AYLA PRESENT DAY I have always been so proud of myself whenever I look at my house. It wasn't that big, but it wasn't small either. I spent my mom's insurance money, my small savings, and the cheque my father gave me after graduation on this lease. Why the hell does this seem so little now? It has been five minutes since Steph left, since the moment she looked at Jayden and smirked since Jayden slammed the door in her face and he turned towards me. That's all he did. We were staring at each other till now. I tried to look everywhere but him. I heard him exhale deeply, and he sat on my couch, pulling his hair over his head. "You don't remember me?" He questioned. I shook my head slowly. He shook his head in disbelief. "According to you, when was the first time you heard about me?" He questioned. "When you attended our college for a....." He cursed under his breath. "So for you, the first time we met was when you spill that coffee on my shirt?"
A FEW YEARS AGO NOTTINGHAM "Why are you here? Didn't you have an appointment with some company's CEO? You had a presentation. What are you doing here? You don't have to come. Jay...," Nothing she said traveled through his ears. His eyes were fixed on the scar she got on her forehead. "It's nothing," she whispered when he moved the few strands of her hair back. "Where else?" He asked sternly. She threw him a scowl even though her eyes were glossy and she was hurting. "Nowhere," She replied. "You should go," She said again, gently pushing him with her hand. He caught her hand to inspect the wounds. He finally released a breath when he found none. "Don't do that." He ordered. "Don't push me away no matter what." She dropped her head, fidgeting with her fingers. "That's not what I am doing." She murmured. "I don't want you to worry. The purpose of your meeting is too big to stop for trivial things like this."
A FEW YEARS AGO NOTTINGHAM It was 11 PM when she heard the knock on her window. She was so sure she heard that wrong. But the knock came again. She wore her sweater and her night dress and slowly walked towards the window. "Who is there?" She shouted. The first thought is to call her dad. But it hurts her pride to do that. If she had a serial killer behind that closed window, her father would still blame her. She knew that for sure. The knock came again, making her whole body rigid. "Just open the damn door, Surgeon. It's freezing outside." Came a sharp sound from the other end. Her body reacted to the sound even before she could process it. She quickly opened her windows and let the hanging Jayden climb inside. "What are you doing here?" She asked, running back to double-check the door lock. "Wow..there's a lot of pink here." He commented, scanning through her room. She rested her hands on her hips, giving h
PRESENT DAY AYLA "Marmara Deniz (Sea of Marmara)" I whispered. He didn't say anything but stared like he did till now, blankly. "That's the color of your eye," I said. I didn't notice any movement in his face or his eyes, especially his eyes. But something about the way he looked at me changed like he finally grasped the situation. Shit! The situation. In a hurry to escape, I tried to fall back. He held me by the waist again and pulled me to him so that I wouldn't fall off the couch. Now we are closer than before, my hand clutching his shirt, and his heart, beating fast beneath them. Once again, silence engulfed us. We simply stared at each other without saying a word. I somehow managed to find the courage to look at him again. His gaze slowly traveled down to my lips. If he was gonna kiss me right now, I'll not protest. Of course, I will freak out. But I'll save that for later. But he is doing nothing but simply sta
A FEW YEARS AGONOTTINGHAM "I am not getting it. Why would you meet Nathaniel?" Mason asked for the tenth time. "I didn't meet him. He came to me." "He did because..." "He is Jack's friend. They always come to the house." "The house you live in?" "Yes," She replied, looking exasperated. "And Jack lives at your place because....." "He is my step-brother. And I live at their place." She corrected. "By Jack, you mean.." "Jack Dawson." "Son of..." "Noah Dawson." "Who is your ..." "Yes," She nodded her head, agreeing with him. "My biological father. Is that a problem?" "It is," Mason exclaimed. "You didn't know that Dawsons and Knights are at war since forever?" She shook her head in confusion. "I knew that Jayden and Jack have some misunderstanding, perhaps?" Mason burst into laughter in a sardonic way that made Ayla confused to a whole different level. When Jayden knew th
PRESENT DAYAYLA "One minute, I was fine. The other minute, I could feel the tears rushing down my pillow. It hurts when I try to clench my jaw or grind my teeth. The left part of my face hurts, you know, from my head to ear, ear to teeth. 'It's stress,' Blake would say. But it doesn't hurt any less. "I have experienced this kind of pain many times. I would take a pill, and it would go away. But today, when I was lying in my room alone and staring at the ceiling, I wonder, how long I will have to take the pills to make the pain go away. How long I will have to do it alone? "I took out my phone. I found no one, absolutely no one to talk to. I was too angry to talk to Blake. I can't believe he spread a rumour that I got pregnant when my mom died. I can't believe I actually become pregnant at the end. Quinn will be asleep. I am not close to Daisy and Steph to disturb them in the middle of the night. And Yeona has already done a lot for me. "Suddenly, as if
"Why would I go to your house?" I asked him, confused. He shrugged, looking at the traffic before us. "The rain has already stopped." He let the car window down and looked out. "The sky is clear. I think we both need a distraction." "So?" I asked him. "Why don't we go and enjoy the view?" He asked. "What view?" I asked him in return. "Jupiter and his four moons?" "Jupiter!" I exclaimed. "We can see its moons too?" I asked him in wonder. "I have a 16-inch telescope. So I figured you might wanna see it. Why? is that a no to you?" He asked me. Something tells me that he knew the answer. "No, I mean, yes. Evet, it's a big yes to me. I am just confused why you wanted to do that." I told him. "Is I just wanted to not good enough reason?" He questioned, raising his eyebrow. "It is. But you gain nothing out of it." I answered. He smiled at my sentence. "Why do we always have to gain something?" He questioned just like Kemal did ear
AYLA "You did what?" Quinn asked me for the second time. "I went to his house," I told her slowly, looking towards the living room. "To?" "Well, if you ask me why exactly I had gone, I would say for Jupiter." I heard her sigh so loudly that I am sure, she is trying to control her anger. "Even I haven't seen Jupiter, Ayla. Most of the world's population haven't seen that fucking planet, and they are surviving." She yelled from the other end of the line. "You don't understand. It is a one-time opportunity for me." I tried to explain. "Seriously, Ayla? You followed a guy, who is your forgotten ex, to a house so far away that you even doubt there's a single soul in the two kilometres radius to see a fucking planet without informing any of us! Is that what you are telling me right now?" I released a heavy breath. I shouldn't have lifted her call at all. "It sounds worse when you put it like that," I said slowly. "Because it is worse