"Do you remember how, when we were kids, I wouldn't let any boy talk to you?" Yesir said with a smile. "I'd pick fights with all of them, and then you'd get mad at me."
Leera replied, chuckling as she remembered those days. "I was so stupid. I'd get upset every single time." Then she laughed again, "Although, to be fair, I wouldn't let girls talk to you either."
"Yes, but the difference is that you barely talked to any girls anyway," she added.
Yesir smiled, "True. We were just kids back then. We didn't even realize we were in love with each other."
Leera laughed softly, "Yeah, we were really something."
Then her expression turned nostalgic, "But it wasn't just us. Savash, Doruk, and Erhaan were there too. Savash was always the same. Super easygoing and able to make friends with anyone."
A small sigh escaped her lips, "And then there were Erhaan and Doruk. They used to be such good friends."
Her smile faded slightly, "Now they don't even talk."
"Yes," Yesir agreed. "We've tried so many times to get them talking again, but nothing ever worked." Leera lowered her gaze for a moment, "I just want them to be happy again." After a brief pause, she continued, "Erhaan still hasn't dated anyone. And Doruk... the first time he ever fell in love, it was with Nayza."
She sighed quietly, "But honestly, what could Nayza have done? She's always seen Doruk as her best friend."
"Yes," Yesir said. "Nayza is like a sister to me. And from the bottom of my heart, if she ever falls in love with someone, I'd want it to be a guy like Doruk."
A faint smile appeared on his face, "Someone who'd genuinely make her happy."
Leera nodded in agreement. As she did, her eyes drifted toward Doruk. From where they were sitting, he was only partially visible in the distance.
Meanwhile, Doruk sat quietly, scrolling through the photos saved on his phone.
As he swiped through them one by one, an album named "Nayza" appeared on the screen.
The album was filled with pictures of her. Some were from university. Some had been taken during group outings. And some were photos he had clicked himself without her even noticing.
A small smile appeared on his face as he looked through them.
On the other side of the plane, Nayza was fast asleep with a sleep mask covering her eyes.
Beside her, Erhaan sat reading a book in silence.
Everything was calm until, in her sleep, Nayza shifted slightly. A moment later, her hand slipped from the armrest and landed on Erhaan's thigh.
The instant it happened, Erhaan's heart skipped a beat. His expression, however, remained exactly the same. No surprise, no reaction nothing. Only the sudden, heavy thud of his heartbeat betrayed him.
His eyes slowly moved toward Nayza. She was still asleep. Completely unaware of what had happened.
For a brief moment, Erhaan considered moving her hand away immediately.
"I should push it away."
The thought appeared in his mind. But just as quickly, another thought followed.
"No. That would seem ill mannerd. She's a girl. I should move it carefully without waking her up."
With surprising gentleness, he lifted her hand and placed it back onto her own lap. Only then did he look away.
But as his gaze rose, it fell on her face once again. And this time, for the first time, he truly looked at her. His eyes traced the small beauty mark beneath her nose. Then the one beneath her lips. Another near her eyes. Even the one on her neck. His gaze lingered on her features. Her lips, her nose, her ears. The strands of hair resting against her face. The curve of her neck.
It was the first time he had looked at her this closely. So closely that by the end of it, he could remember almost every detail of her face.The beauty marks, the shape of her features. Even the smallest details he had never paid attention to before.
Without realizing it, nearly half an hour passed. Only then did he lower his eyes and return to his book.
Some time later, Nayza woke up.
After removing her sleep mask, she immediately became aware of who was sitting beside her.
Erhaan she told herself not to look at him. Not even once, she tried focusing elsewhere. The window, the passengers anything.
But despite her efforts, her eyes kept drifting toward him. Just for a second. Then she'd look away.
Then another quick glance.
When she finally looked again, all she saw was Erhaan turning a page of his book.
Nothing special, just his hand. His fingers brushing against the paper as he flipped the page. Yet for some reason, the sight felt strangely different.
A sudden unfamiliar feeling spread through her body.
Startled by it, Nayza quickly looked away and forced herself to focus somewhere else.
Finally, the flight landed in Greece.
After collecting their luggage, the group made their way outside the airport, where Savash was already waiting for them.
The moment he saw them, a smile appeared on his face.
One by one, everyone walked over and hugged him.
When Nayza's turn came, Savash stepped forward with his arms open, ready to hug her as well.
But the moment he got close, Nayza instinctively took half a step back.
"Hello."
The awkwardness was obvious.
For a second, everyone looked at her.
Then Savash laughed. "Alright, alright. Let's go."
Outside the airport, two cars were waiting for them.
One was a large SUV, while the other was a smaller car.
The second Nayza saw them, she quickly walked toward the smaller one and got inside without saying anything.
She only had one thought in her mind.
At least I won't have to sit with Erhaan.
Doruk was about to get in beside her when he noticed Erhaan walking toward the same car.
His steps paused.
A moment later, he turned away and joined Savash, Leera, and Yesir in the SUV instead.
Meanwhile, Erhaan opened the door of the smaller car and sat down.
The moment he looked beside him, his expression darkened, "You?"
Nayza immediately looked at him. "I was sitting here first, just so you know." Erhaan clicked his tongue in annoyance.
A second later, he stepped back out of the car. Looking around, he realized everyone else had already gotten into the other vehicle.
"If you're not coming, then I'm leaving," Nayza said impatiently. "I'm not waiting."
Erhaan looked at her, "I'm not going with you. I already spent an entire flight tolerating you."
Nayza crossed her arms, "Good. I'd be happy not going with you too."
The driver glanced between them through the mirror.
"Sir, if you're coming, please get in. Otherwise, you can book another car."
"Fine," Erhaan stepped back, "I'll book another one."
As he moved away, something about the driver's expression caught his attention.
Just for a second.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
Before he could think about it further, Nayza spoke.
"Let's go."
"Yes, ma'am."
The driver started the engine.
The car slowly pulled away.
Erhaan's eyes followed it.
Then suddenly-
His heart dropped.
The way the driver had looked at Nayza through the mirror.
The way he had been watching her. Something felt wrong. Very wrong.
Without thinking, Erhaan started running.
"Hey!" He shouted toward the car, "Stop!"
The driver looked into the rearview mirror. Their eyes met for a brief second.
But instead of stopping, he pressed the accelerator. The car moved faster.
Erhaan's expression changed instantly.
"Shit." He broke into a sprint.
"STOP THE CAR!"
But the distance kept increasing.
Inside the vehicle, Nayza had no idea what was happening behind her.
She had just turned on her phone and was checking a few notifications.
A few moments later, the driver switched on the air conditioner. Cold air filled the car. At first, everything felt normal.
Then slowly... The road ahead began to blur. Nayza blinked, once, twice. Her vision still wouldn't clear.
A strange heaviness spread through her body. Her grip on the phone loosened, "What..." The words barely left her lips.
Everything around her became hazy. A few seconds later, her head fell against the seat. She lost consciousness. The driver glanced at her through the mirror.
After confirming she was unconscious, he calmly reached back, took her phone from her hand, and switched it off.
Meanwhile, in the SUV, Leera looked at her phone, "That's strange."
"What happened?" Yesir asked.
"I'll call Nayza."