Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Leyla
Nine Years Earlier UC San Diego
“Um, hey, Leyla.”
I closed my textbook, trying to look calmer than I felt. I didn’t have to look up to know who had just said my name. I’d recognize that deep, velvety voice anywhere.
I wonder if he does any audiobook work?
Apparently lost in that little fantasy, I forgot he was still standing over me, whispering my name in the library. Chills ran down my spine, sparking something new inside.
“Leyla? Are you all right?” he whispered, leaning toward me where I sat.
My head popped up, making my hair start to fall from the short, messy bun I’d thrown it in earlier. “Sorry, hey, Nick. Was lost in some formulas.”
He smiled tentatively and went to sit down, as if he wasn’t sure he belonged there.
Instead of his usual button-down shirts, he wore a midnight-blue polo shirt and a pair of dark-wash jeans.
On anyone else in San Diego, it would’ve looked odd in a sea of T-shirts and shorts, but he pulled it off well.
Realizing I was still staring, I flashed him a wide smile, hoping it would let him know he was welcome, but he stumbled over the chair leg, nearly knocking it over. The loud scrape was jarring in the quiet space.
Students glared in our direction, and I waved politely, mouthing “sorry” to those closest.
“Are you okay?” I asked, watching pink color his tanned skin. My poor heart stuttered in my chest, causing me to inhale loudly at the sight of it. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I liked it. Seeing his cool, calm demeanor slip slightly, his adorable blush did something to me. Wow.
“Sorry. Did not s-see the chair leg,” he stammered, finally sitting down with a resigned sigh.
“You didn’t see the chair leg? You mean the same ones you’ve been sitting in for almost three years?” I teased, hoping to defuse whatever weirdness was going on again. But his only reaction was to look at me, brows low, eyes squinting.
Okay. Didn’t like jokes. Tough room.
He cleared his throat. Twice. “I was aware of the chair. I guess I just tripped.” Our whispering made the moment charged with a frenetic energy like we were sharing a secret.
“Nick, I was teasing you,” I said lightly, not understanding why he didn’t see what was so obvious.
He blinked quickly and nodded. “Sarcasm. That’s what you mean, right?”
It was my turn to be confused. “Ah, yeah. Sarcasm, teasing. Guess I did it wrong if I have to explain it,” I answered with a chuckle.
He blinked, but said nothing.
“Moving on. How are you feeling about being paired up with me?”
Nick’s eyes got wide before saying, “P-paired up? Oh, you mean as my lab partner.”
He was so serious, I had to laugh. “Yes, of course. What did you think I meant?”
He blushed again. “Nothing. Ah, I’ve prepared some ideas for the project. Professor Logan…”
“You call him Professor Logan when he’s not around?” I asked, taking out my laptop.
Nick looked at me like I’d asked him to watch reality TV with me and braid my hair. “That is his name.”
“It is, but I guess everyone just calls them all by their last names when they’re not around. It’s a bit formal, isn’t it?”
He nodded again. “Formal. Got it. So, um, Logan wants us to find a way to stabilize this serum. I have some ideas I thought you might like to read before we start working together. I’m also open to seeing yours.
This should be a collaboration, so I was thinking we could make a schedule.
You know, of when we’re both free. I work most evenings and weekends, so we’ll have to plan around that. ”
“Nick, stop. Take a breath.”
He stared at me again, his eyes bouncing between mine. “Sorry. What?”
“I was sort of in the middle of studying for another class, so I wasn’t prepared for this.
” When I saw his dejected face, which looked like I’d kicked his dog, I kept going.
“But, yeah, we can do this now if it’s best for you.
I don’t have a job to get to, so I can go back to this later. Hit me. Whatcha got?”
Nick was still looking at me. I could see his mouth twitching like he wanted to say something, or he was holding back from saying something.
It was the first time he was this close, and it honestly unnerved me.
I knew one of us should stop this strange staring game, but I couldn’t look away, and it didn’t seem like he could either.
Or wasn’t willing to. This close, it was hard not to notice how utterly handsome he was.
I mean, I knew that. But just a few feet from him, it was like looking at a statue of David.
It needed to be savored and admired. Not perfect, but pretty close.
Wavy, dark hair that seemed longer than at the beginning of the semester. Chiseled jaw, close-cut beard. Eyes that looked brown from a distance now resembled espresso with ribbons of caramel.
