Glided Lies

CHAPTER 1 -SUNSET-

Gnarls Barkley – Crazy

“I love you now; isn’t that enough? I can’t afford the past.”

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

I felt like I was in an unknown darkness between the black sheets. I woke up from my sleepiness, but I couldn’t shake off the tiredness, I felt like I was swimming in a soft feeling. I barely opened my eyes, but I felt so tired that I could fall asleep at any moment. As my eyes began to get used to the darkness, I felt the hand trying to drive away that feeling while my body between the sheets was contracting with the chill I felt. He slid from my back to my waist like a path of fire, caressed me and wrapped his hand around my hip. I felt his fingers sinking into my skin, but I was neither unfamiliar with Su touch nor did it frighten me.

“Did I tire you out, angel?” As I blinked, shuddering at the masculine voice, I saw his eyes shining in the darkness. Despite the feeling of night darkness, his amber eyes were looking into my eyes, his eyes resembled a sunset. He ran the back of his fingers over my cheek and tucked some of my hair behind my ear. “Aren’t you going to talk to me?” I didn’t know what to say by opening my lips, just with his touches my heart went off course and started beating faster.

What was I doing here?

He wrapped his hand around my throat and pulled me towards him and pressed his lips to mine. The smell of perfume permeating his skin filled my nose, but there was something else besides that. His thumb caressing my chin crushed my lower lip. “So you won’t talk sweetly?” He sighed lazily, and when he spoke in a sleepy voice, I felt the feeling spread throughout my body, drawing a wet path between my legs. He pulled me on top of him and made me climb onto his lap, now my bare breasts were leaning against his chest, I felt like he was naked too. He wrapped his other hand in my hair and pulled my head back, exposing my neck.

When he rubbed his tongue on my chin and left his small bite, my lips parted but I couldn’t say anything. When the feeling of his stubble and wet lips started wandering around my neck, I couldn’t believe that I was the one experiencing Su moment. Pleasure had taken over my body, and with his touches, my shaky breaths and little moans were falling from my parted lips. The hand holding my hair slid under the sheet, reached between my legs, touched it, and we both realized how wet I was.

I didn’t know the name of the man under me or who he was, but I felt it.

His presence was squeezing my heart.

I barely opened my eyes when he sank his teeth into my throat and sucked, saying, “You smell like you’re mine.”

“Are you mine forever, angel?”

I wanted to open my lips and say something, but I was startled by the cold hands wandering over my body and turned my head to my right shoulder. With the man making his presence felt behind me, my body was pulled back and my back was leaning against his bare chest. He pushed the sheets off us, wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned his cheek against mine. I wrapped my hand around the neck of the man behind me, needing to hold on. His green eyes were holding onto mine and he was looking at me breathlessly. It seemed like he wanted to make me his as he hugged my body tightly, resting his forehead on mine. He left a small kiss on my lips, it was an icy touch.

A big, warm hand came between me and the man behind me, grabbed my chin and turned me towards him. While his eyes, dark with pleasure, wandered over my face, his fingers moved around my lips as if he wanted to erase the previous kiss, and he pulled me to himself. I was out of breath as he left kisses on every part of my face without touching my lips.

I wanted him to kiss my lips.

I wanted his fiery touches to take my body captive.

I could feel my heart beating when he touched it.

While he looked into my eyes with determination, he was doing everything to make me his own in the moment we were living in. He wrapped his hand around my neck, caressing my breasts. I thought he would pull away as his fingertips slowly took my breath away, but he didn’t. As my breath decreased at her fingertips, I was dizzy and losing myself with the pleasure I felt.

I was falling apart between the two.

My heart was splitting into two parts, but not right down the middle.

One of them weighed more on the scales.

One was heavier and at a point in the middle of my chest, it stopped allowing me to breathe.

I should have been afraid.

I should have run away.

But why wasn’t I scared and running away?

🪽

“They say, no matter how harsh the winter, the lion’s tracks never disappear under the snow.”

Sometimes everything started with death.

Sometimes it’s when a stranger comes to town.

I sat up, startled by the dream I had where I fell asleep.

The breaths flowing from my lips were making my ears buzz.

What kind of dream did I have? What was Su?

I felt like my skin had turned cold as each moment reminded me of itself in my memory.

It was like there was a mirror in front of me, but I wasn’t looking at myself.

His eyes were in front of mine.

I tried to come to myself by rubbing my eyes, I was in the car and we were traveling.

I shuddered when the howl of the wind blowing outside hit the windows.

There was a snowstorm outside.

I didn’t remember encountering such a snowfall in the city where I spent my childhood.

We were driving on the main road surrounded by dense trees on both sides, and I saw snow plows moving forward, but there was a rain that even they couldn’t handle.

I have never encountered such a harsh winter in Devin, even the winter was calm, but Su city was not like that.

It had been almost fifteen minutes since we entered Midas.

We left Devin and passed through Medar. It was a long journey and I watched outside without blinking an eye.

I loved car rides.

Just as the thunder never left us while passing through Medar, the snowfall did not leave us alone in Midas. Su should actually be normal as we are approaching the end of November.

According to my brother, Midas was one of the biggest cities in Su region, it was not like Devin, where we spent our childhood.

Everything was completely white until my eyes caught a corner of the glass that I was watching from my right side. When I stood up stiffly in surprise, my brother sitting in the front seat looked at me over his shoulder and said, “Don’t look.” “It makes you feel nauseous.”

Even though I closed my eyes tightly, the image would not leave my eyes.

Blood was everywhere.

I saw the dead gazelle.

“Was there an accident?”

“I don’t think so,” my uncle said to my question. “If there had been an accident, the road would have been closed, it is a dangerous day. Animal attack.”

“What?” I opened my eyes in surprise and looked at him. “Animal? How? Is there a bear here?

My question made Buğra laugh.

“The forest is far from the city center, don’t worry,” my uncle Duha said. “But I don’t think they belong here, usually people who leave Medar’s forest come here, to find food.”

“You mean a bear?”

My anxiety was reflected in my voice. He took a deep breath, I could tell he didn’t want to scare me.

“Lynx.”

As my eyebrows curled up in surprise, I turned back from where I was sitting and looked at the rear window of the car. The traces of blood were far behind us, but they were there.

It wouldn’t leave any traces.

“If they are looking for food, don’t they go to the city?”

“Gazelle are enough for them,” he said. “They are attracted to their scent, they are not interested in anything else anyway, gazelles are the biggest weakness of lynxes.” While he rubbed his hands on the steering wheel, his eyes wandered over the constantly working wipers. “It’s a long way for them to get to the city. I’ve been here for years and I’ve never heard or encountered such news.”

I turned once again and looked outside.

Everywhere was pure white.

Snow had captured Su city for a few days, my uncle Duha had said so.

When you come to get us, “You are lucky, you will encounter a beautiful view,” he said. When it snows, it covers every part of the city, then it melts away and leaves people alone for a while, but the winter is harsh and there is always snow. he said.

There was no airport in Devin. I had heard that the rich people of the city used helicopters, but we had a lot of belongings with us, so my uncle said we would travel by car.

I buried my neck into the plush cardigan I was wearing, buried myself a little more, and tiredly leaned my head on the edge of the window and began to watch the road.

When my phone vibrated with a notification, I looked at the screen and saw that Su had sent a message.

She was my first friend in Midas and my father was his boss’s daughter. When our fathers wanted us to meet, we added him on Instagram and started talking, and he seemed like a sweet guy so far.

I was counting the days until I would be reunited with my parents. They went abroad for a very important education and it took a long time for them to return due to the additional training that intervened. Sometimes we would stay apart because of these trainings, but for the first time in a long time, the two of them went together.

As I was leaving the snow-captured forest area, I was startled when I heard howling sounds. As I once again sat up and looked at the forest behind us through the rear window of the car, there was nothing, the snow was falling as if to erase the tire tracks, covering all the tracks.

Half an hour later, when I looked up from the notebook I was scribbling with my pen, I felt that we were approaching the center of the city. We had left the forest behind, and there were buildings around, competing to surpass each other, making it feel more like a city than the forest view. As I was crossing a large bridge, the outside was now more striking than the face I had scribbled in my notebook.

