Page 44 of My Lucky Star
Chapter 16
Aria
THIS FAKE RELATIONSHIPbusiness was getting out of hand. I closed the car door and groaned. I’d left the office, barely made it to my car, and I’d already lied twice. First, I’d texted Mom and spun a tale about an upset stomach to get out of the fajitas dinner. Then I’d texted Felix, apologizing for my absence, renewing my promise to grab coffees with him, which was probably another lie. I hated lying.
I negotiated my vehicle into the tiny parking lot behind my building and entered through the back door, climbing the narrow stairs. The constant rumble of the industrial dryers made them shake. Gas and overcooked polyester had become the smell I associated with home.
I opened the door to my tiny, bland flat and threw my handbag on the legless spring mattress I called a futon. This was all I could afford right now, but if I worked hard and stayed the course, I would build myself a better life. Not something ‘beyond my wildest dreams’, only something better than this, better than the shit hole student flats in Auckland.
I was proud of myself for all the healthy little steps I’d taken, of embracing reality and playing the long game. No more of that almost-sick feeling of being on the cusp of something huge, the constant anticipation that held you in its grasp but never delivered. Those soul-destroying highs and lows were in the past now.
I thought of Cem, the Mediterranean Demi-God, currently wandering around Napier, getting in trouble and dragging me in with him. Meeting him had shaken the foundations of my carefully constructed plan, but it didn’t have to completely veer me off course. In fact, I should have anticipated temptations and distractions. Maybe not temptations of his magnitude – this was Napier, after all – but resisting their siren calls was a part of any successful plan. I had to be well prepared.
I opened the window and inhaled the flowery scent of late spring. Or was it the laundry liquid from downstairs? Either way, there was something in the air and it filled me with a strange mix of excitement and fear.
I still had Janie’s outfits. One of the three I hadn’t worn yet would have to do. I selected an olive-green linen jumpsuit with spaghetti straps that was comfortable and didn’t stick out too much in my hometown. Even Burcu had been more casual on occasion. I couldn’t wear a bra underneath, but I quite liked the feeling of air moving under the fabric. Paired with studded heels, hoop earrings and a clutch, the combination looked both too dressy for Napier and too casual for Cem’s Instagram. Good enough.
At precisely six o’clock, I arrived at Kerim’s restaurant and found it closed. That’s what the red sign on the door proclaimed, at least. I waited for a moment, peering through the glass window. I raised my hand to knock when Kerim himself appeared to open the door. “Aria!Hosgeldiniz!” He beamed, displaying every tooth in his mouth. He smelled of spices, cigarettes and sweat.
Due to my new nighttime routine of tea andAskta Sansli, I immediately recognized the Turkish word for welcome and responded with “Merhaba!” Hello.
The look on Kerim’s face was priceless. “Burcu?”
“No, it’s me, Aria. Had you fooled for a moment, didn’t I?”
Kerim shook his head and smiled. “Yes, you did. My wife kept insisting it was the actress, Burcu. I got confused.”
Perfect, I thought, following him into the dimly lit, empty restaurant. If I could fool him, maybe I could fool others.
“Why are you closed?” I asked.
“We’re open for you only,” Kerim announced, leading me behind a carved, wooden room divider I couldn’t ever remember seeing.
The restaurant looked different. The tables had been rearranged to create a private dining booth. And there, glowing in candlelight, sporting a moderately shiny, black dress shirt, sat my obsession and nemesis, the dick pic king of Istanbul, Cem Erkam.
He bounced to his feet to help me with my chair, creating an awkward dance with Kerim who’d been trying to do the same thing. “Thank you. I wish I had more than one ass so we could do this twice,” I muttered.
“You’re so weird.” Cem chuckled, sitting down across the table.
