Something is wrong with him.
Aside from giving me my breakfast which he made his unwanted daily duty for some unknown reasons, he doesn't really looks like himself.
Even if I don't want to talk about our past, I certainly know the meaning behind all of his smiles. I just know which ones are genuine and which ones are for show.
For others he looks the same sunshine boss who's smile doesn't changes everyday.
But I know when those smiles are real.
Throughout the whole morning I watch him through the glass doors of his office, trying to decipher his mood.
He doesn't looks content either. He looks upset and troubled, as if he revised something he always avoids.
And why can I see still read him so well?
Also why am I so concerned?
"Keeping eye on the boss?"
I startle and whip my head away from him to the sudden appearance by my desk.
I stand up from my chair, "Mrs. Arzu."
She smiles, her light brown eyes, the same as Safa, radiates with warmth as she watches me. "It's okay, you can call me by name like you always do."
I smile, "You are my boss here."
She pats my shoulder, "Not me, but he is."
I nod, "How can I help you?"
"I just came here to show Doruk the final edits of the Valentine's Day collection." She holds up a file.
"Oh? It's done already? Didn't we shoot just last week?" I look at the file in her hand, curious to know about the photos.
"It was a deadline project, so we had to speed up." She offers the file to me, "Do you want to take a look?"
I shake my head, "No it's alright."
She smiles, "It's you in those pictures, you sure you are not curious?"
Oh I am.
I nod, "I am, but you must be running late on your meeting with Mr. Doruk, I won't hold your time."
She sighs, "As you say, see you later."
I nod as she walks towards the cabin and I sit down on my chair, going back to work on my computer.
Fifteen minutes later, Mrs. Arzu walks out of the cabin and gives me a smile. "I will send you an email ID of an acquaintance who is interested in a collaboration. Schedule a meeting for Doruk."
I nod, "Sure."
I take a peek at the cabin through the glass doors as Mrs. Arzu walks towards the elevator.
Having a better excuse to schedule that meeting, I check the email send by Mrs. Arzu and pick up my diary and go in the cabin to ask him exactly about it.
I enter inside after knocking on the door, he doesn't looks up from the laptop screen as I walk upto his desk.
"Mrs. Arzu just told me about to fix a meeting with the Aksoy group owner, would next week, Monday be good? You only have one meeting that day." I ask playing with the edges of my trusted diary.
He raises his hand towards my diary, "You know my schedule better than me."
I look down at my diary and nod. "Uh yes, but I just wanted to tal-I mean confirm."
I bite my tongue.
He raises an eyebrow, amusement swirling in his blue eyes, "Confirmed then?"
I blink, "Yes?"
"Alright." He nods with a small smile on his face.
Although he had that ever present smile on his face, that one didn't reached his eyes.
A human can manipulate the smile or expressions, but never the eyes. Specifically from those who have seen emotions swirling through those eyes up close.
I lick my lips and turn around, ready to leave when a thought gets better of me and before I I know, I turn around again. "Is it.....is it about what I said?"
"You say a lot of things, which one are you referring to?" Although he didn't meant to show, I think it did hurt him.
I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. "When you dropped me after the shoot and I....are you upset on that?"
He frown, "Who said I was upset?"
"Well no one has to say I can see it." I clamp my mouth shut, "I mean-uh it's not your usual behaviour to be so quiet."
What is wrong with me today? Where is my flow?
He smiles, this one looks close to genuine, "Are you worried about me?"
"Yes!" My eyes widen Did I really said that out loud? "Yes, I should know why my boss is upset so I can uh prevent anything if I have to, yeah." I try to cover up the damage I did.
But it's too late, a flow blown chuckle leaves his mouth, "I am fine, Sakina. Thanks for checking on me."
I take a look at his face and look back at the door, I was warm enough? Right? Should I leave or stay? "Okay."
He smiles again. "Okay."
I walk backwards while looking at him and my back bumps into the glass wall of the door, making me wince.
