As the sunlight brushed against my face, birds were chirping in the sky. I fluttered my eyes open. After pulling myself together, I made my bed and washed my face. The girls were fast asleep; thinking that last night must have been exhausting, I went back into the room. I opened the wardrobe and looked for the outfit that would suit me best.
"Ah, here it is!"
"A red blouse and a long, flowy white skirt. Red shoes, a white ribbon, and cherry earrings. My hair in a bun and simple yet elegant makeup." I stepped out of the room. The girls were just waking up. They looked stunned to see me.
"Wow, the queen of the morning!"
"No, she's literally the lead girl from the cartoon 'Candy Candy'." Emilia said.
"Who is that?" Sude turned on her phone and searched for the cartoon Emilia mentioned.
"Aha! You're right, she really looks like Candy Candy in person."
"Haha, stop it girls, are you kidding me?"
"No, we really mean it." She turned the phone toward me.
"Look!"
"So sweet, she really does look like her," said Kiraz.
"Maybe a little," I said with a smile. I headed for the door.
"Have a good time, girls."
"Where are you going?"
"My medicine arrived last night. I don't know who brought it, but I have a feeling. I'm going to go thank them now."
"How lovely! Who could it have been?"
"I'm thinking it was the Doctor, because he was the only one who knew about my medicine."
"Say hi for me and give him my thanks." Sude said.
"Don't forget my thanks either," Kiraz added. Emilia didn't say a word; she just averted her gaze.
As I was heading down the hotel stairs, I started humming the lyrics of "Yaşlı Amca – Kediler ve Şarkılar" (Yaşlı Amca - Cats and The Songs) to myself. I was spinning around as I sang, and with every line, I was getting a little louder. Just as I spun around to the rhythm of the song on the stairs, I bumped into something. I held my aching forehead with my hand.
"Ugh..."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes... but I hope I didn't..."
The moment I looked up, I realized the person I had collided with was Chris. "Ah... I'm so sorry..." I politely bowed my head and slipped past him, making my escape. "I don't understand how I got so caught up in the song... Ugh, I'm so embarrassed..." I took a deep breath, gathered my thoughts, and made my way to the infirmary. I knocked on the door. "Come in." I slowly pushed the door handle.
"Ms. Derya."
"Doctor. How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. Please, have a seat."
"Thanks, but I won't stay. I just came to thank you."
"You already did."
"Ah, no... I mean about yesterday's matter."
"Yes, I'm listening."
"You sent the medicine to the hotel last night and even left a little note. I'm truly grateful for your kindness and thoughtfulness."
"Medicine? Ms. Derya, I think there's a misunderstanding. I didn't send you any medicine." I was baffled.
"But then... who...?"
The door opened. I'm turned around.
"Hi, Jacob?"
"Chris! man."
I was questioning to myself why Chris was here as he shook hands with the doctor.
"How are you, man?"
"I'm good, you?"
"I'm fine too. Please, come in." He approached me. Doctor Jacob turned to me and said, "Ms. Derya, the person who brought you that medicine yesterday was Chris my closest friend."
"Oh, is that so?" I looked at Chris with questioning eyes.
"It is so," he said in his cold voice.
"I'll step out if you want, you probably have things to talk about," said Doctor Jacob.
"No, please don't let me disturb you. I'll be on my way, I have things to do." I hurried away from there. I walked as far as my feet could carry me. After a while, I shook off my dazed expression and looked around. I was on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. I sat down on the ground, crossing my legs.
"Why did I even run away? There was nothing to run from. Ugh, I'm constantly putting myself in such embarrassing situations." I sighed.
"I don't know, maybe my heart will never warm up to him!"
Right then, the sound of a snapping branch echoed.
"Maybe you're just afraid of your heart softening toward me."
I jumped to my feet in a panic. I suddenly lost my balance, and as I was reeling backward, Chris quickly grabbed my waist and pulled me toward him. Our eyes locked at that exact moment; birds began to chirp in the sky. My heart started beating wildly. I placed both hands on his chest and pushed him back.
"Sorry."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"And as for that topic... I'm not afraid of anything." I fixed my gaze on the grass and slowly started walking in the opposite direction.
"Derya!" I paused.
Without turning around, I said, "Yes?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Like what?"
"A 'thank you,' for example?"
"Thank you," I muttered under my breath.
"I didn't catch that?"
