As I followed him out of the theater, already plotting how to secretly delete that photo later, I found my sunglasses and put them on. We'd be living in the same house for two weeks—surely I'd get my chance.
I couldn't help but regret not having my credit card or more cash with me. Because of my lazy personality, unlike most girls, I only shopped during seasonal changes. It would've been nice to buy a few new clothes while we were already here.
We went into a few stores at Kerem's lead. When we split to browse sections that suited us, every item I glanced at and put back was quietly taken by an employee. It felt strange at first, but I eventually chalked it up to coincidence.
Between the heat of the mall and all the walking, the air grew stifling. I took off my coat and carried it, but that created another problem. Because of its weight and thickness, every sudden movement made the cuts on my arms ache. So I made an effort to keep my distance from people.
Walking through the growing crowd with my already-limited vision from the dark glasses became harder. Kerem must have finally had enough—he stopped and turned to me. I immediately reached for my sunglasses and shook my head.
"Nope. Not taking them off."
Without saying a word, he took my coat from my hands, draped it over his arm, then grabbed my hand and kept walking. Since he was holding my hand, I had no choice but to follow.
I should have known that him giving up so easily meant trouble.
"Kerem, let go of my hand! I can walk on my own!"
The more I tried to pull away, the tighter his grip became.
"We've seen how well you walk, Ms. Duru! Don't bump into someone and start a fight for me tonight. Just walk!"
"What? Why would you be fighting for me? I can fight my own battles!"
"The nearest kitchenware store is two floors down, Sunshine."
I frowned at him stupidly.
"What does kitchenware have to do with this?"
"Since your idea of fighting involves swinging frying pans, I thought you might want to know."
A frying pan to permanently imprint that crooked smile onto his face didn't sound bad at all.
Turning forward, I muttered angrily.
"If you'd watched Rapunzel, you wouldn't underestimate the power of a frying pan."
"One last stop. Then we go home."
For a brief second, I realized how good his hand felt in mine and swallowed nervously.
Absolutely not.
I couldn't fall back into that hopeless state again.
I stopped walking. He was forced to stop too and looked at me questioningly. I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin.
"If you don't let go of my hand right now, I will scream, Hotshot."
He leaned in, locking his eyes with mine in challenge.
"Try it."
His confidence and that low, vibrating voice shook my resolve—but for my own good, I couldn't back down. Just as I was about to scream, I suddenly felt his lips on mine.
My voice died. My eyes went wide.
Oh my God. Oh my God.
He couldn't possibly be kissing me in the middle of a shopping mall, right?
No, no—this had to be a dream.
What dream, Duru? Don't be stupid. This was a nightmare.
He slowly pulled back and murmured near my ear, his lips brushing my cheek.
"Breathe, Sunshine."
I released the breath I'd been holding. Watching him grin at me, I tried to form words—but every ability I had to speak had apparently been confiscated.
When he started walking again, all I could do was follow, my body numb. What had just happened? Had he kissed me—or not?
My free hand drifted to my lips, and I couldn't stop the stupid smile forming.
He had kissed me.
Then realization hit—and my smile vanished. I yanked my hand free angrily.
"You jerk—"
My attempt to shout every curse I had turned into muffled noises when his hand clamped over my mouth. People around us stared, but I didn't care.
"Calm down, Sunshine."
Calm down? Was he serious?!
I kicked his knee with all my strength. Caught off guard, he groaned and stepped back—and I bolted toward the exit.
Blinded by rage, I hurled colorful curses nonstop. When my sunglasses made it even harder to see, I grew more furious and ripped them off, throwing them into a trash can as I passed.
Just as I reached the center of the building, a hand grabbed my wrist. With a sudden pull, he spun me around. I lost my balance and slammed into his chest. I pushed against him, trying to pull back—but he pulled me closer.
"Get your hands off me!"
"Don't you ever turn your back and walk away from me like that again, Duru! I don't care how angry you are—I don't want you out of my sight."
Exhausted, I dropped my head and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. When I lifted my head, he had leaned closer too. Our faces were inches apart, our bodies pressed together, heat mixing between us—but the heat came from anger, burning inside us both.
"Look at me, Kerem. I'm sick of this guilt-driven protector act. Stop trying to justify every mistake like this—and stop kissing me whenever you feel like it."
"You really think I want to protect you just because I feel guilty?"
"No. I don't think that. I know that's why."
His tense features softened. He exhaled slowly and shook his head.
"Seriously… out of all the girls, it had to be you, didn't it?"
My confusion showed plainly on my face.
"What does that even mean?"
"It means—"
Before I could hear the explanation, he closed the small gap between us and kissed me again. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine and asked in a low voice, crooked smile in place—
a question I would swear stopped my heart for a second.
"Will you be my girlfriend, Sunshine?"