"Is that the same thing? We're talking about my twenty-three years of manly pride being trampled on! No one has ever cheated on me before!"
"Sometimes you say such stupid things, Demir, it makes me want to punch you. What the hell does cheating have to do with masculinity?"
He shot me a glare, dropped onto the couch, and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. While Bora kept looking at the photos on Demir's phone, he snickered and muttered without looking up,
"Did you guys read the comments that kid wrote under the photos? He's hilarious. Looks pretty charismatic too. Should I add him maybe?"
Demir snatched the phone from Bora's hand and slammed it onto the table.
"Stop praising that bastard or I'll take you to the zoo and shove you into the penguin enclosure, Frizzy!"
"Wow, such class. Gross! His eyes look like a chicken's ass anyway. This is all that asparagus-haired Ece's indecency. May her shoe heel get stuck in a drain and twist her ankle, that shameless hag! Is this something you do to a man like you? I hope she ends up in the rain with heavy wedding makeup and no umbrella, turning into an ugly panda! Don't be sad, my little bird. You deserve better sluts than her—"
Demir slapped his hand over Bora's mouth.
"Enough, for God's sake! No penguins or anything. Just shut up!"
When Bora nodded happily at Demir's words, Demir pulled his hand away and turned to us with a weary look.
"I hate both of you for stopping me back then when I wanted to hand this guy over to the organ mafia."
Rüzgar and I rolled our eyes at the same time and looked at each other.
"Pizza?"
"Pizza."
I picked up my phone to order when Bora's excited shout interrupted me, making me turn on them angrily.
"What now? You too? Did you get cheated on as well?"
When Bora turned to me with wide eyes, I realized my mistake, but it was already too late. While I cursed my own stupidity, he started talking in a panic.
"Adonis! Why would you say that? Do you know something? Is someone trying to separate me from my Daisy? Who is it? What's his name? What's his ID number? Did you check his criminal record? Bring my rifle! I feel a murder coming on! Or… does my Daisy not love me anymore? No! The love of my life doesn't want me anymore! Never mind! Bring my Pilates rope! I feel a suicide coming! Th—"
Demir covered Bora's mouth again and shot me a knowing look. I muttered in exhaustion,
"I hate you too for not trying harder to convince us." When Demir grinned, shrugged, and pulled his hand away, I turned to Bora.
"Calm down, Curly. I was just joking. Now tell me—what were you yelling about so excitedly?"
Without saying a word, he handed me his phone. I frowned and took it, looking at the photo on the screen.
From what I could tell, Feyza, Nil, Duru, Mete, and Aylin were all standing close together in Duru's room, posing cheerfully. With their carefully chosen outfits and makeup, they all looked more than eager to go out and have fun.
I zoomed in a little for a closer look. A white blouse with a low shoulder and lace details, dark skinny jeans ending just above the ankle, and her favorite Converse—she hadn't abandoned her comfortable style, but the way the clothes highlighted her feminine curves made her look even more attractive, and I didn't like that one bit.
The thought of her drawing attention with her beauty when I wasn't by her side, and the possibility of someone approaching her with bad intentions, seriously pissed me off. The longer I looked at the photo, the more I started regretting my decision. Maybe I should've just settled for inviting her friends over to cheer her up.
When I remembered what she'd told Rüzgar last night, I tried to ignore the knot forming in my throat and handed the phone back to Bora without saying anything. As angry as I was, this was the right thing to do.
Ignoring the fact that all three of them were watching me carefully, I picked up my own phone and ordered food. Frustrated by my lack of reaction, Demir shook his head from side to side.
"I know what's going through your head. You're trying to convince yourself you're doing the right thing, but you're wrong, brother." I let out a deep sigh and looked at my friend tiredly.
"What do you want from me, Demir? To ruin the girl's life for my own happiness? Duru deserves better than being with me and living in constant danger."
"You're sitting across from a cop's kid, damn it! My mom has spent thirty years waiting every single day to see her husband come home alive. She knew exactly what kind of life she was choosing when she married my dad, and I've never once seen her regret that decision or be unhappy. Want to know why? Because she loves my father. Just like Duru loves you. We've all seen how you look at each other when you're together. Screw us—the whole school saw it. You're both madly in love. So what, just because a few assholes threatened you, you're going to give up on the woman you love this much?"
"Teddy's right, Adonis. You can't give up without a fight. And you're not alone against those guys either. The three of us are with you till the end, and you know we'll do whatever it takes to make sure you come home safe at the end of the day."
Without replying, I stood up, grabbed a new glass for myself, and sat back down. I locked eyes with Rüzgar.
"You know they're right. I understand your reasons, but what about Duru? By doing this, you're not giving her any choice at all. Don't you think she deserves to make her own decision?"
I stared at the glass in my hand for a moment, then placed it on the table. After looking at each of my three friends, who were waiting intently for what I was about to say, I stood up. As I reached for my jacket by the chair, Bora called out behind me.
"Where are you going?"