"Are you feeling okay? You seem a bit restless."
"Huh, I'm fine..."
"If you want, we don't have to go to the event Georgios organized today."
"No, please, let's go."
"Alright then."
We walked toward the shore; people had gathered around the fire, having fun with music.
"Oh my god, does Georgios play the guitar?" I asked, looking at Alex with a huge smile. He replied with a faint smirk, "Yeah."
I let go of Alex's hand and started running. He followed behind me with slow steps. "Derya?" the girls looked at me in surprise. I sat on one of the beach cushions.
"Yeah, what happened?"
"You actually came."
"Of course, I couldn't miss Georgios's performance, could I?"
"Haha, really? Then listen up, this song is for Derya." With the sound of applause, we began to listen to Georgios. Alex took the cushion next to Sude and placed it in the empty spot beside me.
"Like a fire scattering in the breezy wind; steps that are young, stubborn, and passionately chasing freedom..." Georgios continued singing.
"Wow, seriously, You're really killing it, Georgios!"
The laughter eventually settled, and Georgios suddenly called out, "Oh, Chris!" I turned around with my hair swaying in the breeze. Georgios stood up and reached out his hand. "Man.." After shaking hands, Chris lightly gripped his girlfriend's waist, brushed the dust off one of the two empty cushions right in front of me, and let her sit. I couldn't take my eyes off them. At that moment, Alex grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to him. I was caught off guard.
"Ooh, guys," Georgios said.
"No, no, you got it wrong, we..." Before I could finish my sentence, Alex grabbed my chin and planted a firm kiss on my lips. My eyes widened in shock. Chris was clenching his fist, his gaze reckless. His girlfriend held his hand as if telling him to stay calm. Alex was losing himself in the moment. I pushed both hands against his chest and shoved him away.
"Alex, what are you doing?" I couldn't control my anger; my heart was pounding. My breathing was out of control.
"We..."
"We? Alex..."
I closed my eyes in anger, took a deep breath, and stood up.
"I'm sorry, I can't do this anymore." I started walking toward the hotel. Georgios and the girls were calling after me, but I didn't answer. When I reached my room, I threw myself onto the bed. The images from a few minutes ago kept flashing before my eyes. I clenched my fists and stood up. "This isn't right at all!" I muttered.
"I mean, how? I can't believe it... I must have expressed myself wrong. How could he just kiss me..." I paused. "And Chris was right there!" Why did it even matter to me that Chris was there? I didn't know."
The hotel room door opened. "Derya, are you okay?" Sude said.
"I think I'm fine."
"What on earth happened back there?"
"I don't know why Alex did something like that, especially..."
"Especially?"
"Never mind."
"Tell me, Derya. You should share things when you're upset."
"Especially... in front of Chris."
"Chris? You mean the guy who came with his girlfriend?"
"Yes..."
"Oh, Derya..." she said, sitting down beside me.
"I'm going to sleep for a bit. Please, no more questions, okay?"
"Of course, just rest." I slowly closed my eyes.
12:00 PM
"I don't believe it!"
"What happened, Emilia?"
"We're going on a forest hike today!"
"Really? When?"
As the voices grew louder, I pried my eyes open. The girls were talking to each other excitedly.
"What's going on, girls?"
"Georgios sent a message to the group; we're going on a forest hike."
"Wow, it's definitely going to be fun!"
"But he said he'd do a city tour today."
"I guess he must have canceled it, I don't know."
"Then let's start getting our clothes ready."
"I don't think I'm coming, girls."
"Why? Are you sick or something?" Emilia asked.
"No, it's just..."
Sude looked at me; she could sense what I was thinking.
"Are you feeling bad?"
"A little..."
"You shouldn't feel this way; you didn't do anything wrong."
"I'm embarrassed. What am I supposed to say to Alex?"
"You don't need to say anything. If you want, you can just ignore him."
"I don't know."
"What's going on, Sude? I don't understand a thing." Emilia said.
"Derya feels bad because of what happened last night."
"Which event?"
"You know, that thing..." Sude said with a wink.
"Oh! Alex's bold move? But Derya, hadn't you gone on a date with Alex?"
"A date? I thought it was just a friendly dinner! If I knew it would turn out like this, I never would have agreed to it in the first place!" I said sharply.
"Sorry, Derya..."
"Emilia!"
"What did I do now? But Derya, I wish you had made your feelings clear from the start."
I couldn't find the words to respond to Emilia's hollow remarks. I muttered to myself that someone who knew I hadn't liked him from the beginning should have known he wouldn't approach me like that.
"Okay, okay, I'm shutting up." said Emilia. Kiraz stepped closer to me.
"Derya, I don't know what happened, but if you don't go, I'm not going either."
"Kiraz..."
"I'm serious, Derya."
"But girls, I don't even know what to say to him. I might actually pass out from embarrassment."
"If he misunderstood your feelings, you should tell him the truth. Neither of you should have to be miserable," Sude added. I lowered my head.
