“Don’t wear heels,” Anne advised. “That’s trying too hard. You’re both fuck buddies, not life partners. Plus, he’s already seen you naked. Just put on a pair of jeans and a skimpy top, and you’re good to go, wherever he takes you.”
“I have a black halter dress you could borrow,” Tracy offered. “We’re the same size and it fits like a glove. If you don’t want to pair it with heels then you can just use your black sneakers. Put your hair up and accessorize with some golden hoops. You’ll look effortlessly stunning.”
The suggestion sounded great to me.
Chapter 6
Leah
Two hours later, we headed over to the Bazaar in the town center.
It was held on streets along the southern coast, beginning from the harbor under the historical castle.
The three of us took our time, strolling through stalls of clothes and exotic fabric, jewelry, intricate lamps, ceramics, carpets, tea, spices and fruit.
Personally, I was overwhelmed by the staggering abundance and vibrancy of items displayed for sale. The people there came from all over the country and world to participate.
“Tracy, we’ve done something you wanted today,” Anne said. “I hope you won’t be up in arms tomorrow, complaining that we never do anything you want.”
Tracy sent a threatening glance towards her. “You’re already looking for a reason to get out of the tour to the canyon tomorrow? It’s not going to happen. We’re going, and if you don’t want to come along, you can stay behind. Leah will come with me.”
Anne shook her head as she finished up her Simit‒Turkish bagel, encrusted with sesame seeds. She then went over to steal a quick sip out of the pomegranate juice that Tracy had in her other hand.
“Hey!” Tracy cried out.
Anne scurried away before she could be hit. She stood next to me, now completely cured of her hangover and in a bright mood.
My gaze remained solely on the fruit stalls we were approaching. “I want to pick up some apricots,” I said and headed over to a cart filled with the polished orange fruits.
The stall owner, an elderly man greeted me with a smile and immediately offered one to me. I wanted to reject it but he insisted, so I accepted the fruit and took Anne’s bottle of water from her. I signaled to him that I would be heading over to the corner to wash it, and he nodded in complete agreement.
The moment I was done, I returned and bit into one of the juiciest apricots I’d ever had. It had been allowed to thoroughly ripen and thus was very sweet. I took another quick bite, not even minding when the juices began to run down the corner of my mouth. “This is so good you guys.” I turned to my friends as I wiped the moisture off my chin, but their attention was no longer with me. “Anne, try this,” I urged.
She took the fruit from me solely because it was in her face.
I was pretty sure she hadn’t heard a single word I’d said. “What are you guys looking at?”
“Look at that man over there,” Tracy said.
“What man?” I followed the direction of their gazes and found a company of about four people. Three men and a woman. One of the men was dressed in Turkish traditional clothing with a red hat on his head, while the others were dressed more formally. The woman was in a suit, and so was the man by her side. Then the man my friends had been completely smitten by.
The group stood at a textile stall. The man listened to them as they spoke about the fabric, his hands in the trouser pockets of his grey pants. He wore a matching grey waist coat and underneath it, a crisp white shirt open at the collar. He towered over his companions, in both height and presence.
I didn’t need him to turn around for me to know who this was.
“What a fucking specimen!” Anne swore. “Now that’s who I want to pin me against a wall.”
“I love, Jared,” Tracy muttered, “but I’ll take one night with him. Ooh, he’s turning around!” She diverted her gaze.
Anne did not.
I watched her in amusement, and was about to turn away myself, when I made the mistake of glancing at him. Our eyes met, and I felt my heart stop.
“He’s looking over here,” Tracy said excitedly. “Wait a second, doesn’t he look like…”
I broke our gaze and turned around. My hands were shaky as I picked out the number of apricots that I wanted, and then smiled at the man, my complete attention on him.
“That’s Leah’s guy!’ Tracy said, and then tapped me on the shoulder.
I refused to respond.
“Leah, isn’t that your guy?”
“I don’t have a guy.”
“What do you mean?” Anne asked her tone heavy with disappointment.
“Leah, he’s coming over,” Tracy said.
My grip on the bag of fruits loosened. “Fuck,” I cursed under my breath. “I’m so sorry,” I said to the man as he bent down to help me retrieve the fruits. I did the same, trying my best to catch the ones around us before they could get too far away.
The girls also bent down to help me but then one rolled out into the street.
I spotted it, just as Carter bent down to pick it up. He rose to his feet, his gaze on the fruit and then on me. He began to walk over.
I held onto the back of Tracy’s blouse. “I think I'm going to pass out.”
“Breathe,” she said, and had a smile ready for him when he finally reached us.
“Hello ladies,” Carter greeted politely.
Anne’s hand immediately shot out. “Hello yourself,” she said as she lightly brushed her shiny blonde hair over her shoulders.
My eyes widened slightly at her performance, and even Tracy cocked her head.
Carter smiled at her, his smile almost blinding as he took the hand she offered. “I’m Carter Edwards,” he said.
“I’m Anne Curtis. This is Tracy Steans and I’m sure you’re already quite familiar with Leah Peters.”
“Anne!” Tracy smacked her arm.
Not
