(Kaan’s POV)As the morning sun gently filters through my window, I stir from my sleep, feeling revitalized and utterly rejuvenated. It was the best sleep I've ever had in my entire life.I take a deep breath and a familiar scent wafts into my nostrils.I frown as I open my eyes, baffled. Did I accidentally fall asleep in the wrong bed? My frown deepens when I find Hiraya sleeping peacefully beside me, her chest rising and falling rhythmically with each breath. She has a serene expression on her face, and her tousled hair frames it like a messy halo. I can't help but smile at the sight, feeling a surge of affection for this beautiful woman lying next to me, the sight of her first thing in the morning a welcome view indeed.I take a moment to savor the serenity of the moment, grateful for this quiet and intimate time with her. Although… What happened last night remains a mystery and it is starting to bother me.Turning my gaze away from her lovely face, I look around. Relief washes
(Raya’s POV) I quickly slip back to my room while Kaan is still taking a bath, heading directly to the shower. With a sigh, I stare at myself in the mirror, noting my flushed cheeks and bright eyes. “I’m done for.” I groan. “I caught the love bug and my heart is doomed.” It shouldn’t be that bad, right? I mean, he’s a nice and good-looking guy. Might as well enjoy the experience. Even if it doesn’t work out, I can just treat the heartbreak as some sort of ‘occupational hazard’. A hard lesson to be learned that will help me grow as a person. “What a load of bollocks,” I mutter as I turn away to take a shower. Maybe a cold one will help wake me up from my deluded fantasy of being strong enough to handle this. Not that I have a choice. I need to be able to. Ten million dollars is nothing to sneeze at. I’m just getting out of the bathroom when Kaan knocks on the door. “Hiraya? Are you awake?” Just hearing his voice is giving my heart a serious workout. “Um, yeah…? Just…got out of th
(Raya’s POV) My eyes find his and I raise an inquiring eyebrow. What the hell is this? He stares at me intently, trying to convey a message that I cannot understand. I don’t think he looks thrilled, but neither does he look annoyed or impatient. “I met Miss Westley on my way back here. She told me she wished to join us on our run.” He explains, staring at me unblinking, which looked painful and unnatural, so he must be doing it on purpose to tell me something. “She wants to run with us?” I repeat slowly, as if tasting the words. “And yet…you carrying her suggests that that’s not going to happen.” “She turned her ankle on the way here…” He explains. Both my eyebrows spring up, almost reaching my hairline. How convenient. I’d bet my last cents that that delicate foot doesn’t even hurt a tiny bit. Somewhere behind the pitiful, pained expression, a triumphant smirk surely lurks, unashamed and unrepentant. “What a pity,” I murmur, trying my best to keep a straight face. “That must ha
(Raya’s POV) "Are you ever going to tell me where we're going?" I ask Kaan, feeling a mix of curiosity and slight frustration. We've been in the car for a couple of hours now, and despite my attempts to figure out our destination, I remain clueless. "I told you already. Out of town. I'm tired of the city," he responds, his tone slightly evasive. A mischievous smile tugs at the corners of his lips as he glances at me before looking back to his cell phone, enjoying the suspense he's created. I can't help but roll my eyes, sensing that he's purposefully being vague. "I get that, but where exactly are we going?" I persist, desperate to uncover the mystery destination. "You'll see," he replies playfully. "Just trust me, will you? I promise, it's going to be worth the wait." I let out a sigh, a mixture of exasperation and anticipation. As much as I want to extract the information from him, there's a part of me that appreciates the element of surprise. There's something exhilarating abou
(Raya’s POV)“Where did you get that pea-brained idea?” He asks, sounding unimpressed.I wince internally. Well, now that I think about it, it is rather stupid and it goes against everything I currently know about Kaan. Oh gosh, how can I admit I was insecure enough to let myself be influenced—poisoned by Miss Westley’s words this morning? But do I claim the pea-brained idea as my own? That seems even worse.“It has been…suggested that I might embarrass you by…being myself,” I answer lamely.He stares at me for a bit, probably processing that. “Hiraya, if I wanted to be with someone jaded and all that, it would have been Miss Westley sitting there in your place. And you know I’d rather pull out my own nails one by one than be with her. She’s one of the reasons I’m willing to pay ten million dollars, remember? I don’t like her kind of people.”How could I have forgotten? I sigh, feeling deflated, and nod. “Sorry…I guess…I’m not as tough as I thought I was, letting her get to me like
(Raya’s POV) "You know that overwhelming sensation that you feel when you're in a very high place and it feels like gravity is pulling you down?" He asks, sounding amused. I clutch at him tighter, not caring if it’s making him feel uncomfortable. "You mean fear of heights? Yes, I am overly familiar with it. In fact, I am feeling it right now and I hate it! I hate you! You promised me nothing bad will happen!" I should have known we would end up doing something like this. Should have anticipated that he would not feel content with simple sightseeing and walking around. There were so many signs, albeit subtle ones. I actually enjoyed everything yesterday. But now that I think about it, it’s more like being tricked into falling in love with the whole place so that I would be comfortable enough to go with him everywhere. All of it was so lovely, so safe and easy. He made me feel like a princess, being toured by my very own prince up in that magnificent train station up in the moun
(Raya’s POV)“Raya? Hiraya, can you hear me?”I groan, feeling every muscle in my body rebelling against me. Everything hurts. My head, above all else. And it’s cold. So very cold.“Hiraya, wake up… my god, you’re burning up… Just a second, I’ll be right back.”I can hear Kaan’s voice but it sounds as if he’s at the other end of the tunnel. Where is he going? Gods, even frowning hurts. What is wrong with me?I know we're still at the hotel we're staying at in Grindelwald. That much I know, I don't really remember flying back to the U.S. already. What is going on? The room is starting to spin…As I struggle to regain my senses, I manage to open my eyes slightly without feeling like somebody used a pair of cymbals to smack me in the head. The room around me comes into focus, and I see Kaan rushing back, holding a damp-looking towel in his hand, likely soaked in cold water. His eyes are filled with concern as he kneels beside me. I try to lift my hand to touch my forehead, but it feels h
(Raya’s POV)“I'm sorry, what?"I laugh. "I'm just kidding. You were supposed to laugh."He frowns. "How is that funny?"I clear my throat awkwardly. "Uhm, because…you know…it's a silly request. It's outlandish. Unthinkable. Did you hear me right? Five million dollars. In cash. It's absurd. It was a—" I stop mid-sentence, feeling my cheeks burn. "Oh god, you can't actually give it to me, can you?"He purses his lips. "Well, it would be a bit more complicated than a bank transfer and I would need to pull a lot of strings and do a lot of explaining about why it has to be cash, but it's not impossible. I'm just wondering how you plan to hold all that money while we're here and why you need it all of a sudden—"I wince, thinking how mercenary it must have sounded. "I was kidding, Kaan. I swear. It was supposed to be funny. I just wanted you to smile a little. You were supposed to tell me ‘Don’t be absurd, Raya. I don’t carry around that much change in my pocket.’ And I was going to answer