Destined Strangers

Chapter 14

I still hold onto you from a distance
The way starlight holds onto the vast void of night.
April Green

🌙

The darkness of the night is illuminated by the stars above, and a faint breeze carries the scent of blooming flowers and the earthy smell of damp soil, wrapping the night in a sense of tranquility.

Hassan's eyes open, stirred by an unexpected thirst. He glances at the table beside him, but the water glass is empty-he's forgotten to refill it.

Sighing, he sits up in bed for a few moments. He picks up his phone, squinting at the brightness as it reads 2 AM.

Earlier, when he had returned from Sania's house, night had already settled, and the streets were shadowed. He stepped into his home, where an eerie silence greeted him.

Hakan hadn't come back yet, which deepened the quietness. Taking a deep breath to settle himself, Hassan retreated to his room.

Hassan sits there for a few moments, but then gets up and leaves his room. He pauses in the hallway, noticing the light. After heading to the kitchen, he returns with a glass of water, placing it on the table before sitting on the sofa, parallel to Hakan.

"Didn't you sleep?" Hassan asks, startling Hakan, who turns toward him.

"You scared me," Hakan responds.

Hassan smiles and leans his head against the sofa. "What are you doing awake?"

"Just finishing an assignment... I was about to sleep now."

"Hmm..." Hassan nods.

"By the way, how did the idea of getting home cross your mind?" Hakan's question makes Hassan smile. He had already told him about Sania's recovery over the phone, which is why there hadn't been any follow-up calls.

"I was tired," Hassan answers.

"So, you came here to sleep?"

"Whatever..." Hassan brushes off the sarcasm, standing up to leave, but a thought strikes him. He sits back down, this time with no smile on his face.

"I need to tell you something," Hassan says, his tone serious. Hakan, who had been working on his laptop, pauses and looks at him inquisitively.

"I'm shifting out of here tomorrow."

Hakan's face shows clear surprise, his eyebrows slightly furrowing, but more than that, there's a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.

"Why?"

"Just some personal issues."

"Oh." The response is short, the single word coming quietly, but Hassan can sense the suppressed questions behind it.

"You won't ask anything?" Hassan's gaze returns to Hakan.

"What's the point now when you've already made up your mind?"

Hakan shifts in his seat, a small frown tugging at his lips, his hands clasping together. Hassan nods in affirmation, as if accepting the truth in those words, and stands up again.

"Where are you going? Which place?" Hakan's curiosity breaks through the silence, his usual persistence returning as he straightens up, his eyes narrowing with interest.

"Sania's house." Hassan's voice is steady, but there's a weight to the words.

Silence follows. Hakan's expression shifts, processing the unexpected information. His lips part slightly as if he's about to speak, but no words come. Hassan speaks again, his tone unwavering, final.