one door closes and another one opens, final part
—
The next time Hilal wakes up, it’s still dark. But she knows where she is, and she feels rested. After Ali Kemal came home last night, the rest of the evening passed by quietly. They said their good nights once the dishes were cleared, and if Leon and Hilal shared lingering smiles at each other before retiring for the night, Ali Kemal had not noticed (or pretended not to notice).
The sun hasn’t come up yet, but Hilal has never been the one to go back to sleep once she wakes up, thanks to her job. She gets up from the sofa, folds the blankets, and arranges the pillows so that they’re ready to be returned to the linen closet or the washing machine. Any remnants from last night’s short movie screening had been cleaned off, and it’s only her phone sitting on the coffee table. It’s long been charged, and she realizes she has gotten up before her alarm once she checks the time.
She takes the small bag Ali Kemal brought her last night, and as quietly as she can, she walks to the bathroom to shower.
Yesterday, when she first came to Ali Kemal’s apartment, she was too tired to acknowledge the fatigue that was so obvious in her features. She remembers looking at the mirror after the shower to see pale skin, heavy eye bags, and slightly chapped lips. It’s different than what she sees now. Fresh from a hot shower, there’s a little bit more color to her skin, her eyes are still tired but a little better than yesterday’s, her lips are still chapped, but overall, she looks and feels better than she did the day before.
She’s surprised to find her little make-up kit inside the bag Ali Kemal brought from her locker. She keeps the kit in her locker for emergencies, and of course, for sudden invites outside the hospital. She doesn’t necessarily need the make-up kit now, since all she has planned for the day is to go home and hopefully sit on her own couch and cook her own food. But she finds herself zipping the kit open, something in the back of her mind telling her to just put on a little bit of lip gloss.
“They are a little dry,” she reasons and puts on some gloss, but continues to fill in her brows. This is her minimal make-up routine anyhow, and it does achieve the feeling of being ready for the day.
She stares at her reflection for a few minutes. Leon’s comment about her being just as pretty as her older sister suddenly rings through her mind. Remembering it makes her blush a little. It’s not that she’s never had comments or compliments about her being beautiful (she’s definitely had some of her co-workers ask her out on a date), it’s the fact that every time she gets a comment like that, she doesn’t actually believe it. She can admit that she’s not plain, but she can’t say that she’s pretty. When she thinks ‘pretty’ she thinks of her older sister, and it goes beyond just her looks. Yildiz had the unique Mediterranean features of dark hair and green eyes, and people see that as ‘exotic’, and it works like a charm. That’s what draws people in. But Yildiz also had a confident and charismatic personality, and that’s what makes people stay.
Hilal, on the other hand, with her chestnut brown hair and blue eyes, is a common look. She knows this. She gets compliments about her eyes, and that’s probably one of her physical features that she accepts as pretty. She does draw people in, in her own way, but she doesn’t have her sister’s charisma or confidence. Hilal has stubbornness and intensity that intimidate people.
As loath as she is to admit it, Hilal knows and can’t help but compare herself with her older sister. After all, she would not have coped well with their parents’ death without her, and the only reason she was able to become the woman that she is is because her older sister allowed her to do so. In a way, Yildiz is her role model.
But honestly, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, Leon’s comment about her being pretty didn’t make her embarrassed because she didn’t believe it; she’s embarrassed because she wants to believe it. She snorts at herself for realizing this because of a guy, but she honestly feels seen by Leon, and she doesn’t exactly know what to make of that. She’s not used to the feeling of being seen or being the center of attention.
There’s a knock on the bathroom door, and it breaks Hilal out of her reflection (literally and figuratively). She suddenly realizes how long she’s been in there, and the brothers might have woken up already.
“Sorry, I’ll be right out,” she says and begins cleaning up her stuff.
“No worries, take your time,” the voice outside the door says. She isn’t entirely sure who it is, but she makes quick work of dropping her used towel and borrowed sleep clothes into the laundry hamper by the sink. When she opens the door, it’s Leon leaning against the opposite wall. He’s wearing a simple white shirt with an Amnesty International logo on his chest and navy blue sweatpants. His hair is unkempt from sleep. Compared to his pressed shirt and slacks, he looks cute like this.
She mentally shakes herself out of the thought.
“Good morning,” she greets and gives him a small smile.
“Good morning,” he smiles back. “Rest well?”
She nods. “Yeah. Sorry, bathroom’s free.”
“Thanks,” he says. She steps away from the doorway to allow him room. The door closes with a soft click, and she walks to the kitchen. It’s nearly 6 am the next time she checks her phone.
She takes the liberty to make coffee, since she’s not the only one awake now, and there are a few minutes of confusion as to how to operate Ali Kemal’s coffee machine before actually making it work. The coffee machine sputters and bubbles, and Hilal takes the opportunity to check her email and her work chat.
There’s an email about a design newsletter she’s subscribed to. Another from a gardening one, and a few newsletters she’s subscribed to in the past, but never got to unsubscribe. She deletes those without reading them.
Her only messages consisted of the head nurse telling her to take another day off, and Yildiz telling her that she’ll be coming home and talking to Hristos about the door situation. (Yildiz historically has had a lot more success in talking to their landlord than Hilal.) She gives her head nurse an appropriate reply, and to her sister: “Okay, will be coming home in a bit too. What did H say?”
