The apartment was quiet.
Nayza and Doruk were sitting together on the same couch, facing tha TV while casually talking about random things.
For the first time since leaving the restaurant, Nayza looked calmer.
Not completely okay.
But calmer.
Doruk noticed every small change in her expression without even trying.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"You know," Doruk suddenly said while leaning back against the couch. "I'm really good at head massage."
Nayza looked at him curiously.
"Really?"
"Yeah." He nodded confidently. "Come here. I'll give you one, then you can sleep peacefully. After that I'll leave."
For a moment, Nayza simply stared him quietly.
Something about the way he cared for her so naturally made her emotional again.
No expectations.
No awkwardness.
Just comfort.
The kind she wasn't used to receiving.
A soft expression appeared on her face.
"Okay," she replied quietly.
Doruk shifted slightly toward the corner of the couch before patting his lap gently.
"Come hair. Put your head on my lap."
Nayza hesitated half a second before slowly laying down across the couch, resting her head carefully on his lap.
Doruk's hands immediately moved into he hair gently.
Slowly massaging her scalp.
Soft. Carefully. Comforting.
Nayza closed her eyes for a second, feeling herself relax almost instantly.
The tension inside her chest slowly melted away.
After a few quiet moments, she spoke softly.
"Doruk..."
"Huh?"
"You care about me so much even though I'm just your friend."
Doruk looked down at her silently while continuing the massage.
Nayza smiled faintly.
"Your future wife will be really lucky to have a husband like you."
A soft laugh escaped her lips.
Doruk stared at her for a second before smirking slightly.
"Do you want to become my wife?"
He said it jokingly.
At least... that's how it sounded.
Nayza immediately laughed.
"Idiot."
Both of them laughed quietly together.
Doruk smiled warmly afterward.
"Well, good. At least you're smiling now."
Nayza looked up at him.
"I really do feel better now."
He voice became softer.
"Thank you, Doruk. You support me a lot."
For a moment, she looked genuinely lost in thought.
"I never thought you'd become such a closet friend... someone I don't feel awkward around. Someone I don't have to think twice before speaking to."
Doruk's expression softened hearing that.
"Maybe it was fate," he said quietly. "The day you changed your seat."
Nayza smiled softly at the memory.
"Yeah..."
For a second, silence settled comfortably between them.
Then Doruk suddenly asked,
"By the way... why did you change your seat that day?"
Nayza blinked.
"Huh?"
"With Erhaan," Doruk continued casually. "Didn't you like sitting with him?"
The moment Erhaan's name came up, something shifted in Nayza's eyes.
"No... it wasn't like that."
Her voice became quieter now.
Almost distant.
"Sitting beside Erhaan..." she paused softly,"having him next to me was slowly becoming a habit."
Doruk frowned slightly.
"A habit?"
He looked confused.
"What's so special about that? He was just your seatmate."
Nayza stayed silent for a moment before shaking her head gently.
"Yeah... forget it."
Then she looked away.
"I'm getting sleepy. Should I go sleep now?"
Doruk smiled faintly.
"Or..."
He gently brushed a few strands of hair from her forehead.
"You could just sleep here on my lap."
Nayza immediately looked at him with disbelief before laughing softly.
"I already feel weird enough right now. We're acting like a couple."
Then her expression softened again.
"But honestly..."
She looked at him quietly.
"For me, this feels more important than love or relationship."
Doruk's fingers slowed slightly in her hair.
He looked at her silently for a second before smiling.
"Same for me."
Then he added teasingly.
It just feels like taking care of a friend who becomes a baby sometimes."
Nayza instantly frowned.
"I'm not a baby."
Doruk laughed quietly while she pouted.
The peaceful atmosphere slowly wrapped around them again.
Their conversation became slower after that.
Softer.
Sleepier.
Nayza's eyes gradually stared closing while Doruk continued gently massaging her head.
Her breathing became calmer.
Her body relaxed completely against him.
And eventually...
She fell asleep.
Doruk looked down at her quietly after realizing she had stopped responding.
For a few seconds, he simply stared.
At her peaceful sleeping face.
At the way she trusted him enough to fall asleep like this.
Something inside his chest tightened strangely.
A feeling he couldn't properly explain.
Carefully, he slide one arm beneath her shoulders and the other beneath her knees before lifting her gently into his arm.
Nayza stirred slightly in her sleep but didn't wake up.
Doruk carried her slowly toward her bedroom and carefully laid her down on the bed.
He pulled the blanket over her gently, making sure she was comfortable.
Then he stood there for a moment silently looking at her.
The room was dark and quite.
Only the soft moonlight falling through the curtains illuminated her sleeping face.
Doruk unconsciously smiled.
"Good night, Nayza."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
Finally, he stepped out of the room and closed the door quietly behind him.
When he checked the time on his phone, it was almost one in the morning.
He rubbed his eyes tiredly.
Only now did he realize how sleepy he was too.
After staring toward Nayza's room one last time, Doruk Walked back to the living room and laid down on the couch.
Within minutes, exhaustion pulled him into sleep as well.
Nearly two or three hours later, Nayza fell asleep on the couch. In her sleep, she unconsciously wrapped her arms around Doruk and held onto him like he was a pillow.
Doruk slowly opened his eyes and froze in shock when he saw Nayza sleeping while holding him so closely. Even in his half-asleep state, his heartbeat suddenly became faster, as if an electric current had passed through his body.
But this was actually one of Nayza's habits. She could fall asleep anywhere without realizing what she was doing.
Doruk, however, didn't know that, which was why he was so surprised seeing her like this.
For a few moments, he simply looked at her quietly.
I wish i could always stay by your side like this... as your pillow forever, he thought.
Not wanting to wake her up, he stayed still.
After fifteen or twenty minutes, Doruk carefully lifted her into his arms and gently laid her down on the bed before returning to the couch to sleep.