28
AREZOO
At five-forty in the afternoon only a handful of customers remained in the café, nursing their cappuccinos while Arezoo wiped clean the vacant tables and, together with Aliya, lifted all the chairs on top of them so they could hose down the floor.
The stragglers still had time, though. The café didn't close until Wonder closed the shutters on the serve-out window, so Arezoo couldn't tell them to get up and leave.
Ruvon should have gotten there already, though, and she wondered what was keeping him. Maybe he wasn't coming today?
For some reason, the prospect of him missing one of their poetry reading sessions upset her.
It shouldn't bother her since she wasn't really interested in him.
Well, she wasn't interested in him romantically, but she considered him a friend, and she liked spending time with him. She didn't want to lose him.
She enjoyed their routine of coffee, pastries, and poetry. Nothing more. Nothing that should make her check her reflection in the espresso machine's chrome surface or wonder if she should have worn the blue blouse instead of the green. She didn't do that because of him. She just wanted to look well put together and professional.
She was done lifting the chairs on table five when Drova strode in, still wearing her Guardian-in-training uniform. Unlike other times, though, it wasn't in immaculate condition. Sweat darkened the fabric at her collar, and her usually severe expression held a hint of satisfaction that suggested a particularly grueling training session, at which she'd excelled and put the other trainees to shame.
She waved at Arezoo and continued to the counter. "Got some of those juice boxes in the fridge? I could use something cold and full of protein."
"Coming right up." Wonder reached for the special refrigerator they kept stocked for their Kra-ell customers. "Good training session?"
"The best." Drova's rare smile transformed her face. "We did hand-to-hand combat drills all afternoon. I dominated the session."
"Of course you did." Wonder handed her a box.
"Thank you." She took the box and turned around, leaning against the counter. "Guess who showed up at the gym today asking about private coaching?"
Something in Drova's tone made Arezoo pause. "Who?"
"Your poet."
"Really?"
"Mmm-hmm." Drova's eyes glinted with amusement. "I overheard him talking to Morrison about private strength training. Morrison passed him off to Gareth, who's apparently taking him on as a project."
Arezoo couldn't quite picture it. Ruvon seemed fragile and breakable next to the burly Guardian.
"Ruvon made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Come to think of it, I'm jealous. For that kind of money, I would have gladly trained him. Anyway, starting tomorrow, they will be meeting for an hour three times a week." Drova took another sip of her synthetic blood. "That's not nearly enough time to get seriously in shape, but I guess he needs to start somewhere. If your boy is serious about getting buff, though, he should train every day for a couple of hours."
"He's not my anything," Arezoo said automatically. "And he's definitely not a boy."
"Sure he's not." Drova's smirk was positively wicked. "That's why you're clutching that cleaning cloth like you are about to strangle it."
Arezoo looked down at her white-knuckled grip on the cloth and forced her fingers to relax. "I'm just surprised. Ruvon never mentioned wanting to train."
"Maybe it was a spontaneous decision," Wonder suggested from behind them, joining the conversation. "Perhaps one of his friends put him up to it." She smiled. "Girls put on makeup and nice outfits to attract guys, and guys work on their muscles to attract girls."
Arezoo had never been attracted to muscular men. She liked that Ruvon was smart and enjoyed reading. Still, his wish to do something different, to step out of his comfort zone, resonated with her.
It took courage to do so, and she was glad that Ruvon had found it in himself to embrace something new.
"Earth to Arezoo," Drova said, waving a hand in front of her face. "You went somewhere else for a minute there."
"Sorry. I was just thinking how much courage it takes to pivot and do something uncharacteristic. Ruvon choosing to start training at the gym is equivalent to you choosing to study math."
Drova winced. "Don't remind me. I'm so glad that I don't have to do that anymore." She slurped the last of her blood box and tossed it into the disposal receptacle. "I should go." She lifted her arm and sniffed her armpit. "Yeah, that's ripe. I need a shower."
