Tell Me You Hate Me

Chapter 3

Istanbul, nine weeks ago...

"Was that Serkan Bolat just leaving from your gate, Eda? Or I lost my sight, and I need the glasses?" Ceren entered the patio where Eda was sitting and drawing. Eda smiled to herself but tried to keep a serious face in front of her friend.

"I don't know, Ceren. You might need the glasses."

"It is him, Eda! It must be! He was wearing the same clothes as in the morning!" Ceren quickly crossed the distance to the table and put her bag down, keeping her curious gaze on Eda, who was visibly bothered by her comment. "The morning? How do you know what he was wearing?"

"So that was him!" Ceren crossed her arms on her chest as Eda copied her gesture. "How do you know what he was wearing?!"

"Don't be jealous, Eda." Ceren smirked slightly and sat down on the chair. "My father's firm just landed a big contract with him. We will take care of his future contracts. I got assigned to the team, and I was in the meeting with him and his partners at Artlife."

Eda realeased her breath. "I'm not jealous, Ceren. I was just curious."

"Eda, he is your boyfriend!"

"No, he's not." Eda denied it firmly, but she felt her cheeks turn pink at Ceren's remark who wouldn't be a lawyer if she hadn't noticed Eda's reaction.

"But you know him, and you're blushing. How long you've been seeing him?"

"Who are you seeing, Eda?" Melo just arrived, and Ceren turned to her to share the news. "She's dating Serkan Bolat!"

Melo stopped, stunned, and looked at Eda. Her eyes almost fell out of her orbits. "Ne?! Serkan Bolat! The Serkan Bolat! The most eligible bachelor in the country?! And you didn't tell me! It was him you were sneaking to see this past week!" Melo held the accusatory finger at Eda.

"Uff Melo, calm down. I just met him a couple of days ago, and we spent some time together. He is practically my boss. He hired me as the landscape architect after I'll finish my internship." Eda tried to dismiss her friend's comments, but Melo didn't give up.

"And you are telling me that you were blushing at the messages from your boss? And if he is your boss, why he texts you in the middle of the night!?"

"He had a landscape problem to solve?" Eda gave her a silly smile.

"And I'm the queen of England! I can't believe my best friend is dating Serkan Bolat, and she didn't even tell me!" Melo raised her hands and sat heavily on the other chair, giving Eda disappointed look.

"Melo, it is a fresh thing. I didn't want to jinx it."

"So he is your boyfriend." Ceren entered the conversation again, not letting the topic drop.

Eda shrugged her shoulder. "I don't know. He didn't ask me." And smiled, adding. "Yet."

"Yet." Ceren repeated with a knowing look. Melo leaned down on her arm on the table. "Did he kiss you?"

"Melo!"

"Eda, you owe us some information now." Melo still was pouting at Eda for keeping that news from them.

"He didn't kiss me, he just..." Eda hesitated, "Eee, he gave me a couple of kisses on the cheek to say goodnight, and sometimes he holds my hand." She was red now. "We usually go for walks and talk. And I can talk with him about everything. He is so smart and intelligent."

"So, he is a romantic type and gentleman." Melo said dreamily, resting her cheek on her palm, looking afar and planning their wedding.

"Eda, don't you forget that he is extremely hot and rich?" Ceren giggled, seeing that Eda put her cheek on her palm too and was probably planning the same event as Melo, as she started saying in a dreaming voice. "He is very handsome and sexy, but there is so much more to him..."