Maybe this Time

Chapter 7

"I wanted to thank you for helping me out with the constellation companies case," Ceylin improvised, hoping she didn't sound like she was making up an excuse to be there since she was genuinely grateful for everything Ilgaz had done. "Crux directors are in prison awaiting trial. I couldn't have done any of this without you."

Ilgaz looked deeply into her eyes.

"You probably could have," he said without any trace of emotion. "But you don't have to thank me," the prosecutor added impassively. "I was just doing my job."

Ceylin once again realized she was in for a more arduous mission than originally imagined.

"Is that why you helped me?" She unconsciously bit her bottom lip, testing him. "Because it was your job?"

Ilgaz gazed at her silently for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. Ceylin was under the impression he was trying hard to stay civil and collected. That wasn't a good sign.

"What are you really doing here, Ceylin?" Ilgaz straightforwardly inquired her.

The lawyer fidgeted with her hands nervously. In as much as she wanted to directly confront Ilgaz and clear up all the misunderstandings, she was terrified Ilgaz wouldn't listen or believe her. She needed to ease him into a conversation before bringing up the painful topics.

"I can't believe I can now come and go as I please," the lawyer confessed. "I kept thinking about it... I am free to do whatever I want without the threat of someone stalking me or trying to hurt me," a timid smile danced on her lips. "The more I think about it, the more I feel like we should celebrate tonight," Ceylin hesitated before making eye contact with Ilgaz. "How do you feel about going out to dinner? My treat."

"Thank you, but I just ate," Ilgaz replied with a stern, relaxed tone.

Ceylin was once again faced with his apparent indifference toward their situation.

It wasn't the first time someone treated her with indifference and kept her at arm's length after Ceylin had disappointed them. Her mother, father, and sisters... they'd all done the same thing to her at some point in her life. It made Ceylin feel like she was the misbehaved child and they, the adults who had the right to judge and criticize. The lawyer hated that. Whenever it happened, her first instinct was always to talk back and push their buttons to get into a heated argument.

But for some reason, whenever Ilgaz treated her like that, it felt like her heart was breaking into a thousand pieces inside her chest. Unlike her family, who had a moral obligation to put up with her even when they disagreed with her manners, Ilgaz had always understood and accepted her for exactly who she was. So his rejection had a particularly painful effect.

"Ilgaz," Ceylin's lips trembled as she spoke, "why are you being like that?"

The way her eyes were tearing up with sadness as she looked up at him caught Ilgaz completely off guard. Damn it, why did he always feel like a complete jerk whenever she stared at him with those beautiful eyes filled with so much sorrow and vulnerability?

"Ceylin... I really don't think it's a good idea for us to do this," he said with a neutral, serious voice. Ilgaz took a deep breath, pondering what to say. Despite everything Ceylin had done, he didn't wish to hurt her even more. At the same time, he needed to guard himself. "You did an amazing job gathering information on the companies you were suspicious of, and now we know for sure that justice will prevail," the prosecutor explained, satisfied about that part. "But it's all over now, and there is no reason to continue this," he said gesturing between them.

Ceylin gazed at him, intrigued. She thought about the conversation they'd had a long time before, right after she'd returned from Ankara.

"I thought we'd agreed to be friends," the lawyer wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes gleaming with disappointment.