We had passed through a silent forest covered with a white blanket; Now the snowflakes were floating down to the ground between the huge, cold buildings of the city. The spires on the Gothic buildings were covered with a thin white layer. The lights of the street lamps were fading under the dark clouds, reflecting with a gray glow. The sleet-mixed fog obscured the tops of the buildings, giving them a frightening shadow.

When Buğra said, “It reminds me of Gotham,” I giggled, he was right.

The roads were shining with traces of snow mixed with rain. Most of the buildings had gold details and Su did not surprise me, I had researched Su city on the internet before coming.

They called it a city covered in gold, like the legend from which the name Midas comes.

Whatever Midas’ curse, his touch, or his vanity...

That’s why the color gold was important in the city.

The touches of gold scattered throughout the cold and dull structures were depressing. While it looked dark because of the clouds, a few street lights were on and even they were golden yellow, not orange.

The lion statues that stood out on top of the tall buildings seemed to be on guard to protect the city. Behind the icy drops flowing through the glass, the heavy and cold air of the buildings could be felt. There was life in Su city, but it seemed like it was drowning in all the wealth.

But isn’t that what wealth is? Drown.

“Su is the center of the city.”

At the sound of my uncle’s voice, I leaned my head to the left and looked at the windshield through the gap in the middle. There was a large fountain in front of us. Rising in the city square, the Midas Fountain stood in all its glory as a snow-covered monument of magnificence in the middle of cold winter days. The circular pools around the fountain were surrounded by layers of rising snow; But even these deposits could not hide the majesty of the huge structure of the fountain. I had read on the internet that it normally had golden reflecting water, but now it was frozen, solidified and covered with ice. The flowing water was replaced by icicles that formed above the statue, like frozen reflections of water turned into gold.

The statue of Midas stood with his hands covering his face in regret, rising like a figure bearing the weight of his curse. The expressionlessness on his face was covered with ice crystals and frozen. The stone body of the statue was partly covered with white snow and partly with golden details. These details shone faintly under the cold winter sun on her hands, her hair, and certain areas of her throne.

While the lion figures on both sides of the throne looked around with frightening seriousness, their faces were covered with a thin layer of snow and there were frozen droplets in their eye sockets.

Vehicles could not enter the center from a certain point, they were driving around it and leaving. There were cafes and shops in the center.

The house we were going to live in was in a completely different city and I didn’t know how I could get used to it.

When my uncle parked his car in the garage, we took our luggage from the trunk of the car and left the garage. I heard the whistle coming from Buğra’s lips as he took a few steps back and looked at the house. He was right in his reaction, it was much better than the old house we lived in.

After graduating from high school, we wanted to study comfortably for a year and prepare for the exam. The universities we wanted to go to with Buğra were limited, we wanted to go to the best in our fields and when we came to a common decision, Midas University was one of them.

Moreover, our uncle had been living in Midas for years and we had planned everything when my family decided to move to Midas.

My mother was an obstetrician and my father was a general surgeon, and when they both decided to make a new start, the hospital where my uncle worked came to them with a good offer. They were both well-known people in their fields, it was like being a doctor was coded into our family’s genetics and only I was breaking it.

The house my father bought was a large house with gray brick walls and black-framed windows. My father showed me videos and photos of the house before buying it. They made the decision to buy the house a year ago, we decided on the plan of the house, and since then my father came here whenever he had time and took care of it. Other than that, my uncle took care of most of the things.

“There are employees who come to my house and do cleaning and cooking. When your people return, they will make an agreement with someone from the same company, but for now we are alone,” he said, and we were walking in the hall, the entrance was illuminated with lamps. At the end of the hall, it opened into a circular waiting area. I could see the stairs leading up, the kitchen on the left, and the doors to the living room on the right. “There are two areas of the house,” he said, pointing to the dimly lit hallway next to the stairs. “According to the plan, your parents’ bedroom and study are in the back area of ​​the house, and yours are upstairs. The room on the left is Açelya’s and the one on the right is yours, Buğra. Apart from your rooms, there is an attic on the upper floor and there is a cinema room and a library. “Even though you know them all, I wanted to remind you anyway.” He shrugged and put his hands in his coat pockets. “You can go to your rooms and rest if you want, there are hours before dinner. Is there anything you want for today? “I will order from outside.”

When I shook my head, Buğra said, “It could be pizza.”

“Açelya likes margaritas and vegetables.”

My uncle nodded as if he understood and said, “I’ll keep it in mind, Buğra, are you?” he asked.

Buğra puffed out his chest and said, “It doesn’t matter, I’ll eat anything,” and shrugged. “I’m going to put my things away and take a quick shower.”

“Make yourself comfortable, look around and try to get used to the house.”

When my uncle helped carry our belongings and retired to one of the rooms, I closed my door and was left alone with my new room.

New house, room, order, university…

New people.

People who don’t put labels on you, who don’t judge you, or who don’t turn their backs on you.

Maybe people can continue their lives without competing.

A brand new beginning.

With the excitement of the new word, I took a deep breath, felt the breath filling my lungs from my nose, calmed myself down and started examining my room.

My mother and I chose everything for my room, which was bigger than before. My room was dominated by white and dusty pink colors, both of which were my favorite colours.

My favorite spot about my space was the area by the window to the left of my bed. Large windows were designed to let in the sun’s rays, and a seating area was built at the bottom of the window that opened in a small circular shape in the middle of two rectangular bookcases built into the wall, a place where I could sit with my books or watch a movie.

I needed a place to hide sometimes.

By dinner time, I had taken out my clothes from my suitcases and placed them in the closets. As I expected, most of the places were left empty. I donated some of them before coming to Midas. I placed my books and the rest of my belongings in the library.

I left my desk for last. A long shelf was placed on the wall of my desk for me to put my belongings. I placed my magazines and books from my drawing course there. Inside three thick dusty pink folders, I had samples of the drawings that developed over time. On my desk, I placed a photo frame of our family of four and Buğra during our childhood, and it was one of the pieces I had on my desk at home. I left my drawing set in a corner and tried to make the table my own.

I had to decorate my room with some flowers to make it feel completely mine.

There was nothing else I could do in my own room, so I went to my bathroom with clean clothes and took a quick shower, which was as spacious and beautiful as my room. After drying my hair and tying it up, I left the room and reached Buğra’s room. When I knocked on his door and entered with the command to enter, I found him almost settled. When he pretended to throw the ball in his hand at me, I covered my face with a small scream.

With his laughter, I took my hands away and said, “You’re bad,” and looked at him. “You scared me.”

He was sitting in his swivel chair. Since there was no carpet on the floor, when he moved the seat, came towards me, held my hand and pulled me towards him, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and leaned my cheek on his head.

“Your room is beautiful.”

“How is yours?”

“Good,” I said. “But I don’t feel like it’s mine, I’ll have to get used to it.”

“There’s an area in the back where I can train.” I stepped back, smiling at his enthusiastic voice. When Buğra stood up from his place and held my hand and pulled me towards the window, I looked where he was pointing. Both of our rooms faced the same place and there was an area right under the window where he could play both basketball and football. I was happy for him. When I wanted a garden where I could work with flowers, my father did not accept it. He knew that if he gave me a flower garden, I would bloom there, that I would not leave my roots in the soil, and they did not think it would be right for me to abandon something I had worked hard for and move on with something else.

Maybe they were right, as I thought about the success of the two of them I could see that they were trying to decide what was best for me, they must be seeing what I couldn’t.

“I am pleased for you.” What I said wasn’t a lie. Buğra had made a name for himself in Devin’s football team and academy directors and coaches came to meet him several times, but Buğra did not accept their offers, he was interested in football as a hobby, his goal was different and my father supported him. He was supporting me too, but he didn’t want me to do everything at once, he wanted me to focus on something I loved and be successful. He wanted me to eliminate one of three things, so I had to eliminate it.

I smiled as he kissed the top of my head. I helped Buğra pack his remaining belongings. When we went downstairs at dinner time, our pizzas had arrived.

