"Arezoo?" He said her name softly, and she realized she was still staring at his mouth.
"I'm sorry. I got distracted for a moment." She looked down at the page, searching for the last stanza she'd read.
His smile turned teasing, another new facet to this evolving version of him. "It's the first time that Persian poetry can't hold your attention. If this poem is boring to you, you can switch to another."
"It's not the poem," she admitted, then immediately wanted to take the words back.
His expression shifted, hope blooming across his features. "It's not?"
She shook her head, unable to form words as he leaned slightly forward.
"Arezoo," he said, her name a caress. "What's bothering you?"
"Nothing." Her eyes shifted to his mouth again, and as hard as she tried to look away, she couldn't.
What was happening to her?
Had he put something in her coffee?
"Would you go on a real date with me?" The question came out of nowhere, finally enabling her to move her gaze from his lips to his eyes. "Not a poetry reading in a closed café, but a real date to a nice restaurant. I can make reservations at Callie's, and after dinner we could take a walk in the moonlight. Just the two of us."
The safe answer, the one she'd been prepared to give him for weeks, dissolved on her tongue. Sitting across from him now, seeing the vulnerability beneath his newfound confidence, and feeling the flutter of interest in her chest that she had lost hope of ever feeling again, Arezoo realized that she wanted to say yes.
"When?" she asked, and watched joy transform his face.
"Saturday? I could pick you up at seven."
"I'd like that," she said. "I don't think that you'll be able to get reservations at Callie's, though. I've heard that she's booked months in advance."
He reached over the table and took her hand, his larger one warm and surprisingly soft against hers. "Would you like me to take you out of the village? We could go to a restaurant in town."
That was too scary, and not because she would be alone with Ruvon. She just didn't feel safe leaving the village yet.
"I can't," Arezoo said softly. "The village is my sanctuary, and I'm still too afraid to leave its boundaries, even with a fierce protector at my side."
That got a laugh out of him. "Then I'll have to bribe someone to give up their reservations at Callie’s or hire Atzil to cook us a private dinner."
Her eyes widened. "I don't want you to spend a lot of money just because I'm scared of going to the city. We can have a moonlight picnic at the lookout point instead."
His smile could have powered the entire village. "That's a wonderful idea. Is Saturday okay, or do you prefer a different day?"
She shook her head. "My evenings are free, so whenever you want is fine." She smiled. "I'll bring a small flashlight so I can read poetry to you under the moon. Unless you are sick of it and don't want to hear another stanza."
"Never." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I could listen to you reciting Persian poetry forever. The sound of your voice is music to my ears."
Arezoo smiled. "Then let me read to you some more."
She returned to the book, but the energy between them had shifted. Where before there had been careful distance, now there was possibility.
By the time she finished reading and it was time to go, Arezoo felt like she was floating. Maybe she didn't need to call Vanessa after all. Maybe her ability to feel attraction, to want connection, hadn't been destroyed. Maybe it had just gone into hiding and had been waiting for the right person at the right time.
"I'll walk you home." Ruvon offered her his arm.
She had forgotten to hose down the floor, but Wonder would forgive her for neglecting to do so one time. Besides, it wasn't dirty, and whatever crumbs there were now wouldn't be there in the morning once the night creatures picked it clean.
After a moment's hesitation, Arezoo took Ruvon's arm, surprised by how natural it felt to walk beside him this way. The evening air was cool and crisp, carrying an array of sweet scents from the flowerbeds.
Her family's home came into view too soon, and she regretted that their evening was drawing to a close.
