I watched her sleep. The quiet rhythm of her breathing filled the room, soft and even, a sound that somehow steadied me. The faint glow from the city outside cast thin lines of light across her face. Peaceful. Untouched by the chaos she always seemed to carry within. And as I looked at her, a memory from years ago crept into my mind, faint at first, then painfully clear.
I was sixteen the first time I met Ahce.
Back then, she wasn't the kind of woman she is now, calm, mysterious, and unreadable. She was bright. Vibrant. Like sunlight you couldn't look at for too long without blinking. Her confidence intimidated me, her brilliance, even more so. Everything she did carried purpose, precision, and a strange sort of grace that made her stand out among everyone else.
She was kind, too. Always protecting the people around her, always giving more than she should. I used to watch her from afar and wonder how someone could be that good, that sure of herself.