“I’m sure you’ll love these pizzas,” said my uncle and walked into the kitchen. “The phone number is on the notepad on the refrigerator.” I looked where he was pointing and there was a notebook pinned to the gray refrigerator. “I have the phone numbers of the best fast food restaurants and you can trust my taste in Su regard. “I think you should take a photo of the notes, your mother might throw them away.” I giggled at what he said, he was right, my mother thought that everything could be done in our own home if we put in the effort.

And actually, he was right at one point. Thanks to him, I learned how to make very good pizza or lasagna.

He was wearing jeans and a sweater when he came here, but he changed them into black sweatpants and a burgundy sweatshirt. While his classic clothing showed his age, he now looked younger to me. He had a tall, well-built body. The wavy strands of her blonde hair, similar to my mother’s, were blow-dried back and neat. She had green eyes like my mother, and I inherited my large almond-shaped green eye color and hair from my mother.

I just had a more oval face, my jawline was round and soft rather than prominent. I had a neat little nose and prominent lips with the lower lip thicker than the upper. The fact that my facial features were not sharp made me look more childish than possible. Buğra was not like that, he was exactly like my father. He had a square face like my father’s, with well-defined features. His eyes were light blue in color, similar to mine, and his nose and lip structure were similar to my father’s, a sharply descending nose, thick lips with prominent lines... His brunette hair had grown out recently; he had never worn it Su long before.

Since there was a television in the kitchen, we finished our pizzas while chatting and watching television when my uncle turned on something entertaining. My uncle talked about what was happening in the city, what we might need, and especially everything that interested me and Buğra. When my family returned he was going to be out of town for a while and was with us for now.

As if he noticed that I was lost in thought, he pulled the end of my hair and said, “Little one,” I shook myself and looked at him. Only from me thirteen minutes My brother because he was born earlymish He was acting like. “Aren’t you going to eat?” I looked at my pizza box, there were three slices left, but I had no appetite. When I shook my head, I smiled as he reached out and took a slice, he had a habit of eating everything I didn’t eat.

We sat in the kitchen for a while and then dispersed to the rooms.

I turned on only the night light in my room, drew the curtains, and sat in the area in front of the window with my laptop. The street lights outside were also on, so I could see outside easily.

Even though I had done it before, I once again typed Midas University into my computer’s internet search engine.

For almost two hours, I researched my university, city, and the CVs of professors interested in my department. I didn’t have many friends in Devin. It broke my heart to learn that they weren’t friends because I was me, but I got used to it... I guess. I had limited guesses about the people here, but I knew I needed to make friends, I didn’t like being alone.

While researching the university, I came across a site. It was a site that had both a website and an Instagram account.

It was a site inspired by the Gossip Girl series and was the news source of Midas University. It was not clear who was running it, but it was the main source of most gossip. I read most of the news on the page for a while. Whoever wrote the news had been inactive for a while and returned a few months ago.

And there were a few things I learned, like Devin, that surnames determined status here and a few people were the favorites. The Su I talked to was one of them.

Hours had passed since the last news, so I tapped on it and opened the page to read it.

Hello, people of Midas…

The city may be gold, but our real wealth is gossip.

I’ve been quiet for a while because I have the right to take a vacation too. But now the holiday is over. Do you smell chaos?

What do you think awaits us in the new era? Do you know who among our graduates left the city? What about new students? Midas University is opening its doors Su year and that name among them... No, I don’t have any news about that yet. Looks like he disappeared for a while. But don’t worry, when he returns we will all see him back in the matches, looking sexy and sweaty.

Let’s get to the real news... A big event that you will not get tired of talking about: a wedding that will be legendary for days is on the doorstep. Are your dresses ready? Of course you know I’ll be there, right?

As for the most important guest... Alya Lydia Rodas. His name is on the guest list. But now I have a more important question: Should we call her Alya Lydia Damien from now on? Stop being jealous and send a congratulations. Who knows, maybe one day you will find your own Greek prince.

If you wiped your tears, get ready for my second news. A long vacation is over, but guess who returned heartbroken? Tuana Aksungur. Do you think the tears she shed are for her sister? Or… is our ice queen’s heart not as strong as we thought? Maybe she risked her heart with someone who didn’t respect her crown. Hold on to your crown, Tuana. Su winter will be very cold for you.

Don’t worry, we’re just getting started. And I know you love me… but let’s be honest, you’re also afraid of me. Because no secret stays hidden forever.

XOXO

I didn’t know what to think about what I read, but I researched the name and came across a very nice person. Alya Lydia was not a name I was unfamiliar with.

I researched Midas for a while, but my eyes started to hurt so I turned off the computer.

When I went to bed, it was already midnight, and for a person who had just finished an exam period, it was the first time I had stayed up Su late in a long time. When I laid my head on my pillow, the possibilities of a new beginning filled my mind, but because I was sleepy, my thoughts succumbed to me and fell into silence.

***

Three days have passed since we moved to Midas.

We came with our other belongings that were left at Devin’s and put everything away. We had a video chat with our family and it felt better to see them.

Buğra had already started to go on an expedition, but I wasn’t brave enough to explore the surroundings yet. I was only doing my morning run in a certain area.

Today, I wanted to travel around and I had a few places to visit.

When I sent my blood sugar measurement photo to the family group, my father saw it first and sent a heart emoji, and then I smiled when my mother sent the same emoji.

I pressed the sound icon and mumbled, “Good morning.” “I miss you so much and I love you so much.”

When my mother sent me the voice recording of herself saying, “We love you too, dear,” my father must have been with her because he responded the same way.

I opened the music application on my tablet, opened one of my favorite lists, and started preparing breakfast for Buğra and me.

Around half past nine, Buğra appeared at the kitchen door. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt and black shorts. Her hair fell down her face from sweat, and her cheeks and the tip of her nose were red. When he said, “Good morning,” I responded the same way. “I’m coming after taking a shower.”

“Okay, is there anything in particular you want?”

As I climbed the stairs, I plugged in the toaster, rolling my eyes when it roared, “Toast.” When I prepared my own plate, Buğra came to me, spreading his clean scent. “Do you have plans today?”

“Did my mother tell me?” When I asked, he took his plate from me and continued to prepare it himself. “Do you want to come?”

“I have a plan too.” I looked at him with curiosity as he blinked. “I became a member of the university’s sports club, so I will bring a few documents. I travel around and meet people.”

“They probably already know you.”

“Su isn’t Devin,” he said as we settled into the chairs. “It was a small city, getting recognized was simple, but Su is a different world, my sunshine.”

He was right. Devin and Midas were two very different worlds.

We finished the food on our plates and left the kitchen with Buğra. When I went to my room and started getting ready, I knew that he had already left the house, maybe he was more excited than me for a new beginning.

The snow that had captured the roads on the way here days ago had disappeared. It had rained yesterday, but it had stopped, and today it seemed like there was only wind blowing the tree branches. I didn’t have the luxury of being sick, so I would go out dressed warmly. I took my round-neck powder pink sweater and light-colored jeans from my closet and quickly put them on. I put on the same color socks as my sweater, went to the bathroom, dried my washed hair, and curled it. When I settled into my new make-up table and colored my face, I was happy with the image reflected in the mirror.

I left the house wearing my white puffer jacket and Uggs. Our house and the city center were five stops away by metro.

When I reached the center we saw while driving by, my eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, there was no crowd that could bore me. My steps first turned towards the fountain my uncle was talking about. There were people taking photos or being filmed around the Midas fountain and they must have been new here like me. The snow-covered fountain and statue were sparkling brightly.

I got into the habit of keeping a diary as a child, and in high school it turned into a photographic version, where I would decorate the pages with photos or reminiscent images of that day. My father was the first to notice Su habit of mine and bought me a Polaroid camera. Since then, I have been taking photos of things I liked and sticking them in my planners. I changed my camera twice and the one I have now is the Instax mini Evo, which digitally displays the photo I took on the back. It was the best camera I’ve used in a long time. I took a photo of the fountain and stepped back to examine the surroundings.

Flower stalls set up under wide awnings stood out in the middle of the square. The colors of the flowers were literally shining under the winter sun, adding liveliness to the pale air.