“Hey,” Leon walks into the kitchen, and Hilal pockets her phone. “Coffee’s ready, I think.” He checks the machine, and Hilal makes a move to grab some mugs. She has a vague idea as to where they are, based on watching Leon cook last night, and hopes she’s opening the right one.
She does, and she smiles in victory. She grabs two mismatched mugs from the cupboard and hands one to Leon. Their fingers brush momentarily, and she brushes away the fluster.
“Do you have yours with milk or sugar?” Leon asks as he begins pouring coffee into both their mugs.
“Just black,” she says.
“Got it,” he nods.
They drink their coffee in silence, each choosing to lean against opposite sides of the kitchen.
Leon clears his throat. “You’re going back today, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. Yildiz says she’s talked to our landlord. I hope I can sleep in my own bed tonight. What about you? Will you be busy saving the day?”
He laughs. “You make it more exciting than it is. It’s just a meeting. And it’s still in the afternoon.”
She shrugs. “Social justice is a little bureaucratic.”
He smiles. “Do you have to go back to work today?” he asks after a beat.
“No, my head nurse gave me the day off.”
Leon stands straighter as he places his mug on the counter. He clears his throat again. “I’m here for a few days before I head back to New York.”
She nods, although she doesn’t understand why he’s telling her this.
“So… I’m wondering if you’d have time to get some coffee…or dinner? Or brunch, if that’s what you prefer.” His eyes keep drifting away from her, and his ears are turning red. He’s embarrassed, and Hilal realizes that he’s trying to ask her out.
This causes her to blush, too.
“Oh,” she says dumbly. “That’s…”
“It’s okay if you don’t want to, though. I might have read everything wrong, but please, don’t feel pressured to say yes.”
He is adorable, Hilal thinks. But she also cannot believe that she’s being asked out on a date by someone she’s never been more attracted to.
She doesn’t realize she’s taking a while to answer him when Ali Kemal suddenly steps into the kitchen. “End the poor guy’s misery and just say yes,” he says as he casually pours himself a coffee.
“Dude, can you not?” Leon snipes at his brother.
“What? I’m helping,” Ali Kemal shrugs.
“Seriously, you’re not,” Leon frowns and glares at her brother.
Ali Kemal sighs dramatically. “Oh-kayyyyy. I’m going to get croissants and breakfast bagels, and I will not be back in 30 minutes.” He places his mug down and walks over to his brother to pat him on the shoulder. “Now don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, little brother.”
“Fuck off,” Leon swats his brother’s hand away. Ali Kemal just laughs.
“Potty mouth, this one,” Ali Kemal shakes his head. “Oh, and Hilal, if you think he makes good pasta, just imagine his baklavas.” He leaves after that. They wait for the front door to shut before braving a look at Leon.
“Excuse my brother.” Leon clears his throat. “He tends to be…”
“Meddlesome?”
He chuckles. “Yes…and a pain in the ass, sometimes.”
“Older siblings can be like that,” she agrees.
It’s her turn to clear her throat. “And about your question…”
Leon perks, his face looking at her seriously.
“I go back to work tomorrow. I work the dead shifts, so I can’t do dinner.”
His expression deflates for a second. “Are you saying no just to dinner?”
“I can do brunch or coffee the day after next,” she smiles.
The smile that forms on his lips is beautiful, and Hilal looks away because the heat on her cheeks is getting too much. She can’t stop smiling, though, and even though her heart is beating so loudly, she can feel it drumming in her ears, she feels elated.
Leon walks up to her. “If that’s the case, then,” he says and whips up his phone for her to take. “We’ve skipped a few steps, but I’m still hoping you’d give me your number.”
She laughs. “You’re ridiculous,” she says, but takes his phone anyway. “You would have gotten it from Ali Kemal anyway.”
“Nah, it’s better to ask you directly.” He watches her punch in her number and save her contact with a simple ‘Hilal’.
“Here. Now what?” she hands him his phone back with a playful glint in her eyes.
Leon grins at her and pockets his phone. “Now,” he declares. “Now, I’m hoping you’re free for brunch today…or if I should make you my baklava, just in case my brother’s helpful comments have set an impossible standard.”
She snorts. “You don’t actually have to make baklava for brunch.” She looks away, shy all of a sudden. “Maybe make that next time.”
“Next time?” His grin couldn’t have gotten wider. “We haven’t even gotten to one date yet, and we’re already setting up a third one.”
“Shut up,” she shakes her head, but still smiling. “So what do you suggest for brunch?”
Leon's grin softens slightly, his eyes holding hers. "Honestly? I’m okay with anywhere. I’m just happy you said yes.” He straightens. “But if you’re looking for suggestions, there’s this great cafe near the park. Or we could toast the leftover bread from last night, and eat it on the couch if you’re still tired.”
Hilal considers him, feeling at ease. “The cafe sounds great. Although anywhere does work.”
She smiles at him, only to realize she already is, and he’s mirroring it back to her. Leon had been talking about decisions last night. She’s not entirely sure about love at first sight, and she can’t decide on that just yet, but she knows that this is a door opening for her. She decides to walk through it, and she’s excited to see the what’s on the other side.
