number and called Aylin like I'd planned. If it was important, whoever it was would call again.
A few minutes later, when Feyza came back, I pushed the blanket aside, sat cross-legged, and turned to her.
"Tell me the truth. You remember last night, right?"
"What did Aylin say? Is she coming?"
"Yes. She said she'll be done in about an hour." I narrowed my eyes. "Are you hiding something from me?"
"No, of course not. What would I even hide?"
"I don't know, but you get weird when I bring up last night."
The way she avoided looking at me as she set the tray on the coffee table only made me more suspicious.
"I was going to tease you a little because your legendary friends witnessed your performance," I continued, "but you're not someone who'd care that much. There has to be something else behind this dodging."
"Seriously, there's nothing, Duru," she said quickly. "It was late, so thanks to Rüzgar, he walked me all the way to my door. And in that state, I went home and fell asleep the second I stepped inside. The reason I'm avoiding talking about yesterday isn't what happened at night. It's my dad. You know he keeps pressuring me to work with him. But now the pressure has reached the level of threats."
I nodded and placed my hand over hers.
"Doesn't your mom support you at all?"
"Ah, my mom…" With a meaningful smile and a voice that carried almost no emotion she went on, "The last time we saw each other was at that reception I was forced to attend because of my dad. Even then, we talked for five, maybe ten minutes. Since I moved out, we see each other once or twice a month."
We'd been friends for over a year, and during all that time, she'd barely ever talked about her family.
I'd guessed their relationship wasn't great, but I hadn't thought it was this bad. The biggest reason I'd never realized just how serious it was had to be Feyza's ability to keep her cheerful, positive attitude no matter what.
If something ever upset her and of course it must have, because nobody lived a perfect, problem-free life three hundred sixty-five days a year—I'd never once seen her show it.
At most, she'd have quick bursts of anger she couldn't control because of how easily she flared up. And even those moments didn't seem to come from anything particularly deep.
I could've asked more about her family history to satisfy my curiosity and make it less of a mystery, but it was obvious she wasn't dying to talk about it. Forcing her into a topic she didn't want to share didn't feel right.
Not long after we steered the conversation to lighter things and started chatting idly, someone knocked. Feyza left the living room to open the door, and just a few seconds later, one dissatisfied Aylin appeared in front of me.