I started walking around taking photos of the florist from a distance. I had certain places on my list and one of them was a bookstore. The bookstore had three floors and was book cafe style, a place to study. I slowly wandered around all three floors and bought a few English books that caught my attention and that I followed on social media. I loved reading young adult books and was trying to keep up to date. I didn’t leave it until today because I was going clothes shopping before the semester started. According to my research on the internet, another famous place was the cafe selling fortune cookies. Name My Favorite Rabbit Cookie’ydi. There was a large square glass window on the left side of the cafe, which was painted in cream color, and was opened forward. On ‘crack a cookie and see what you get’ it said. There was a small dark blue door on the right. When I opened the door and entered, I took a deep breath and smiled as the warmth and the smell of cookies hit my face.

“Welcome.” When the young girl, who might have been around college age, smiled, I responded the same way. On the wall behind him were written cookies, drinks and their prices.

“Hello.” He was silently examining me as I approached the counter. “I want to buy twenty fortune cookies.” I couldn’t suppress my giggle when the girl’s eyebrows curled up in surprise. “For some days.”

“A source of motivation?”

“Sort of.” When I laughed once more, he smiled back and set up a small box and started filling it with fortune cookies. “I love things like Su.”

“Are you new here?”

“Have I made it that obvious?”

“No,” he said, laughing at my surprise. “Well, it’s obvious, but it’s not because you bought too many cookies, I spent my summer holidays here and I see most of the people who set foot in the cafe, your face doesn’t look familiar.”

“I came for university,” I said. “It’s my first time.”

“Which section?”

“Fine Arts.” The girl pursed her lips enviously and shook her head. When my eyes wandered over her face, I asked, “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Dua Lipa?” When I asked, he laughed.

“Many times.”

Maybe it was her childish self, it was impossible not to admire her long pink hair. The blush she applied to her bronze skin on her thin, sharp-featured face gave her a sweet look. She had sparkling brown eyes under her dark eyebrows, a straight nose and full lips, which she colored with pink lipstick. The more I examined her, the more I thought she looked like Dua Lipa.

Prepare the package and ask, “Do you have any other requests?” When he asked, I realized I didn’t want a drink.

“Small Americano please.” He nodded his head in approval and started preparing my coffee. “Which department are you studying in?”

“Psychology.” Now it was my turn to be impressed. “Our buildings are close to each other, have you seen the university?”

“I haven’t gone and examined it yet,” I said. “It’s been three days since I moved here, I came to the center for the first time.”

“Where do you come from?”

“Devin.” He looked at me while I was making my coffee. “Have you been here before?”

“I came to visit a small city.”

“Yes, a little bit like that.” I was a little excited while talking as I nodded my head in approval. “But it is beautiful.”

“I came in the summer, but not for my own sake, I don’t like small cities, I think it’s because I got used to Midas.”

“Maybe, I’m a little nervous too because I come from a small town.”

His brown eyes wandered over my face and he smiled, “There’s nothing to be nervous about,” he said. “The best part is that everything is forgotten within a few days. Big city indifference.”

Su was good, we couldn’t find Su in the small city, everyone would talk about everything for days.

When we learned that Alya Lydia Rodas suddenly left the city one day, it was talked about for days.

There were many rumors about whether she got married, eloped, or was pregnant and didn’t want to show it to anyone.

I paid with a credit card when he gave me the cardboard bag and my coffee.

“Thank you,” I said and he looked at me. “In the conversation.”

“You didn’t say your name.”

“Açelya,” I said. “Your?”

“Crazy.”

“What’s the point?”

“Path, parallel tracks, road.”

“It’s very nice, nice to meet you, Çılga.”

“Me too, I hope the cookies give you what you want.”

“Hopefully, good luck.”

I left the cafe smiling. Wearing the handle of the cardboard bag on my wrist and drinking my coffee, I turned the direction of my steps to the florist in the middle of the square, I wanted to buy flowers that I could put on my desk. I loved most flowers, but my favorites were always wallflowers and peonies.

When I smiled and said, “Hello,” the middle-aged woman’s coral blue eyes turned to me. The color of her eyes was so clear that I was surprised to hear her cheerful laughter when I said, “Your eyes are very beautiful.”

“Thank you, my beautiful girl.” She straightened the gloves on her hands and folded them on her lap. She was sitting on the chair and the ends of her gray skirt, visible from under the coat she was wearing, fell to the floor. “Your innocence is evident in your eyes and face, may God not let the evil eye touch you.”

“Thank you very much.” My cheeks began to heat up as I clasped my hands together in front of me. “Can I have some pink peonies and purple wallflowers?”

“Of course.” His hands were quick as he nodded and prepared the flowers. “Did you come here for a walk, girl?”

Another person who understood that I was a foreigner, but Su did not surprise me, I was sure that he had seen many people, over time, who would recognize a foreigner. “I came for university,” I said. “We moved with my family.”

“Midas is a beautiful city,” he said. “Students come for a trip or for university and come back fascinated.”

“It’s not like you won’t be fascinated.”

“It’s also deceptive,” he said, nodding in agreement. “The story of Midas carries its power, shines, but also deceives.”

“How?”

Out of curiosity, he looked at me as I wrapped the flowers to prevent any harm. “Light blinds people. It makes a person lose his soul; While the heart is adorned with brilliance, it loses its conscience.”

His words were warning.

“You are right.” When he handed me the bundles, he told me the price, and when I took the cash from my bag and handed it to the woman, her eyes wandered around the cardboard bag hanging on my wrist.

“Fortune cookies?” I nodded in approval. “Do you believe in palmistry?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve never had my fortune told before.”

Even though his eyes wandered around my hand, he didn’t make a move. Even though I was surprised when he said, “If you want to have it checked one day, you know where to find me,” I wasn’t sure about getting it checked.

“Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind. Good luck.”

“To you too, my child,” he said. “I hope Midas’ shine doesn’t bring tears to your eyes.”

I took my flowers and walked away from the woman. I was going to stop by another place, but the woman’s words filled my head so much that I realized I was moving away from the square as the vehicles started concentrating.

I had gone the opposite way from where I was supposed to return to the metro stop and I didn’t know Su side.

I threw the coffee cup in my hand into the garbage on the curb. When I took my phone out of my bag and tried to open the map application, I looked up, startled by the increasing shouting sounds around me.

When a woman shouted, “Oh no, she’s going to get hit by a car,” I was looking around, trying to understand what she was talking about.

I noticed the dog heading to the left of the four-way. He was confused, not knowing where to go because of the density of cars, and was moving forward without any sense of direction. He started running to the sidewalk where I was, and when I checked to see if there was a vehicle coming from the left, my heart sank in my chest. Even though the vehicle passing by noticed the dog and applied the brakes, the ground was wet and the vehicle skidded and hit the dog. When the dog’s groan of pain came out, I put aside my surprise and rushed forward. I managed to remain calm without throwing my hands around in fear and reached the dog.

The dog with fluffy light golden hair was lying on its side, moaning in pain.

“Oh no,” I said, bending down on my knees and wrapping my hand around his head in fear. “I can’t hurt you!”

When the door of the crashing car closed with a loud noise, I noticed the tall boy coming next to me. “Is he okay?” When he asked, I lifted my head up and looked at him, I couldn’t see his face because of his hair and the hat of the sweatshirt he had on his head.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Is there a veterinarian around here?”

His eyes wandered frantically over the dog. “It has to happen,” he said. “The phone was left in the vehicle, I will take it to the vet.” When he reached out and tried to pick up the furball lying on the ground, the dog showed its teeth and growled in pain, as if it knew that it was the one who hit it. “Fuck it.” While I was trying to calm the dog down by running my hand over its head, it did not show any adverse reaction to me. He noticed that I was closer to the dog and said, “Can you help me?” he asked.

I nodded my head quickly and said, “Okay.” “But I’m a stranger here.”

“Okay, no problem, if we put him in the back seat, I’ll take care of the situation.”

While I was calming the dog by stroking its head and talking, I knew how to act at such moments, I knew how to calm the dog, but I was in a hurry. While taking a deep breath and calming the dog down, he must have realized that we wouldn’t do any harm, because when the one next to me took him in his arms, he didn’t react, he was just moaning little by little. When he put her in the backseat, he quickly got into the passenger seat.

The tall boy settled into the seat, fastened his seat belt, quickly fiddled with his phone, put it on the phone holder and started the car. “You should wear your seat belt,” he said as the warning sound dispersed as the car started moving.

