A Week later

After everything that happened, I locked myself in the room for the past week to study for Professor Yilmaz's exam. I didn't join the family dinner, and I ate alone in the room which wasn't allowed in my household but for my current situation. Grandmother allowed it.

After a week, they grew tired of me and my mood swings. My aunt Miray then forced me to help her in the cafe shop. She told me to bring my books and study there while helping her instead of locking myself in the room like an unbalanced person.

Could this day go any slower?

I thought as I was worried about my exam in a week from today that I didn't help Aisha with the orders in the cafe shop. Aisha worked in my aunt's cafe after her husband got fired from his last job and couldn't provide for them anymore as he was still looking for a job. Since Aisha didn't have a college degree, the only place she could go to for work and provide a regular salary to help with rent and mortgages was working as a waiter in my aunt's cafe.

Aisha was like the sister that I never had, and I told her everything until last week when I never talked to her about any of the things that happened.

"Joje, You won't believe it." Aisha teased as she pointed at the door of the coffee shop with her chin.

My eyes shot to the glass door where he was approaching. "Here, he comes.." She cheered as she hopped in a place like a little puppy that had to pee really bad. "It is fate,"

I rolled my eyes and bit my lip. I instantly felt my palms heat up, and my heart race picks up, I even had that queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It's times like these when I regret telling her about my dream about the Professor; it's like endless taunting with her.

Which wasn't actually a dream... Just thinking about this makes my face blush and my stomach to turn.

"Aisha..stop," I begged as I didn't want him to notice me, but she was already making her way to the cash register.

I heard the bells clink signalling that he had indeed come in.

I stuffed the dish towel that I was using to wipe down the counters in my apron pocket and tried to sneak into the back room. I thought by tiptoeing like on those spy movies I used to watch with my cousins would reduce my chance of getting caught, but I guess not.

"Oh no-no, get back here." I froze in my steps. Slowly looked over my shoulder to find her staring at me with her hands on her hips.

"Joje.." She narrowed her eyes at me and flicked her head to the side, motioning to come to stand by her.

I dropped my shoulders and dragged my feet over to where she was standing. "You haven't talked to Prof since he failed you, maybe he won't once he sees how nice you are," She innocently talked as I glared in her direction sometimes, I wished I didn't continue my studies and became a housewife like her.

Then I wouldn't have met professor Yilmaz and wouldn't have known that my father was indeed alive or the fact that I married professor Yilmaz.

Just saying it, made my heart beat faster than usual.

I didn't tell Aisha or anyone regarding that matter that I was married — married to my Professor. Or the fact that I slept with him and that it wasn't just a dream.

"You're talking to him today, and that's that." She said sternly in a low voice so that only I could hear her.

I looked past her and saw the man with the piercing green eyes approach the line and proceed to the back of the line.

It feels strange, being out of our usual environment of his department. His tie is loosened, his posture relaxed, and he seems less like the uptight, strict Professor that he usually is and more like an average customer.

"Come on, Wahaj quit staring and help me."

"B-but.." I tried to pout and put on my best puppy dog eyes. I'm already nervous, and he hasn't even looked at me yet, who knows what would happen if he actually talked to me. Aisha just laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Like that works on me anymore." She teased and turned to face the customer two people ahead of a particular guy that Aisha was currently bugging me about.

I haven't talked to him since I found out that my father is alive, so that means that his story might be real, which means that I doomed myself in an unlovable marriage to a guy I didn't even think I liked.

"Fine." I huffed and stomped over to her side and waited for the order. I tried scowling, but I was never good at keeping an angry face on too long.

"Hi, what can I get you?" I said politely then she scribbled down the order on a cup and passed it to me.

I took the cup and looked down at it with furrowed eyebrows. I never could understand how people could just write down some random letters and magically understand what the order was. I saw Aisha look over at me from the corner of my eye. "Oh sorry, Joje, she would like a tall Caramel Frappuccino." I looked up at her and nodded with a smile then walked over to the coffee machines and began making the drink.

"Tall Carmel Frap for Eman," I called and looked out into the crowd of customers until a raven-haired girl came to take the cup from me.

"Thanks, Wahaj." She said kindly and took a sip.

I looked at her quizzically. "How did she know my name?"

