Page 52 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
Ruvon adjusted his collar for the third time as he made his way to Arezoo's home. He'd changed shirts twice already, finally settling on a crisp blue button-down that supposedly brought out his eyes. Not that he understood what that meant, since his eyes were brown and the shirt was blue. But when it came to matters of fashion, he trusted the judgment of the lady in the department store more than his own.
The small jewelry box in his pocket felt like a radioactive rock, even though it wasn't an engagement ring or anything as presumptuous. It was just a delicate gold bracelet he'd seen in the same department store and thought Arezoo would like. It would look nice on her. It was simple, elegant, with a small charm in the shape of a book.
Was it too much? Too soon? He'd been second-guessing the purchase from the moment he made it.
He walked the familiar path to Arezoo's house, nodding to other villagers he passed. The morning was peaceful withbirds singing in the trees and the distant sound of children playing in one of the parks. It still amazed him sometimes, this hidden paradise where immortals could live openly, where he could walk freely without constantly looking over his shoulder.
When he got to her house, he found her waiting on the porch, wearing jeans and a soft green blouse. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she carried a small green purse across her body.
"Hi." Her smile was bright but nervous.
"Looking forward to your adventure in the city?"
"Very much." She smoothed her hands over her jeans. "I've only been outside the village a few times since arriving. I'm surprised you managed to get approval for taking me out."
He smiled sheepishly. "My boss might have pulled a few strings for me."
At first, Ruvon had been hesitant about asking Kalugal for help, but Phinas had convinced him that Kalugal was a big romantic and that he would be happy to use his clout as a councilman to assist young love.
Phinas hadn't been wrong.
"I made a plan." He offered her his arm. "But if you don't like it, we can change it."
She threaded her arm through his. "I'm sure I'm going to love it. What's your plan?"
"Lunch at a Persian restaurant that is highly rated, then the Getty Museum, and if we have time after that, we could explore the shops on Third Street. But if you don't like museums, we can head to Third Street right after lunch."
"The museum sounds wonderful," Arezoo said. "I've never been to an American museum."
"The Getty it is, then."
The tunnel leading out of the village was dark, and since the windows had turned opaque as soon as he drove out of the lift, there was nothing to see, but Arezoo pressed her face closer to the window, trying to discern what was outside.
"It's like a secret passage from a novel," she said. "Hidden doors and mysterious tunnels. It's like a fairytale made real."
He chuckled. "The entire village is like something taken from a fairytale, except this one is full of technological marvels instead of magic."
They emerged into bright sunlight, the canyon walls rising on either side of the narrow road.
"And here we are. Out in the real world," she murmured.
The windows were still semi-opaque, but he knew it wouldn't take long before they cleared.
As soon as they did, Ruvon disengaged the autonomous driving and took control of the wheel. He liked driving too much to just sit back and let the car have all the fun on its own.
"It's amazing." Arezoo smoothed her hand over the window glass. "Does anyone outside the village have cars like these?"
"I don't think so." He turned to smile at her. "Do you want to hear something funny?"
"Always."
"The person who thought up many of the security features in the village was a former Doomer who joined the clan even before we did. He helped save a clan female from a really bad guy, and in gratitude, the clan offered him a job. He was a building assistant."
"I wouldn't call it funny, but it is thought-provoking. I assume that he and the lady got married?"
"Nope. Do you know who Carol is?"
She nodded. "Lokan's mate."
