“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Sibel said, bending down to pick up her wallet and its scattered contents.
Kabir, observing her with a mix of curiosity and surprise, quickly helped gather her things. “It’s okay. I didn’t see you there.”
Sibel’s cheeks flushed slightly as she stood up, trying to regain her composure. “Thank you. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Kabir, noticing the Gucci bag in her hand, raised an eyebrow. “Shopping for something special?”
She nodded, feeling a bit self-conscious. “Yes, I’m buying a gift for a friend.”
Kabir smiled, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “I see. Well, it’s good to see you out and about. Am I seeing you tomorrow in the office?”
Sibel looked at him, a bit surprised. “Yes, but I asked you for two days off.”
He smiled again, a little apologetically. “It was my first day too, so I didn’t realize tomorrow’s meeting was very important. If you don’t want to—”
She quickly interrupted, “No, it’s okay. I’ll manage.”
Kabir couldn’t stop staring into her innocent eyes, not understanding the pull he felt towards her. Her voice was so calm and gentle that he could listen to it all day. Her manners, everything about her, seemed to captivate him.
“Bella,” he murmured, the Italian word for "beautiful" slipping out.
Sibel looked at him, confused. “Wh...what?”
He quickly shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. “Nothing.”
Just then, Aira entered the shop and spotted Kabir. “Kook, I was looking for you everywhere, and here you are!”
Sibel turned to her and said, “Excuse me... I should go now.” But when she tried to move, Kabir didn’t step aside. She looked up at him, her brows furrowing slightly. “Please sir... take a step aside.”
Aira noticed that Kabir was in some sort of trance and gently pulled him back. “Kabir, give her some space to go.”
Kabir finally snapped back to reality and moved out of the way. Sibel quickly exited the store, but as Kabir was about to follow her with his eyes, he noticed something on the floor. Her ID card had fallen. He bent down, picked it up, and saw her full name: Sibel Ali, along with her father’s name, Ali Murtaza. He smiled to himself, repeating, “Bella.”
He looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her again, but she was already gone. Tucking the ID card into his wallet, he followed Aira to continue their shopping.
After their errands, they returned home. That night, after praying Isha, Kabir lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He found himself repeating her name, “Sibel... Sibel Ali” A smile crept onto his face. “Why am I thinking about her again and again, even though I’ve only met her twice? She’s so innocent and pretty.”
He replayed their encounters in his mind—the way she had rushed into his office earlier, catching her breath as she pleaded for time off, and how they’d bumped into each other at the mall. Then, he remembered her ID card.
Getting up, he went to his wardrobe, retrieved his wallet, and took out the card. As he looked at the phone number on it, he hesitated. “Should I call her and tell her about the card? She might be worried.” He paused, then reasoned, “No, it’s not right to call her—maybe it’s her personal number.”
But the thought of her trying to get through the next day without her ID card troubled him. “She has to come to the office tomorrow and also attend university. I should call her and give it to her.”