"Yeah, you're right. Maybe I should just go with the flow..."
Emilia stood up.
"In that case, girls, I'm off to pick out my clothes!"
"Ah, Emilia, wait! It was my turn!"
"Kisses!" she said and shut the door. I was the last one to enter the room. I opened the wardrobe and started picking out something suitable.
"Not this one."
"Definitely not this."
"Khaki green? Ah, probably not... I'd just end up camouflaged among the trees in this color."
"How about this? Hmm, maybe?" "Yes! These are the pieces I was looking for."
A long brown skirt with a black belt at the waist, paired with a black draped sleeveless blouse, comfortable shoes, and a patterned scarf tied around the waist of the skirt.
2:00 PM
We reached the beach around 2:00 PM. Georgios was waiting for us with his backpack, and Brendan was by his side. "Hello everyone, how are you? Today we're going on a forest hiking tour. If you've got your gear ready, let's begin." Alex was nowhere to be seen; I muttered to myself that he probably wasn't joining the tour. "Girls, are you ready? This is going to be so much fun!" Sude said. As the ruffles of my skirt fluttered with every step, I breathed in the peaceful scent of nature.
After a short while, our guide Georgios's phone rang. We stopped. Once he finished his call, he turned to us and said, "Friends, Alex is going to join us too. Let's take a little break and then continue the hike." I turned to Sude in surprise.
"It's okay, you'll just say what needs to be said, that's all."
"I'm worried."
"I think you should just enjoy the tour, because life's surprises don't give you a heads-up."
"You're right." A few minutes later, Alex approached us, and someone else suddenly appeared from behind him. As the sunlight hit my eyes, I tried to make out who the person behind him was. As the glare faded, I realized it was Chris. Our eyes met. I quickly looked down.
With the sun directly overhead, scorching our hair, we kept walking toward the forest. Alex approached me. "Derya, can we tal-" Before he could finish his sentence, Sude turned to him. "Enjoy the moment, Alex. You can ask your questions later," she said. Her words pushed Alex away, and I breathed a sigh of relief. We were almost at the forest; as the trees grew denser, the sun vanished, giving way to the shade. Chris caught up with Georgios, and they continued walking while chatting. I began to soak in the moment. Tree branches swaying in the light breeze, pebbles crunching under our feet, forest-green grass, and a small cluster of flowers by a nearby tree.
"Oh, purple flowers!" I said, approaching them. I leaned down; they all looked stunning. "These are called violets; they usually grow during this season." I turned to Georgios. "I'm so glad I didn't miss these beautiful flowers."
"I agree," he replied. While I was examining the flowers, Georgios turned to the others. "Alright, I want everyone to pair up for this part of the tour. Our paths will split soon, and everyone will have their own forest experience."
I stood up, feeling anxious. "Are you sure this is safe, Georgios?"
"Of course. In fact, to make this tour even more fun, I'll be the one choosing the pairs. Everyone, please gather around!" he concluded.
"Emilia, Kiraz."
"Brendan, looks like you're with me."
"Don't you dare get in my way; it'll only make this old man grumpy."
"Of course, sir."
"Alex, you... pair up with Sude."
"Chris and Derya, you two are the last pair."
"Chris?!" I responded in surprise.
"Yes, exactly. This forest path splits into three; everyone choose a route with their partner. But there's no need to be afraid, they all lead to the same spot at the end. Please, no one leave their partner and be as careful as possible; the paths can get quite rugged." Sude gave me a wink, signaling that everything was fine. I approached Chris. We started walking down the middle path. The trees were getting denser. The atmosphere felt quiet and uneasy. "The paths really are rugged," I muttered. "Be careful." he said in his cold voice. The ground felt like it was slipping from under my feet; I looked around it was desolate.
"How much longer are we going to walk?"
"Are you tired?"
"Yes."
"That's the whole point of a hiking tour."
"We've been walking for two hours and this path never ends; my feet hurt."
"Fine then, let's rest for a bit."
"Yay!!" I said joyfully. Chris looked at me with a faint half-smile. I looked around and saw a large rock a bit further ahead.
"Follow me."
"Be careful, Derya, you might fall."
"I'll be fine, come on."
As I hurried forward, the patch of ground under my right foot gave way. While trying to keep my balance, I stumbled backward. Chris grabbed me by the waist and pulled me toward him quickly. I was out of breath.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay."
"I told you to be careful, why are you rushing!"
"I didn't notice."
"You should have!"
"Why are you yelling at me?" I pulled back.
"I'm not yelling, I'm just worried."
"About me?"
He let out an angry breath.
"There's no reason for you to worry about me."
I kept walking.
"I'm helping you."
"Please don't help me, just stay away."
"Derya, slow down, you're going to fall."
"I can't hear you!" I continued to walk quickly. At that moment, Chris pulled me toward him from behind. As my hair caught the air, our eyes met. "I told you to slow down." I couldn't say a word. After a long, silent gaze, he took his arms off me. "You shouldn't walk this fast; I'm worried."