“Why do you wear dressy shirts all the time?” I asked, unable to stop myself.
Self-consciously, he looked down at his shirt with a frown, then back up at me. “You don’t like them?”
His tone wasn’t teasing or flirting. It almost held a touch of hurt. But that couldn’t be right. If there was one thing I knew about Nick Demir, he was confident, straightforward, and unflappable.
“No, that’s not what I meant. Yes, I like them. They fit you,” I answered, keeping my tone light and friendly until I could decipher what was happening. I meant they fit his serious personality, but I was afraid I’d given him the wrong impression because he nodded again with a hint of a smile.
“I like your clothes, too. Especially your white sundress with the little green leaves. Matches your eyes.” He delivered this in the same way he’d ask me to pass him the bread at dinner, except his cheeks burned red.
My eyebrows lifted at the same time my mouth did at the sight. It was my turn to blush. It seemed I wasn’t the only one taking notes on fashion choices. I liked it. Very much.
“That’s oddly specific, Mr. Demir,” I said teasingly. “Had no idea you were so knowledgeable about women’s fashion.”
“Not every woman.”
Heart stopped. Time of death: 3:36 pm.
He pulled his gaze away quickly and leaned over to pull out his own laptop like he hadn’t just dropped that bomb on me.
“Should we go over our schedules then?” he asked, looking expectantly at me again.
“As you wish,” I choked out, not sure what my mind was conjuring up at the moment.
When his brows pressed together in confusion, I said, “Sorry, Princess Bride. It’s one of my favorite movies.”
He blinked twice and nodded but said nothing.
Nick and I worked together during Logan’s class and whenever Nick was free.
It had been over three months, and we were so close to finding a solution.
Even though he was single-minded in his approach to our project, over time, I worked to get him to relax a bit and have a little fun, little being the operative word.
Turned out he actually had a wicked sense of dry humor, and I enjoyed his company over any of the guys I’d met so far. There was no denying how serious he was, but I appreciated that level of maturity.
There were some tense moments when we didn’t agree on how to approach the solution, but we also made a great team as we learned to trust each other’s observations. He still relied on one-word answers when we were together, but would soon relax as the study session went on.
Some days, I could get him to veer off the project to ask him personal questions about everything and anything.
He was always nervous when he’d share things about his family and culture, or that he preferred listening to podcasts instead of watching TV or movies.
He hated pineapple on pizza, but loved spicy foods.
I always felt those answers were a gift, since he didn’t give them out often.
One day, while we were huddled together in one of the quads, poring over our notes, he took a call from his mother. He apologized and stood up to speak to her, pacing in place nearby. But I could hear his Turkish accent become more pronounced as they spoke, which made me smile.
When I asked him about Istanbul, one side of his mouth quirked up.
“I think I told you that I was born there, but we moved here when I was six. It was quite a transition for me, leaving behind the people I knew. I mean, I was young, but I had friends in school and my neighborhood. Our extended family is still there. But at least here I was able to grow up around my grandparents.”
“I love that for you. I was born and raised here. All my family lived nearby when I was growing up. My older brother, Harrison, and his family live in NorCal now, but we see them a few times a year. It’s good to be near family.”
He nodded. “Yes, it is. My parents, younger sister, and I have lived with my grandparents since we moved here. They all live in San Francisco now. My father was an engineer in Istanbul, but unfortunately, none of his education or experience could be used here. He would have had to go back to college, which wasn’t an option.
“So he’s been working any job he could get. It’s been tough on him. Hard to see him lose all he worked for over so many years, but he thought my sister and I would have more opportunities here in the US, which turned out to be ironic in his case.” His eyes misted over, making me want to hug him.
“Wow, Nick, I’m so sorry to hear that. Can’t imagine how difficult that must be.
But they must be so proud of you. To know that their efforts have helped you get where you are,” I said, touching his forearm.
“Seriously. You’re a pretty cool guy.” I smiled, peering into those gorgeous dark eyes again, getting a bit lost.
“I, um, I think you are pretty amazing too, Leyla,” he stammered. My breath hitched in my throat at his words. He’d never said anything like this before.
Nick worked a lot of hours, saying it was out of necessity. I wasn’t sure how he managed it all. Some days, he looked like a walking zombie, so I’d bring him coffee whenever I got one for myself.