“I can’t wear it,” I replied. “I have my belongings on my lap.”

His gaze briefly left the road, turned to me, and examined the things in my lap. “Fortunately, it’s a short distance.”

When I turned my attention to her, I couldn’t see her face at all, just wet blonde hair falling forward. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt and black shorts underneath. When he wrapped his right hand around the steering wheel, my eyes were glued to his hand; there was a silver ring on his index finger. A square-shaped black stone was placed in the middle of the ring, and there appeared to be engravings surrounding the letter D on the stone. “We are here.” When he parked the car and went out, I followed him and when he picked up the dog, we went to the vet together. “Can you look here?” he asked loudly. he called out. “Emergency.”

A man in an apron quickly came towards us. “I crashed with a car, can you examine me?”

“Sure, follow me.”

When he walked with the dog in front of me and left the dog on the stretcher at the back, he was moving because of tension, not knowing where to put his hands. Finally he put it in his shorts pockets and said, “I didn’t hit it hard.” “We brought it right away.”

“Okay, now we will examine it and find out what it is.”

I knew more or less what he was doing, but the boy next to me was very nervous. As he walked around the corridor, his eyes were shifting to the stretcher section with anxiety, and he was grimacing as the dog moaned.

He looked at me with my back against the wall when I said, “I don’t think it’s anything too serious.” “I think there will be no internal bleeding depending on the speed of the hit. “There may be a dislocation or injury.”

“How do you know?”

“I was volunteering at animal shelters,” I said, and his eyebrows curled towards his forehead. “I was trained there.”

When he pushed back the hat he had covered his head, his face was now exposed and I could not hide my surprise at the sight I saw, but he ignored it. The face of the man in front of me was very beautiful. He was striking with his light brown hair, green eyes and sharp face. Her face was not completely perfect, in fact, the slightly crooked descent of the bridge of her nose, her square chin, and the fact that her upper lip was slightly thicker than the lower one gave her a different beauty. He was looking down at me because he was tall.

“Thanks for your help,” he said. “But I’ll take care of the rest.”

“What are you going to do with it?”

“I don’t know,” he said, rubbing the thumb of his right hand over his right eyebrow. “I’ll leave it at the shelter.”

While my eyes were being examined, my eyes shifted to the Golden Retriever dog, who was watching us with his head leaning on the stretcher with his tongue slightly out, his dark eyes looking at me with innocence.

“Have you visited the shelter before?”

“No,” he said, though his brows furrowed at my questioning. “I don’t have a pet.”

“I’ll take care of it,” I said, my lips curling sadly. “Someone needs to take care of them until the recovery process, they may not be able to take good care of them in the shelter. “I don’t feel comfortable.”

“How will you take care of it?”

“Ownership.” I saw you falter in surprise. “Why are you looking like that?”

“So you’re just going to own it?”

“Yes? Can’t it be?

I told Su to my family before I came to Midas. When I mentioned that I wanted to adopt a pet again, they welcomed my idea.

“Of course it is.” He wrapped his hand around his neck and rubbed it. “I want to wait.”

I shrugged and remained silent. When the examination was completed, the veterinarian said, “There are no fractures or internal bleeding,” and I smiled. “There is an injury to his right hind paw, so he had to be careful for a while, we cleaned his scratches and gave him painkillers. He needs to be kept under surveillance for a while. “Wounds usually heal quickly, but it is good to be constantly checked to avoid the risk of infection.”

“I’ll take care of it.” He closed his eyes as I spoke enthusiastically and approached the dog, wrapping my hand around its head. “My beauty, I will take care of you and you will recover immediately.”

“Aren’t you going to leave it at the shelter?”

I shook my head and said, “I’ll own it.” “Can we also vaccinate them? “Let’s complete all the deficiencies and put them on the report card.”

I was listening to the vet when he said, “I would not recommend any vaccinations at Su time.” “He may react to the vaccine due to post-crash stress. “If you make an appointment after your recovery, we will proceed accordingly.”

When I kissed the dog’s head and said “Okay,” I talked about my new friend for a while and made an appointment for his vaccinations. I would get his report card then. While I was getting the food bowl and other essential items, the young man I did not know was standing a few steps behind me.

“Let me carry the dog.” When he took the dog in his arms, he must have been tired because he did not object or resist.

When he tried to pay the fee, I said, “I own it,” and quickly passed my credit card to the young girl at the cash register.

Even though he was grumbling behind me, I was glad I was faster than him. As we went out, we asked, “Is there a taxi stand here?” When I asked, he looked at me. “I’m new in town and I don’t know what and where.”

“I’ll leave it.” When he put my dog ​​in the backseat and closed the door without letting me object, he looked at me as I didn’t move. “What happened?”

“Taxi was enough.”

“It’s okay, I’m the one who hit the dog. At least I can feel at ease.”

When he took the things and put them in the trunk, I sat in the passenger seat and said, “He’s fine, don’t worry.” “No internal bleeding is best.”

“If I hadn’t been distracted, he wouldn’t have been harmed at all.” Su time I was able to put on my seat belt. “Did you come for university?”

“Yes, are you studying there too?” He replied with a short nod.

“Which section?”

“Fine arts, you?”

“Pilotage section.” It was cool. As we stopped at the lights, he extended his hand and said, “Atahan.”

“Açelya.”

His hand was weak and his fingers were long and bony.

His hands were cold.

“Açelya,” he murmured. “It’s a nice name.”

“Thank you.”

As we approached the address, “So what will be the name of the friend behind?” When he asked, my lips pursed involuntarily, I didn’t think about it.

“I think his name will be Gold,” I said as I looked over my shoulder at my friend lying calmly. “His feathers are like golden yellow.”

He stopped the car in front of our house when he laughed and said, “That makes sense.” We both went downstairs, he took my friend from the backseat while I took the things from the trunk. “I’m sorry for unintentionally hurting you today, little friend.” He smiled and kissed my dog’s head. “I hope you get better soon.”

“He will get better.” I reached the house, opened the door with my key, pushed the door back and quickly left the things in my hand inside. “Thank you for bringing it.”

“You’re welcome, Açelya.” When he put Gold down gently, he bent down and stood up, petting my dog’s head. “Actually, thank you for your help, veterinarian, I think I could not have solved Su problem alone. “It wouldn’t be right to leave him at the shelter.”

“You don’t have to be possessive like I do,” I muttered. “There are also people who hit and run.”

“I’m not like that.” He put his hands in the pockets of his shorts and smiled. “Thank you again.” I didn’t know if I should invite him in and offer him something. Atahan interrupted my thoughts by saying, “I have to go now.” “I hope the semester starts well for you.”

“Thank you, I hope so.”

As he was backing away, I was leaning against the door, watching him with a smile, matching the smile on his face. He passed the black Range Rover, got into the driver’s side, started the car and drove away.

When I stepped back and closed the door, I looked at my new friend lying on the ground not too far away from me and smiled. “Yes, Gold,” I muttered. “Do you want to follow me?” The vet said he could take short walks, so I had no problem with him following me upstairs. After we went upstairs with my belongings and settled into my room, I took a few photos and sent them to our family group.

Açelya: Say hello to our new family member, Gold :3

My mother: Very sweet

My mother: Great name choice honey

My father: His feathers look like Buğra’s hair

Buğra: Ha ha ha! Leave my hair alone

I sent laughing emojis. I put my flowers in vases and placed them on my table and took care of Gold until Buğra arrived. I had a dog when I was in high school, but I was very sad when I lost him due to illness. The sadness did not leave my heart for a long time, but somehow I got used to it. At that time, I started to take care of shelters. Although I worked as a volunteer as much as I could and took care of many animals in the shelter, I could not immediately find the strength to adopt again.

While we were meeting our new friend when Buğra arrived, my uncle arrived an hour or two later and we went to the kitchen and rolled up our sleeves to prepare dinner.

***

When my parents returned to our new home, I spent the day with them. We had lunch coffee together and chatted about the new era and the city. The hospital where my father and mother would now work was the private Midas hospital. The owner was Cengiz Tuncer, Su’s father, and his son had a wedding recently, and the person he was going to marry was the mayor’s daughter. A big wedding was going to take place and our family was invited.

