As his serious expression completely faded, he laughed, ran a hand through his hair, and let out a sigh.
"Sorry. I overreacted a bit. When I imagine something happening to a tiny, adorable kid like Ali, it's hard for me to stay calm."
"I didn't realize you cared about Ali that much. You act so cold that I thought you didn't like kids."
"Just because I don't get along with them as easily as you do doesn't mean I don't like children, Sunshine." He paused for a moment and looked at me, then turned his eyes back to the road and continued. "Besides, he and I have something in common."
"And what would that be?"
"We both like sleeping with you."
I hit his arm in annoyance.
"Watch it! You're going to cause an accident," he said, still laughing like an absolute menace.
"I take back what I said about hale. You're worse than the devil himself, Hotshot!"
When he stopped the car, he checked his phone, unfastened his seatbelt, and turned to me.
"If you still want to talk to Aylin, hurry up. Demir just texted. He's left the house and is on his way to pick her up."
I glanced around and pointed at the restaurant.
"Then you go inside and order. I'll come in after I'm done talking. It won't take long anyway."
"Keep the doors locked while you're in the car."
He seemed like he wanted to say something else, but then changed his mind and handed me the keys.
Even though I wanted to make a sarcastic remark about his overly protective attitude, Aylin was my priority at that moment. So I simply nodded. The second he got out of the car, I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
I turned toward the sound of tapping on the window beside me. When he gestured for me to lock the car, I rolled my eyes tiredly but did as he said. Satisfied that I'd listened, he turned around and headed toward the restaurant.
After crossing the street, he went inside and sat at one of the tables by the window, probably so he could keep an eye on me and make sure I was okay while he wasn't nearby.
That's when our moment before Ali had clung to my legs came back to me. I'd been so worried about Ali that the question Kerem had asked me back then had completely slipped my mind.
Had he been serious when he asked me to be his girlfriend?
Now that I thought about it, there had been something different in that brief kiss and the way he'd looked at me. Maybe all the time we'd spent together, and everything we'd been through, had actually made him feel something real for me.
Could it be that the sensitivity I'd brushed off as guilt came from something else entirely?
As the waiter walked away after taking his order, Kerem noticed me watching him and smiled, then winked at me. I shook my head and sighed.
"You really are hopeless, Duru. Of course the most handsome guy in school would fall in love with you out of everyone."
Once again, he'd pulled one of his usual annoying distractions just to calm my irritation toward him. This time, though, he owed his success not to himself, but to Ali.
It would be better if I didn't mention this to the girls. Our lives were already complicated enough without my dramas added to the mix. I pushed all the thoughts crowding my mind aside and found the number I wanted in my contacts.
After ending the call and slipping my phone back into my pocket, I leaned my head against the seat and closed my eyes. I wasn't entirely sure, but after a conversation long enough to bring the phone operator to tears, it seemed like I'd managed to convince my friend not to kill her accomplice—at least for tonight.
Finally, I could go join Kerem and feed my stomach, which had been growling for ages.
I opened my eyes and reached for the keys I'd left on the driver's seat, which I'd turned toward the side—and froze when I caught sight of the reflection in the rearview mirror.
A man dressed entirely in black was standing behind the car. His hood was pulled down low, hiding half his face. Judging by his stance, he was looking straight at me. He wasn't moving. He was just… staring.
But what terrified me wasn't the fact that he was dressed in black, or that I couldn't see his face.
"Oh no, no, no! This can't be real! Kerem…"
I turned quickly to look at the restaurant, but Kerem was nowhere to be seen in the chair he'd been sitting in.
"Damn it!"
There was no way I could get out of the car and run into the restaurant before the man reached me.
"Think, Duru, think!"
I turned the key over and over in my hand, dozens of options racing through my mind, but I couldn't tell which one was the least dangerous. The car was locked, so I was safe for now. But Kerem might get worried and come outside, and if that happened, there was a high chance this lunatic could hurt him.
I had to find another way. Frantically, I rummaged through the car, searching for anything I could use, when a sudden noise from the window made me jerk my head up in panic and turn to the side. I looked back in fear to see if the man was still there, but all I could see were the trees lining the sidewalk, swaying violently in the strong wind.
For a moment, I couldn't tell whether I'd really seen him, or if my brain was playing tricks on me.
I pressed a hand to my rapidly pounding heart and took a deep breath. Then I unlocked the doors.
Kerem opened the door and leaned down, studying me with concern.
"You took a long time, so I got worried. Are you okay? Did something happen?"
I nodded and tried to smile, but I couldn't say I pulled it off very well.
"It's nothing. I'm fine. I dropped the keys and was looking for them. You just startled me when you knocked on the window."
He examined my face suspiciously.
"Are you sure nothing else is wrong? You're even paler than usual."
"It's hunger. Just hunger." I handed him the keys, got out of the car, and closed the door. "Come on, let's go."
While I waited impatiently to go inside, uneasy about standing exposed in the middle of the street, Kerem carefully scanned our surroundings. Eventually, he must have decided everything was normal, because we crossed the street together.
Once inside the restaurant, I approached the table he'd been sitting at earlier, took off my coat, and draped it over one of the chairs. I sat down in the other chair. When Kerem took the seat across from me, I looked at the empty table with questioning eyes. He gestured toward one of the waiters.
About two minutes later, our food was set down in front of us, and I smiled as I picked up my spoon.
As I ate my soup, my thoughts kept drifting back to the hooded man. Could it really have been him? But that didn't make sense. We hadn't done anything that would cause him to resurface.
At least, not yet. But—
'Ugh! Stop it, Duru!'
He was probably just someone crossing the street, and I was falling victim to my own imagination because I still hadn't shaken off the stress. Great. I was officially losing my mind.
I shoveled food into my mouth without even realizing what I was eating, then noticed Kerem watching me. Without looking at him, I spoke.
"Stop examining me like I'm an onion peel under a microscope and eat your food, Hotshot."
"Is that coming from the person who's been playing with her food for the past several minutes?"
I couldn't let anything show. He was already acting paranoid enough. If I told him about what I thought I'd seen, he'd probably escort me to the bathroom too.
Besides, he couldn't deal with his family issues while worrying about me. I straightened up, leaned back, and pouted.
"This is all your fault. You ruined my appetite. I can't stop thinking about the photo you shared."
"That wasn't very convincing, but sure, Sunshine."He pulled his phone out, tapped on it for a moment, then turned the screen toward me. "Are you happy now?"
When I saw he'd deleted the photo, I grinned smugly.
"Very. Should we order dessert too?"
He rolled his eyes and leaned back. "Why is it that every time you're happy, I'm the one losing money?"
"Your money won't run out from food, Hotshot. Now behave like a gentleman and order my dessert."
Just as I took the last bite of dessert, Kerem's phone started ringing. He glanced at the screen and said, without answering,"It's Demir."
As he picked up the call, I silently prayed that he'd be bringing good news.