Chapter 3 — The Boundary They Never Talked About
The next morning, Arga waited for Alya outside the library.
“I need to talk to you.”
Alya sighed.
“There’s no need.”
“Why do you always say that?”
“Because there really isn’t anything to talk about.”
Arga stared at her.
“Are you angry?”
“No.”
“Disappointed?”
Alya fell silent.
The question was too accurate.
“I have no reason to be disappointed.”
Arga frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Alya forced a smile.
“We’re friends, right?”
Arga didn’t answer.
For a few seconds, they simply stared at each other.
“What if I said I wanted to be more than friends?”
Alya’s heart pounded.
But before she could answer, Arga laughed softly.
“Just kidding.”
Alya laughed along, even though her chest felt tight.
“Don’t joke like that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not funny.”
Arga studied her face.
“Are you really okay?”
Alya nodded.
“I’m fine.”
But ever since that day, she had begun to realize something.
She liked Arga.
Not just as a friend.
She liked the way Arga remembered the little things about her. The way he always asked whether she’d eaten. Even a simple message like “Be careful on your way” could make Alya’s day feel different.
But Alya knew there was a boundary they had never talked about.
And she was afraid to cross it.
A few weeks later, Arga suddenly asked Alya to go somewhere with him.
“I want you to meet someone.”
“Who?”
“You’ll find out.”
Alya followed Arga to a cafe.
But the moment the door opened, Alya stopped in her tracks.
Rania was already sitting there, waiting.
Rania stood and smiled.
“Thank you for coming, Alya.”
Alya looked at Arga.
“You said you wanted me to meet someone.”
Arga nodded.
“Yeah.”
Rania took an envelope from her bag.
“There’s something you need to know about Arga and me.”
Alya stared at the envelope.
And for the first time, she felt that maybe she had misunderstood everything all along.