That’s why my mom asked us to go shopping before going back to work. If we had the chance not to attend, I would have taken it, but my father specifically wanted us to come too.

They mentioned that it would be a big wedding. I was curious about the couple getting married and researched them on the internet. They were glamorous.

And their wedding was to take place in the palace, it must have been the wedding mentioned in the news I read on the gossip site.

My mother and I, and my father and Buğra, went shopping. I loved going shopping with my mom, and I loved spending time with her when we lived in Devin. Even though I had friends inside school, I was not their favorite friend outside.

The city had shopping malls and boutique stores with luxury brands. We visited the stores in the shopping mall and bought me clothes and other things I needed for university. I stopped by the boutiques to find the dress I would wear to the wedding and I liked the dress in one of them.

When my room door opened with a knock and my command to come, my mother entered and closed the door behind her. While I was examining myself in my full-length mirror, his eyes were also on me. “You’re stunning, baby,” he said, and I looked at him with a smile. He stood one step behind me and let my wavy hair fall over my shoulder. “I congratulate us on making a great choice once again.”

“Both the color and model are beautiful.”

“Well who chose? “He was a tasteful guy.”

“You chose,” I said, giggling at his self-compliment. “That’s why I like going shopping with you.”

I turned my back to the mirror and looked at my mother, who was wearing a beautiful navy blue dress that hugged her tight body beautifully. She wore her hair in a low bun, unlike me. I loved seeing his eyes shine with pride as they roamed my face, reflecting our similarity.

“You are ready, but let’s see if Mr. Buğra is ready?” he said and retreated. “I’ll check on that too, then let’s meet downstairs.”

“I hope he’s not strangling himself with his bow tie.”

“I hope so,” he said, laughing. “Fortunately, there are two doctors in the house.”

When my mother left the room, I looked at myself in the mirror once again. The thin straps of my powder pink dress clung to my strong shoulders, and the upper part had a structure that gave a bodice effect and fit to my body. It added dynamism to my chest area with light drapes, and was draped asymmetrically around the waist. My dress widened from the waist down to form an A-line skirt, and the slit in the shiny fabric also drew attention. While I was wearing my favorite gold rings on my fingers, I was wearing an elegant necklace lined with pearls around my neck.

I sprayed my perfume, took my handbag and left the room. Minutes after we went down, Buğra also came and was in good health.

When we got into the backseat of the car my father was driving, Buğra turned and looked at me. “Did you need to be Su beautiful?” I smiled when he asked. “You will hit people’s hearts.”

“Please don’t exaggerate.”

When he squeaked and took his phone out of his jacket pocket and turned it towards me, I smiled and looked at the screen. We took a few photos with Buğra until we reached the place where the wedding would take place, and I shared one of the ones I liked on my social media account. I started using my account more actively since the middle semester of high school. Social media had a power, and I got used to my adventure, which started by sharing short videos of my dances, and now I started using it actively. My videos were sometimes discovered by people, and Su was an advantage for me. Moreover, I attracted the attention of those who learned that I was a brother with Buğra.

We reached the wedding venue almost half an hour later and spent ten minutes in vehicle traffic entering the wedding area. While my father gave the key to the valet and wrapped his arm around my mother’s waist, I held on to Buğra’s arm.

The wedding was held at the Thalassa Palace by the sea, and the area where it was located was very large, covering more than half of the beach.

When we walked up the stairs and entered under the flashes of the cameras, we were directed to our table by the staff who greeted us and checked our invitations.

“I was so nervous.” I looked at him as Buğra hummed. “I feel like a penguin.”

“Penguins are short, you are tall.”

“That’s a very comforting speech,” he grumbled, smoothing his shirt as he rubbed the palm of his hand against his chest. “Not everyone shines like you, my sunshine, in a way that makes the sun jealous.”

“You know you’re handsome but you just want me to tell you, right?”

“A little praise wouldn’t hurt,” he said, looking at me and winking. “How about we try it?”

“You are both wonderful because I gave birth to you.”

“Great perspective,” my father said, letting out a small laugh at my mother’s comment. “But you didn’t do them alone, it’s obvious from whom Buğra got his handsomeness.”

Buğra grimaced and muttered, “Please.” “We sure don’t want to hear how we’re done.”

My mother looked at my brother and said, “You took a health class.” “There is nothing to exaggerate.”

While Buğra was looking at me for help, I didn’t make any comments. My mother was not a person with taboos and maybe she was so comfortable because of her profession. I didn’t know.

When alcohol was served, I did not touch the glass placed in front of me. The last time I consumed alcohol was at my high school graduation ball. Like every parent, ours had certain rules, but the strictest rule was that I should not consume alcohol, my health came first and they were right.

Buğra: “So, is there anyone you know?” he asked. “Can we gossip?”

The water must be here somewhere, but I haven’t seen it yet, I said I would come to the wedding.

“There is someone from the hospital,” my mother said while looking around. “I researched before coming.” I suppressed my giggle, of course she researched all the people in the hospital, and I got my sense of curiosity from my mother. “But unfortunately there is nothing to attract your attention son, when it gets crowded maybe you should go and meet people your age.”

“We are not filming a season of Bridgerton.” I grinned as Buğra grumbled, he liked watching TV series with me and I usually chose the TV series. “I won’t go and meet any girl.”

My father put his arm around his shoulder and said, “Don’t try to fool us.” “We are your family.”

They were right, I was very sure that you would meet someone.

“But you can’t leave the table without Açelya.”

“I told Su that I was coming,” I said. “But I haven’t seen him yet, if I see him I will talk.”

The tables were getting more and more crowded and I was seeing people my own age. When the woman who my father said was the mayor made a small speech and thanked everyone who came, she received applause from the crowd, even though I couldn’t clearly see who she was.

When my father said, “Cengiz is coming Su way,” I turned my gaze, examining the surroundings, to the man coming towards us. I didn’t know how old he was, but he was a dark-skinned man standing upright and coming towards us with Su on his arm.

“Arsel family,” he said and extended his hand to my father. “I’m glad you can finally return, Bora.” He turned his gaze to my mother. “Welcome, Dora.” I didn’t know the level of sincerity between them, but my mother and father were also very comfortable. The man’s gaze turned to me and said, “Açelya?” When he asked, I nodded in approval and extended my hand. “Your mother talked about you very often.” Su time he shook hands with Buğra, while the redness spread on my cheeks. “I would like to introduce you to my daughter Su.”

When Su met my family, we made eye contact and said, “We finally met,” and reached out and hugged them. “Welcome back, I’m sure you’ll love it here.”

“Thank you,” I smiled. “We’re just trying to get used to it for now.”

“Our age group gathered at another table, would you like to come?”

“Makes sense,” his father commented. “Açelya and Buğra are new here, introduce them to your friends, my beautiful girl.”

When Buğra did not object, we started to move towards the table, which I examined out of the corner of my eye. “I was excited when my dad told me you were coming from Devin,” he said. “I’ve never been there before, but I’m very curious.” “Everyone,” he called as we approached the table. “I would like to introduce you to Açelya and Buğra, who are new to our city.”

We were standing side by side with Buğra in a corner of the large round table. When the tall, skinny boy in a black suit on my left extended his tattooed hand and said, “Ilgaz,” I quickly shook hands and said my name. His dark brunette hair ended at the nape of his neck, and the wavy strands at the front fell onto his face, giving him a punkish look. His dark eyes were narrowed in a smile.

When the green-eyed girl with long copper-colored hair next to him extended her hand with a cold expression, I shook hands with her and said, “Tuana.” It was difficult to open my lips and say my name, I was already nervous about meeting new people, and his cold stance made me a little more nervous. While she was consuming alcohol with the glass in her other hand placed against her full lips, I noticed that she covered her freckles with make-up, but she did not completely cover the freckles that fell from her neck to her shoulders. The person on Buğra’s right was Aytaç. He was very stylish in his classic suit, his brown hair was carefully done, and his chin was shining because he was shaved. When Su came up to me and drew my attention by rubbing her arm on my arm and said, “Don’t pay attention to Aytaç and his insincere, icy stares,” everyone could hear him, even though he was speaking in a confidential manner. “He’s grumpy because he can’t smoke.”