"Thank you..." I muttered again.
"I can't hear you."
I turned around fiercely. "I said, thank yo..."
He was right in front of me. He slowly leaned down, and we were eye to eye. My heart felt like it was about to stop, but I kept my composure.
"What do you want? Why do you keep coming near me?"
"You're always exactly where I am too. Or do you just like me that much?"
"Ah! You must be losing your mind. Me? Liking you? Hah!" I turned my back and started walking away. Suddenly, I paused, turned back, and said: "Thanks for the medicine you got me last night, but don't think about me again, and don't even come near me!"
"As you wish, Little Lady," he said. An involuntary little smile played on my lips as I walked away.
(20 minutes later)
"Hi, Georgios."
"Hi, Derya. You look much better today."
"Yes, I've recovered a bit."
"I'm glad to hear that. Tonight around 10:00 PM, there will be a bonfire on the beach; there will be conversation, music, and fun. Would you like to join?"
"Oh? That sounds lovely. I might join, actually... well, I had a dinner promise to someone tonight, but I'll try to come."
"Wow, are you sailing in the waters of love already?"
"Ah, stop it, Georgios."
"It's only going to be a friendly dinner."
"I hope so. Sailing in the waters of love requires courage, especially while on vacation. You should be careful."
"Haha, Georgios, you're getting way too philosophical on me!"
"Hahaha..."
"Georgios, I wanted to ask you something."
"Of course, I'm listening."
"Are there any places to visit nearby?"
"If you mean the city center, I'm organizing a tour tomorrow."
"No, I mean somewhere quiet, just to sit and relax."
"Ah, yes. There's a high hill nearby; the view overlooks both the forest and the sea."
"Which way is it?"
"Look, here's how you get there..."
After Georgios explained the directions in full detail, we said our goodbyes. A few minutes later, I reached the spot he mentioned. The view from here was truly breathtaking. I sat down on the ground. My phone started ringing. It was my mother.
"Hello, my beautiful daughter, how are you?"
"I'm fine, Mom. How are you?"
"I'm even better! Take a look at the photo I sent."
A photo from "Mom"
I tapped on the photo. It was a picture of my mom and her friends sipping coffee at a cafe.
"That's nice, it looks like you're having a lot of fun."
"Of course we are. I called you for something..." Her voice went up a pitch; she was definitely about to ask for something.
"Yes, I'm listening."
"You know my friend Serap..."
"Yes, what about her?"
"She has a son who's a few years older than you. He's already finished his master's in medicine."
"Oh Mom, what am I even supposed to do with a guy I don't know?"
"That's why I'm saying you should just meet him and talk. Who knows, maybe you'll get along."
"Mom, seriously? I'm on vacation right now."
"Honey, if you'd just listen to me for a second... I heard he's a very polite and well-bred young man."
"If you like him that much, Mom, you should just adopt him as your son. You know I'm not into this kind of thing."
"I know, I know... Ah, so your mother isn't allowed to see you happy for once, is that it? Oh, my poor old heart..."
"Mom, please don't do this. Besides, you haven't even asked how I'm doing. You probably don't even know I've been sick, do you?" It just slipped out...
"Sick? What happened, Derya? How did you get sick? Are you okay? Stay right there, I'm booking a flight this second!"
"Mom, wait, stop! Don't worry, I'm fine. I had a very high fever yesterday morning, but the girls I met here helped me. They took me to the doctor and looked after me, bless them. I'm feeling much better now."
"Oh, thank goodness..."
After a long chat with my mum, we hung up, and I sprawled out on the grass. The sky was showing off its magnificent blue. A few birds were soaring and clouds were shifting into different shapes. One looked just like a turtle. Another looked exactly like me. Do you think it's normal to think a cloud looks like me? Anyway, after resting peacefully on that quiet hill, I started walking towards the beach. As I walked, kicking the sand with my shoes, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Alex?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I just came out for a little walk."
"So, you're feeling better then?"
"Yes, I recovered thanks to the medicine Chris brought."
"Chris? Are you still seeing him?"
"No, it's just... anyway, never mind him. I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, I'm listening."
"Georgios mentioned there's going to be a bonfire with music and everything around 10:00 pm tonight. Would it be a problem if we finished dinner a bit early?"
"That's fine. We can head down to the beach together then."
"Alright then. See you."
"See you."