"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.
