Better Together

All mixed up

"Admit it, mine is better" Ozgur challenged Ezgi as they sat on the terrace admiring the landscape of rolling hills.

"Come on" He insisted as she rolled her eyes.

"Fine your pasta is better than mine but don't forget my pizza was far better than yours." Ezgi responded not willing to give him the satisfaction.

"1-1 then but we still have 3 sessions to go. I'll win" He seemed confident of his abilities. They were having this competition of who made the better dish while they sat eating their own creations at the end of their cooking session.

"If you boast one more time, I promise I'm not entering the kitchen ever again. You can do all the cooking" Ezgi had enough of him boasting his skills though she realised he was much better than her in that field.

"Fine... I admit you've done well picking this wonderful location." He was surprised that she chose this gastronomic Tuscan holiday.

"I think it's time for confession" Ezgi bit her lips as he appreciated her again for this holiday.

"It was a wedding gift from Ozan..." She admitted when she got his attention. Ozan caught her looking for holidays in Italy when she was trying to book something as part of her week of vacation. He was joking about taking a gastronomic holiday so she would improve her culinary skills when their mother interrupted them. Nevin asked him what he was gifting to his sister for her wedding. Ozan cleverly cornered her into accepting this trip as their mum watched them with glee.

"That explains the cooking lessons...." He knew of her interest in cooking despite her father and brother being extremely talented chefs. He laughed while trying to avoid the olive she threw at him.

"I'm done" She got up to go.

"Are you sure you can walk down the stairs on your own?" He asked, trying to stifle a laugh. The days following their mountain trekking, she cried at the sight of stairs and he had to carry her.

"It's been 4 days now, I've recovered." She walked away. He took a last sip of his wine and followed her.

She was quite ahead when he spotted a Gelateria and decided to head there. When he was out, he saw that she was waiting for him outside. He hid the cones behind him and neared her.

"What took you so long? I don't have the keys" Ezgi was annoyed.

"Something to fix your mood" Ozgur handed her the gelato cone and instantly her face lit up.

They sat down at the table on the terrace relishing their ice cream.

"Hazelnut & Chocolate... Perfect" Ezgi was happy that he got the combination she wanted rather than forcing a new flavour.

"I still think you should try different combinations... How much worse could it be? Remember we've already tasted the worst..." He smirked.

"Argh don't remind me of that truffle one... that was awful...You guys didn't even warn me when I took a big mouthful." Ezgi recalled the time when Ozan and Ozgur sneaked her into a Gelato festival.

"You called for it when you refused to share" Ozgur reminded her. They got only 2 cups per flavour to sample as they had just 2 tickets and Ezgi refused to share. The discussion then moved on to the best flavour they tasted.

Later he went down to take a shower leaving her alone to enjoy the serene atmosphere. As the coffee and walnut hit her taste buds, Ezgi looked at the cone in her hand. When did they exchange? She had a strict no sharing policy when it came to food she liked, but it was Ozgur. He always got his way with her. It tasted good so she savoured it.

Staring at the starry sky, Ezgi thought about the changes in her life. There were no dreams or expectations shackling her anymore. Her mother instilled in her the dream of marriage for so long that she sailed through relationships with her rose-tinted glasses on and always ended up hurt. Her last relationship finally burst the bubble surrounding her and opened her eyes to evaluate the person she had transformed into.