A few days later, the classroom was filled with its usual atmosphere.
Nayza sat beside Doruk, while Leera and Yesir occupied the seats in front of them. Some students were talking among themselves, others were studying quietly before the lecture began. Erhaan was also sitting silently at his desk.
Almost everyone had already arrived.
A few moments later, a girl entered the classroom. She was actually one of their classmates, though she rarely interacted with anyone.
Instead of going to her usual seat, she walked toward Erhaan and stopped beside him.
"Can I sit here?" she asked softly.
Erhaan simply nodded once in response.
After taking the seat beside him, the girl smiled lightly. "Hello. My name is Huru Azryel."
"Hello," Erhaan replied calmly.
From across the classroom, Nayza's eyes unintentionally drifted toward them.
She noticed Erhaan answering the girl without hesitation.
So he can talk normally to other people... she thought quietly. That means he had only had a problem with me.
For some reason, the realization stung slightly, though she quickly tried to brush it away.
It's fine now anyway. I changed my seat, so he probably doesn't have a problem anymore.
Then her gaze shifted toward the unfamiliar girl again.
Who is she...? I don't think I've noticed her before.
Curious, Nayza leaned slightly toward Leera. "Leera, who's that girl sitting beside Erhaan?"
Leera looked genuinely happy hearing Nayza ask about someone on her own.
Over time, she had started noticing small changes in Nayza. She spoke a little more now, paid attention to people around her, and no longer stayed completely disconnected from everything.
"That's Huru," Leera explained warmly. "She's from our class."
"Oh," Nayza murmured. "I never really noticed her before."
Leera laughed softly. "You don't notice anyone. I've already realized that about you."
Nayza smiled sheepishly. "Really?"
"Yes," Leera replied with amusement.
Soon after, the lecture finally began.
Everyone focused quietly on the professor, taking notes and listening carefully.
In the middle of class, Doruk leaned slightly closer toward Nayza and whispered softly enough not to disturb anyone.
"Hey, Nayza."
"Hm?" she responded quietly.
"We're friends now, right?"
Nayza looked at him briefly. "Obviously."
A grin appeared on Doruk's face. "Then will you come shopping with me this weekend?"
Nayza blinked in surprise. "Who else is coming?"
"Just us," he answered casually. "I already asked Yesir and Leera, but both of them are busy. So... if you're free, come with me."
Nayza was free.
But the moment she realized it would only be the two of them, hesitation immediately filled her mind.
How am I supposed to go alone with him...?If Leera was coming too, it would've been fine... but alone? How?
Doruk noticed the nervousness on her face almost instantly.
"I had a feeling," he whispered with a teasing smile. "You've never gone out alone with a guy before, right? Leera even told me beforehand. She said, 'Be nice to Nayza. All of this is new for her.""
Nayza looked away awkwardly. "Oh..."
Seeing her reaction, Doruk chuckled softly.
"Relax. It's normal. Friends are usually very comfortable with each other." Then he added casually, "You wouldn't believe it, but boys and girls friendship are so close they can sleep on the same bed or even use the same bathroom, they share everything. These days, stuff like that is common."
Nayza looked genuinely shocked hearing that.
"Really?"
"Yeah," Doruk replied confidently. "It's very normal nowadays."
Nayza stayed quiet for a moment before slowly nodding. "I see... alright then. Let's go."
"There we go," Doruk said with satisfaction. "Now I won't have to go alone."
A few seconds of silence passed before he spoke again.
"From now on, I'm your best friend. Stay with me, and you'll change a lot."
Slightly embarrassed, Nayza lowered her gaze before quietly nodding in agreement.
"Alright then," Doruk said quietly. "Here's my number. Send me your address there, and I'll come pick you up."
Nayza's eyes widened slightly. "Ah... no, no. That's not necessary. I can come by myself. Just send me the location."
Doruk let out a small laugh. "We literally just talked about this, remember? Come on, Nayza… don't be so embarrassed."
Nayza hesitated for a few seconds, clearly unsure. In the end, she gave in with a small nod. "Okay… fine then."
It was around 8 at night when Doruk arrived at Nayza's apartment.
After that, both of them left together for the shopping mall.
They spent time shopping together while Doruk constantly kept Nayza entertained. Nayza was also feeling really happy around him. The two of them tried different clothes, ate together, and kept wandering around the mall.
While walking through the mall, Nayza's eyes suddenly fell on the jewelry section.
Doruk noticed her looking there and said, "Let's go there too."
Inside her mind, Nayza quietly thought, I hope it's exactly what I'm thinking about.
The two of them walked toward the rare items section.
Nayza had always been interested in old rare things, whether it was a stone or some accessory.
Both of them kept looking at different items.
And then finally, Nayza's eyes found it. The moment she looked at that thing, her eyes instantly lit up. But at the same time, sadness slowly appeared on her face.
And suddenly, she remembered something.
Flashback [ An eight-year-old little girl was staring at a tiny key pendant with sparkling eyes.
"Wow... this is a magical gate key," little Nayza said excitedly. "If I had this, then a secret door would appear in my room, and I could open it with this key and go to another world."
Just then, her mother suddenly snatched the pendant from her hands and placed it back.
"There you are. I've been looking for you everywhere, you ill-mannered girl."
Nayza's heart instantly sank. She stayed silent. Her mother grabbed her hand and pulled her away from there.
Even while leaving, Nayza kept looking back at the pendant. ]
Just then, Doruk's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "You like this tiny key pendant?"
The childlike excitement inside Nayza instantly woke up.
"Yes!" she said excitedly. "I really like this. You know, Doruk, when I was little, I used to think I could go to another world through keys like this."
Doruk smiled softly hearing her cute words. "Oh really?"
Nayza nodded happily.
"Yeah. I saw a pendant exactly like this when I was little. And I just knew there would definitely be one like it in the jewelry section."
She carefully looked at the pendant again. "Look... it feels like this key is made from some kind of rare stone."
For the first time, Doruk was seeing Nayza talk this freely and excitedly. And at that moment, he simply kept staring at her.
Seeing her like this made him feel strangely happy. "Is that so?" he said softly.
Nayza nodded again. "Yeah."
Then Doruk suddenly turned toward the staff member. "Please pack this one. I'll pay for it."
Nayza instantly looked at him in surprise. "H-Hey no, I'll buy it myself. You don't have to."
"No," Doruk replied calmly. "I'm buying it."
"No, please. I'll buy it myself," Nayza insisted.
Doruk looked at her gently before speaking in a calm voice.
"Nayza, listen to me. This is the first time we came out together like this, so let this be a gift from me. Please. If you accept it, our friendship will become even deeper."
Nayza felt slightly awkward hearing that, but after understanding what he meant, she quietly accepted it.
Nayza also bought Doruk a bracelet. It was simple... but elegant.
After that day, Nayza's friendship with Doruk, Leera, and Yesir became even closer.
Especially with Doruk.
He would constantly tease Nayza, joke around with her, and keep bothering her playfully. And slowly, Nayza also started becoming comfortable around him. But not that talkative.