Suspicious, I studied his face, but his calm expression gave nothing away. Eventually, I gave in and got into the car. He started the engine and drove off.
"Where are we going?"
"Home."
I ignored the fact that he referred to his place as if it were ours and turned to him tiredly.
"Kerem, can't we talk tomorrow? I still feel sluggish…" When his calm vanished and his face tightened, I quickly tried to steer the conversation somewhere safer. "I've been dreaming all day about going home, taking a long shower, turning off my phone, and sleeping until the next evening. With how weak I feel, I could probably sleep until Sunday. Honestly, not a bad idea. I already talked to my family."
That last part was mostly for myself, but when I heard his quiet laugh, I looked at him.
"What?"
He shook his head with an amused smile and turned back to the road.
"Only you, Sunshine. Only you."
I smirked and teased him back.
"Are you trying to say I'm special to you, Hotshot?"
Since we were stopped at a red light, he turned fully toward me, locking his eyes with mine.
"You can be sure of it, beautiful."
Even though I knew he was joking, something in his tone and gaze made it sound serious—and that stirred something strange inside me.
Stirring? No. No stirring. Stirring is bad. Look away. Look somewhere else, Duru. Wow… such black upholstery. Have these seats always been this soft? Huh. First time I'm noticing.
When the light turned green and he faced forward again, I felt oddly relieved and watched the road too.
Note to self: "Think twice before teasing Kerem. Actually, don't think at all. Just keep your mouth shut, Duru!"
Why did everything about this guy have to be so confusing?
The rest of the drive passed in silence. When we finally arrived, I let out a deep breath. Being trapped in such a small space alone with him hadn't helped my thoughts stay where they belonged.
I dropped my bag by the door and went into the living room. Kerem sat across from me and stretched his legs onto the coffee table.
"I'm listening, Hotshot."
"Are you hungry?"
Eager to leave as soon as possible rather than be alone with him any longer, I shook my head and waited.
"I was thinking we'd get Chinese food, but if you're not—"
"Who said I'm not hungry? I'm starving! I haven't eaten anything in hours. I think my blood sugar dropped, Hotshot. My vision's going dark."
I squinted one eye dramatically at him. Laughing at my theatrics, he pulled out his phone. I happily dragged a small pillow behind me aside and made myself comfortable on the couch. If I had said no to free Chinese food just to go home early, my conscience wouldn't have let me sleep.
"Make yourself comfortable, Sunshine. I need to make a few calls. I'll be back."
While he stepped out with his phone, I got up and stood in front of the TV. Since I couldn't watch my own shows, I figured I'd browse his profile. Grabbing the remote, I scrolled through the apps—and slowly frowned.
Disney+. Netflix. Prime.
Every single one was the same.
"But… these are all cartoons."
I liked animation myself, but I couldn't imagine Kerem spending his free time watching every Disney animation released in recent years. Did he have some secret, illegitimate child he was hiding? Even that sounded less disturbing than picturing him on the couch with popcorn, watching The Little Mermaid.
I decided it'd be best to ask him directly. Picking my favorite, I started the movie.
Near the middle of the film, the doorbell rang. I set the pillow aside and walked to the door, still giggling at the last scene. Every time I watched this movie, I admired that horse all over again.
The moment I opened the door, I froze like a deer in headlights, blinking to make sure what I was seeing wasn't a dream. Since New Year's was already over, Santa couldn't have dropped this angel off—but whoever had definitely deserved a thank-you.
Standing there, staring at him in awe, my gaze snagged on his full lips. I only realized he was talking when he stopped and looked at me expectantly—but I was too mesmerized to understand a word.
"Huh?"
"I was asking how you'd like to pay."
His perfect, toothpaste-commercial smile revealed dimples that looked ridiculously kissable. It had never crossed my mind that my joke about delivery guys accepting kisses as payment could ever feel like a genuine wish.
My fantasy was cut short when an arm wrapped around my waist from behind and another reached past me toward the poor guy.
"You can take the payment from here. Keep the change."
He grabbed the bag, pulled me inside, and shut the door in the delivery guy's face.
I stared at him, stunned.
"What are you doing? You practically slammed the door in his face. At least we could've thanked him."
"Let the tip count as thanks."
Rolling my eyes, I headed back to the living room, muttering to myself.
"You're literally a wooden fairy."
I flopped back onto the couch, took my own container from him, and pulled out the chopsticks. My eyes flicked to the movie, and I turned to him curiously.
"Since when are you into Disney princesses?"
For a moment, he looked confused, then followed my gaze to the TV. Shrugging, he answered as he opened his food.
"The woman who cleans the house has a little daughter. When she can't leave her with anyone, she brings her along. I subscribed to all of them so the kid wouldn't get bored and her mom could work comfortably."
I nodded and dug into my food, still annoyed that he'd managed to confuse me yet again. I couldn't reconcile how he could be rude enough to slam a door in a delivery guy's face and thoughtful enough to make sure a little girl had unlimited access to cartoons.
"If you want to watch something else, feel free to browse the profiles."
"No need. I'm going home soon anyway."
"About that—you're staying here with me for a while, Sunshine."