Crashing Into You

Cihangir

The days had begun to turn into gray pages in Hale’s life, each one almost identical to the last. Every morning, she woke up for work. All day, she battled meetings and paperwork. In the evenings, she surrendered her tired body to the couch and took refuge in silence.

But somewhere beneath the ordinary rhythm of those days, an emptiness had started to grow without her even realizing it. Something inside her felt unfinished. Maybe its name was Cihangir. Four days had passed since their last conversation.

Hale had already picked up her car and returned to her usual routine, but a part of her mind still echoed with his voice. “Let me know when you get on the road, okay?” She had only wanted to thank him. Maybe offer him a sincere cup of coffee. Nothing more.

But the hesitation she had felt in that moment had kept her silent for days. And while she kept scolding herself in that silence, her fingers finally moved before her pride could stop them. She pressed call. The phone rang for a long time. No answer.

Each time the screen displayed call ended, regret gnawed at her chest. I shouldn’t have called. Maybe she had bothered him. Maybe he had already forgotten that night, the accident, the car… Maybe he had forgotten Hale too.

Annoyed with herself, she walked into the kitchen, made herself a cup of filter coffee, and stepped out onto the terrace with the warm mug held between both hands. The sun was slowly disappearing beyond the horizon. The sky had turned the color of pomegranate blossoms.

Hale sat on the swing and pulled her knees up to her chest. A soft breeze blew her hair across her face, but she didn’t care. In the middle of the silence, she released a quiet sigh into the sky. That evening, she didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts.

She turned on the television and put on a random movie. She wasn’t even following the story. She just wanted there to be a sound in the room. She lay down on the couch, eyes half-open, her mind still on the call that had gone unanswered. Slowly, her eyelids grew heavy.

And she drifted off. When she opened her eyes again, the room was dark. Only the pale blue light from the television screen illuminated the space. For a few seconds, she tried to remember where she was. Then she reached for her phone.

The notification on the screen nearly made her heart leap out of her chest. The messages were ordinary, really. They weren’t romantic enough to make her heart race. They weren’t cold either. But judging by the storm they caused inside Hale, those few sentences meant everything.

Mr. Cihangir:

Hello, Ms. Hale. I saw that you called. I wasn’t available. I’ve only just seen it. I hope nothing bad happened.

Normal. Distant. Polite. And yet Hale’s heart quickened even at those simple words. A nervous excitement spread all the way to her fingertips. A curiosity she hadn’t felt in a long time. A strange pull. Cihangir’s green eyes, his quiet presence that night, his firm yet gentle manner… None of it had left her mind. She immediately typed a reply.

Hale:

Hi. No, nothing bad happened. I just wanted to thank you again for that day. And apologize once more.

As she was writing, she suddenly noticed the typing indicator at the top of the screen. Her heart tightened. She quickly deleted the rest of what she had written and waited. Because maybe he was about to say something else. Maybe he would misunderstand her. Waiting felt safer. A moment later, his message arrived.

Mr. Cihangir:

Please, that matter is closed. There’s no need to thank me or apologize.

Short. Clear. He had closed the subject. Hale paused for a few seconds. Then she drew in a deep breath and typed one more sentence—one that felt a little risky. Maybe this was the last curtain call of the curiosity and attraction growing inside her.

Hale:

All right. But your kindness that night really stayed with me. Of course, there’s no way to repay that, but… maybe coffee? I thought of it and wanted to ask you. That’s why I called.

The second she sent the message, a voice rose inside her. What are you doing, Hale? She was surprised at herself. Had she really been affected this easily? Yes.

Apparently, it was that easy. But to her, this wasn’t weakness. It was honesty. She hadn’t hidden what she felt. The message was delivered. As Hale waited for a reply, time began to stretch. Seconds turned into minutes. Cihangir, meanwhile, was staring at the screen.

The woman had taken a step toward him. Maybe without realizing it, she had slipped through the walls he had built around himself. There was nothing careless in Hale’s invitation. There was sincerity. She had taken a brave step, but a respectful one.NAnd Cihangir’s thoughts were tangled.

His missions. His identity. The chaos of his life. The secrets. None of it was suited for something so ordinary, so warm, so simple as a coffee invitation. In the end, he wrote only one sentence.

Mr. Cihangir:

I’m out of town at the moment.

Not yes. Not no. No promise. No hope. Just a sentence left hanging in the air, directionless and unclear. When Hale saw the message, her eyes stayed fixed on the screen for a few seconds. Was that a rejection? Maybe.

