Page 22

AREZOO

T he morning rush hit the café like a tsunami, and Arezoo was regretting switching shifts with Aliya.

It was only seven-thirty, and she was already overwhelmed.

She dodged between tables, balancing a tray loaded with cappuccinos and pastries, while trying to remember which orders belonged to which customers.

Working the register at her mother's grocery store was child's play compared to this. There, she could stand in one spot, smile, ring up purchases, and place the groceries in bags. Here, she was moving constantly.

Not that Wonder's job was any easier. She was making the coffees, ringing up the orders, and handing out the sandwiches and pastries.

"One almond croissant, one double espresso," Arezoo announced, setting the items before an immortal she recognized but couldn't name.

They all started to blur together after a while.

Like mannequins in a store window, they were all so perfect that it was difficult to tell them apart, and they even dressed the same, or almost the same.

"Thanks, Arezoo." He smiled at her. "Busy morning, eh?"

"Very," she confirmed, already moving to the next table. "Enjoy your breakfast."

She paused at the corner table where Parker and Lisa sat, their heads bent together over a shared muffin. The young couple came early in the mornings before heading out to the school they both attended. They were looking at each other as if the other person were their entire world.

"Can I get you anything else?" Arezoo asked.

Lisa looked up. "Oh! Um, maybe another orange juice?"

"Just one?" Arezoo glanced between them.

"We're sharing," Parker said as a grin lit his handsome face.

How old was he? Maybe Laleh's age? Lisa seemed to be a little older, but she was still the perfect age to be Laleh's friend.

Maybe she should say something?

Perhaps some other time. Arezoo still didn't feel confident enough to just start a conversation. Better yet, she could ask Drova to say something. On second thought, weren't these teenagers the very ones she'd compelled to steal things for her?

Yeah, Drova probably wasn't the best choice for that.

"I'll be right back with your order." Arezoo moved to the next table, but her mind remained on the young couple.

Parker was already immortal, Drova had told her that, and Lisa was a Dormant, waiting to transition when she was old enough to have sex with an immortal.

What were they waiting for?

Lisa was at least sixteen. Girls much younger than her were getting married in Iran, and even though Parker was younger, he was for sure up to the task.

The thought surprised Arezoo with its boldness. Since when did she have opinions about other people's sex lives?

They were clearly in love, though. They looked fully committed to each other, and Parker could give Lisa immortality right now and make her safe instead of waiting. Why delay?

She knew the answer, of course. The clan had rules about age and maturity.

But in the world Arezoo had left behind, girls younger than Lisa were routinely married off to older men.

Her own father had started receiving offers for her when she turned fourteen.

Luckily, her mother was a strong woman who fought for her daughters.

She had found fault in each of the potential matches and convinced her husband that his daughters were worth much more than what was being offered, and that he should wait for the right match.

His greed had saved her from an early marriage, though it hadn't saved her from being kidnapped and?—

No. She wouldn't think about that. Not here, not now, not while she had customers to serve and had to pretend to be a normal girl living her normal life.

After delivering the juice to Parker and Lisa and noting their easy mutual affection, she wondered what it would feel like to have that.

The thought of Ruvon flickered through her mind, and she quickly pushed it away. He would be disappointed today when he came for his usual visit and didn't find her there.

They'd fallen into a routine over the past few days, of him arriving near closing time, ordering coffees and pastries for both of them, and her reading to him from the poetry book.

Somewhere along the way, her wariness of him had faded into something close to friendship.

He listened with such intensity, asked thoughtful questions about the meanings behind the verses, and shared his interpretations, which often surprised her with their profound insight.

But she knew he wanted more. It was in every look, every careful gesture, and every cup of coffee and pastry he bought for her.

He had feelings for her, romantic feelings, while she felt... what? Companionship? A growing fondness that was definitely not love?

"Order up!" Wonder called from behind the counter.

Arezoo hurried over to collect the plates, her mind still churning.

Was she being unfair to Ruvon? Leading him on by spending time with him when she knew she couldn't return his feelings? Or was friendship its own valid thing, separate from romance?

The morning rush eventually slowed to a manageable pace, and Arezoo finally got a chance to catch her breath. She grabbed a sandwich from the display, turkey and avocado on sourdough, and sat at the counter to eat.

"Are you okay?" Wonder asked.

"I forgot how intense it gets here in the mornings."

Wonder's expression softened with sympathy. "I appreciate you switching with Aliya."

"She and Vrog are working on something important." Arezoo took a bite of her sandwich.

Wonder chuckled. "Maybe they are working on a baby."

Arezoo blushed. "Do they want a child?"

Wonder shrugged. "I don't know. The Kra-ell revere children as much as immortals do, but they take their procreation duties even more seriously than we do, so it's possible."

