The One Who Got Away

{Chap+er 2}

"The party's here!" I open the glass sliding door to Beste and Ayhan standing out on the patio. It really should be no surprise to find them here. This home is as much theirs as it is mine if their house slippers that maintain permanent residence here are anything to go by. Actually thinking about it now, I see that it took them long enough to descend on me like pigeons on someone eating a sandwich at the park.
"I take it you saw the #WeAreBackBaby post," I say still feeling like I've been punched in the boob. And judging by the bottles of tequila and pinot noir under Beste's arms, my besties have obviously come to save me with a drunken girls night. I can't argue that may be exactly what I need right at this moment. Beste slips off her stilettos for her red designer faux fur mules with horse mouth bit detail. While Ayhan grabs her bear claw slippers. And a small smile passes my lips when I think how their current footwear perfectly matches each of their personality types.
"Well, do you make yourselves at home," I mutter belatedly. "And you, aren't you supposed to be on a diet?" Turning to watch Ayhan stuff her mouth from a super size bag of popcorn.
"That's why I brought popcorn. I may as well be swallowing air." She goes to plop herself down on the living room floor next to Beste who is already making fast work of opening the tequila bottle.

"I'll go get the shot glasses." I say, starting off towards the kitchen that is in clear view owing to the open-plan layout. I return back to the living room to set the glassware down with a plate of baklava on the low coffee table.

×××××××

"I got it!" Beste jumps up almost spilling her drink. After more than a few glasses later. "Group Tinder. Two and a half single women, should be fun." She says looking to us as if for confirmation.
"Two and a half?" I ask confused.
"Yeah, well I don't know what to make of my relationship status with CeyCey. He blows hot and cold." Shocker! Ayhan's 'it's-complicated' boyfriend, CeyCey is a peculiar man that has the tendency to screech like a banshee at the slightest things.
"All the more reason to get back out there and show him what he is missing and you too, quite frankly." Beste says giving Ayhan a knowing look and sitting back down. But because I don't want to involve myself in another Beste scheme I say,
"No. No way! Last time I let you set me up it was an epic failed experiment. I ended up matched with lovesick, puppy dog eyes, Osman. He was convinced that I was the mother of his future unborn babies after just one date."
"Don't forget the self-absorbed model, Sinan." Ayhan chimes in.
"Exactly. That will be an unequivocal no, thank you very much!" I say with emphasis.
But in true Beste fashion who will never take 'no' for an answer. She simply replies,
"That's because you're doing it all wrong. It's not about finding Mr. Right but Mr. Right Now. Just swipe right then text 'sup' . If everything goes as planned you’ll be someone's pound cake before the night's through." And with that I forget all about the circles swirling before me eyes to look at her mortified.
"Who are you and should I be worried that we're friends?" I ask, seriously mulling over how we got to become friends.
"You know love me!" Beste gives me her best Cheshire cat smile. "Besides I'm you're person." She adds smugly with enough confidence of someone that has yet to battle rejection.
"Hey, I thought I was your person." Ayhan looks at me with mock hurt.
"You're both my persons." I say to both women and it's true. I don't know how I could have survived the last few years had it not been for my squad.
"Aww" They chorus coming in for a group hug. After some time we pull apart and clink our glasses together. "Cheers!!" All three of us say in sing-song voices.
"As your publicist I feel that it is my duty to warn you against nudes." Beste says in  what I guess would be a very serious conversation if we weren't already through our bottle of wine. "Unless you're angling for a breakout role on a reality TV show and becoming the next Kim Kardashian. Or is that Kim Kardashian Thomas Humphries West almost Davidson. Wow, that's a mouthful! I can see why it's called keeping up. But you get the general idea, right?"
"I don't think you have to worry about all of that" Ayhan manages to say between burps.
"So you're still hung up on him then?" Beste throws me a look. A look I can't meet and apparently my silence speaks volumes because she continues. "To be honest no one can blame you. The man looks like a Disney prince that stumbled out of a GQ magazine ad."
"And those dimples..." Ayhan gushes dreamily in complete agreement.
"They always were my kryptonite." I admit with a sad smile.
"But then he left you to take a job with his ex in the Balkans and ghosted you so screw him!" Beste says taking another shot. My head knows she's right but if only my heart can remember it.
"Come on what's it with the melancholy mood this is supposed to be girls night." Ayhan says picking up on my depro mood. She starts tapping at her phone and almost immediately it connects to the Bluetooth speakers. Soon the room is engulfed with groovy dance fusion tunes from her Spotify playlist and we all get up to sway along to the beat.