A Cinderella Story - ZeyBar

Chapter Twenty-Two

Barış.

I froze in place and Zeynep backed away at the speed of light when we heard someone call her from the other side of the door. And not anyone, but Mrs. Nermin.

I saw the panic in her eyes and had to think of something. I grabbed the lock on the door and pointed Zeynep the bathroom to hide there.

When I opened the door, Mrs. Nermin was just heading for the stairs.

"Ah, Barış Bey, have you seen Zeynep?"

"The last time I saw her she was in the kitchen?" I answered hesitantly.

"Me too. Where did that girl go?!" 

I shrugged and she smiled and continued down the stairs. I closed the door and called Zeynep, assuring her that her mother had left.

"We were close again!" she snorted and ran her fingers through her hair. - "I have to go. How can I get down without her seeing me now?! Of, Zeynep, Of!" - she was visibly tense, and more than usual, because she often felt anxiety in this home.

She stood up on her toes and wrapped her arms around my neck where she planted a quick kiss and just as quickly left the room.

Zeynep.

I closed the door to his room behind me and giggled to myself from the tension of almost being caught in the red-haired prince's room. I looked at the time on my phone as I walked down the stairs and my silly smile faltered when Mom's serious gaze stopped me in the middle of the stairs...

"Mom?"

"Wait for me in your room, Zeynep." - she was standing there motionless with clenched fists by her side.

"Mom, it's not-"

"IN THE ROOM, ZEYNEP!" she said through gritted teeth in a loud voice, not loud enough for the people below to hear, but enough to make me shut up and feel everything in my stomach start to get tangled up.

...

I walked into my room and started pacing around biting my nails, a bad habit born from the stress of the office to calm me down. I could already imagine how furious mom was, what I was about to hear - "you are the most terrible daughter in the world, Zeynep!", "How could you make fun of my work in this home for so many years, Zeynep!?" and also the possible things I could have said to get out of this mess.

The pain in my stomach was becoming unbearable, I felt nauseous, and the voices fighting in my head were making it vibrate as well. I wanted mom to come and end this tension already. How much time has passed already? Ten minutes? I looked at my phone and realized I walked into the room three minutes ago. I sat up on the bed so I wouldn't pass out remembering the fact that nothing has gone into my mouth today except coffee in the morning..

And someone's tongue...

"Shut up! I can't deal with you now!" I waved my hand over my head to stop my inner voice.

My pocket vibrated and I hurried to see what was that. It was a message from Barış: "What happened? I heard screams?". I sighed and tried to calm my nerves so that I wouldn't fall apart before Mom showed up. If I cried, she would know everything...

"I met Mom on the stairs. I'm not sure if she saw where I came from... I'm waiting for her in my room, we'll talk." - I sent the message and threw the phone somewhere on the bed behind me. Then the door opened and mom came into the room.