#leyla.001

The bar heaved with people in costumes, drunk and letting loose. Gabe didn't know Briar could throw down like this, and he had to admit he was impressed. The place was popping, and everyone had put in so much effort with the outfits. He had chosen Jason from Friday the 13th to add horror to the night's festivities. Girls found slasher dudes hot, right? That's what Gabe argued when he received a few stares.

It had been a few hours already, and Gabe was already tipsy, texting Benny frantically to get his ass here. His mask lay discarded on the table as thumbs continued to tap his screen, pestering his best friend. He had agreed to some dumb trick-or-treat thing with a local mom and her kid. The thought of which made Gabe shiver. The idea of kids had always terrified him, yet his best friend was running around playing daddy. A far cry from the Benny of the Chicago days.

He felt someone hit his shoulder, and he turned to see a woman in a suit with what appeared to be an inflatable alien by her feet—the things you could only see on Halloween. "I think you dropped your buddy," Gabe teased, holding up the alien. His eyes finally took her in, and a smirk spread over his lips, dimples showing. "Women in black, huh? Sexy..." There was something undeniably attractive about a woman in a suit, the power. "Can I get you a drink?"

The staff break room was not the best, but it was closed off enough that it allowed the employees to feel separated from their work spaces. It was not a place you could just pop in and out of all day long and was intended to only be used for legitimate break times. Now on her lunch, Jessica had grabbed an order of chinese food and found a table with no one at it. Slumping down in the chair, the brunette pulled her long hair up into a messy bun before beginning to eat with a smile.

The memory of her walking into the party had been playing in Ozan's mind over and over, the smell of perfume as they danced. It had all felt like a dream. They hadn't even spoken and found each other in the crowd, something cosmic pulling them together. Ozan had spent years thinking about the day they would reunite, and he couldn't even imagine everything he would have felt then. Maybe it was the impending anaphylactic shock, but his skin was on fire, and he could barely breathe just from the sight of her. He couldn't shake that feeling.

Now, he stood outside the coffee shop, watching her through the window. He nervously rubbed the stubble on his chin, trying to move his feet to go inside, but they felt like they were weighed down by bricks. Ozan sucked in a breath, then finally stepped inside. The scent of the sweet baked goods calmed him for a moment, but then he saw her again and felt that rise in his heart rate. "You can do this..." he mumbled, taking more steps towards her. Finally, he was at the counter and cleared his throat to catch her attention. "Leyla..."

There was something exhilarating about life in New York. Ozan had spent all of his life in the small town of Briar Ridge, and despite many vacations in big cities and on sandy beaches, exploring somewhere alone was liberating. Sure, he was there on business under the family name, but his free time was his own.

As a young man, Ozan spent most of his time with friends in darkly lit nightclubs, pretending to enjoy the loud music and alcohol. Neither particularly interested him, but he wasn't exactly sure who he was in any capacity, so it was much easier to blend in.

The night took a surprising turn when the familiar curls of the one Leyla Yilmaz caught his attention, bringing a grin to his handsome face. "Ah, Leyla..." he chimed, honey-colored eyes glinting with excitement. She might drive him crazy, but she was always amusing. "Leyla, Leyla, Leyla — are you stalking me now? This is the third time I've happened upon you this week."