Chapter 164: This Is Everything I Wanted…

Deniz’s face now glows with a bright smile, and the sight of it sends a wave of relief through my chest so powerful I feel lightheaded, almost dizzy with it.

The shadows that haunted his expression moments ago—the distant look that made my heart clench—have lifted completely, replaced by something bright and alive.

A soft smile touches my lips, mirroring his, reflecting his joy back at him like sunlight off still water.

The street stretches before us, quiet and still. Streetlights cast warm pools of gold onto the pavement, and the cool night air wraps around us softly.

Deniz’s steps are hurried now, eager, almost boyish. His hand grips mine with an excitement I haven’t seen in him before—a lightness, a freedom, as if he’s shed some invisible weight.

He’s leading me somewhere. I don’t know where—and I don’t ask.

I just follow him. I would follow him anywhere.

He glances back at me, his face full of boyish enthusiasm, eyes sparkling with something I can’t name.

“Zyren, quickly! If we’re late, we’ll miss it!”

My face scrunches in confusion. “Late for what? Where are we going?”

He doesn’t answer. He simply pulls me forward, weaving through the quiet streets with the confidence of someone who knows exactly where he’s going—like he has a secret destination tucked away in his heart.

We stop at a bus stop.

I look around, bewildered. The small shelter is empty, a single bench, a glowing schedule board.

“Why are we here?”

He doesn’t explain. Instead, his hands move to his tie, loosening the knot with practiced ease. He pulls it off, the silk sliding free, and folds it carefully, reverently. Then he reaches for mine.

My eyes follow his movements, hypnotized, caught in the spell of whatever he’s creating.

“What are you doing?”

He loosens my tie and slides it from my collar with gentle fingers, folding it just as carefully before slipping both ties into his pocket.

Then his fingers move to the top button of my shirt, undoing it, pushing the fabric slightly aside.

“We’re going to do what you dreamed of,” he says simply. His voice is soft but certain, like he’s speaking a truth he’s only just discovered.

Before I can respond, lights appear in the distance. A bus approaches, its headlights cutting through the darkness as it pulls to a stop in front of us with a soft hiss.

Deniz’s smile widens even further. He steps onto the bus, then turns at the entrance and offers me his hand.

I stand on the pavement, looking up at him.

At this man who, just moments ago, was lost somewhere I couldn’t reach, drowning in memories I don’t understand.

And now—this same man glows with an energy I’ve never seen before, vibrant and alive and fully present.

“Let’s be teenagers tonight,” he says.

The words hang in the air between us, simple and profound.

A soft smile touches my lips. I nod and take his hand.

He helps me onto the bus, his grip warm and sure, and we walk down the aisle together.

The bus isn’t crowded—just a handful of passengers scattered here and there, lost in their own quiet worlds.

We find seats near the back, and I slide into the window seat. Deniz settles beside me, close enough that our shoulders brushing, our thighs pressed together, our warmth mingling.

I turn to look out the window.

The street rushes by, buildings and lights blurring into a river of color—gold, red, and white streaking past like memories.

It feels like a scene from a romantic novel, the kind I used to read in my tiny apartment, curled on a thin mattress, never believing I’d experience anything like it myself.

“Are you uncomfortable?” Deniz asks quietly. His voice is soft, intimate, meant only for me.

I turn to look at him, my heart so full it might overflow.

“No.”

The word comes out barely a whisper. “This is exactly what I wanted. This is everything I wanted.”

He glances around the bus, his eyes landing on a girl a few seats away. She’s young, maybe early twenties, headphones in her ears, eyes closed, head tilted back, lost in music and her own private world.

He leans forward slightly, polite, hesitant.

“Excuse me, miss?”

She opens her eyes and looks at him, pulling one earbud out. Her expression is curious and friendly, not annoyed.

“If you don’t mind,” Deniz says, his voice warm.

“Could I borrow your headphones for just a moment?”

She blinks, looking at both of us—at our slightly disheveled appearance, at the way we sit so close together. Then a slow smile spreads across her face—knowing, warm, and somehow understanding everything without being told.

“Sure.”

She unplugs them from her phone and hands them over. Deniz takes them with a genuine smile, the kind that reaches his eyes.

“Thank you so much.”

She waves it off, still smiling, and turns back to her window.

Deniz pulls his phone from his pocket and plugs the earbuds into it. I watch his movements, mesmerized, my heart beginning to race with anticipation.

He glances at me. “Which song do you like?”

My cheeks turn pink, warming under his gaze.

“I don’t… I don’t really have one. I never really—” I stop, embarrassed by my own confession.

He doesn’t comment or ask anything more. He just places one earbud gently in my ear, his fingers brushing my skin, sending small shivers down my spine. Then he places the other in his own ear.

“Then I’ll play my favorite,” he says softly.

He taps the screen, and music flows into my ear.

Soft. Melodic. Beautiful.

A gentle guitar, a voice that carries warmth and longing and something that feels like home. I don’t know the song, don’t know the artist, but it doesn’t matter.

His hand slides around mine on the seat between us, warm and sure and present.

My heart races, but not from fear. Not from anxiety. From happiness. Pure, overwhelming, almost unbearable happiness.

We sit in silence, sharing this small, intimate moment. The bus rumbles on beneath us, carrying us through the night toward some unknown destination. The world outside keeps moving, oblivious to the miracle happening in this small seat.

But I don’t care about the world.

I have his hand in mine. I have his song in my ear. I have his presence beside me, warm and real and here.

And for the first time in a long time, everything feels exactly right.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep