After hours on the road, the van finally shuddered to a halt in a small, pristine town that seemed untouched by time. Their accommodation, pre-arranged for the five-day stay, was the town's sole guesthouse, offering just two rooms: one for the three men and one for the two women. 🔑
After unloading their luggage and paying the driver, who promptly left, the group entered the quiet lobby. While the others lingered near the entrance, Yugh walked to the counter, collected two keys from the young woman there, and distributed them. Room 102 for Yugh, Udin, and Nazim. Room 108 for Anisa and Seyda.
Both rooms were on the second floor, but they represented two different worlds. Turning left from the staircase led to rooms 100 through 104. Turning right led to 105 through 109. It was a silent, physical division of their group. 🔛
With a wordless nod, they split up. In Room 108, Seyda and Anisa, bone-tired from the journey, collapsed,Seyda onto the small sofa and Anisa onto the bed,lying still until the deep travel fatigue began to recede. Later, they took turns freshening up in the bathroom, the simple act of showering washing away the dust of the road.
Next door in Room 102, the three men passed the time with easy, scattered conversation before cycling through their own showers. Later, they knocked on Room 108 and escorted Seyda and Anisa downstairs for a late lunch, though the clock already read 4:00 PM. 🕓
Seated around the table in the guesthouse's simple dining area, the conversation was polite, focused entirely on logistics. They spoke of the work ahead, the schedule for the next day, and their hopes for a successful shoot. The topics were safe, practical, and collective. The unspoken tensions from the van ride, the weight of a head on a shoulder, the memory of a farewell kiss,all of it was carefully packed away, buried under talk of camera angles and sunrise timings. The real division wasn't between left and right corridors anymore; it was between the spoken and the felt, a chasm masked by the clatter of cutlery and plans for tomorrow. 💥