Eren was accompanying Irem on her way to the street market. The road to the market was a long way and markets were always crowded, he thought he ought to accompany her to ensure her safety. Ever since he told her that she has him, he wanted to make sure she knew he meant his words. He was a little more bold, he held her hand in his and excused that he she should hold his hand to be safe, in case anything happened.
"You seem close to Viyan, you even use the same wordings she does." Irem noted, starting a conversation.
"Oh yeah, did I tell you that I only learnt to speak Kurdish because of her? That's probably why. She raised me, more than my mother did. I remember when I was younger, I wished Auntie Viyan was my mother instead. I used to be really sad when she always travelled back to Kurdistan." He chuckled, his voice softened when he spoke of her and reminisced about his childhood and younger years.
"I'm thankful she did teach you Kurdish or else I wouldn't have got to know you like I do now." Irem told him as Eren's eyes met hers, his own smile mirroring hers as he took in her words.
"She did everything for me, really. My mother and father always threw me to the side because I wasn't 'successful' as my older brother. He has a career in architecture now, he was always the guy on top of his classes. Me, I wasn't like him. I used to mess around, intake drugs and go into street fights coming home battered everyday. They didn't like me, they gave up on me early on so I was always left doing whatever I wanted. My brother used to be jealous because he wasn't allowed to do all those things and go out all the time, they cared about him. But for me, I was an 'embarrassment' because according to them I'm rude and lack manners. Auntie Viyan was different, she didn't see me like that. It felt great being her favourite nephew rather than my brother." Eren told her, his other hand reaching to scratch his neck as he worried about how she might perceive him after what he said. He feared that his honesty might have created a barrier between them, making him wonder if he had shared too much too soon.
"I don't think you're rude." She assured him, her fingers rubbing his hand with her soft touch.
"Wait, really? You think that?"
"I mean you did initially give a rude impression when I first met you, but I don't think that anymore. You're more than that to me, I guess." Irem's voice betrayed some nervousness but her tone remained serious to convey her genuinity.
Eren's lips curled into a smile, relived by her response. "Most women think I'm a dick, but you don't." There was lightheartedness in his tone, acknowledging the reputation he had garnered with women. He didn't care much about what women other than Irem thought of him.
"There's other women?" She asked in a low voice as doubts clouded her mind momentarily.
"No! No. Not like that, nothing for you to get worried about." He abruptly responded in a loud voice, almost shouting to prove his truth and sincerity.
"Who said I was worried?" She laughed, her words teasing him as her concerns disappeared after he told her there aren't any other women.
"Me. I said that." He remarked, a smirk playing on his lips as he exhibited his confidence, amusing Irem and making her laugh further. He took pride in his ability to elicit laughter from her.
"If your brother is an architect, what do you do in Germany?" She asked as she leaned in slightly, her curiosity and interest about him evident in her voice.
"Oh, I work in construction. It's amazing really, right now we're building a new local school in Bremen. You should travel to see it when it's done!" He spoke as his gestures mirrored his words, his hands expressing the grandeur of the work he was doing.
"I'll miss you when you go back to Germany." She sighed, the thought of him going away heavy on her mind. "You made life seem less difficult, you made me happy to wake up everyday to see you. You've been like a friend to me."
Eren's pride was crushed once he heard her refer to him as a 'friend', he didn't want to be her friend, he wanted more than that. His once bright smile was replaced by a hardened expression, the notion of him being a mere friend wounded his ego. Irritated by Irem's presence, he jerked his hand away from hers, his movements sharp and abrupt. For a moment, anger and entitlement took over his mind. He thought she deserved whatever happened to her, she deserved to suffer by the war, all his sympathies disappearing by her perceived rejection.
"You're a bi-" he attempted to insult her but before he could, he was cut off by Irem grabbing his face and kissing his lips. He was taken back, but his hands pulled her closer by the waist as he kissed her back.
Irem let go for a breath of air, still close to Eren as her eyes checked their surroundings to make sure no one's there. Things like public kissing were forbidden in Kurdish society, she was taking a huge risk by kissing Eren. It's not like she expected him to know that considering he's from Germany. Her gaze returned to meet his, her hand gently reached out to touch Eren's face, her thumb softly tracing his lips.
"I was just kidding. You looked like you were going to explode when I called you a friend." She chuckled, amused by his reaction. "What were you going to say before I cut you off?"
"Oh. Nothing, nothing." He quickly uttered, his eyes still fixated on her, trying to comprehend what happened between them. "I like you." He confessed to her.
"I know that." She said with a playful smile on her face, still teasing him.
Eren leaned in to try and kiss her again but she stopped him by placing her hand on his chest as she heard some noise. "We can't do that here. Not when there's other people, I understand it's not like that in Germany but in Kurdistan it's like that. People are going to call me names and insult my father." She whispered to him.
"Okay, okay then." He reluctantly accepted, his tone carrying disappointment.
"But still I like you too, a lot." Irem said, fidgeting with her fingers.
"What's there not to like?" His words carried a light-hearted arrogance, his confidence and charm returning to him.
"Oh shut up!" She laughed again at his egotistical tendencies, her hand pushing him away in a playful manner.