OURS✨

The short bob-haired girl stood across from the three-story building, looking around excitedly. There was still no news from Aidan. He was supposed to be here 30 minutes ago, but we couldn't reach him phone. Aidan's brother, Cameron, was running his fingers through his wavy hair, cursing nonstop. While everyone was worried, Summer, with her green eyes fixed on the screen, kept playing that stupid game, her blonde hair a mess from the wind

After a while, a message from Aidan arrived:

"Sorry, I'll be a little late. Go ahead, open the house and start settling in."

We were a bit relieved. Excitedly, we entered the building.

The house was exactly as we imagined; spacious, bright, and a little messy.

First, we checked out the living room. Cameron shouted loudly,

"This house is ours!"

Summer giggled,

"We haven't even unpacked yet."

And just like that, our new home adventure began.

Let's meet tomorrow 8 PM and bring our things.

It was already 8 PM. Cameron and Aidan were waiting impatiently across from the building for İrina and Summer to arrive.

When the girls appeared, the group quickly headed into the house. The first thing they noticed was the mess in the living room. Books were scattered on the floor, and the couches were covered in clothes.

İrina glanced around the room with a sarcastic smile:

- Did you decorate this place, Aidan

Aidan was startled for a moment.

- What do you think? he replied in surprise.

İrina crossed her arms and continued:

- Obviously not you. You're lazy, you wouldn't bother. But this house definitely needs a makeover. Who agrees?

Summer quickly raised her hand:

- For God's sake, let's tidy up this place. I feel like the mess is closing in on me! If Aidan had cleaned, it wouldn't be this bad.

Cameron started laughing while Aidan stared at Summer in shock. Finally, Aidan gave in:

- Two against one, huh? Fine, I give up.

The exhausted group had fallen asleep in various corners of the living room.

As always, Cameron was the first to wake up. He sat up slowly on the couch and reached for the water on the table, taking a few sips. Just then, Aidan entered the living room.

Cameron, handing over the water bottle, asked tiredly:

- Are İrina and Summer still sleeping?

Aidan smiled as he put the bottle down:

- What kind of question is that? Of course, they're still sleeping. A bomb could explode and they wouldn't wake up.

Right then, İrina and Summer walked into the room. Cameron asked in surprise:

- What's this? Did a flower pot fall on your heads? Why are you up so early?

İrina grumbled:

- Couldn't sleep. And yes, we can wake up early if we want. Is that a problem?

Mert and Cameron said at the same time:

- No, not at all.

Suddenly, Summer brought a board into the room and dropped it firmly on the floor, catching everyone's attention.

Cameron asked in shock:

- Where did you find that board?

İrina yawned and rubbed her eyes:

- We forgot to tell you. We need to write down the house rules.

Asena handed a pen to Cameron:

- You start.

Cameron thought for a moment, then spoke excitedly:

- I don't want the washed clothes left in our room.

İrina quickly replied:

- We put them there because your room is bigger. Where else should we put them?

Aidan interrupted:

- Let's just leave them in the living room. Problem solved. Don't overreact!

1 Hour Later

İrina closed the pen and asked the group:

- Any other requests?

Aidan frowned:

- I think everything would be better if we followed my rules.

İrina sighed deeply and said in frustration:

- Oh God, your ego!

Just then, the doorbell rang, breaking the silence of the house.

The group exchanged glances. Cameron groaned:

- What now? I'm not answering it this time. Stop looking at me like that. Fine, I give up. I'll go check. You win again.

Cameron opened the door to find a medium-height girl with blue eyes and blonde hair standing there. She smiled gently and spoke in a calm but confident voice:

- Is Aidan home? I need to give him some class notes.

Then she politely added:

- By the way, my name's Evelyn. Evelyn Kingsley

Evelyn tightly held the piece of paper in her hands as she handed it to Aidan.

"You asked for the class notes. By the way, congratulations on your new home," she said, her smile never fading.

As footsteps echoed from the stairs, everyone's gaze shifted in that direction. The green-eyed girl with medium-length brown hair looked at Cameron. Cameron had already figured out who she was. Standing near the door, not smiling back, was Vanessa

Cameron, who had taken off his shoes, left with Vanessa, quickly disappearing from sight.

Evelyn chatted for a little longer, then turned and left for home.

Summer grabbed her bag and looked back at her friends.

"I'm heading out. We’ll catch up later. Maybe we'll talk like we used to," she said with a smirk.

İrina and Aidan just nodded without saying much.

About 15 minutes later, Aidan placed two cups of coffee on the table. They were alone now.

İrina seemed a little uneasy these days. Her mind was filled with unanswered questions. Being alone like this made her want to speak, hoping that maybe Aidan could say something to calm her down.

Aidan sat across from her, glancing at the girl who stared out the window.

“Maybe now’s not the time,” he thought to himself and chose to remain silent.

