MAKTUB. IT IS WRITTEN. A Love That Crossed Oceans, Languages, and Time Zones Some love stories begin with a chance encounter. Theirs was written long before they ever met. Maktub. In 2022, Sadaf was in Istanbul with her family, celebrating a cousin’s birthday at Nusret Steakhouse. As the night drew to a close, baklava was ordered - a dessert that would quietly alter the course of her life. Haci brought it to the table, performing with playful charm, but it was her presence that held his attention. When she teasingly brushed his hand away, he swears he felt a spark - electric. Unmistakable. As Sadaf left the restaurant, she turned back once, hoping for another glimpse of him.  Although she didn’t see Haci again that night, their fate was already written. Hours later, a message appeared. Haci found Sadaf on Instagram through the restaurant’s location tag. What could have remained a fleeting moment became something extraordinary. Over the next three days - her final days in Turkey - Haci & Sadaf were inseparable. Though they didn’t share a language, Google Translate filled the gaps. Laughter did the rest. They talked, explored, and connected in a way that felt effortless, as if time had folded in on itself and they were rediscovering something already familiar. On their last night together, just before Sadaf’s flight home, they exchanged small tokens that carried the weight of destiny. She removed a butterfly clip from her hair and placed it in his hand, whispering, “This is to remember that I am only one flight away.” He responded by pressing a keychain from his own keys into her palm, saying, “This is to remember that you will always have a home with me.” From that night forward, they never stopped talking. Oceans stretched between them, time zones intervened - but nothing could dull their spark. What began as an order of baklava morphed into a love that proved unbreakable. A reminder that when two souls are meant to find one another, distance dissolves, language fades, and fate always finds a way. Maktub. It was written.