He winces too, "All good there, Ms. Sakina?"
Still facing him, I open the door behind me trying to ignore the throbbing on the back of my head, "Perfectly fine, Mr. Doruk."
Closing the door, I all but run towards my desk and to possibly hide in a dark hole and never come back.
What had gotten into me back there? I had said mean things to him last week, I shouldn't be showing him that I am worried.
Which I am totally not.
Or am I?
Sitting back on my chair, I rub the sore spot on my head, why did I had to make a fool out of myself?
I open the mail ID Mrs. Arzu send me and shoot up a mail to the company stating Doruk is free for the meeting on Monday and reserve a table at the usual restaurants Doruk conducts his meetings at.
I get a confirmatory E-mail saying Ms. Selvi Aksoy is available too.
Her father Mr. Aksoy had a meeting scheduled for next week but for some reason unknown his daughter will be his proxy.
***
"Ms. Selvi's assistant said they would be on the second floor rooftop." I say as we both enter inside the elevator.
"Alright." He looks at the portfolio bag and my handbag in my hands. "Why are you carrying everything? Give me one."
I hand him the portfolio bag, "Take this."
He takes my handbag and the portfolio bag and weighs them, then he hands me the portfolio bag. "You carry this, I will carry this."
I bite my lip as he lengthens the sling and hangs it on his shoulder, the lavender coloured ladies sling bag looked quite comical on him.
I reach out for my bag, "Don't be silly, give back my bag."
He tsks, "I said no." he hikes the sling up, "Why do you carry such a heavy bag anyway?"
"Because I carry my whole house in it, now give back." I try to take my bag but he swats my hand away.
The elevator door opens and he walks out very confidently with my bag hung on his shoulder.
"We are running late, Ms. Sakina."
"Doruk!" I hiss running behind him, I grab his arm, "We are going to meet clients. Don't do such nonsense."
He frowns, "I am only helping you. There is nothing nonsense involved."
Before I could argue further, Doruk raises his hand to someone behind me and drags me with him with his hold on my blouse's sleeve.
"Doruk." A sophisticated brunette with sharp features wearing a pickle green dress, who looked and dressed like a runaway model greets Doruk.
Doruk reaches out to shake his hand, "Selvi."
The model looks at his hand and chuckles moving forward, wrapping her arms around him.
My mouth hangs open as I see Doruk patting her back with a smile on his face.
Selvi chuckles and moves back, "How are you? I am seeing you after ages!"
I close my mouth and raise my eyebrows as she places a hand on his arm.
"I should be saying that to you." Doruk makes no move to step back from that brunette pickle's hold. "I am not the one who visits Istanbul rarely."
Selvi laughs—no more like attempts to control her cough— "You know Germany kept me busy."
"Excuses. Excuses." Doruk mutters shaking his head.
Something sparkles in that pickle's eyes and she places her hand on his chest, "I will make up for our lost time now that I am back."
That's it.
I clear my throat stepping between them, I shove Doruk back with my shoulders, making him lose his grip on her, "Nice to meet you, Ms. Selvi, should we get started with the meeting?"
Selvi snaps her eyes away from Doruk and looks at me, tilting her nose up, she stares down at me, "And you are?"
I smile, "Sakina Safi, Mr. Doruk's assistant." I look at my watch, "We are already two minutes late from our scheduled time, so if you may," I gesture at the table.
Selvi raises a laminated brow at me before nodding and taking a seat on the table opposite to where her assistant sat.
"Take a seat, Doruk." Selvi pats the chair beside her.
I take a breath, trying the elevate the building pressure on my chest.
Doruk looks at me with a raised eyebrow and I give him a blank look.
He gives that pickle a smile, "Sure, Selvi."
"Mr. Doruk." I call him, he looks over his shoulder, amusement swirling in his eyes. "Can I get my bag back please?"
"Oh, yes." He places my bag on the table and rounds the table to take a seat beside Selvi.
Selvi eyes my bag kept on the table, "Why were you carrying her bag, Doruk?"
