The Story of Us

Chapter One

"..and the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now.."

She looks out the big windows of the ferry and her eyes reflect the deep blue of that sea she once used to fear and hate. A tiny smile appears on her lips when the memory of her entering those waters caresses her mind.

Then follows sadness.

Disappointment.

Then comes rage.

It's been a little more than a year since she left the island for good. She likes to convince herself that it was the right choice, that leaving was the best decision she could take for her own good. But truth is, she misses the quiet life of that small piece of heaven, she misses the early mornings spent by the beach, the warmth of the islanders that were like a family to her, even if she lived there for just a few months. She even misses the sing-song of the crickets that would break the silence of those quiet nights where she would spend hours sitting by the porch, drinking tea, enjoying the summer breeze and smelling the perfume of nature.

She closes her eyes and tries to remember that smell, but suddenly her memory travels back to those nights where the perfume of nature would get mixed with the tangible and addictive smell of his skin, the citrus-like fragrance of his hair and-

She shakes her head so hard she almost loses her balance.

She refuses to think about him. Not because she hates him, but because it still hurts, the fact that he didn't even fight for her to stay.

She left the island and him behind, she went back to the city, but her heart never stopped hoping he would show up one day to tell her he loved her and missed her. Apparently he didn't miss her enough to try to get her back.

And that's okay, she thinks. It was better this way, easier, maybe.

Doesn't change the fact that she's still disappointed. And mad. Because she left still loving him like the first day, she left while her heart was begging her to stay, to fight. But she was too tired of fighting and never having anyone fight back for her. So yeah, it was better this way.

And now, a year and a half later, she's going back to the island. It's just for a few weeks, she can handle it.

The ringtone of her phone takes her back to her senses. She looks at the screen and rolls her eyes playfully while she swipes the green button to answer.

"Please tell me you're almost here before I kill your best friend"

"I'm five minutes away, Görkem" she takes a deep breath and shakes her head. It's not like she hasn't seen everyone for the whole time she's been away. They all visited her in Izmir. Biricik visits her at least once every two weeks, just like her mom. Even Alper and Melisa visit her once in a while, which at first was a surprise to her. For some reason she thought she wouldn't see them again after leaving, but they were there for her, just like she knows they were there for him too.

They are the main reason why she's coming back to the island actually. She wasn't at their wedding the year before but she just couldn't not come back for them this time. She owes it to them, for being there for her even when she left with zero explanations, for never pressuring her into coming back for him, for letting her be.

The only person she hasn't seen or heard from is Poyraz. And it's okay, she thinks again. She just has to live with the fact that she will have to meet him at some point in the next few days. And it's totally okay. It's been more than a year, she can totally handle it. She can handle seeing him again. Right?

The ferry makes port and she gets up from her seat, takes her suitcase and her purse and heads out towards the exit. She can see Biricik and Görkem waving at her from the docks. She waves back and waits for her turn to get down the boat.