I groaned unhappily as the morning sun hit my face. The stupid room was flooded with sunlight so aggressively that it felt less like a bedroom and more like a public beach. Realizing there was no point in fighting it, I got out of bed.
When I went down to the kitchen to feed my cheerfully rumbling stomach, I was surprised to see a fully prepared breakfast table waiting for me. The cleaning lady must have come by, but once again, I hadn't seen anyone around.
Either the woman was unnervingly quiet, or there was something seriously wrong with my hearing. Either way, considering I'd slept soundly until noon without hearing a single noise, I couldn't really complain.
I pulled out a chair, tore off a piece of the fresh-looking simit, and was about to sit down when I hesitated—as usual—over whether I should wake Kerem or let him sleep. At that exact moment, something wet and furry brushed against my foot. I screamed at the top of my lungs and jumped onto the chair.
"Duru? Are you okay? What happened?"
Without opening my eyes, I pointed down.
"Kerem! There's a bug on the floor!"
"I swear I'm about two seconds away from having your vocal cords removed, Duru! Is this really something to scream like that over? I thought someone was cutting your throat."
Despite his irritating comment, I hissed back at him.
"Stop talking and catch the bug, Hotshot!"
He came over and looked around.
"There's no bug here, Duru."
"Look properly! I'm sure of it. It just crawled up my foot. Ew!"
He bent down under the table and pulled back a few seconds later, laughing.
"Looks like it was more scared of you than you were of it."
"Instead of mocking me, throw that thing outside or I will."
"Wait two seconds."
When he bent down again and reached out, I squeezed my eyes shut so I wouldn't have to see whatever he picked up.
"Open your eyes, Sunshine."
I groaned irritably and covered my face with my hands.
"You put the bug right next to me, didn't you?"
"No. Trust me and just open your eyes."
I slowly pulled my hands away and opened my eyes. When I saw what was in front of me, my shock melted into a huge smile. I climbed down from the chair and moved closer to the tiny creature in his hands.
"Oh my God! This is the cutest thing I've ever seen. Where did it come from?"
He handed the puppy to me and sat down on one of the chairs. I sat across from him, continuing to pet the little ball of sweetness in my arms.
"Another mess you got me into."
"Oh, please! When did I ever make you get a puppy?"
"Remember the excuse I told Nil when you hid in the dusty cabinet and couldn't stop yourself from sneezing?"
"The backyard puppy thing?"
"That devil wouldn't drop it and kept asking about the puppies, so I adopted this one to save the situation."
"Then why haven't I seen it until now?"
"I'm not home most of the time, so my helper was taking care of it. But starting today, since you'll be here, I thought you could look after it."
Since I still hadn't made a final decision about that, I didn't comment.
"What's its name?"
"It doesn't have one yet."
The adorable little puppy licked my hand, and I laughed, kissing the top of its head. It was so soft and perfect I didn't want to let it go.
"I think it should be Zeytin."
"Why am I not surprised you picked a food name?"
I rolled my eyes and chose not to respond to his jab. I lifted the puppy closer to my face and softly tested the name, curious about its reaction.
"Zeytin?"
When it started licking my nose, I giggled and placed it back on my lap.
"I think it likes its name."
"If I'd known you'd be this happy, I would've told her to bring it earlier."
I looked up and found him watching us with complete focus and a sincere smile, looking infuriatingly attractive even fresh out of bed. I smiled back. The way he was looking at us was so warm that I couldn't bring myself to look away and break the moment.
When Zeytin started tugging at my blouse, I put him down so he could roam freely and returned to my breakfast. Neither of us said a word. To break the strange atmosphere forming between us, I cleared my throat and tried to talk about something unrelated.
"Are you sure sending Demir with Aylin was a good idea? When those two are together, I'd be shocked if they don't manage to shut down the entire police station and end up in a holding cell."
"I trust them both. In a situation like this, they won't get in each other's way."
"For some reason, I have a bad feeling, but for everyone's sake, I really hope you're right."
After breakfast, Kerem said he had things to take care of and left. Enjoying the comfort of being alone, I sprawled out on the couch in front of the TV. Just as I was about to fall asleep, my phone rang. I groaned irritably and answered.
"Yes?"
"Get ready and come downstairs. I'm waiting in the car."
Before I even had a chance to refuse, the call ended. Muttering curses at the caller, I sat up. As usual, he'd interrupted my sleep at the best possible moment—annoying jerk.
Knowing I couldn't take the bag I'd used at the New Year's party, I grabbed only the cash from inside it, fixed my hair roughly in front of the mirror, and went downstairs. After putting on my coat and shoes, I got into the car waiting outside and fastened my seatbelt, grumbling.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
Ever since Kerem had left, I'd spent the entire time alone thinking about this forced cohabitation situation. No matter how I looked at it, it felt like I'd be the one coming out worse in the end—even if it was supposedly for my own good.
Despite how much I resented it, the way my heart betrayed me at every smile or look he gave made it almost impossible to hide my feelings from him. And the fact that he ignored all my attempts to keep my distance and kept acting far too close only made things more confusing.
I knew he was trying to help because he blamed himself over the threats and what had happened to me—but this was too much. This was my mental health we were talking about.
If he kept acting like this, how was I supposed to control my heart?
Hadn't he said with his own mouth last time that he regretted getting close to me? Then why was he doing it again now? Honestly, if men thought women were hard to understand, they should meet this Hotshot.
While staring out the window, something caught my eye and I raised my hand excitedly.
"Kerem, pull over! Right now!"
"What is it? What happened?"
"Don't ask, just pull over. Hurry!"