Doruk shrugs, folding his sunglasses and hooking it on his jacket's pocket, "She had her hands full."
"Thank you for offering your kindness, Mr. Doruk." I give him a smile, taking a seat beside pickle's assistant, I look at the pickle, "You must be aware how much of a gentleman Mr. Doruk is."
Selvi bites the inside of her cheek and access me with her foxy eyes with makeup done to perfection. "I am aware, of course."
Selvi's assistant clears her throat, "Should we get started?"
Doruk nods, "Absolutely. Ms. Sakina, the designs please."
I take out the design prints from the portfolio bag and hand it to him.
He opens the file and shows it to pickle, "Here are few designs which I sketched for the collaboration."
Selvi skims through the designs and nods, "Stunning."
"You know me, nothing but perfection." Doruk chuckles.
Selvi looks at him with her foxy eyes again, "Just like you."
I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
Just how dense could she be?
She touches his arm again, this time, Doruk very subtly moves his arm to grab the file. "Thank you for the compliment, if you have approved the designs, you can start the work."
"Ah yes, effective immediately." She nods at her assistant, "Ece, show the variety of stones I selected for this project."
Ece nods and opens her Ipad to show Doruk, he takes the Ipad from her and swipes through the designs.
I pick up the the glass of water and pause as I see pickle's evil gleaming eyes directed at Doruk. If it were upto her, she would slither on Doruk like a snake.
Selvi leans closer to him, "Topaz. I personally find it very fascinating."
"Because of your star sign, I assume?" I place the glass back on the table, quite forcefully.
She looks at me and gives me a discreet glare, "That too."
"Hmm." I tap my nails on the table, "It's a pity Mr. Doruk doesn't believe in horoscopes."
Selvi gasps, "Is it true, Doruk?"
Doruk shrugs, "I don't see anything logical in it."
Selvi purses her lips and nods, her face tight with frustration.
Ece winces beside me, "Shouldn't have said that."
I raise my eyebrow, "Fear no one."
She rolls her eyes, "You don't. I do."
The meeting goes on till an hour, thankfully it was an evening meeting so no big food except refreshments were ordered.
I had to resist picking up a fork and bend it with my bare hands each time Selvi opened her mouth or tried to touch Doruk.
I don't understand why do I feel the sudden hate towards her, but I just do.
I just don't like her.
"All good there, Ms. Sakina?" Doruk glances at me, his thumb tapping on the steering wheel of his car.
"Yes, Mr. Doruk." I reply looking out of the window, "How are you feeling? Meeting an old friend? Must've refreshed memories."
Doruk shakes his head, "Friendship is an exaggeration in business world. Either you are a good acquaintance or power hungry."
I hum, "So Selvi is a good acquaintance?"
He shrugs, "She is, Aksoy group has good work ethics plus the investments we do and vice versa."
I scoff, "She certainly looked like a good friend."
Doruk stops the car as we reach the company's parking, "I won't call her that."
I clench my jaw. Not understanding the tight knot forming in my chest. "More than friends than?"
The atmosphere in the car went silent.
Two fingers touch my chin and my head is tilted towards the left. "Not even friends. It's an exaggeration."
"Why?" I ask.
He smiles, his fingers on my chin moving up to tuck a strand behind. "Because for me that title is reserved for only one person."
My breath gets struck in my throat, "Is that so?"
He nods, his eyes roaming over my face. "The moment that little girl with blue dress declared she will be my best friend, since then no one has the right for that position."
I struggle to take a breath and look away from his ocean blue eyes, which begs to be drown into.
I open the car door, "Uh um we have to finalise the stones or whatever."
I don't wait for him and get out of the car, heading towards the elevator.
I look over my shoulder to see him still seated inside the car and looking at me.
He doesn't smile, but his eyes does.
********************************************
********************************************
A/N:-
Who knew friends to lovers would be an interesting trope to write
Vote. Comment. Share. 🩵