When we reached the door, it opened before we even had a chance to ring the bell. At that exact moment, Rüzgar glanced at the girls, then fixed those icy eyes of his on me. I barely managed to suppress the urge to step back.
A moment later, Kerem appeared behind him. He looked at Rüzgar first, then at me. It was strange.
"Come in. Nil's been waiting for you," Kerem said.
As we stepped inside, Rüzgar was already throwing his jacket over his shoulders and hurrying out. Kerem followed right after him. There seemed to be some tension between the two. I wanted to know what it was about, but the girls dragged me further inside.
Loud music, a crowd dancing in the middle of the living room, couples in dark corners exploring human anatomy in ways that were far from scientific—basically, everything you'd expect from a party was there.
Nil was waving at us as she came down the stairs. She walked over to us with a bright smile.
"Welcome," she said, hugging each of us one by one. Her warmth felt completely genuine—there was no room for doubt.
"Come on, let me introduce you to my people."
As we followed her outside, the first thing that caught my eye was the huge, shimmering pool.The second was the seating area across the pool, where wood and concrete blended together elegantly. The hosts clearly had good taste. No question about it.
When we reached the large table surrounded by comfy lounge chairs, Nil took charge of the introductions.
"Girls, this is my boyfriend, Bora. That's Demir, and his girlfriend, Ece. Guys, say hi to Feyza, Aylin, and Duru."
Bora, with his light brown, slightly long curly hair and warm brown eyes, looked like a fun, sweet guy. Demir, on the other hand, with his military-cut short brown hair, brown eyes, masculine features, and imposing build, looked cool and intimidating.
While both guys greeted us politely, the girl named Ece didn't seem too pleased with our presence. At least, her forced smile said as much. With her overly flashy, attention-grabbing style, she wasn't exactly someone I warmed up to either.
As the three of us took our seats, Nil sat between me and Bora and leaned toward my ear.
"Don't worry, she's not that bad. Just extremely jealous."
She had probably noticed me eyeing Ece a moment earlier. I smiled and leaned toward her ear in return.
"I'm guessing the real danger hiding under all that sweetness is actually you."
Her genuine laugh drew Bora's attention away from the girls. When he draped an arm over Nil's shoulder and said cheerfully, "So you're the famous Duru," I wasn't sure what he meant. When he added with a grin, "The elevator cat, I mean," I rolled my eyes dramatically and grumbled.
"Another nickname! Why am I not surprised! What is that guy's problem with my name anyway?" My outburst made everyone laugh.
Demir refilled his drink from the bottle in his hand, then held it up. "Want some?". Ece didn't look too pleased with his polite offer, but when Feyza and Aylin said yes, I agreed too, not wanting to be the odd one out.
I took a sip from the glass in my hand. I didn't like the burning sensation all the way down to my stomach, but at least it helped with the cold while I was sitting outside in a tiny skirt.
Demir had one arm around Ece's shoulders and the other resting on the part of her leg the skirt didn't cover; he kept whispering in her ear, making her giggle nonstop, while the rest of us continued chatting. Naturally, our Saint Teresa—given her stance against public displays of affection—kept shooting them disapproving looks now and then.
"Have you been friends for a long time?" The question came from Aylin.
Bora adopted the fond smile of a grandpa about to tell his favorite story.
"Yeah, since elementary school. We lived in the same housing complex. Nil was literally my next-door neighbor. We met Kerem and Rüzgar while fighting off older kids who were picking on Nil at the park. There were lots of kids watching, but the only ones who dared jump in and keep me from ending up in the hospital were those two."
The story didn't surprise me. Both Kerem and Rüzgar gave off the vibe of people who would never hesitate to stand up against something they didn't like.
He laughed at the memory and spread his hands. "Of course, by the end of the day all three of us were lying on the grass like beaten-up punching bags." As we laughed, he pointed at Demir. We met this Teddy while playing basketball. He was so bad at it that we took pity on him and let him join so we could teach him a thing or two."
Nil giggled cheerfully at his words. When Demir paused his flirting with his girlfriend to join the conversation, the reason for her giggles became clear.
"At least don't talk crap while I'm sitting right here, man." Then he turned to us and told his side of the story.
"I got mad at someone at school and shattered the glass of my room's door. I had to get it fixed before my parents noticed. So I went down to the court to play a one-on-one match for money. Naturally, the people who knew me wouldn't come anywhere near it. But this tulip over here jumped right in, just to show off for Nil. They weren't dating back then, by the way. A few rounds later, he handed me all his money—pretty much in tears."
Bora quickly jumped in, refusing to let that smug storytelling slide. "Get the hell out of here. When did I ever cry?"
As we laughed at their bickering, Nil was busy soothing her boyfriend. "Ignore him, love. Don't let him rile you up." Though honestly, she looked like she was enjoying it even more than we were.
Meanwhile, the wind shaking the trees was starting to seep right into my bones. I took another big sip of my drink.
"This is a little off-topic, but why are you guys sitting out here in the cold like you were forced to be here, instead of enjoying your own party inside?"
Bora grumbled, "We were forced." Before he could say anything else, Nil shot him a warning glare, and he slumped back silently.
"Don't mind him. He's extra grumpy today."
Nil's words gave Demir the perfect opportunity to poke at him. "What happened, starfish? Your girlfriend won't let you play in the water anymore just because you fell off your surfboard?"
"I'm not the teddy bear who fractured his arm trying to climb balconies."
"Demir! Didn't that accident happen while you were playing basketball?"
When Bora flashed that wicked grin, Demir shot him an "you're dead" look before turning back to his girlfriend.
"He's talking about something else, my lovebug." Demir's pet names were enough to make a person wish for sudden deafness. "He's referring to an older accident."
His girlfriend immediately smiled and believed that blatant lie. Apparently, Demir wasn't looking for much more than appearance in a relationship.
Feyza, apparently aiming to change the subject, turned to Bora. "You surf?"
Bora grinned like an excited kid and nodded. "Yeah. My biggest passion—after Nil, of course."
Nil gave him a happy smile, clearly enjoying the subtle compliment. Bora smiled back just as warmly and kissed her on the cheek. They were, by far, the most beautiful couple I had ever seen. They were so in love that you couldn't help but envy them.
"Damn it, Frizzy. May your jaw lock shut!"
With that outburst, all our eyes shifted to the other couple. Ece sat with her arms crossed, angrily bouncing her foot. Apparently, Bora had set the romance bar far too high for the group.
"Leave my boyfriend alone, bigy!" Nil wrapped her arms around Bora, still riding the high of that earlier compliment, rushing to defend him.
With her support boosting his confidence, Bora stuck his tongue out at Demir and immediately hid behind Nil. While we were all laughing uncontrollably, Demir muttered in pure exasperation.
"For fifteen damn years, your romance still hasn't run out. Unbelievable."
"Repent, you big teddy!"
Watching them squabble was entertaining, but I couldn't sit still any longer. I set my glass on the table and excused myself, telling them I was going to the bathroom.