Page 69 of Origins of Eternity

“You’re not going to be with Iro again?”

“I told her yesterday that I wanted to spend time with you, but you weren’t available, so we had a date last night. If you want to hang out tonight, though, I’ll cancel our date. I miss hanging out with my best friend.”

Zara seemed to soften at that, although not by much, and replied, “I can’t tonight. I have plans.”

“Patrick’s stuff again?”

“Yes,” Zara said, but Arwen could tell she was lying.

“Zara, do you really not like Iro or something? You’ve never been like this with a woman I’ve dated.”

“I don’t know her. I told you that.”

“And I’m trying to let yougetto know her,” she said. “I was thinking you and I could hang out soon, but maybe next weekor the week after, the three of us could get together. Iro offered to cook. She cooked for me last night, and she’s, like,Iron Chefcaliber in the kitchen. It was some of the best food I’ve ever had. And she doesn’t normally cook vegan, either, so she’s just that good.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Zara asked and took another drink of her coffee. “She seems like one of those people who would be good at everything. Like, she has money, so she took cooking lessonsfroman Iron Chef or something. So, she can cook the best meals, she can ride a horse the fancy way, do your taxes with no errors, do complicated math equations in her head, and sweep women off their feet with all of it.”

“Wow! Tell me how you really feel.”

Arwen leaned back in her chair.

“Arwen, she’s not special,” Zara told her. “She’s just a woman. She has money, so she can make things happen, and it sounds like you’re falling for that.”

“Falling for that? What doesthatmean, Zara?”

“That it’s not real. She’s rich and has property all over the world, probably. Right? Her company is global. How long is she really here for? She’ll just leave after some big business deal. No offense to this city, but it’s not exactly Paris, and as far as I know, she’s not a politician. Didn’t she just movefromParis? Supposedly, the most beautiful city in the world.”

“Yes,” Arwen said, doubt seeping in a little because of Zara’s words. “But she bought a house here. I was there last night. Zara, she bought new furniture for me.”

“What?”

“She had leather furniture before, but when she and I first met, she got rid of it all and replaced it with stuff that didn’t come from an animal. She did that for me because she wanted me to feel comfortable in her house. Why would she do that if she’s leaving or not serious about me?”

“She’s got money. That furniture is probably in storage now, so she can pull it out whenever she wants.”

“Zara, where is this coming from? That’s not who Iro is. She didn’t even have to tell me about the furniture. I went there for the first time last night, and I would’ve had no idea that she’d gotten rid of the other stuff. She only told me because she wanted me to know that this is serious for her. It’s serious for me, too.”

“Serious? It’s been a few dates at most, Arwen.”

Arwen sighed and said, “Zara, I’m in love with her.”

Zara stiffened instantly and leaned all the way back in her chair.

“I know this might be hard because I’ve never been this serious about something before, and I know you and I have always had each other, but that doesn’t have to change, okay? Iro and I are serious. I’m in love with her, and I want to be with her. It might seem fast, but I can’t help how I feel. She’s not just some rich woman with a few special skills that make me go weak in the knees or something. I’m not going to wake up one morning, and she’s just moved back to Paris and forgotten all about me. We talk, Zara. We talked for hours last night, and she’s who I want.”

“And I bet the sex is good,” Zara stated.

“Zara!” Arwen half-yelled. “What iswrongwith you? This isn’t who you are. If you’re mad that I’m dating someone, fine, but you don’t have to be a bitch about it. Oh, and for your information, we haven’t done that yet. We’ve been waiting.”

“Waiting?” Zara asked, looking confused now and maybe a little softer again.

“We want to be together first.”

“You’re not together already?”

“No, we wanted to take it slow.”

“Your idea?” Zara asked.