Chapter 9
A few days after my intense argument with Ayaz at the birthday party I’d attended with my cousin Elif, I received an invitation from her and her friends to visit Bodrum—a coastal city with beautiful beaches nearly seven hundred kilometers from Istanbul—for the weekend. Thank Allah, I hadn’t seen him since.
I still hadn’t talked to baba again about my arranged marriage to Yusuf—I was waiting for a better opportunity to bring it up.
But one thing was certain: he remained inflexible.
The problem was that the more time passed, the closer the wedding got.
Only three months remained before that madness would happen, and if I didn’t do something soon, I’d have to accept my fate.
Soon, my hand-picked fiancé would arrive with his family to formally ask for my hand, making our engagement official.
I was under so much pressure from all of it that I ended up accepting the invitation to travel.
That weekend, I never could have imagined that fate would lead me to an unexpected reunion with Ayaz on Turkey’s sunny coast. I had no idea he’d also be in Bodrum—and on top of that, staying at the same hotel.
When I saw him, my heart raced. After our last argument, I’d sworn to myself that I didn’t want to see him again and would avoid any situation that put me face to face with those intense, captivating brown eyes.
But it seemed the universe had other plans.
Afraid that talking to him would ruin my weekend, I tried to avoid him at all costs.
However, things didn’t go as planned. I saw him everywhere we went—in fact, I started to think he was stalking me.
I tried to avoid him, but in an unguarded moment while I was enjoying the sun on the beach, I noticed him walking toward me.
I couldn’t believe he’d dare approach me again, but he closed the distance quickly.
My heart raced and I immediately stood up to leave, but he called out to me.
His soft voice reached my ears, and a shiver ran down my spine.
“Eda!” he said in an innocent tone. “It’s been a while! It seems fate insists on bringing us together.”
I couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic, but it didn’t matter. My anger and frustration boiled over, and I responded with more force than I’d intended.
“Fate? I don’t believe in that, Ayaz. I think you’re stalking me!”
He seemed genuinely surprised by my accusation, but his expression quickly shifted to a mix of shock and irony.
“Eda, the world doesn’t revolve around you. I’m not stalking anyone, much less you. I came to Bodrum because I have business here. I had no idea you’d be here.”
I didn’t know if I could believe him. There was something mysterious in his gaze. Though I hadn’t noticed any sign that he’d been following me.
Maybe it was, as he said, just another coincidence—one of life’s little tricks. Maybe fate was toying with us after all.
“Should I apologize to you again, Ayaz?” I murmured sarcastically, making it clear I didn’t believe a word he said. “Did I jump to conclusions again?” I turned my back in irritation and walked off with no particular destination.
“Eda, wait! Don’t be rude—I’m talking to you.” He came after me and grabbed my arm.
“I have nothing to say to you, Ayaz. And I don’t want to argue again.”
“I understand our last interaction was difficult and that we’ve been running into each other more than either of us would like, but I want to make it clear—I’m not stalking anyone. I think you’re paranoid about something.”
“Oh, of course, you had to turn the situation around and make me the crazy one.” I put my hand on my hip, my irritation at its peak. “I’ll pretend to believe it’s just a coincidence that you keep showing up wherever I am.”
“I swear I’m not following you, Eda, and I don’t want to fight with you.”
“I don’t believe you. I think you became obsessed with me that night at your bar, and now you’re following me, trying to get close to me.”
“Eda, either you’re completely crazy, or you have an overactive imagination. Where are you getting these ideas?”
I looked at Ayaz and realized he was mocking me, having fun at my expense. As if irritating me had become his favorite hobby.
“I don’t believe you. Am I clear?” I took a deep breath. “Now can you leave me alone so I can enjoy my weekend?”
“All right. As you wish, Eda. Maybe fate is trying to tell us something, but you refuse to see it.” He smiled, and the warmth of his smile, strangely, was like a ray of sunshine washing over my soul.
I had sworn to myself that I would avoid any confrontation with him after our last disagreement at the other party. But there was Ayaz, smiling as if there were no misunderstandings between us. I tried to ignore him, but his insistent gaze burned through me.
Finally, he moved, stepping away from me, and his soft, pleasant voice cut through the sound of the waves.
“I need to go, Eda,” he said in a friendly tone, after checking his phone, which had just chimed. “I have an important business meeting in a few minutes.”
“It’s a bit late for that,” I responded curtly. “And if you could do me a favor and stop showing up, I’d appreciate it.”
Ayaz seemed surprised by my words, but his shock quickly gave way to an expression of amusement.
“See you around, Eda,” he sighed, clearly frustrated. “Wherever fate decides to bring us face to face again.” He winked, blew a kiss, turned on his heel, and left, as if nothing had happened.
Furious, I decided to go find my friends. As I walked, I began to think that maybe Ayaz was right and fate was, in fact, trying to tell us something. But what could it be? It certainly wasn’t a meeting of souls. After all, we were more likely to start World War III than anything else.