Friday felt longer than it should have.
Aylin noticed that before she even sat down.
Maybe it was because the week had been… different. Not bad. Just not normal in the way she liked things to be. And once something stopped being normal, it was hard to go back.
She got to class at 7:52.
Kerem was already there.
Again.
He was sitting the same way as yesterday, leaning back slightly, phone in his hand. This time, though, he didn't look surprised when she walked in.
"You're consistent," he said.
Aylin paused for a second before sitting down. "You're early. Again."
"Don't get used to it."
She nodded like that made sense.
It probably did.
The first few minutes were quiet.
Not awkward quiet. Just… quiet.
Aylin took out her things, placed everything where it was supposed to go. Notebook under textbook. Pencil case centered. Water bottle on the right.
She could feel him watching that.
"You do that every time," Kerem said.
"What?"
"That." He pointed vaguely at her desk. "Everything in the exact same place."
"It helps me focus."
He nodded slowly, like he was actually thinking about that.
"Wish that worked for me."
Aylin almost asked why it doesn't, but she didn't.
It didn't feel like something she was supposed to ask.
By third period, things went back to how they usually were.
Kerem stopped paying attention.
He didn't sleep this time, but he wasn't exactly present either. He stared out the window a lot. Tapped his fingers lightly against the desk—less annoying than the pen, but still there.
Aylin tried to ignore it.
She mostly succeeded.
It happened near the end of class.
She was writing quickly, trying to finish copying something from the board before the bell rang. Her hand was moving faster than usual, and without thinking—
She reached into her bag.
Pulled out the wrong notebook.
Again.
She froze.
For a second, she just stared at the page, like if she didn't move, maybe no one would notice.
Then—
"…So it's not notes."
Her heart dropped.
Slowly, she turned her head.
Kerem was looking at the notebook. Not grabbing it. Not trying to take it. Just… looking.
"It's nothing," she said, a little too fast.
"It's not nothing."
Aylin closed it immediately, pressing her hand over the cover like that would somehow undo the last five seconds.
"It's just—" she started, then stopped.
She didn't have a good excuse ready.
Kerem tilted his head slightly. "You write stories?"
She didn't answer.
That was probably answer enough.
He didn't laugh.
That was the first thing she noticed.
There was no smirk, no teasing comment, nothing like that. Just… a normal expression. Maybe even a little curious.
"That's kind of cool," he said.
Aylin blinked.
"What?"
"I said it's cool."
She stared at him like he'd said something completely unreasonable.
"Why?"
Kerem shrugged. "I don't know. It's not easy, right? Making stuff up like that."
Aylin didn't know what to say to that.
No one had ever reacted like that before.
Usually, she didn't let anyone see, so maybe that was why. But still.
"…You didn't even read it," she said quietly.
"Didn't need to."
"That doesn't make sense."
He smiled a little. "It does to me."
The bell rang.
Too loud. Too sudden.
People started packing up immediately, chairs scraping, voices filling the room again.
Aylin didn't move right away.
Her notebook was still under her hand.
Kerem stood up, grabbing his bag.
"Hey," he said.
She looked up.
"You should let someone read it sometime."
Aylin shook her head immediately. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because—" she hesitated. "It's not good."
He looked at her for a second.
Then he said, very simply, "You don't know that."
And then he left.
Aylin stayed in her seat a little longer than usual.
Not long enough for it to be noticeable.
Just… longer.
Lunch felt louder than normal.
Or maybe she was just more aware of everything.
She sat at her usual spot, eating slowly, her notebook safely inside her bag. She didn't take it out.
She thought about it, though.
About what he said.
You don't know that.
It was such a simple sentence.
And it was annoying.
Because it stuck.
After school, the sky was clear again.
Like the rain yesterday had never happened.
Aylin packed her things carefully.
She almost left without saying anything.
Almost.
"Bye," she said, standing up.
Kerem looked up from his desk.
"Bye," he replied.
Then, after a second—
"Hey, Aylin."
She paused.
"…Yeah?"
He tapped the desk lightly, thinking for a second before speaking.
"That story," he said. "Is it about someone?"
Aylin blinked.
"…No."
It wasn't a complete lie.
"Hmm," he said, like he didn't fully believe her.
But he didn't push.
"See you Monday."
"See you."
That night, Aylin opened her notebook again.
She read what she wrote yesterday.
Then she turned to a new page.
She stared at it for a long time.
Then, slowly—
She started writing again.
This time, the boy in the story spoke a little more.
A little clearer.
Like his voice wasn't as far away anymore.