16
AREZOO
The 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.
