Beyond The Screen

Chapter 3: New vibes.

Esin adjusted her headset, grinning as she pulled up the Discord voice channel. It was late, and for once, there was no drama looming over her night—just her, Buse, and Ulaş, ready for a casual hangout. The three of them hadn’t done this in forever, and Esin was starting to realize just how much she’d missed these moments. It felt like home.

She joined the call and was immediately met with Ulaş’s familiar voice, cheerful as always.

“Finally!” he said, dragging out the word. “I was about to start a solo karaoke session if you didn’t join soon.”

Esin laughed. “Maybe I wanted to miss that solo.”

Buse’s voice joined in, loud and lively. “Hey! Who says I don’t want to hear Ulaş’s rendition of ‘Toxic’ by Britney?”

“I’ve been working on it, actually.” Ulaş cleared his throat dramatically, then broke into an exaggerated falsetto, “Baby, can’t you see—”

They all burst out laughing, Buse clapping in her mic as Ulaş's high-pitched singing peaked.

“Oh my god, please stop before my ears start bleeding,” Esin choked out between laughs.

“Don’t hate on my talent!” Ulaş protested. “If I’m not on ‘The Voice’ by next year, it’s their loss.”

Buse rolled her eyes, her tone equally amused. “Ulaş, if you make it on any singing show, I’ll buy front-row seats just to watch you be booed off the stage.”

“Rude,” he replied, feigning offense. “You’re supposed to be my friends! You’re supposed to believe in me.”

“Sure, sure,” Esin said, grinning. “We believe in you, but maybe not in your singing.”

Ulaş groaned dramatically, but Esin noticed his voice was lighter than usual, like he was genuinely happy to have them here. It was a welcome change, and she couldn’t help but feel a soft warmth spread in her chest. This was different—no pretenses, no awkward silences, just pure fun. The past few days with Yusuf had been exhausting, and it felt good to let go of all that and just laugh with her best friends.

“So, what’s on the agenda tonight?” Esin asked, settling back into her chair.

“Game night?” Buse suggested, her voice rising with excitement. “Maybe a classic… Among Us?”

“Oh no,” Esin groaned, shaking her head. “Buse, you’re the worst liar. I can tell the second you’re the imposter.”

Buse gasped. “Excuse me! I’ll have you know I’ve improved my lying skills considerably.”

Ulaş laughed. “That’s not exactly something to brag about.”

“Let’s test it,” Esin said, challenging Buse. “I bet I can spot you the moment you start acting suspicious.”

“Challenge accepted,” Buse replied, her voice suddenly turning serious and conspiratorial. “Prepare to be amazed by my deception.”

As they launched the game and got their avatars up on the screen, the familiar ding of a message notification popped up in Esin’s corner. Her stomach dropped momentarily, her mind flashing back to the days when she’d check each ping, hoping it was Yusuf. But it wasn’t. This time, it was just a random game update. She exhaled, shaking off the lingering sadness, and focused back on the game.

They all muted their mics as the game began, and Esin wandered through the spaceship, trying to complete her tasks while keeping an eye out for Buse. She caught a glimpse of her friend’s character, darting down a hallway. Something about the way Buse was moving seemed off, and Esin narrowed her eyes, grinning to herself.

Within seconds, she felt the familiar thud of her character getting "killed." A dramatic, digital X appeared on her screen.

She unmuted. “Buse!”

Laughter erupted from the voice channel as Buse cackled in response. “You didn’t see that coming, did you?”

“I did! I just didn’t think you’d actually go for it,” Esin replied, laughing. “You’ve gotten way sneakier.”

“She’s probably been practicing, just for moments like these,” Ulaş chimed in.

“Absolutely,” Buse confirmed. “I’m not here to make friends tonight. I’m here to win.”

The banter continued, each of them taking turns betraying, accusing, and defending. Every so often, Ulaş would throw out ridiculous conspiracy theories about who the “real” imposter was, resulting in him getting unfairly voted out almost every round. The laughter was loud, and Esin’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

After a few rounds, they took a break, everyone leaning back in their chairs and catching their breath.

“So, Esin,” Ulaş said, his voice softening a bit. “How have you been, really?”

Esin hesitated, her guard slipping for just a second. She looked over at the empty mug of tea next to her keyboard, memories of the past few days lingering. She hadn’t opened up much to Ulaş about Yusuf yet; it was still raw. But she knew he was waiting to hear her out.

“I don’t know. Some days I’m okay. Other days, I wonder if it was all my fault,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Your fault?” Buse cut in, incredulous. “Esin, please. Yusuf was the one who was shady, not you. Remember that.”

Ulaş’s voice was equally gentle. “She’s right. You were just looking for something real. There’s no shame in that.”

Esin felt her heart warm at their words. They were right, of course, but it still hurt. “Thanks, guys. I know it’s silly, but having you here really… it really helps.”

Buse cleared her throat dramatically. “Of course it does. Who else is going to tell you how amazing you are, right?”

Ulaş snorted. “And humble too.”

Esin chuckled, feeling lighter than she had in days. Maybe the pain of losing Yusuf would linger for a while, but for now, this was enough. The laughter, the teasing, the unfiltered moments with the people who had her back—this was what mattered.

Buse’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Alright, enough mushiness. I say we celebrate Esin’s independence with another round. But this time, Ulaş is the designated imposter.”

“Wait, what?” Ulaş protested. “How is that even fair?”

“Life isn’t fair, Ulaş,” Buse replied, her voice mischievous. “But trust me, you’ll make a great imposter.”

With their laughter filling the call, they jumped back into the game, no one really caring who won or lost. All that mattered was that, together, they were finding a way forward.

To be Continued..

hello, guys!! If anyone has read this story yet, thank you very much. I'm accepting criticism from anyone, and also I'd be really happy if someone offered me ideas or writing ways Idk I really just want this story to be read.