-Present Day-
As I popped a piece of cheese into my mouth, I turned my eyes to the blue sky. Having breakfast by the lake on such a beautiful day was something I always wanted. As I ate another piece, I looked at Hakan sitting across from me. He was acting as if nothing had happened yesterday.
Maybe it was partly my fault. Before I even knew what I felt for him, I tried to bring him into my life. And unknowingly, I flirted with him a lot. "I didn't know," I started to speak. His gaze found me as he paused, a piece of olive halfway to his mouth. "I didn't know the exhibition was his, and that he would show up. I... I still don't know what to do," I said.
Thinking about it, I realized that while talking to Hakan, I felt a friendly warmth rather than the intimacy of a lover. He put down the fork he was holding. As he looked at me, the light from the lake illuminated his face. "This isn't your fault. So don't blame yourself. But there's something I want to know... That man... Do you still love him?"
I lowered my head in response to his question. I still loved him. And nothing could deny that. He let out a small laugh. "No matter what, I'll fight for you. I know that we're both in the same place for you. Even though you met him years ago, a long time has passed. And with those passing years, you've changed too. I still have a chance." As he encouraged himself, I knew this struggle he was entering was unnecessary. He also knew that no matter how hard he tried, in the end, Eray would win.
"Don't act like this."
My intention was to stop him from getting into this struggle. He looked at me with surprise. As he continued to eat, he asked, "How shouldn't I act?"
"Like this. Don't fight for me. We don't know how it will end. And..."
"You yourself say we don't know how it will end. Maybe luck will be on my side."
He winked at me, never losing his cheerfulness for a moment. I couldn't hide my smile. As we continued our breakfast, I knew my thoughts wouldn't leave me for a moment. Last night, Eray had taken a step forward and cared for me, and the next morning, I had come for breakfast with Hakan. A voice inside me said this situation would drag on. And I didn't even know if I deserved any of this. I was writhing with guilt.
When I remembered Eray, I recalled that he had wanted to kiss me yesterday. At the last moment, I had turned my face, and he had kissed me on the cheek. How could I have let my guard down like that? I couldn't lose to him so quickly. I pushed my thoughts aside and focused on Hakan.
"There was an issue at the office yesterday. Did you manage to solve it?"
He nodded. As he took a sip of his tea, he spoke. "I had to work late into the night, but I managed to solve everything." I smiled. The clinking of cutlery continued as we finished our breakfast.
The ringing of my phone interrupted the atmosphere. As I reached for it, trying to recognize the number on the screen, I answered. "Hello?"
"Good morning," the voice responded. I could recognize this tone anywhere. "Good morning."
"Have you had breakfast? How about we have it together?" My gaze found Hakan. As he watched me, I tried hard not to cross the line. "Actually, I'm having breakfast right now. By the way, how did you get my number?"
"Uh... I got it from your friend Ravza." Ravza! Sometimes you surprise me so much. Hakan looked at me suspiciously. I smiled and nodded to calm him down. "As I said, I'm in the middle of breakfast right now, so I have to hang up. I'll call you later." As I hung up the phone, I hoped he would understand that he had to work hard to win me back.
"Was that the photographer?"
I nodded as I placed the phone on the table. He had a satisfied expression on his face. And once again, I felt guilt. I was a simple woman, and having two men spend their time on me did not flatter my pride at all.
In dramas or movies, it was always like this. The second male lead would compete with the main male lead to win the main girl's heart. But in the end, the main male lead would win, and the second male lead would end up empty-handed despite all his sacrifices. I had always hated that. And I always had a soft spot for the second male leads.
But now, I was in the middle of that story. And I could tell that Hakan would be the second. No matter how much we tried to replicate the one-month period I had with Eray, it wouldn't be the same with Hakan. It felt like those magical moments were exclusive to Eray.
As the hours passed, we finished our breakfast and headed back. We talked about a few things along the way. Finally, when he dropped me off at the café, we said our goodbyes. As his car drove away, I took a deep breath and walked into the café. Just two days ago, my body had been writhing in pain, and now it was filled with different emotions.
I distracted myself with the customers and work. Time was passing. As I greeted the evening customers with a "Welcome," my calm mind was once again disrupted by a familiar face. "Hello," said the man who had brought the invitation. A very elegant woman stood beside him.
"What can I get for you?" I asked. The man snapped his fingers. "The coffee you made last time was great. Can we have two of those?" I didn't want to deal with him, so I quickly ran to the kitchen and prepared my special coffee. As I finally shaped the cups and served them, they stopped me again.
"Miss Derin, I'm Sevil. I'm the owner of the gallery where you came yesterday."