"Seriously, Wahaj? We've met like three times, your aunt's third cousin from her father side? we met in eid in your house,"

"Oh yeah!" I laughed as I faked, remembering her as I was lost when she said third.

"Plus you're wearing a name tag, wahaj." She joked and tapped at my shirt where my badge was pinned. "Well, I'll see you around! Bye."

"Okay, sorry again! Emran? Eqbal? Eman!" I called after her as I threw up my hand to wave goodbye. She sent me a confused look over her shoulder then laughed as she let the door close behind her.

Man, I really need to get better at remembering names and faces. I looked up from the counter, and my eyes instantly landed on him.

Even while I was talking to Eqbal, my eyes kept finding him. Alhamdulillah, he was too preoccupied in reading whatever was on his phone to notice; I'd have a pretty hard time explaining why I keep staring at him.

I walked back over to Aisha, who was holding out another cup. I tried to take it from her hands, but she held on tightly. I looked up at her about to ask if she was stuck but caught her wiggling her eyebrows at me instead and trying to nod to show me who was next in line subtly.

"He's next!" She mouthed and gave me a wink.

I huffed again and tugged the cup away from her hands and went back over to the coffee machine. I love the girl, but she can be so embarrassing sometimes! I stared down at the cup but realized I still didn't understand the scribbles.

"Aisha," I asked as I waved the cup at her and gave her a questioning look.

The Professor still hadn't entirely made it the front of the counter; his phone was now attached to his ear as he angrily talked into the receiver, his hand waving in the air as he spoke.

"I don't want to get married Anne (mother), that is that can you stop shoving women down my throat as everywhere I go, I get my wife candiate of the week, I feel like I have signed to The Bachelors and no one had informed me,"

I didn't want to seem like I was eavesdropping or something, but it was kind of hard not to listen when he was the only one left in the place. "No, I didn't like Eman. I am sure she is a great woman, but I don't want you sending these girls everywhere I go,"

This is going to be awkward... I thought as I catch that he has still not noticed the person in front of him, which was me at that moment.

I set my eyes on the man again and watched how he clenched his jaw tight. He did sound upset. "You know what, let me stop you right there."

Whatever the caller was saying on the other line; they were making him angry. Whoever this Anne person was, she was not treating him right.

Just then he looked over at me, but I quickly averted my eyes down at the counter. "Whatever, Anne (Mother in Turkish) , we'll talk about this later."

He hung up the phone and slid it into his pocket as he took a step closer to stand in front of me. "Speaking of unwanted encounters," He whispered.

I didn't realize how dry my mouth had gotten, but I swallowed back some of those nerves and decided to speak. "Are you stalking me ?" He spoke again full of confidence and arrogance.

"s'okay, T-his is my a-aunt's cafe"

I wanted to smack myself; my voice came out shaky sounding and low; I doubt he even heard me.

After finding out that I was married to him, it was like a slap to my face and him standing there only three feet away meant that my husband was standing there.

To my surprise, He looked up at me. I had never seen such deep green eyes before; I felt like I was being drawn in, like they were begging to tell some type of story or secret.

I didn't realize I was still staring at him until he narrowed his eyes on me and smirked.

"Aren't you going to take my order?" He asked with this tone that was sarcastic yet playfully teasing if that makes sense, definitely different from his angry voice or his Professor's voice. I blinked my way back to reality and nodded.

"Oh yeah-yeah, so what get you can I?" He laughed and gave me this funny look.

I instantly felt my cheeks heat up, and I knew I wasn't making an excellent impression.

"I-I meant, what can I get you?" I tried to recover, but I knew I had already messed up my chances. Great, way to go Wahaj!

"You remember now, don't you?" He smiled down at the counter timidly.

"You remember that we are married now, don't you?" I looked over at Aisha as he said those words and her mouth hanging open for at least a minute as I thanked Allah that my aunt was not at the cafe shop at this moment.

"Y-yeah, I do." I stammered, trying my hardest not to make an even bigger fool out of myself.

"Should we talk about it ?" He asked in a tone that made it seem like he wasn't just talking about coffee, but about our marriage.

I signed in no as in no way in hell would I talk to you when I wanted to forget that it happened.

He took my hand from over the counter. Selected the pen off the table and began to write his phone number on the palm of my hand, "Talk to me when you are ready."

He said that, and without even ordering a coffee, he left the shop.