When Aytaç grimaced with the glass in his hand and grumbled, “The girl is because they distributed the alcohol,” his words were not pleasant.

“Su place is full of women who would shove their sexism up their ass,” Tuana scolded him. “Watch your words.”

“Of course sir.” Aytaç bowed forward respectfully. “What will you do if I don’t? Will you tell your mother?

“No darling.” Tuana looked at him with an arrogant expression, his immunity evident with a single glance. “I have the power to put you on the table and hurt you, not in my surname. In fact, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it very much.”

Even though Tuana looked at him with a grimace, neither of them seemed offended by the argument between them. When Su turned his gaze to me, I met his blue eyes. “It’s like that in our group,” she said, tucking her straight brown hair behind her ear. “Our friends came from Devin, I told you about talking to Açelya.”

We caught Tuana’s attention. He looked at Buğra and looked at me: “Alya, do you know Lydia Rodas?” he asked. “The news that he will attend the wedding has been circulating in the city for days.”

“We had a time difference, but our families knew each other,” I said. “My mother was Alya’s doctor.” “My mother is an obstetrician,” I explained, with curious expressions. “Do you know?”

“We used to talk at events,” Tuana said. “He was the only person I could stand at boring parties, and I loved the little bottles of alcohol he carried in his bag.”

Su said, “Everyone is still following her like crazy, can you believe that she got married at a young age? “He must have gone crazy,” he said.

“Su is what love is like, dear,” said Ilgaz. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“For me to understand, men need to eat forty bakeries of bread, my dear.” Su looked at him with a wide smile. “Anyway! Even though he got married, everyone still envies and imitates him, even here!”

I looked at Buğra out of the corner of my eye and he was chatting with Aytaç, who was staying with him. “It was the same with Devin,” I said. “Most girls would look up to her.”

He looked at me as he reached for his glass of alcohol. “Don’t you drink?”

“I don’t consume,” I said. “We don’t have much of a relationship.”

“My sister tried and chose every brand carefully,” Tuana said. “They don’t taste bad.”

As I looked at them with curiosity, I remembered what my father said when Su said, “My brother and Tuana’s sister are getting married.” At that time, Tuana was the mayor’s little daughter.

When Buğra bought a non-alcoholic cocktail for me, I was trying to chat with the girls as much as I could while sipping it. Tuana had a cold attitude, but still participated in the conversation frequently.

Ilgaz was looking at us as he said, “No one asked which department you would study in.” “Which departments are you in?”

“Fine arts,” I said. Aytaç was in the architecture department, Ilgaz was in the pilotage department, and Tuana and Su were in the fine arts department.

Buğra replied, “Medical department.”

Aytaç grimaced and said, “Don’t do it.” “So you’re smart?”

His comment for Buğra made us all laugh. “Depends on where I use it,” my brother said with a laugh. “I am.”

“Boring,” Aytaç said, slamming his fist on his shoulder. “But I’m glad you’re interested in sports.”

Tuana: “Are you an athlete?” he asked.

“He is interested in football, I will introduce him to the coach.”

When Ilgaz said, “We love novices,” he looked at me when I giggled involuntarily. “What happened?”

“Buğra is not much of a novice.” Even though my brother looked at me as a warning with my comment, I ignored it. “You can call it professional.”

“Come on, honey.” Aytaç asked a few questions and was pleased with what he heard. “Well then, there is someone who will participate in the captaincy race Su year because we are bored with our captain.”

“Who is bored of me?” When I looked over my shoulder at the sound coming from behind us, I was surprised by the face I saw. Atahan was here. When his gaze found me, he said, “Açelya,” and moved to Tuana’s side. “Hi.”

“Do you guys know each other?” Tuana looked at us with curiosity.

“I mentioned that I hit the dog, Açelya is the person who adopted that dog.”

Su said, “I was very sad when I heard that, how is the dog?” she asked, her lower lip turned down sadly.

“His paw was damaged, but it has healed and he is walking better.”

“Did you really name him Gold?”

“Yes,” I said, laughing at Ilgaz’s question. “His feathers are golden yellow.”

“It’s a creative name.”

I was relieved that there wasn’t a mocking smile as Su giggled next to me. When he said, “My dog’s name is Munchkin,” we were all laughing now. “Let’s meet each other sometime, maybe they will become friends.”

When I looked at Atahan out of the corner of my eye, he was also looking at me. I looked away as our eyes met. When Aytaç talked about Buğra and playing football, Atahan’s attention turned to my brother. When Aytaç said that my brother could get the captaincy, Atahan did not give a sarcastic answer, he just said, “I like to see strong people in the team,” and I liked hearing that. I secretly didn’t want to see an arrogant behavior.

When the whispers of the crowd increased, our eyes fell on the couple entering. Alya Lydia and Timur Ajax had arrived. The two of them easily attracted attention as they walked hand in hand. While the woman who resembled Tuana was taking care of them, I also saw the mayor. He walked to the table, chatting with them.

I saw Alya and my mother chatting for a while. When my mother pointed to the table I was at, Alya looked at us over her shoulder. I left the table for a moment and went to my mother and Alya.

“Açelya,” Alya smiled. “You have become a very beautiful young girl.”

I ignored the warmth surrounding my face. “Thank you,” I said, and my gaze fell to the sparkling diamond ring on her hand. “And congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

While talking about what happened after her departure, it was strange to hear that Alya had a completely different life now, the girl that everyone envied had now grown up. He scanned the crowd, looked at his wife who was chatting with men in a corner, and leaned towards me with a smile. Her eyes were shining with happiness when she said, “I’ll tell you a secret.” “Of course, Timur will find out at the end of the night, but that’s okay.” His lips curled into a sincere smile. “I’m pregnant.”

“What? Congratulations.”

I was surprised when I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. “How many months old?”

“Four weeks is still very new. Actually, I didn’t expect it to be Su early, but I wanted a child.”

He smiled in surprise and said, “So, are you expecting a boy or a girl?” I asked.

“I can’t discriminate, but I’m more keen on the idea of ​​a boy, I’ve even looked at the names beforehand. If it is a boy, his name will be Nikolaus.”

I knew Timur was Greek and they chose a beautiful name.

I also met his wife when she came to us and pulled Alya into her arms. Alya and Timur had come here directly from Greece. While they were talking about coming to their mother’s place and their life in a different city, I chatted with them for a while and went to the table I left behind.

When the bride and groom came out, they danced their first dance. After their dance ended, other couples joined the crowd to dance.

We were now two girls and three boys left at the table when Ilgaz grabbed the hand of the girl next to me and took her away, saying, “I’m taking Su away.”

When Buğra extended his hand, saying, “I will take my brother,” I held his hand with a smile.

Tuana and Atahan came after us. They were staying behind Buğra and Atahan and I were facing each other.

Buğra: “It’s been good for now, right?” I looked at him when he asked.

“I think we handled it well.”

“They are fun.”

“I think.”

“You didn’t say that Atahan was the one who hit Gold.”

With Buğra’s speech, “Do you know him?” I asked. “I don’t know.”

“How could you not know?” He gasped in surprise. “Atahan Demokan. Captain of Midas University’s football team, midfield champion. “You call me a very good player, but that man will destroy me in a single match.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself so much.”

“I don’t see him but I know him too, everyone who is interested in football knows him. “That man’s future could be Messi or even better.”

When I said, “I’m only interested in football because I know you,” he laughed. “I didn’t know you were that famous.”

“Not to mention his family, he’s really famous. “They are talking about him going to a good team after university, I think he will sign an agreement abroad.”

When my gaze shifted to Atahan, we came face to face. He was wearing a classic black jacket and white shirt suit, but even though it was a classic choice, he carried it better than most people here. He had carefully styled his hair back and shaved. Her full lips curled into a smile. Even though he looked at my face for a while, Tuana must have said something because he looked at her and started talking with a smile. Could Tuana be his girlfriend? I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, they match, they both look so perfect.

They would be a couple worthy of Midas.

When we reached the table after the music ended, Aytaç said, “I’m going to go out and smoke weed.” “Who wants to follow me?”