"And I'm Anıl. Eray's best friend. Nice to meet you."
I turned to the man whose name I had just learned. So he had known me from the beginning and enjoyed playing with me, huh? I was furious. I clenched the tray and tried to calm down. "Nice to meet you," I said.
Just as I was about to leave, Anıl's voice stopped me again. "You must have been surprised to see us suddenly. And I'm sure you're a bit angry with me. But I did it only for Eray. I met Eray a few years ago. And after getting to know him, he only recently told me about you. He said how important you were to him and how he wanted to be a part of your life, even just a tiny bit. He made you wait for years, but I know that during the time he spent with me, he would often look at your photos and sometimes lose himself in thought. That's why... Give him one more chance."
As he spoke to me about Eray, my already complicated thoughts became even more tangled. I pressed my fingers to my temples. I turned back and leaned towards Anıl. "I know you feel this way because you're Eray's friend, but I'd like you to look at things from my perspective too. Forgiving and giving another chance aren't as easy as they seem. Enjoy your coffee."
Finally, as I moved away from them, I continued to attend to other customers. Time passed quickly. After eight in the evening, my friends arrived at the café, and I wiped the tired expression off my face. We sat down and started chatting. Efil had two months left until her due date, and Cemre's wedding date had already been set.
Ravza was excited about her upcoming book signing event for her new story. While we were looking at wedding dress models together, one of my employees called me. As I looked up from my phone, my heart skipped a beat when I saw Eray standing at the doorway. But without showing it, I put on an expressionless face.
"Girls, I'll be back in a bit."
As I left their side, I walked towards Eray, who was waving at me. "Hello," he started to speak. As we walked outside, we passed between the tables. There was a sweet breeze in the air. The scent of blooming trees wafted towards us. I heard the sound of a plane flying in the distance. And there was a man looking at me with the most beautiful eyes. "Hello," I said.
"I guess I didn't come at a good time." As he gestured inside, I glanced at the girls. Each of them had just lowered their heads, thinking they hadn't been caught. I smiled. "We were picking out a wedding dress. We have a wedding coming up soon," I said. My
words seemed to have a disappointing effect on him.
"A wedding?" he asked. As I nodded, I fixed my hair that was blowing in the wind. "We've been waiting for this good news for a long time. They're getting married soon. So our excitement has already started."
When I mentioned our first wedding, he must have misunderstood and thought I was getting married. "Really? I didn't expect it to be so soon." His tone was getting worse. I wanted to tease him for a moment. "We're already late. We've been waiting for this moment for a long time." His gaze found me. His pupils trembled. He tried to calm down by running his hand through his hair. I pressed my lips together to hide my laughter.
"So, when's the date?"
Trying to continue the conversation without thinking, he struggled not to give in. I pressed my fingers to my lips. "Why? Do you also want to come?" I continued to tease him. He lowered his head. He took a few uneven breaths and exhaled. As he fidgeted impatiently, I couldn't take it anymore and ended the game.
"If I need a cavalier, I'll let you know."
"What?" His surprised tone reached me. Unable to hold back my laughter any longer, I started to laugh. "You thought the wedding was mine, didn't you?" Teasing him had always been so much fun. I turned back to the girls, who were still watching us. "Cemre's wedding is in early summer. Her wedding means our wedding," I explained. The girls must have greeted him.
"I... For a moment..." He sighed audibly, trying to hide his embarrassment by lowering his head. I could see his cheeks turning red. "One day... Just give me one day. To gather my thoughts. To find the best way." As he looked at me, he smiled calmly. That smile was perhaps what I loved most about him. As he nodded, his hair moved strand by strand on his forehead. I could watch him for days. He was still so beautiful, even after all these years.
"Okay, I'm leaving then. See you..."
As I returned to the café, he waved at me. For a 30-year-old, he could still act like a child sometimes. Sweet. He was still very sweet.
When I returned to the girls, they had already finished looking at wedding dresses. Each of them turned to me. "Finally, the Photographer has arrived. But now what will happen?" As I looked at Ümran, I simply nodded. "It's really good that you haven't started anything with Hakan yet. No matter what, it's clear who will win." Efil let out a small laugh after her words and continued. "He's really handsome. Yes, Hakan is handsome too, but this guy has a more elegant side. It seems like he suits you better."
Her words made me smile. Embarrassed, I covered my face with my hands. They continued to tease me. "How embarrassed she is! Derin, who used to look at us with exhaustion until a few days ago, now has a sparkle in her eyes." Cemre reached out and squeezed my hand. "Does it really show that much?"
