Made For Me

Chapter 6

"Is this seat taken?"

I froze. Every hair on my skin stood up. I looked up. Ferit towered over the table, that charming smile in  place, his eyes twinkling. "Ferit" I said, pasting on a wide grin.

"Great seeing you here."

How the hell did he know where I'd be? There are so many coffee shops in Istanbul, I can't help but feel that sudden meeting is more than a coincidence.

Normally on my day off, a peaceful Saturday morning, I follow my usual ritual: grabb a latte at the Amelie Galata coffee shop while reading my book, stroll down the Galata bridge, explore the market, indulge in some window shopping, hit the gym, and finally head home to prepare a lovely dinner for Fatos and myself. But I have a feeling that Ferit showing up today is going to alter my routine.

Ferit sits down across from me with his coffee in hand. I look around in confusion, am I in the Twilight zone? When his eyes lock with mine, the atmosphere changes, I feel hot and I had to clear my throat to not look at his lips. "W-What are you doing here Mr. Ferit?"

"Please stop with the 'Mr' and I was walking around the neighborhood." He shrugs and smiles

"You walking around this neighborhood?" I emphasize 'you' and 'this'

"Yes, is there a problem?" He gives me a piercing look

No," I swiftly responded, standing my ground.

He glanced at the book I had been reading, as I attempted to hide it, but he was too quick and pulled it from my hands. "How to Start a Successful Food Truck Business. Is this your career goal?" he inquired genuinely curiosity.

I shrugged and focused on tracing the rim of my cup. "I'm working towards owning a food truck. It's a stepping stone to the restaurant industry..." I explained.

"That's great! But why not bypass a food truck and open a restaurant directly?" he suggested.

"I don't have the means for a restaurant, so a food truck is a great starting point," I clarified.

"Not criticizing the food truck industry here, but your culinary skills are too exceptional to be confined to a small kitchen in a truck," I remained silent, contemplating his words.

"I'm not sure if you're aware, Mr. Ferit Aslan, but not everyone in the world was born into Turkey's wealthiest family," I retorted, emphasizing our disparity.

He smiled "Its Ferit and I can't disagree with you there. But we are also the family that provides business owners grants to start and scale their business. We can help you and given your talents which, we have witness first hand, there wouldn't be any hesitation to invest in you."

"I can't allow that."

"why?"

"Because..." I swallowed and felt my chest and face grow hot. "Because I hate feeling like I'm taking advantage of your family. I don't want to be anyone's charity."

"Thats ridiculous." He shakes his head "you are incredibly stubborn. My family has the means to help and you don't want it? You know people normally do that, it's called business. People share resources. That's how the world operates, Nazli," he lectured.

I let out a sigh, realizing there was no point in arguing further.

"Whenever you're ready, please consider it. I'll be glad to assist," he offered.

"I will, thank you," I replied.

"This feels good," he remarked with a satisfied expression.

"What feels good?" I inquired.