Arezoo didn't even know if Vrog and Aliya were married.

Not that it mattered in the village. Everyone knew who was with whom, and that was enough.

Nothing official was required. Her Aunt Kyra and Max were not talking about getting married, but they were talking about having a baby so Jasmine would have a sister or a brother.

Wonder sighed. "Did you hear from your aunt since she went to Egypt?"

Arezoo shook her head. "No, why?"

"Do you know why she went there?"

"Something about looking for artifacts that will help find the Clan Mother's lost husband."

"Yes, well." Wonder pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Eventually. But before that, they need to find Khiann's best friend, Esag, and they hope he will be able to help them find Khiann."

"I heard my aunt talking about it with my mother, but I didn't pay attention to the details."

Why was she telling her all that?

Wonder let out a breath. "When I was a girl in Sumer—and yes, I'm that old—I fell desperately in love with Esag, Khiann's squire.

Annani was in love with Khiann, so, of course, I had to be in love with his best friend.

Besides, he was tall and handsome, with the most beautiful red hair, like flames in sunlight. I was convinced he was my destiny."

Wonder was mated to a Guardian named Anandur, who fit that description perfectly. It was confusing.

"What happened?" Arezoo asked instead of trying to figure it out.

"As it turned out, he wasn't my destiny." Wonder's smile turned rueful. "Though it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that. A soothsayer told me that my future was with a giant of a man with red hair. Esag fit that description, so I assumed he was the one."

"But he wasn't?"

"He wasn't. He cared for me, but not enough to leave his awful but rich fiancée. And for my part, what I thought was love was attraction mixed with wishful thinking. I wanted so badly for him to be my destiny that I ignored all the signs that he wasn't."

Arezoo set down her sandwich. "How did you know that he wasn't the right one?"

"I met Anandur." Wonder smiled. "After Esag broke my heart, I escaped the palace and joined a caravan bound for Egypt.

An earthquake happened, and I tried to save as many people as I could, but eventually I fell into the chasm as well.

If I were human, I would have died, but I was immortal, so I entered a state of stasis and remained buried for five thousand years.

When I woke up, I didn't remember who I was, let alone Esag, the guy I was supposedly in love with.

I won't bore you with all the details of how I met Anandur, how we fell in love, how I finally remembered Esag but realized that I loved Anandur with everything I had, and that Esag wasn't the real deal for me. "

"Fate must have worked very hard to make you and Anandur happen. He wasn't even born yet when that soothsayer told you about him. Maybe that's why you had to fall in love with Esag and have your heart broken. So you would escape and go to sleep for five thousand years."

Wonder laughed. "You make me sound like Sleeping Beauty."

"You are beautiful, and you slept for five thousand years, so yeah. That fits."

Wonder shook her head. "You know what's funny?

When I was young, I didn't think anyone would ever want me.

I was so tall for a woman in those days, and strong, stronger than even the immortal males.

I could lift things that warriors struggled with.

Annani was like this perfect doll, deceptively delicate and stunning, while I was.

.." She gestured at herself with a self-deprecating laugh. "This."

Arezoo couldn't hide her shock. "But you're gorgeous! How could you think no one would want you?"

"Different times, different standards," Wonder said. "Back then, most people were much smaller. I was too big, too strong, too awkward. Boys didn't find me attractive."

"What about Esag?"

Wonder smiled. "He didn't seem intimidated by my strength, and he was nice to me. He found me attractive, just not enough to leave his awful fiancée for."

"It's strange how we see ourselves," Arezoo said. "And how others see us."

"Indeed." Wonder straightened, preparing to return to work.

"The saddest thing is when people settle for less than they deserve because they don't believe they deserve more.

Both parties suffer in that equation—one from not being truly loved and appreciated, the other from knowing deep down that they're someone's compromise. "

She walked away, leaving Arezoo alone with her sandwich and her suddenly complicated thoughts. Was that what she was doing with Ruvon? Letting him hope for more because she felt sorry for him?

The comparison with Wonder's story was uncomfortable.

Like Wonder had been different from the females of her time, Ruvon was different from other immortal males in the village. Not as classically handsome, not as confident, and probably convinced that no immortal female would choose him. He might have even been spurned by some.

Arezoo liked Ruvon, enjoyed his company, and appreciated his kindness. She loved how his whole demeanor changed when she read poetry to him. But there was no spark, no flutter in her stomach when he smiled, no desire to close the distance between them.

Was she being cruel by being kind to him? Or was there value in friendship itself?

Perhaps she could help build Ruvon's confidence without misleading him. Show him that he was interesting and valuable, help him see his own worth, so he could eventually pursue someone who would love him the way he deserved.

It didn't have to be romantic to be meaningful.