BLACK ROSE (COMPLETED)

7 -

While Fatih was holding my hand, I had to do something to calm down, or my uncle might get suspicious. Hmm... I could imagine Fatih as a girl and quell my excitement. He was too handsome for a girl, though, with such sharp features that could cut bread... Anyway, let's pretend he was a girl. He's a girl, girl, girl, girl, girl...

"Are you going to the party together?" my uncle asked.

"Girl- Ouch! Pardon?"

"Yes," Fatih came to my rescue. "We would like to go together, Mr. Selim, if that's okay."

"Okay? Go have fun. Live your lives, young ones, live your love."

God forbid... The only thing left was for my uncle to tell us to make out wildly at the party... How broad-minded was he!

"My battery is low, uncle. I have to go," I said and ended the call.

I quickly pulled my hand out from under Fatih's and placed it on my thigh.

"Fatih, you took it too far! I wanted you to be sincere, but you entwined like an ivy."

"I did it because you asked, Ece. Otherwise, you're not my type."

"Not your type?"

"You're not."

"Not his type... What kind of type interests you, sir?" I asked sarcastically.

"Athletic, with high muscle mass, Ece."

"Muscle mass... Like a cow? Cows have huge muscle mass, you know. There's one I know on the farm, Sarıkız. I'll get her for you. You can benefit from her meat and milk."

"When I said muscular, I meant human muscular."

Squinting my eyes, I said, "I'll show you muscle," and punched him on the shoulder with all my might. Oh my! Did I miss Fatih's shoulder and hit the door or something? My hand really hurt! His shoulder was so firm.

"If you're done brushing off the dandruff from my shoulder, now give me a real punch," Fatih said, trying not to smile.

"Jerk... By the way, just so you know, you're not my type either, Fatih."

"And what's your type then? Men who aren't handsome?"

"No, Mr. Arrogant. I like... as a type... Actually, I don't have a type. But even if I did, it wouldn't be you." I hadn't even dated anyone in my life. Flirting didn't suit my religion, so it didn't suit me either. My type was the man I would marry. "Anyway, let me take off this dress. It wasn't bad, but we might try a few more."

As I started walking towards the fitting rooms, I stepped on something and lost my balance, finding myself on the ground in an instant. Judging by the ripping sound I heard, a part of my dress might have torn slightly when I fell. "Ah!" I groaned. "Which thoughtless customer left these shoes on the floor after trying them on? One should either pick them up or put them aside."

"See, you got struck by God for insulting a sugar-pie-hearted guy like me. Are you okay, Ece?"

"Other than my charisma, nothing else got hurt, sugar-pie.... By the way, that's my favorite dessert, did you know!"

"Hmm... I prefer strawberry magnolia." Fatih gently helped me up, and as I dusted off the dress that got dirty from my fall, i said: "I heard a ripping sound from the dress. Since I caused this, I'm now obligated to buy it. Returning it secretly would be unfair."

"At least you won't need to try on more outfits. It was clear from your face that you didn't like shopping for dresses, Ece."

"You hit the nail on the head."

"And you hit the shoe on the floor and fell, clumsy sparrow."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you related to Alya, Fatih? Both of your jokes are equally cold, that's why I ask." Spotting the high-heeled, black shoes that had tripped me, I muttered, "Hmm, these might actually match the dress." I turned one of the heels over and checked. "Size 39, good."

"Try them on then."

I sat back down on the sofa where we had been sitting and put on the shoes. Then I stood up and walked. "For a heel, it's comfortable. I might buy these too. After all, they say... what doesn't break your foot matches your dress."

"Did Kim Kardashian say that?"

"No. I did," I muttered.

"Ece, by the way, the curly-haired girl with a big chin standing to our right has been staring at you for about ten minutes. You might not have an ideal type, Ece, but maybe you are her type... Otherwise, she wouldn't be staring so intently."

"God forbid!" I grumbled. "Did she see something inappropriate?" I slowly turned my head to the right out of curiosity. No way! The girl Fatih was talking about was Betül. My friend from my old school... She was wearing a hijab.

Betül was the last person I wanted to see right now. Just like me, Betül was a very religious Muslim and she knew I had transferred to Freedom College -a non religious school- and here I was, sitting in a revealing evening dress with a boy next to me. She was definitely judging me.

Now that I had made eye contact with Betül, I couldn't pretend not to see her. Reluctantly, I waved at her. Betül didn't wave back but focused her piercing gaze on me and started walking towards us. She stopped right in front of us.

"How are you, Ece?" Betül asked in a cold tone.

"I'm fine, Betül. How are you? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah... You seem to have adapted to your new school. Judging by your body-revealing dress and your boyfriend..."

I shook my head. "Actually, it's not like that, Betül. I... something happened-"

"Did a flying school registration form land on your desk and you accidentally filled it out, ending up at Sex College, I mean Freedom College?" Betül said mockingly. "Look at that. And then, while walking in the boutique, you must have bumped into a mannequin and the evening dress on it jumped onto you. The boy next to you is probably here to help you take it off. Did I get it right?"

Grinding my teeth, I said, "First my new school and my uncle, then Derin and Alya, and now the party I never wanted to attend, also Fatih's endless chatter, and now I have to deal with you too, Betül! I can't stand you right now!" I sprang to my feet, eyes blazing. "Don't come any closer, or I'll bite!"

Fatih muttered, "Look... She even had a dig at me, didn't she?"

As I started walking towards Betül, Fatih grabbed my arm, saying, "Easy girl, slow down!" trying to calm me.

"She's gone mad!" Betül said, stepping back. "I was going to wish you a long and happy marriage, but Ece, you might suffocate your boyfriend with a pillow while he's asleep."

"Go away, Betül! Or I'll bite, and then you'll need tetanus shots and God knows how many rabies shots."

Betül seemed to have a fear of needles because she quickly walked away and disappeared...

Once I was alone with Fatih, after a moment to calm down, he asked, "Was she a friend from your old school?"

"Yes. But we weren't very close."

"Don't let it get to you," Fatih said. "In time, you'll make friends at our school too."

"Hopefully. Sinem seems like a nice girl, for example."

"She is. Did you know her father is a singer? Sinem also has a beautiful voice. Or had, I should say. After the earthquake, when she started stuttering... you know the situation."

"God's tests are ironic, aren't they? The atheist uncle's religious niece, me; the super-powered family's non-super-powered son, you; the singer father's stuttering daughter, Sinem..."

"I guess we're being tested at our most sensitive points."

"Otherwise, it wouldn't be a test," I said. "If you're taking a math test, no matter how good you are in science, those math questions you can't solve will come up. There's no escape."