chapter 8: Autumn

Kenan was making his way toward his car when he felt a soft brush against his foot.

He glanced down, finding a tiny kitten staring up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"Hey, little bud, I'm in a hurry. I can't play with you," he muttered, stepping aside.

But the kitten, unfazed, meowed and trailed after him, its tiny paws pattered against the pavement.

Kenan sighed, running a hand through his hair before looking around. His gaze landed on a nearby hotdog cart. Without a second thought, he strolled over, the kitten faithfully following behind.

He bought a sausage, crouched down, and tore the wrapper, placing small pieces on the ground.

"So, you were starving, huh?" He patted the kitten's head as it eagerly devoured the food.

Before he could straighten up, two more cats emerged, meowing expectantly. Kenan arched a brow looking at the first kitten with a chuckle. "You don't like eating alone, do you?"

Shaking his head in amusement, he bought three more sausages and fed them as well.

"You guys have company now. I gotta go." He patted the little one's head once more, ignoring how it affectionately licked his shoe.

Turning on his heel, Kenan started crossing the street, scrolling through his phone absentmindedly, while the kitten started following him.

Meow...

The kitten's tiny voice barely reached him.

Then, suddenly-

Loud honks tore through the air.

Kenan's head snapped up at the screeching of tires.

His lips parted in alarm as his gaze darted to the road-

The kitten stood frozen in the car's path, trembling.

"No...!!" A frantic, feminine voice rang out.

Before Kenan could react, a figure darted forward, dropping to their knees just as the car skidded to a halt-barely inches away.

His pulse pounded. He rushed toward the road.

A woman knelt there, cradling the kitten in her arms, shielding it with her body.

Kenan bent slightly, concerned flickering in his stormy, crystal-ocean-grey eyes. "Are you okay, madam?" His deep voice held a hint of urgency.

But before she could respond, the kitten stirred-its tiny claws clinging to Kenan's shoe.

"Relax, little creature," he murmured, bending down to soothe it. "You are fine-"

And in that fleeting moment-

The woman lifted her head and had eye-contact with him.

Kenan's breath stilled, he couldn't complete his sentence when looked in her eyes.

Time unraveled.

His world, once sharp and calculated, dulled at the edges-his surroundings blurred into nothingness.

Autumn~

That was the first thing that came to his mind.

Her eyes-rich like sunlit honey, deep like fallen leaves-held a warmth that starkly contrasted the ice that coursed through his veins.

For the first time in what felt like eternity, he forgot to breathe. His crystal-ocean-grey eyes clashed with hers, and something shifted in the air between them-heavy, charged, and utterly uncontrollable.

It was not just a gaze.

It was an invasion-an unspoken battle where neither retreated.

A firestorm against a winter tide. The depth of her gaze made his chest tighten, a sensation foreign to him.

He had encountered countless women before. None had made his carefully built walls tremble.

But this-this was different.

This felt Serene.....

and his heart was drowning in this Warmth.

Autumn.

That was the first thought that crossed his mind when he saw her eyes, then his gaze noticed the killer winged eyeliner outlining her breathtaking sunnier eyes.

Kenan, a man of precision, of logic, of sharp edges and calculated steps, suddenly felt the corners of his world blur. Her eyes, rich as honey and deep as the crisp hues of fall, stirred something within him-something he couldn't name, something he didn't dare to.

And yet, he didn't look away.

Neither did she.

The air between them grew thick, humming with a tension neither of them acknowledged but both could feel-an invisible force pulling them closer, drowning them deeper.

Until-

"Meow."

The kitten brushed against Chéri's foot, breaking the fragile trance.

Her gaze flickered down to the small creature, and as if she had been released from a spell, she bent to pat its tiny head.

Kenan, too, felt the shift, the abrupt return of reality pressing in on him. He blinked, his senses sharpening again as he silently followed her gaze-only to notice the flowers, scattered like forgotten remnants on the pavement.

She said nothing as she crouched down, gathering them with quiet determination, and he also collected some of the flowers. She was about to get up from the road, He hesitated for a moment, but then he finally extended a hand toward her.

Chéri's fingers paused mid-air. She spared a single glance at his open palm before rising on her own, deliberately ignoring the offered hand.

Kenan's fingers curled into a loose fist before he withdrew it, shoving it into his pocket with an awkwardness he wasn't accustomed to. 'Why did I even do that?' He cursed himself inwardly, masking his slip with a casual tilt of his head.