As I asked my question, I looked at everyone's faces. They all spoke at once. "Of course!" My smile grew. I turned to Ravza as she spoke. "I've seen you this well in a long time. I wish he had come a little earlier." I nodded. I wish he had come to me earlier.
The next morning, as I opened the café, I was peaceful. As I got out of bed, instead of forgotten memories, it was Eray who greeted me at the exhibition that filled my mind. And I could now say his name to everyone. There was no point in hiding him.
I made tea. I placed the new pastries. I arranged the pastries and wiped the tables again. The ringing of the bell announced the arrival of a customer. As I looked up, I saw Eray smiling at me. I hadn't expected him to come so soon after asking for some time. "Good morning," he said as he stepped inside the café.
He looked like an angel standing there with the sunlight streaming in behind him. He looked perfect in the white sweater he was wearing. Immediately after, the bell rang again. My eyebrows furrowed as Hakan appeared behind Eray. What were they both doing here so early in the morning?
"Good morning," he called out to me, dressed in his usual formal attire. As I leaned my hands on the counter, I could already feel that today would be a particularly challenging day for me. As they both sat down somewhere, my eyes roamed over them. Today was Sunday. And it was one of the busiest days. And these two men had already exhausted me.
Just as I was about to go to them, my phone rang, and I stopped to answer it. It was Fırat calling. "Derin sister!" His voice sounded worried. "Yes, Fırat," I replied. My eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.
"Sister, Selin got sick. I'm taking her to the hospital now."
"What's wrong with her? Is it serious?"
"Don't worry, sister, we're at the emergency room now. I'll call you later."
As the phone call ended with the beep, beep sound, I stared at the screen. I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to alleviate the headache. What was I going to do now? As the customers started to fill in, I heard Eray's voice. "Is something wrong?"
With his voice, perhaps the best idea in the world came to me. Maybe instead of causing me trouble today, these two men could actually support me more. I called them both to the kitchen. They followed me. As I stood in front of them, I handed them aprons. "I hope you've worked in a café before. My staff can't make it today, so you have to help me."
As I looked at them separately, Eray was the first to take the apron. "Where should I start?" he asked. Immediately after, Hakan took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack. He tied the apron around his waist and clapped his hands together. "Piece of cake," he said proudly. I handed each of them a notepad and pen.
"Don't forget to greet every customer with a 'Welcome.' Take their orders and bring them to me. Aunt Zehra will arrive soon, and we'll prepare the orders together. You'll be in charge inside."
I raised my fists in the air. "You can do this." As I encouraged them, they were already getting into the spirit. Hakan entered with a bang, greeting customers loudly, while Eray was more calm and smiling.
Tea glasses were refilled countless times. Breakfast plates were carefully arranged and served to customers. The atmosphere was lively. Hakan joked with the customers, encouraging them to order more, while Eray made more careful selections.
As the hours passed, more young people and women started to fill the place. There was only one reason for this. Two handsome men were serving as waiters. Perhaps we had made the day's revenue by noon, thanks to these two men. Coffees and various snacks filled the tables, and the café didn't stop for a moment. Even I hadn't seen it this crowded in a long time.
Aunt Zehra nudged me. "Where did these two young friends come from?" she asked. How could I answer that question? I shrugged. "Just good friends," I said dismissively. When Eray came to the kitchen for a new order, I took the list from his hand and looked at it. Before preparing the order, I handed him one of the sandwiches I had made for them. "You've done a good job so far."
Even with tired eyes, he didn't hesitate to smile at me. As Aunt Zehra prepared the toast for the order, I stood beside her. I handed him one of the fruit juices on the counter. When he had a brief coughing fit, I patted his back. As his coughing subsided, I noticed Hakan standing in the doorway.
"You should come and eat something too. I'll take care of the inside."
As I handed the other sandwich to him, he gave me a wistful smile. I went inside and started circulating among the tables. I was very lucky today, thanks to these two men. Without them, I might not have been able to get through the day. I needed to treat them to something nice.
Towards the evening, there were fewer customers. And during these hours, people didn't order difficult things to prepare. When Fırat finally arrived at the café, I thought I could send these two away. "Fırat is here. You've helped me a lot today. I need to treat you to something nice someday."
Hakan nodded. "It's not a big deal. I can do anything as long as you want me to." These were the words he always said to me. "I can... I can do anything you want too," Eray tried to assert himself. After seeing the slightly more masculine Hakan, Eray seemed so innocent to me.
"While we're here, why don't we chat a bit?"
Hakan's words to Eray annoyed me enough. It didn't seem like this conversation was going to end well. Eray's face suddenly hardened. "You're right, man to man!" Was that a threat? And what were they planning?