Maybe it was a polite way of turning her down. Maybe he really was out of town. But a woman’s heart could hear the tone behind words. And behind that message, there was a boundary. A distance she was not being allowed to cross.

Hale:

Okay…

She answered with only one word. Simple. Quiet. But carrying a small, broken acceptance within it. So he doesn’t want to. It wasn’t a rejection that crushed her heart. But it was an uncertainty that stung just enough. He probably has someone in his life, she told herself.

And strangely, that thought softened the ache a little. At least he’s loyal, she murmured inwardly. Hale didn’t belittle her own feelings. After all, maybe her sincere invitation had been gently refused, but that didn’t make her any less worthy. Still, the emptiness that had opened inside her heart…

That place ached quietly. Softly. Maybe because, for the first time, someone had truly touched it. Somewhere deep. Somewhere vulnerable and bare. She refused to let the sadness make the night heavier than it already was. So she gathered up her fragile feelings and decided to pull herself together.

Life went on. And Monday was approaching. If she wanted to avoid the familiar weight of the Monday blues, she needed to prepare in advance. It was 5:48 in the morning. While most of the city was still asleep, Hale had already built her own little ritual in the kitchen.

“A beautiful day begins with a beautiful breakfast,” she whispered to herself. Olives, cheese, fresh tomatoes, eggs… She prepared the table with care. Then she took her coffee and stepped out onto the terrace. The sun, slowly replacing the night, painted the sky in shades of gold. A light breeze brushed through her hair as Hale took her first sip.

The last days of summer… No matter how hard she worked, she didn’t want to ruin the peace of that morning. Today mattered. Maybe it would become one of the turning points in her career. She chose a simple but elegant outfit from her wardrobe. Then she applied soft, natural makeup.

When she looked in the mirror one last time, she smiled at herself. She was ready. By the time she got into her car, Istanbul was slowly waking up. She scrolled through her playlist and chose one of the songs that touched her soul the most. Then she turned the volume up a little.

“Know that my sorrow runs deep, colder than the coldest water…” As she sang along, she kept her eyes on the road and glanced out the window. People. Everyone was trying to get somewhere. Some carried burdens no one could see. Others wore the weight of them openly on their shoulders.

Maybe life was nothing more than managing to stop for a few minutes and take a deep breath. Just as she was pulled into her own thoughts, the company building appeared ahead. She parked her car and went to her desk. As usual, she was the first one there. She picked up her planner, slipped a pen into her bag, and stepped out onto the terrace.

Weekly schedule. Emails to follow up on. Presentations. Offers. She created a clear time plan for all of them. Then she buried herself in the day’s work. Time passed in the blink of an eye. Soon, she was preparing for her business lunch. The meeting went better than she had expected.

She left the restaurant with a smile. The deal had been made. The file was closed. Was this the success she had been searching for? Maybe. But somewhere at the edge of her mind, there was still a feeling like the morning sun. Cihangir’s short message. His distant tone.

On the drive home, she was in a good mood. Music played in the car, though traffic was still a nightmare. But when she arrived home, another nightmare was waiting for her. Parking. She circled the street again and again.

Her eyes carefully scanned every curb, every corner, every possible gap. Just when she was about to lose hope, she spotted an empty space. She immediately reversed and parked carefully. Then she walked to the trunk to get the grocery bags. Just as she was closing it, headlights from a car approaching behind her made her turn. She raised her hand, signaling one minute.

Quickly, she gathered her things and stepped aside. The car parked smoothly. Hale turned back one last time to check the trunk, then slung her bag over her shoulder. She looked around before crossing to the opposite sidewalk. The road was clear. She crossed quickly.

She had just reached the front of her apartment building when a familiar voice behind her made her freeze. “Ms. Hale. Hello.” Her steps stopped. That voice… The tone, the depth, the way it moved through the air… It sent a tremor straight through her heart.

Slowly, she turned around. And her eyes found him. Those familiar green eyes. The gaze that carried a hazy, irresistible secret inside it. “Cihangir?” she said, almost breathless. He was there.

Standing in front of her with something between night and morning held in his eyes. Distant, yet warm. Silent, yet speaking in a language all his own. As if, after that almost-rejection, this encounter was one of time’s little jokes.

A coincidence placed deliberately in her path. But in that moment, Hale knew one thing. If this meeting was truly an accident… Then maybe it was the beginning of something that would not end with him.