GHOST LOVER

The Call

Selin woke up near dawn, staring at the hotel room ceiling. She hadn’t dreamed during the night. Or she had, but Murat’s presence had completely erased that thin line between dreams and reality. She sat on the edge of the bed. The room was silent. But this silence no longer provided comfort. Murat’s silence was more threatening than his movement.

From the adjacent room came the sound of Kerem opening his door. Selin flinched. A knock. “Selin?” Kerem said. “Are you okay?”

Selin stood, opened the door. Kerem’s face was tired but calm. “I’m fine,” Selin said. This time she wasn’t sure if she was lying. “I want to get some air.”

They walked through the small town. Since it was early morning, the streets were empty. Selin looked around; mirrors, windows, shadows… Murat wasn’t visible. But Selin didn’t sense his absence. On the contrary, Murat was closer than ever. As if exerting pressure just by existing, without speaking.

“For a while now,” Kerem said as they walked, “you’ve been pushing yourself too hard. I’m worried something might happen to you.”

Selin stopped. She looked at Kerem. “Are you afraid of me?” she asked.

Kerem was surprised. “No,” he said. “I’m afraid of losing you.”

This sentence made Selin’s insides tremble. Murat’s voice didn’t come. This silence was like a void that left Selin alone for the first time. “You need to believe me,” Selin said slowly. “What I’m going to say… is strange.”

Kerem smiled. “I’m resilient to strange things.”

Selin was silent for a moment. Then she spoke. “Sometimes,” she said, “I feel like I’m not alone. But this feeling… isn’t good.”

Kerem’s face became serious. “Is there someone?” he asked. “Someone bothering you?”

Selin shook her head. “There’s no one,” she said. “But it’s as if there is.”

Kerem thought for a while. “Have you experienced this before?” he asked.

Selin lowered her eyes to the ground. “Yes,” she said. “And each time… it becomes more real.”

At that moment, Murat’s voice appeared in Selin’s ear. Very clear.

“If you tell him this, you’ll have chosen him too.”

Selin’s heart clenched. Kerem noticed this. “If you want, let’s see a specialist,” he said. “Just to talk. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”

This suggestion spurred Murat into action. The glass of the shop window behind Selin cracked with a thin sound. Selin jumped. Kerem turned. There was a thin line in the glass. “Strange,” he said. “Did something happen?”

Selin shook her head. “Nothing,” she said. But her voice was trembling.

When they returned to the hotel, Selin’s phone rang. It was Melis. Selin answered. Melis’s voice was like a whisper. “Selin,” she said. “It happened again. This time I was awake. Someone said my name.”

Selin’s knees trembled. “Where were you?” she asked.

“At home,” Melis said. “But it felt like I wasn’t alone.”

When Selin hung up, Murat was in front of her. Standing in the middle of the hotel room. His face was pale but determined. “See?” he said. “I only love you. But as you keep rejecting me… this love will overflow.”

Selin closed her eyes. “This isn’t love,” she said. “This is a calling. And you’re pulling everyone into it.”

Murat took a step forward. “If you choose me,” he said, “nothing will happen to anyone.”

This wasn’t a threat. It was a negotiation.

At that moment, Selin understood: Murat was no longer just a being, but an influence. And this influence was growing.