Uninvited Guest and Walls of Ice
739 Words
The next morning arrived with chaos. Selin woke to the sound of drilling. Loud, persistent drilling that seemed to shake the entire building. She looked at the clock: 9 AM. The girls were still asleep in the living room, buried under blankets.
Murat appeared beside her bed, already looking irritated. “That’s coming from across the hall. Your new neighbor is apparently redecorating at dawn.”
Selin groaned and got up. She threw on a robe and, without thinking twice, marched to the door. In the hallway, she could see Kerem’s door wide open, the sound of construction echoing out.
“Excuse me!” Selin called out, louder than she’d intended.
Kerem appeared in his doorway, wearing a dusty t-shirt and holding a drill. His face broke into an apologetic smile. “Selin! I’m so sorry. I didn’t think anyone would be up yet. Just trying to mount some shelves. I’ll stop if it’s too early?”
Before Selin could respond, Melis appeared behind her, hair tousled from sleep. “Oh, morning construction. Classic new neighbor move.” But she was smiling. “Don’t worry about it, Kerem. We were about to get up anyway.”
Kerem’s eyes moved between Selin and Melis. “Sleepover?” he asked with a grin.
“Just friends staying over,” Selin said quickly, suddenly aware of how this must look—her in a robe, Melis in pajamas, clearly having spent the night.
“Well, to make up for the noise, how about I bring over some breakfast? There’s a great bakery on the corner. My treat?”
Before Selin could decline, Melis jumped in. “That sounds perfect! Give us twenty minutes to look human.”
Back in the apartment, as the girls rushed to get ready, Murat’s presence grew heavier, darker. “He’s very good at this,” he said coldly. “Making himself indispensable. First the noise wakes you up, then he offers breakfast. Classic manipulation.”
“It’s just breakfast, Murat.”
“Nothing is ‘just’ anything with men like him, Selin.”
Twenty minutes later, Kerem arrived with an impressive spread: fresh simit, cheese, olives, and even tulip-shaped tea glasses. He’d clearly put thought into it. As he set everything up on Selin’s kitchen table, the girls fussed over him, thanking him profusely.
Selin felt Murat’s presence behind her chair. The temperature around her dropped several degrees. She shivered, pulling her sweater tighter.
“Cold?” Kerem asked, noticing. “I can close the window?”
“No, I’m fine.” But she wasn’t. Murat’s jealousy was creating literal ice in the air around her.
As they ate, Kerem proved to be charming and easy to talk to. He asked about them, told funny stories about his disastrous moving day, made everyone laugh. And with every laugh, every warm moment, Selin felt Murat’s presence grow colder.
When Kerem finally left, promising to keep the construction noise to a minimum, Melis and Pelin erupted.
“He’s perfect!” Pelin gushed. “And he’s clearly interested in you!”
“He’s just being friendly,” Selin protested weakly.
“Friendly? Selin, he brought you breakfast in fancy tea glasses. That’s not friendly. That’s courting.”
After the girls left, Selin turned to face the empty room. “Murat, I know you’re upset.”
“Upset?” His voice came from everywhere and nowhere. “That man brought tea glasses, Selin. The same kind I used to bring you. He sat in my chair. He made you laugh. And you let him.”
“What was I supposed to do? Throw him out? Act crazy in front of my friends?”
“You’re supposed to remember that you’re mine.”
The possessiveness in his voice should have annoyed her. Instead, it made her heart ache. “I do remember. Every second of every day. But Murat, I have to live in both worlds. That’s our agreement.”
Silence. Then, quietly: “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just… seeing you with him, seeing how easy it is for him to be part of your life when I can only exist in the shadows…”
Selin moved to where she felt him strongest. “You’re not in the shadows. You’re my light. He’s just… background noise.”
“Background noise with really good tea glasses,” Murat muttered, and despite everything, Selin laughed.
“Yes. With really good tea glasses.”
- Writer
