Page 68 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
"You can split them into two," her mother suggested, then shifted her gaze to Ruvon. "Come, take a seat." She motioned to the chair on her left. The one on her right was not occupied, and Ruvon assumed it was where Arezoo would be sitting.
"Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Soraya."
She always insisted he call her by her given name and not the one belonging to her estranged husband.
She nodded. "You are welcome and thank you for the flowers. They are lovely."
He pulled out the three bottles of wine, put them in equal intervals along the table, and then sat down.
"I want Ruvon to sit next to me!" Rohan pouted.
"You can bug Ruvon after dinner," Yasmin said. "Tonight, Ruvon is sitting next to Aunt Soraya. They have important matters to discuss." She winked at him.
It seemed that everyone knew what this dinner was about. In a way, it was a relief. He wouldn't surprise anyone when he asked Soraya for her blessing.
As everyone settled into their places, Rana and Parisa carried the food out with help from the older children. The spread was magnificent—herb rice with tahdig, kebabs, chicken legs, beef chunks in some sort of fragrant sauce, root vegetables, and several salads, some of them made with fermented vegetablesand others with fresh. It was a feast that must have taken all day to prepare.
"Everything looks and smells incredible," Ruvon said.
"Maman and Aunt Rana cooked all day," Laleh informed him. "Arezoo helped too, but Maman kept making her redo things because she was distracted."
"I was not distracted," Arezoo protested. "I'm just not as practiced as Maman."
"You nearly spilled the rice," Donya pointed out with sisterly glee. "Maman almost fainted."
"I did not," Soraya protested. "We would have just made more."
The familial teasing helped ease some of Ruvon's tension. This felt more like other family dinners at Arezoo's home, warm and chaotic rather than formal and intimidating.
"So, Ruvon," Soraya said as plates were being filled, her tone conversational but her eyes sharp. "Tell us a little about your work."
On Kyra's advice, he'd prepared for this question, practicing his answer until it felt natural. "The field of surveillance equipment keeps evolving, so I need to be on top of things to ensure that Kalugal has the latest and the best. I'm constantly learning."
"That's good," Soraya said. "Success in life depends on the ability to learn new things. Whoever stagnates is left behind."
"A hundred percent." Ruvon reached for the wine bottle next to him and uncorked it. "Wine?"
Soraya nodded. "Yes, please."
Given where they had come from, drinking wine was another small rebellion on the sisters' part, another shackle broken. The changes were not dramatic, but they were constant and progressing.
He poured her the wine, then looked at Arezoo, who nodded.
"Just a little. I don't want my mother to think that you are a bad influence on me."
The table had gone quiet, even the younger children sensing the shift in atmosphere.
"Oops," Donya said from a little further down the table.
Soraya took a long sip from her wine glass. "I'm not an expert, but this is an excellent wine. Ruvon always brings the best for Arezoo."
He nearly fell off his chair.
Had that been praise from Soraya? The same woman who had rarely smiled at him and had been giving him appraising looks that always made him feel not good enough?
"He does," Arezoo agreed quickly, lifting her wrist to show the bracelet he'd gotten her. "And the gifts are always so thoughtful. Ruvon got me this for our three-month anniversary. Just look at the little book charm. Isn't it perfect?"
"Perfect." Donya rolled her eyes, probably having heard Arezoo gushing over the bracelet before.
