11. Chapter 6 #2
“…Oh my God, you’re thinking about Ben, aren’t you?”
Evin rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in the pillow. “Maybe.”
Milka snorted. “Of course.”
Evin lifted her head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, you JUST got rid of one headache, and now you’re flirting with another.” Milka’s voice was laced with amusement but also clear skepticism.
Evin groaned, flipping onto her back again. “It’s not like that. Ben is… different.”
Milka poked her head out of the bathroom, her face half-covered in a foamy layer of cleanser. “Different how?”
Evin hesitated. “He’s… calmer. He actually listens. And he’s not, you know… complicated.”
Mil ka disappeared back inside the bathroom. “Yeah, because nothing about a flirty, charming, too-good-to-be-true guy screams complicated.”
Evin could practically hear her rolling her eyes.
“I just…” Evin struggled for the right words. “I want to enjoy something for once without overthinking every little thing.”
Milka let out a loud, exaggerated sigh, then popped her head out again—this time, with a towel wrapped around her hair. “I get that, but Evin, let’s be real. You’re not the ‘no-strings-attached’ type. And Ben? He’s… a risk.”
Evin sat up, crossing her arms. “Everything’s a risk.”
Milka held up a finger. “Aha! But some risks are dumber than others.” She turned back toward the mirror, muttering, “This one feels extra dumb.”
Evin threw a pillow in the direction of the bathroom door. “Thanks for the support.”
Milka laughed. “I’m just saying—don’t get caught up in another mess when you just got out of one. And for the record, if this goes sideways, I reserve full rights to say, ‘I told you so.’”
Evin smirked. “Duly noted.”
There was a pause, then Milka’s voice softened. “So… what about Bas?”
Evin stiffened. “What about him?”
Milka turned the shower on. “You KNOW he’s not gonna take this well.”
Evin clenched her jaw. “I don’t care.”
Milka let out a doubtful hum. “Mhm.”
Evin grabbed her phone, more to distract herself than anything. “I mean it. He’s hurt me enough. I just want something easy, light."
At that exact moment, her phone buzzed in her hand.
Ben
Awake?
I’m downstairs in the lounge. Feel like joining me?
Evin bit her lip. “I just don’t want to overthink things for on ce.”
Milka, who had just been about to close the bathroom door, paused and shot her a knowing look. One eyebrow lifted. “Mhm. Sure. That’s exactly how it always starts.”
Evin rolled her eyes, but before she could respond, Milka disappeared into the bathroom for good.
Seconds later, the sound of the shower filled the room, leaving Evin alone with her thoughts—and the message still glowing on her screen.
__________
Evin hesitated briefly.
After such a long day, she was exhausted, but something about Ben’s message intrigued her.
She wanted to get to know him better, so she picked up her phone and typed back: "Sure, be there in a sec."
As she made her way downstairs, Milka’s words lingered in her mind. Her friend had her doubts about Ben, but Evin didn’t want to let them get to her. For once, she just wanted to go with the flow
She just wanted to have fun with Ben. With him, everything felt easy. Uncomplicated.
In the lounge, he was sitting on a couch, a book in hand. When he noticed her, he smiled and closed it.
"There you are. I was starting to think you’d let me rot here alone."
Evin chuckled softly and sat next to him. "No, I’m not that cruel."
"Good to know," Ben replied with a grin. "It’s been a long day, huh? But a nice one. I think the mission really impressed you."
Evin nodded. "Yeah, it did. It was… kind of magical."
She leaned back, reflecting on the day. "So, how do you like our group? Settling in well?"
Ben shrugged. "I’m trying. It’s only been a month. Most people are nice, but… you know how it is. New school, new faces. Sometimes it just takes a bit."
Evi n looked at him. "How are things between you and Bas now?" They had sort of become friends, and Evin didn’t want to be the reason things got weird between them.
"He seemed fine today. Gave me a fist bump and said, 'We’re cool, bro. Sorry about the whole thing.' And that was it." He paused, as if debating whether to say more.
Evin barely shook her head. "He told me before the weekend to keep my hands off his girls." A brief smile flickered across his face, but Evin noticed his fingers fidgeting at his wrist. Her brow furrowed.
"What?" Evin closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled deeply.
"Yeah, just like I said." Ben nodded and looked her directly in the eyes.
His gaze was slightly sheepish. "Right before, he told me to stay away from you. Bro code and all. I thought it was kind of…unnecessary."
Evin let out a dry laugh.
"I didn’t even know there was anything going on between you two."
"There’s nothing going on anymore," Evin murmured.
His expression softened. Kind. Caring."That much is clear to me now. But I wanted to talk to you about it. That’s actually why I asked you to meet me here."
Evin looked down at her hands and sighed. "It’s complicated. He’s... we’re...ugh, I don’t even know myself. You’ve probably heard about our fight." She pushed the images from her mind. "We’re nothing."
Ben leaned in slightly, his fingers just grazing her shoulder "He is cool, but you deserve someone who doesn’t hold you back, Evin."
She stayed silent.
Bas’s jealousy touched her less than she had expected. Or was she lying to herself?
The fight in front of Cat and the other smug onlookers still weighed heavily on her.
Was now the right time to draw a line?
He clearly didn’t care about her anymore. He’d made that clear.
The whole fight was probably just because he’d already moved on to his next fling.
"Yo u’re worth more than that," Ben pulled her out of her thoughts.
"You deserve someone who sees you for who you are, not someone who doesn’t know what he wants." Their eyes met, and in that moment, Evin felt the atmosphere between them shift.
Ben’s words were like a balm to her soul, his attention made her feel special. It wasn’t the kind of spark she felt with Bas, but something different. Something soft. Calm.
"Maybe I can change your mind about complicated guys."
Evin’s heart raced, but she held her breath.
"There’s something I’ve wanted to do since I came to this school," Ben continued.
He leaned forward slightly.
"What’s that?" Evin asked, even though she already had an idea. She wanted to hear it from him.
"Can I kiss you?" he asked, hesitant, almost shy. His lips came closer, and for a fleeting moment, she thought about pulling away.
Bas wouldn’t take her back anyway. He’d made that clear. This felt easy, but that was exactly what made it uncomplicated.
And uncomplicated was never something she longed for.
It wasn’t the same heat she felt with Bas, but a gentle touch that made her think.
She inhaled shallowly, as if trying to silence a voice deep within her still searching for an answer.
Maybe this was what she needed—to let go, or at least pretend she knew how.
Yet when his lips touched hers, the uncertainty melted away in the calm he radiated. When their lips met, she expected the fire she always felt with Bas. But there was only a hint of warmth—pleasant, but not enough to drown out what still burned deep inside her.
Don’t think. Don’t feel. Just let it happen.
That was what she told herself as she kissed him back, as she let her fingers rest against his chest. But even as she tried to lose herself in the moment, her mind was already slipping away, back to someth ing—or someone—she wasn’t supposed to think about.
"You know he’s not going to forgive you so easily." The words cut through the fog of her thoughts like a knife, but Evin forced herself to push them aside. The tight knot in her stomach pulled even tighter, but she couldn’t afford to feel it now.
Later, she promised herself.
Later, when everything came crashing down.
"He doesn’t care," she murmured, but the lie tasted bitter on her tongue.
And then he kissed her again.
Her pulse quickened as she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his, desperate to feel something that might numb the chaos inside her.
But the cold truth settled over her like a weight on her chest: this wasn’t what she wanted, and it wouldn’t make her forget.