The Rest of Our Life

Cruel

"Okay, that's it," anonunced Kopuk, storming into Derya's office without even bothering to knock.

"What?" asked Derya with confusion written all over her face as she turned her head into his direction.

She was standing in front of a whiteboard with a marker in her hand, clearly having been working on some new leads in the current investigation. Having returned to work last week, she had already been assigned a case and she planned to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible. Kopuk, however, did not really seem to care that much that he was interrupting her.

"Ever since you got back, you have been too nice to me. I can't take this anymore! Laugh at me, say something mean, I don't care! Just... stop whatever this is!" he gestured wildly.

Meanwhile, Derya was just looking at him with furrowed eyebrows, trying her best to keep calm. I can always say that it was an accident, she thought, that he just tripped and the marker somehow went through his chest multiple times... Her homicidal fantasies were cut short as the door opened once again, making her feel as if she was working not in a government facility, but at a train station, where no one knew what the word "privacy" meant.

"Kopuk, why the hell are you shouting at Derya?" asked Yavuz who had just entered the room.

He was going past his wife's office and you could imagine his surprise when he heard his friend yelling inside. Although Derya wouldn't say that, his arrival was sort of a relief for her. She truly didn't have the patience to deal with Kopuk as she still had a lot of things to do before the end of the day.

"She's being too nice!" answered Kopuk, as if that was a completely normal explanation and he was surprised that Yavuz did not arrive at the same logical conclusion as he did.

"What?" he turned to Derya, hoping she would help him understand the situation, but she just shrugged her shoulders, being equally confused.

She may have been more relaxed after she and Yavuz got back from their honeymoon, but she wouldn't call it a drastic change in her behavior. As usual, Kopuk was just being overly dramatic.

"Don't look at me, I really don't know what his problem is this time," she stopped for a moment, before adding: "Or any time. You know what, I don't really understand any of his problems."

Hearing Derya's words, Kopuk suddenly threw his hands up in the air in victory.

"Yes! Finally, you're back! Say something else, please! Something mean!"

Yavuz stayed silent, not really wanting to get in the middle of whatever that was. Derya and Kopuk had a very specific relationship, one that he didn't quite fully understand. Whenever Kopuk would throw a stupid remark, Derya was always there to quickly talk back to him. They would often make fun of each other and, if you asked Yavuz, they treated each other like siblings. Of course, he wouldn't say that to Derya's face. She would vehemently deny everything and would not even blink while doing that.

"...you're an idiot?" said finally Derya with some hesitation.

"I'm an idiot," he repeated with a smile on his face. And so he left the room, screaming: "I'm an idiot! She's back, everybody!"

His sudden exit was followed by a few seconds of silence as the couple tried to wrap their heads around what had just taken place.

"He's your friend," stated Derya, looking at Yavuz.

Hearing that, he tried to fight back a smile but ultimately failed.

"OUR friend," he stressed. "We're married now. What's mine is yours."

The reminder would have earned a smile from her in any other circumstances but with Kopuk still in her mind, Derya scrunched up her nose, much to Yavuz's amusement.

"That is a cruel thing to say in this context," she pointed out, crossing her arms with displeasure.

Was Kopuk and idiot? Yes. Was she fond of him? Perhaps. Maybe. But just a little bit. A tiny, tiny bit. And no one would ever hear her admit it out loud, she decided. She would take it with her to the grave.

"Well, what can I say, I learn from the best," Yavuz gave her a meaningful look, instantly interrupting her thoughts.

"Wait, are you saying that I'm cruel?"

The audacity of that man! Oh, she was not letting him get off the hook that easily. With such allegations, he would really have to choose his next words carefully.

"Yes. But you look beautiful even when you're being cruel," he offered it as a consolation.

Whatever she planned on saying next suddenly did not seem to matter, as Yavuz came closer and placed a few short kisses on her lips. Yet Derya knew where this was going, and as much as she'd love to continue, it was neither the time nor the place for it.

"Yavuz, we're at work," she said, pulling unwillingly away. "Anyone can come through the door."

"So?" he asked innocently.

She didn't need to look into his eyes to know that he was provoking her. She shouldn't be surprised though, Yavuz loved a good challenge.

"We'll continue this later," she took a small step back.

"See, I told you. Cruel," whispered Yavuz into her ear with a smirk on his face, which didn't fade away even when she playfully swatted at his right arm.

Seeing him happy meant everything to Derya. He went through so much, lost so many people dear to him, yet he remained strong through it all. She loved Yavuz, admired him, and she couldn't be more thankful for the day he entered her life. It's as if there was a missing piece inside of her that she hadn't known about until she met him.

"Oh, and one more thing," said Yavuz on his way out, and she turned her head to look at him. "I have training with the team now but I'll come back for you at 5 o'clock, so there will be no coming home at midnight today. And this is not up for discussion, so are we clear?"

She should have known that he'd somehow point out the fact that she came home so late yesterday. It's not like Derya was a workaholic but sometimes she would lose track of time when she was working, and with the whole team away on some routine tests, no one dared to interrupt her.

"Yes, Mr. Karasu," she said mockingly and rolled her eyes.

"I'm glad we understand each other, Mrs. Karasu," answered Yavuz and sent her a wink before closing the door behind him.

She smiled and just shook her head as she went back to work. It's not like the case was going to solve itself.

"So how was your honeymoon?" asked Kopuk with feigned interest, as everyone was enjoying the dessert.

"Amazing. Especially since you weren't there," muttered Derya under her nose.

Upon hearing that, Turan Usta, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table, choked on a slice of pie he was eating. When he managed to get it under control, a smile didn't leave his face. Well, he always knew there was a reason he liked Derya so much.

"It was great. Although we didn't see much of the city, we spent the majority of our time in the hotel."

"Yavuz!" Derya hissed at him.

"What? It's true," he laughed and smiled cheekily at her.