Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 255(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 255(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
All men have their frailties, and whoever looks for a friend without imperfections will never find what he seeks.
She opened the door, and I felt like Dorothy seeing Oz for the first time. The bed was a humble single, with a thick, big, blue blanket thrown over it. Unlike other girls' rooms, hers didn’t have a heap of pillows. There was only one. Practical. The room was empty other than the shelves that housed books. Out of all the books, which were in English, one had Perso-Arabic script outfacing with intricate art on the cover.
I pointed toward the mammoth book. “What’s that one about?”
“The Shahnameh,” she said, her face radiating pride. “The book of kings. You can’t call yourself Persian and not own a copy.”
“Why is it so important?”
“That book saved the Persian language. It’s become a symbol of the perseverance of the Persian people and our language.”
“Have you read it all? Looks thick.”
“Some. It’s a hard book to read. Kind of written like The Fairy Queen by Edmund Spencer. My goal is to read and understand the entirety at least once before I die.”
“What’s The Fairy Queen?” I asked.
She laughed. “I love that about you.”
My brain froze. Love? Azadeh loved something about me. Wait, what did she love? “What? What do you love about me?”
“So many guys pretend they know everything, even when they don’t. They act like they do or fake it. You don’t do that. Being around you is easy because you’re so genuine.”
I shrugged. “Fadat besham, Azizam.”
Azadeh’s face flushed red. Bright red. I frowned. I was pretty sure I’d said the words right. Oh. My. God. Did I just ask her to suck my dick? Fuck.
“Um, my Persian sucks. Did I pronounce something wrong? I could’ve. Whatever you think I said, I didn’t. I’ve been learning, and it’s way harder than English. Did you know there’s no gender? That part is kind of cool. Of course, you know that. Why wouldn’t you know that?”
Azadeh grabbed my shoulders as she belly laughed. I think she snorted. Oh, my God, she thought I was a tool.
“Relax, Zeke. You didn’t say anything bad. It was super sweet, even if you didn’t intend to say the words. You told me you’d sacrifice your life for me.”
I’d never been the praying type, but at that moment, I wanted to get down on my knees and thank baby Jesus. Profusely. “I would. I’d sacrifice my life for you, Az. No questions asked.
Azadeh framed my face, holding me still, consuming me with the need to be in her presence. At that moment, I knew I could deal with all the shitty things life threw at me as long as I had her.
Not knowing what came over me, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to me. We stood there for a moment, staring at each other. It was like a movie montage with music when the two characters are twirled into a sky full of stars. Being around Azadeh made me believe I was invincible. Without hesitation, I lowered my head and brushed my lips with hers.
The kiss was slow at first, tiny sparks igniting, but then my hands were in her hair, and our tongues were dancing. Fuck. I felt like I’d won the lottery. If I died and her lips were the last thing I tasted, I’d consider it a life well lived.
When we pulled back, I was so mesmerized I couldn’t stop staring at her.
Her fingers moved to her lips. “That was my first kiss.”
“I know you need more than I’ll ever be able to give you. But I’m glad you gave me something as memorable as your first kiss.” I swear the pain my father had inflicted vanished as Azadeh smiled at me. “You’re so beautiful. Sometimes, it hurts to look at you.”
Azadeh’s smile grew. “That’s an interesting compliment. And you’re more than enough for anyone. You’re Ezekiel Summers, the boy who showed me that kindness can be found in the most unlikely places.”
“You blind me, Az. In your presence, I’m both David and Goliath. I can’t explain it. I’ve never met anyone like you, and I’m positive I never will again. You bewitch me in so many ways.”
“We better get you to bed before my mother checks on us.” Azadeh brushed past me and went to the bed, turning it down.
On her nightstand lay a battered copy of The Handmaid’s Tale. The cover was dented, pages dog-eared, and highlighter applied to various paragraphs. The book was the only one in her collection that looked banged up. Most of the others on her shelf didn’t even have a cracked spine.
“What’s your obsession with this book?”
Azadeh pulled the book from my grasp and glided her fingers over the cover. “I find it fascinating that a woman who lived on the other side of the planet captured the horrors that haunt so many women in Iran so clearly.”