Angels Favorite Dream

5

One morning, unexpected news shook Berk, who had recently been pulling himself together with newfound happiness. As usual, after breakfast service ended, he went to the kitchen to help Nil wash the dishes.

Entering with a smile, he said, “Good morning.”

Nil turned to him, her eyes just as warm, and replied, “Good morning, Berk.”

Berk moved closer to the counter and started rinsing the plates. As they worked silently, Nil spoke in a calm voice. “Today is my last day at work. I need to prepare for my trip to India, so I’ll be heading back to Istanbul.”

Berk almost dropped the plate in his hand. It was like a blow to the head, but he tried not to show it. Masking his feelings, he murmured, “Really? So... you’re leaving.”

Nil noticed Berk’s mood drop and continued speaking in a softer, more comforting tone. “Don’t worry, I’m only leaving work. I’ll be here for another week to rest. I’ll come to the bar in the evenings to hang out.”

Berk found some comfort in those words. “Alright... I’ll be waiting for you in the evenings,” he said, trying to smile. But that smile couldn’t hide the disappointment he felt inside.

Berk eagerly awaited Nil to keep her promise and come to the bar in the evenings. But after a few days, he realized that Nil wasn’t coming to the bar, and it left Berk deeply disappointed.

Berk’s unrequited love for Nil had been enough to make him happy, but this separation once again threw him into turmoil. It brought him back to his old depressive days.

The last time Berk saw Nil was when she came to the camp to say goodbye before leaving Kabak Bay. Berk had the chance to express his feelings to her. He could finally tell her how much he loved her and that he intended to come to India.

After saying goodbye to everyone at the camp, Nil came to the bar to thank Berk. For a moment, Berk didn’t know what to say. He wanted to reproach Nil for not keeping her promise to come to the bar, but her warm smile instantly extinguished his anger.

“You helped me a lot during this time. I’m really grateful,” Nil said. There was a soft but sincere tone in her voice—a gratitude deep enough to shake Berk’s emotions.

Berk felt something stir inside him. He looked at her, gathering his thoughts and feelings, but the words caught in his throat. Finally, he managed, “Thank you, too. You being here... it meant a lot to me.” What he said felt inadequate compared to his feelings, but at that moment, he couldn’t say more.

Nil paused for a moment before opening her arms and hugging Berk. The hug carried deep sincerity, reflecting the special moments and shared meanings between them. Everyone around who witnessed this moment could feel the special bond between them.

After letting go of Berk, Nil looked at him silently for a while, a hint of sadness in her eyes. Then, smiling, she said, “If you come to India with Osman, let me know. I’d love to show you the beauty there.”

With hope in his voice, Berk said, “I promise, I’ll come.”

Before leaving, they exchanged their f*******: information to stay in touch. They hugged one last time, and Nil left the camp. Even though Nil’s departure was hard on Berk, the dream of going to India filled him with hope.

However, Berk couldn’t stand the uncertainty and ran after Nil to find out if she felt the same way about him. As he caught up to her, he called out breathlessly, “Nil!” When she turned to him curiously, he said, “I want you to know that I’m in love with you.”

The unexpected confession took Nil aback, and she stood silent for a moment before gently hugging Berk. “Thank you,” she said. Then, without saying anything else, she walked away. Berk stood there, overwhelmed by the weight of the moment.

Nil’s last gesture left Berk confused. Did she mean, “I love you too, but I have to leave,” or was it, “Thank you, but I don’t feel the same way”? This uncertainty gnawed at him. The next day, he quickly found Nil on f*******: and sent her a friend request. When she accepted it, he felt a small sense of relief. He appreciated f*******:’s ability to keep people connected during moments like this; even if someone left, they weren’t entirely out of his life anymore.

Unable to stop wondering, Berk messaged Nil right away. “What did you mean when you said thank you the other day?” he asked.

But the response he received wasn’t what he’d hoped for. “I enjoyed hanging out with you, but I don’t feel the same way. I didn’t know what else to say at the moment you told me you loved me, so I just thanked you,” Nil replied. Her words shattered all of Berk’s dreams. He felt his disappointment and heartbreak deeply. Yet, despite everything, a small spark of hope remained within him. Berk still dreamed of going to India at the end of the season to win Nil over. The dreamer in him resurfaced. His only goal now was to wrap up the season and reach the girl he loved as soon as possible.

As October arrived, and the season neared its end, the number of guests at the camp dwindled. Most of the remaining guests were friends of the owners. During this time, with familiar faces around, everyone took care of their own needs at the bar, leaving Berk with little work. Normally, Berk didn’t like anyone going behind the bar, but this time, feeling tired, he chose to ignore it.

With the workload lightening, the owners and some of the staff saw an opportunity. They made plans to attend the Sundance Festival in Antalya for a week. As soon as the preparations were complete, everyone left the camp. Only Berk, Osman, and Recep stayed behind as the remaining staff. Now, the camp was entirely theirs, and they could spend their time however they pleased.

Watching the cars drive away, Osman cheerfully said to Berk, “No more bosses! We can party like crazy now!”

Berk laughed, “Absolutely! We can drink and smoke all day long.”

With no one around to monitor them, they spent their days lazily, drinking and smoking while enjoying the calm atmosphere. But they didn’t spend all their free time just having fun; they also planned the details of their trip to India. Osman spent hours researching routes online.

Excitedly pointing at the map, Osman said, “Look, Berk! We’ll take a train from Istanbul to Tehran, Iran’s capital. From there, we’ll take a train or bus to Pakistan and then another train to India.”

Berk looked at the map curiously. “This journey will take more than a week, but we’ll save on airfare and have a much more exciting experience. Plus, we’ll get to see two more countries,” he replied.

Osman nodded with a smile, “Yeah, and neither Iran nor Pakistan requires visas for Turkish citizens. It’ll be easy to cross.”

However, there was one crucial fact they didn’t know—Pakistan did require a visa. Osman had relied on incorrect information from the internet. They would only learn the truth when they returned to Istanbul before starting their journey.

This issue would become significant, ultimately causing their plan to travel to India to change to Pakistan. The person who would cause this change arrived at the camp the following day, on a rainy afternoon.