Early Bird (Erkençi Kus)(Part 1)

30. Only skin deep

Ayhan paced back and forth, waiting for Muzaffer to fill in the form. He was playing with the pen, and hasn't written down a thing in at least five minutes.

"Are you done yet?" she asks, getting impatient. She was starting to wonder if he was doing it on purpose.

"No." She huffs, turning. "There are so many questions. I'm answering what I know first. If I have time I'll answer the rest." Muzaffer groans. "Ayhan, why is it mentioning taxes? Why do I have to answer this?"

Ayhan walks over to the table to see. "Look, this is about all your details okay? All my clients have to fill it out. Once it's complete, I'll know everything about you...hold on, why is this line empty?"

"I don't have a passport," Muzaffer shrugs. "And you already know everything about me, we've been living next to each other for 26 years."

"Zeberdjet, do you want Sanem or not?"

"That's a rhetorical question right? Of course I do, like the ocean wants a breeze. Like the moon needs the night and the day needs the sun."

Ayhan wrinkles her nose at his staring off into space. Oh dear Lord...
"Alright then, rule number 1," she nods, "no objections. To anything. Rule number 2," she says as she retakes paces, holding up a second finger, "if I tell you to do something, do it. Rule number 3, I am always right. Rule number 4," Ayhan stops and Muzaffer looks up from filling his form, waiting for the rule. "Cash only. No cards." She hold out her palm expectantly.

"Come on, the whole amount at once?" Ayhan nods. Muzaffer groans and then digs out his wallet. Ayhan hops closer and he turns his back so she can't see how much money he has. Rolling her eyes, she looks away until he says, "Here." She takes the money and counts before she puts it in her pocket.

"Glad that we agree," she beams a happy smile at him, shaking his hand.

"Mm hm," he nods. "You're officially my mentor."

He takes his hand back and Ayhan closes her palm, her hand feeling wet. She turns to face away, looking down at it with her face screwed up tight as she smells her hand carefully. So gross...

**

Sanem spent quite a few minutes trying to get signal back to her phone. She needed to call Emre and tell him of the new developments but she was having a hard time.

Dodging people in the hallways with her phone held up in the air, she finds herself in the lobby at the front desk. She walks up to one of the employees standing there, a frown on her face.

"Excuse me? I just made a call not too long ago but it seems my phone can't find reception anymore? How is that possible?"

The man turns, only for it to be her new nemesis. The bellhop. He shrugs and sniffs. "I have no idea." He gives her a bored look and then turns back around. She rolls her eyes, sighing. Taking out a note from her purse she nudges him slyly.

He looks at the money, and she nods him to the side. He follows her and she presses the note into his hand, looking around to make sure they're not seen.

"Unfortunately you're not the first person complaining about reception today. Sorry, there's nothing I can do. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't." He gives her a smirk, shaking his head and then he walks away quickly before she can ask for her money back.

She stares after him in shock. I just gave him a 100... It was almost double what Can gave him - just because she needed information. Oohh the...the...well played bellhop... Groaning, irritated by being one upped, she started looking for signal again.