Meanwhile, Chéri dusted off her floral crinkled frock-elegant, simple. unadorned except for a faint sheen of lip gloss and the striking winged eyeliner that framed her autumn eyes. She looked as effortlessly breathtaking as the season she resembled.

"Are you okay, madam?" he asked while his gaze remained fixated on her.

She nodded, avoiding his gaze.

Just then, the other cats approached, meowing softly as they gathered around the kitten, nudging and rubbing against it as if comforting their lost companion.

Kenan let out a quiet chuckle, "So even these creatures understand emotions."

Chéri's head snapped toward him, brows furrowing. "These creatures are called cats and kittens," she corrected, her voice clipped. "And yes, every living being understands emotions."

Kenan blinked at her sharpness before rubbing the back of his neck. "Umm... I didn't mean it that way, Madam."

She said nothing.

He cleared his throat and held out the flowers he had picked up. "Here. Your flowers."

She glanced at them but shook her head.

"It's fine. You can keep them now." She turned, ready to leave, but his voice stopped her.

"How much, Madam?"

She turned back instantly, eyes narrowing.

Kenan realized his mistake the moment he saw her expression. "I mean, how much do these flowers cost?" he corrected quickly.

Her gaze remained unreadable. "Since you picked them from the road, there's no need to pay for them, Sir."

"It's fine, I can pay." Without waiting for a response, he pulled out his wallet and handed her a 100-euro bill. "Is this enough?"

Chéri looked between the money and his face, something sharp glinting in her gaze. "The original price was 30 euros, But since these flowers have lost their worth, you can just give 10 bucks." Her voice was cold, detached.

She took the hundred, counted out 90 euros, and held it back toward him.

"It's fine, you can keep the rest as a tip," he said, his tone light, casual.

But something in her demeanor changed. The flicker of restrained fire in her eyes burned brighter, hotter.

Without a word, she reached into her purse, pulled out the hundred-euro leaf, and pressed it back into his palm with deliberate force. "Take your money back, and keep these flowers as a tip from me."

Kenan blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Excused...!!! And just like that, she turned, leaving him standing there-speechless.

Kenan stared at her retreating figure before a low chuckle escaped his lips, filled with disbelief and something else he couldn't quite place.

"Did she just use my own baiting words against me?" He shook his head, smirking.

As Chéri walked back toward the seashore, the wind played with the hem of her dress, her silhouette framed by the setting sun.

And Kenan, despite himself, found his gaze following her,

lost once again in a trance he didn't care to escape.

 ****---------****

[Chéri's Side]

Chéri placed the flowers in the basket of her bicycle.

"Chief, that-"

Jiri's voice barely registered in her ears. Without another word, she hopped onto her bicycle and pedaled away, the cool evening air brushing against her face.

Her heartbeat was erratic, wild-out of sync with the rhythm she was used to. The wind rushed past her, but it did nothing to clear the thoughts crashing inside her mind.

Suddenly, she yanked the brakes, coming to a halt on the roadside. Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths.

"What... what happened to me?" Her trembling fingers pressed against her heart, feeling its rapid drumming beneath her palm. "I... I wasn't supposed to talk like that with him...!"

She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, But as soon as her lids shut, the image of those ocean-grey eyes emerged from the darkness-piercing, unreadable, and strangely hypnotic.

A shudder crept down her spine. "He... he is my prey. Then why-?" Her jaw clenched as frustration seeped into her veins. "Why did I feel a chill in my own spine when I looked into his eyes?"

Her plan was simple.

She was supposed to captivate him, lure him in, make him infatuated enough to lower his guard.

And yet...

"Not... not to argue with him like that...!" Her hands balled into fists as she wiped away the beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "Why did I get so bothered...?"

She let out a sharp breath before stepping off the bicycle and walking beside it, her mind clouded with thoughts.

She lifted her head, taking in the sight of the calm streets, the scent of the salty breeze mixing with the fading floral notes lingering on her hands. "Well... this place is indeed soothing..."

Then she closed her eyes to inhale fresh air deeply. But the moment she closed her eyes–A vision of those ocean-grey depths crashed into her consciousness, engulfing her like an inescapable tide.

Her eyes snapped open.

"Why am I seeing his eyes? Aurgh..!! I hate this man even more now...!!"

She gritted her teeth, irritation bubbling under her skin as she picked up her pace, eager to rid herself of the phantom gaze that refused to leave her mind.

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To be continued

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