İrina turned her gaze to Aidan, who was sitting just to her right. Words stuck in her throat finally spilled out:

“Why don’t you trust anyone? ”

Aidan was surprised by the sudden question, his eyes scanning İrina's face. But, of course, Aidan Blake always had an answer. Clearing his throat, he spoke:

“The world is like this... maybe that’s why I don’t want to trust anyone,” he replied calmly.

A faint, bittersweet smile crept across İrina's face. She shifted her gaze away from Aidan and back to the window.

“Maybe the world is this way because we don’t trust anyone,” she said, taking a deep breath before continuing,

“You know, Blake... it feels like we’re not the same anymore. Like someone stole the smiles that never used to leave our faces.”

There was a brief silence. Aidan wanted to say something, but held back.

İrina finally broke it:

“You always say the past made us who we are today. I guess I’ve been missing the past too much lately.”

Aidan placed his coffee on the table.

“You fool. Are you depressed again? And where did you hear these words? Don’t quote my lines when you’re feeling down. Those aren’t your sentences. You’re not that smart,” he said with a teasing smile.

İrina gave a tired smile and lowered her head.

“It’s impossible to have a normal conversation with you for even two minutes.”

“This isn’t a conversation, this is a crash course on how to spiral into depression,” Aidan joked.

Just then, the doorbell echoed through the house, and Aidan groaned.

“I swear, no peace at all. We just moved in yesterday,” he muttered with a grin.

İrina rolled her eyes.

“Keep bragging. At this rate, you’ll be your own biggest fan. Ego ball.”

“Ego ball? Really? That’s your new nickname for me?” Aidan laughed loudly.

The door opened, and Cameron walked in.

“Bro, what are you doing? Open the door already. You locked yourself in,” he said, taking off his shoes.

İrina sighed.

“Summer's not here yet. Let’s wait for her and finally start this so-called talk,” she said.

A few hours passed.

Summer eventually came home and joined the team in the living room. But no one said a word.

Summer stood up, breaking the silence.

“So, who wants to start this conversation? Aidan, let’s start with you,” she said.

Aidan thought about how he would explain everything to them. He had already made a decision.

He didn’t need to tell them everything.

Maybe knowing just a part of it would be enough.

While the others waited for his answer, Aidan silently began forming his plan in his mind.

“Maybe now isn’t the time. But I should start preparing.”

The words got stuck in their throats again. Everyone sat there like people waiting for the end of a long story

Aidan couldn't stand the silence any longer and suddenly stood up. He looked straight at the team sitting across from him. He still couldn’t explain the full truth. But he thought, "I can tell them a little... They don’t need to know everything."

He decided to gently break the silence.

— "What’s going on, guys? We’ve been sitting here for an hour and no one’s said anything."

Summer locked her green-blue mixed eyes on Aidan.

— "Alright then, since you’re so eager to talk, why don’t you start?"

Aidan cleared his throat, trying to steer the topic elsewhere.

— "So... what’s the deal with the Cameron and Venessa thing? You didn’t tell us anything."

Cameron couldn’t hide his confusion.

— "Bro, how did this suddenly become about me?

And seriously, stop overthinking stuff. We’re just friends, I’ve known her for a month. Why would I be interested in a girl I barely know?"

Summer and İrina exchanged subtle smiles. But Summer’s smile faded in an instant.

— "Don’t try to change the subject. Spill it."

Cameron let out a short laugh, then sighed seriously:

— "I got a really good job offer from Azerbaijan. I’ll probably be moving there. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. They’re sending me in a few months. This wasn’t an easy decision... I wanted to stay here with you all, but..."

İrina, her eyes starting to water, tried to hide her feelings. But Aidan cut in sharply:

— "But you still chose to think of yourself first and leave us behind."

Aidan didn’t say another word. The weight of his feelings showed clearly on his face.

The room filled with heavy silence.

Suddenly, Cameron raised his hand and forced a smile:

— "We still have a few beautiful weeks together. Let’s make them count. Shall we?"

Hands raised into the air, hearts silently agreeing — no one wanted this time to end.

A few weeks later

The car was ready. First stop: New York After that, everyone would go their separate ways.

Aidan and Cameron sat in the front seats. Irina and Summer sat in the back.

It was the quietest trip of their lives. Summer, trying to lighten the mood, randomly played a song.

The lyrics drew a smile on their tired faces:

🎶*"The headlights are burning in our car*

This light is too much for us all

It breaks the night

I don’t know what it means between us

But this light is too much for just us two

And breaks the distance" 🎶

Meanwhile...

A young girl entered the house with tired, bruised feet. After months away, she finally stepped back into a place where she felt truly safe. For the first time in a long while, she breathed deeply and smiled.

Her phone buzzed suddenly. A message from the group chat popped up —

“2 humans, 1 dead, 1 offline, 1.”

Their weird team name brought tears to her eyes, but she wiped them away with a smile.

She quickly typed back, fingers flying across the keyboard:

"Seriously, I leave for a while and you all abandon the house the day I return?

Whose genius idea was this?"

She paused and smiled at the absurdity of it all. But despite her smile, her thoughts remained foggy, haunted by unclear memories. Something didn’t sit right. She needed to solve the puzzle in her head... but for now, she just wanted a little peace.

Nora stood up from where she sat, her head pounding. Strange voices echoed in her ears. No matter how much she tried to ignore them, they wouldn’t leave.

The blurry memories wouldn’t let her go. She knew she would eventually solve these mysteries, but maybe — just maybe — this time she wanted to figure things out alone

1 Year Later

Nora walked into the bedroom. Even though it was already noon, Summer was still asleep.

She was startled when her phone suddenly buzzed.

There was a new message from the group.

Nora wasn't surprised.

Strangely, they had been arguing almost every day for a year. Every single day.

Without checking the messages, she turned off the phone and tossed it onto the bed.

Nora didn't want to get dragged into their arguments right now.

Frustrated, she started nudging Summer.

"Come on, it's already noon, wake up," said Nora.

Groaning, Summer mumbled in protest-she seriously hated being woken up.

"Come on, Nora. Finals are over. School's done. I deserve to rest for real."

"Fine, but at least check the group messages."

"Another fight?" Summer said, scrunching her face.

She grabbed her phone. As she read the messages, her green-blue mixed eyes widened.

Nora's sister would've peed herself from fear if she'd turned around just then.

"Holy sh*t!!! Summer, what are you reading?!"

"You didn't read what they wrote in the group?" Summer asked, eyes now wide open.

Nora shook her head in confusion. She was really starting to get scared now.

"They're coming back. After a whole year, they're finally coming back," Summer said, her voice filled with joy.

Nora lunged for the phone she had thrown on the bed.

Was this real, or just one of Summer's dumb jokes? She couldn't tell.

⚔️Messages⚔️

Aidan: Hey guys, don't you think it's time we finally met up?

Irina: Are you serious?

Cameron: Yeah... I think my brother's lost it, but it's actually true.

Aidan: Come on, we need to fix the problems between us. Let's meet back in the city, at our place, and spend some time together. When can you come back, Irina?

Irina: I'm totally free right now. If I can get a plane ticket, how about tomorrow?

But I have one really important question. Be honest-what made you say this out of nowhere? 🤨Did a flower pot fall on your head?

Cameron: 😂😂 I've been asking the same thing since this morning.

Aidan: Come on guys, stop messing with me.

Aidan: Damn it, Nora still hasn't read the messages. She's seriously gonna drive me nuts. Come on, Nora, check your damn phone and do something to prove you're alive. Like, I don't know... reply? Phones were invented for communication, remember? You do know that, right?

Cameron: We're used to Nora. But where's Summer, seriously?

Irina: Sleeping.

Aidan: Sleeping.

Summer: You guys really are coming back, right? This isn't just some stupid joke, is it?

Summer: Okay, yeah, I was sleeping. But the fact that you knew that about me so well actually makes me proud 😌

Cameron: Where's your sister?

Summer: Right next to me. Don't worry, I'm reading the messages to her too.

Summer: She still hasn't gotten over the shock of hearing you're coming back 😅

Cameron: She should, because we really are coming back.

Summer looked at her sister.

"We're going to be together now, Nora."

"Yeah," Nora said, "I just hope my dreams will hurt a little less this time."

Aidan looked around. He had finally returned to his homeland. The team didn’t know, but Aidan had come back for another reason. Yes, he missed them, but they weren’t the real reason he returned—definitely not. He had a more important task in this city. Aidan was pulled from his thoughts by Cameron’s voice calling behind him.

“Hey bro, I got the luggage, let’s go. They must be waiting for us.”

Aidan placed a smile on his face.

“Do you really believe they’ll arrive early?”

“I think we’re the ones who came early.”

Cameron smiled and nodded in agreement.

Cameron was a punctual guy. Unlike Aidan—definitely. The moment they stepped outside, both struggled to hold back their laughter at the sight before them. Summer was holding a huge paper, grinning widely. Even funnier, the things written on the paper involved Irina and Nora. Irina and Nora were covering their faces with their hands, as if saying: “We don’t know this maniac.”

On the giant poster, there was a ridiculously romantic-looking picture of Shrek.

The words “Welcome looovebugs!” in bright pink were truly eye-straining.

Aidan tried to hide his face with his hand.

“Summer, I currently have enough reason to kill you.”

Cameron couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore. What started as a smile turned into a loud laugh.

“Damn, I wasn’t expecting this,” he said, trying not to laugh. They definitely loved this crazy girl.

But Aidan’s eyes were already focused on someone else—Irina.

The last time he saw her, her short hair looked good on her. Now her longer hair suited her even better. The short blunt bangs fit her perfectly. Aidan walked toward the girls and looked straight at Irina.

"What kind of hairstyle is this?

Did you let the jungle move in?"

Strangely enough, this was Aidan’s love language.