As he was leaving, he touched Buğra’s arm as if to say come. My lips opened in surprise at what he said, Devin had these things too, but no one would express them so freely. I didn’t want to be Buğra’s tail when the men left us, but I hope he didn’t drink.

Now we were alone with the girls.

“I wish there was an after party, at least we would have invited male strippers, it would have been a pleasure to watch.” I looked at Tuana as she spoke.

“Just for viewing pleasure?” He exhaled through his nose and laughed at Su’s question. “I would never say no to someone.”

“Of course, then welcome HPV.”

“I had my last dose last month,” Su muttered. “I think the most beautiful thing in the world is that one’s mother is conscious,” he said and looked at me. “Yours is even more conscious.”

“That’s right, I learned what a condom was when I was fifteen,” they both giggled when I said. “The boys in our class brought it to the classroom as if they were carrying a gold medal, and they thought the girls wouldn’t understand. While they were being stupid by taking it out of the package and waving it in the air, one of the girls told her mother about it,” I started telling an old memory. “Our manager was a woman and a wonderful person. “He searched the classrooms, highlighted all the men who were making fun of Su during the ceremony, and wrote a report about all of them, saying that what they did was verbal harassment.”

“Fuck,” Su muttered. “It was very harsh, but they deserved it.”

“We cannot know who will be traumatized by an unauthorized, bullying attitude,” Tuana said. “If it were me, I would have them expelled from school.”

“Of course, my mother heard about Su incident and had that conversation with me. “He explained it by saying that men are horny little dirty viruses.”

Tuana grimaced, saying, “Mine never spoke.” “He never had time to talk, I learned it myself.” He took a sip from his glass and looked at me. “How long have you been interested in dancing?”

“I started when I was six and haven’t stopped since.”

“Are you interested in another dance?”

It was a question he asked to get to know me and it was hard not to look away. “No,” I said, the lie burning on my tongue. “My priority has always been ballet, yours?”

“Ballet and modern dance,” Su said. “Tuana and I have been friends since kindergarten, we went to all the courses together.”

Strong ties.

While talking about the dance training we received, swimming in the water I knew made me feel safe.

When Tuana left us to visit her family, I was silently listening to her when Su said, “It may have been strange for you to meet our family for the first time.” “Since you will be a partner in our lessons, you will get used to us over time.”

“I think you are fun people.”

“You see us in our normal time,” he laughed. “If you get used to it, you’ll have a lot of fun, but if you can’t get used to it, just pretend like you’re used to it.” I smiled with a wink. “I need to visit my family too. Shall we meet again with the children?”

“Okay, I need to stop by the bathroom too.”

“Okay, we’ll meet outside.”

I nodded in approval.

When the water left me, I was walking among the crowd and since it was crowded inside, I was able to go out through a different door than the one through which I entered. There were people around drinking alcohol and chatting, but I didn’t know anyone here. It was quieter here when I walked through the short corridor connecting the buildings and went out through another door.

I needed to find the sink, but I had no idea where it was.

Maybe I should have asked someone, but the waiters around me were in such a hurry to carry trays of things that I was hesitant to ask questions.

I didn’t know which side of the palace I was on. If the reason for the tension that poured over me as I walked step by step was not being able to find the sink, I shouldn’t have laughed at myself, I couldn’t have retreated into that either.

But there was something I didn’t understand.

As I was passing through a long corridor, I saw another short corridor opening to the right, I took a deep breath and proceeded there. There were no signs around, but I wanted to try my luck, maybe I was in the employees’ area, I didn’t even know it, I moved forward for a moment and managed to get lost.

There was a door in the corridor opposite me and one on the left and right. Since I heard voices coming from the door on the right, I went there first.

When I wrapped my hand around the handle and lowered it to open it and move forward slightly, I thought it was about sticking my head out and looking inside, I wish I hadn’t.

Moaning sounds began to spill out.

My eyes fell on the young girl sitting at the round table in front of her. Tuana. The skirts of her dress were gathered around her waist, leaving her hips exposed, and there was a man in a suit between her long, smooth legs.

They were kissing, lost in each other.

“You are very beautiful baby.”

While the man who had just danced with the bride was kissing Tuana’s face, I saw the frown of the girl in his arms and she started to cry.

She seemed to be torn between pushing the man and hugging him.

It looked like it hurt.

“Don’t,” the man muttered, a sob escaping his lips. “Baby, look at me.”

“Get off me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, you know how sorry I am.”

“But you hurt.” When the man pulled back, the broken girl in front of him wiped her tears and looked at him. “And I will hurt you, I will tear you to pieces. Because you said yes to that, I will destroy you every single day you live in that house.”

“Don’t, we can keep doing Su.”

He raised his hand into the air and slapped the man across the face, the sound of which would haunt my ears for a while. “I will make you experience hell in Su city,” he said. “Every moment you look at me, the rag on your chest will writhe in pain.”

Although the man tried to speak, when the girl turned towards me to leave without deigning to listen, we made eye contact and her steps stopped. When I quickly stepped back so that the man wouldn’t see me, I quickly left the corridor while the girl was coming towards me.

I ran away from there.

What had I gotten myself into?

I didn’t know that I would have to carry such a secret as soon as I stepped into Midas.

I didn’t know, I didn’t want to.

I wish I hadn’t seen it.

What I witnessed from a doorway was too much for me.

I could feel the sweat gathering on the back of my neck as I ran away from the view I witnessed. The shivering around my shoulders increased with the cold air. I walked forward with my arms crossed over my chest, my heart was beating so fast.

As I passed by the pool, I thought the light of the pool hitting my face blinded my eyes for a moment, but it wasn’t like that. As my steps slowed down with the ringing in my ears, I took a deep breath and felt my heart beat faster.

My body was slowly alarming and there was only one reason for Su.

It was the wrong time, it shouldn’t be now!

“Calm down, Açelya, Su isn’t the first time you’ve had Su happen.”

As my gaze wandered around, I could see the sun loungers ahead, but as I progressed, the lights hitting the ground did not help, the lights hitting me with dizziness were blinding my eyes. Even though I took cautious steps, I had to sit down as soon as possible.

As my breathing began to accelerate with anxiety, I took a big step forward, but my eyes were not completely focused. I couldn’t keep my balance as the white light of the pool blinded my eyes.

My body hit the water loudly.

I slowly began to sink to the bottom as the water assaulted my suit, weighing it down.

I knew how to swim, but now my body had given up too much to save myself from drowning.

I could think, I could feel the change in my body, but I was like a person whose whole body was numb and could not move even if he wanted to.

I was sinking and the weight of the scene I saw was pulling me to the bottom.

I didn’t like keeping secrets, I didn’t want to live with the weight of someone else’s secret.

I didn’t like secrets.

I didn’t like anything secretly.

Because I knew that if I loved, I would be drawn into it.

I just knew it.

One would taste the ban and become addicted to it.

As my eyes closed in exhaustion, I felt the darkness pouring over me.

Everything happened in seconds.

One of them wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into his chest.

He held me tight.

Despite the coldness of the pool, someone who kept the fire alive in his chest pressed me into that warmth. He pushed me up, allowing both of us to float to the surface of the water.

As we surfaced on the water, I was coughing and trying to take deep breaths, but the person who saved me showed his strength once again. When he grabbed my waist and sat me on the edge of the pool, between my legs, he was looking at me with his hands on either side of me.

Due to the pool lights, the blueness and shadow of the water hit his face from time to time, making his wet, bony face look scary, but I couldn’t step back.

I felt like time stopped when our eyes met.

We were both taking deep breaths. We were both frozen in shock of the moment we experienced.

And I couldn’t take my eyes off a pair of amber eyes.

His sunset-like eyes were looking at me with all his attention.

If I were asked what forbidden fruit means.

The one that makes your mouth water but you’re afraid to taste it.

The one you know won’t happen but you want.

If he becomes yours, you are the biggest nightmare that you are afraid of getting caught up in and becoming his.

Hello, First of all, Glided Lies is essentially a Turkish book and I am sharing it here by translating it into English, the names of the characters are Turkish and so are the names of the cities they are in. Of course, there are no such cities in Turkey, I made this up. That's why I made sure to keep the names in Turkish, but if there is anything you don't understand while reading, I would be happy to answer.