Work Text:
Kaveh gently grasped your hand as he sat across from you at a corner table on the upper level of Lambad's. You lifted your hand holding your drink and took a sip from the cup all while watching him. The gentle hum of people playing cards and having afterwork drinks buzzed from the first floor, but the top level remained mostly empty. Kaveh's rose-colored eyes examined your fingers and hand as he carefully twisted your wrist. A light smile appeared on your face, and you asked, "What are you looking at?"
His eyes slowly trailed up your arm as if he were trying to find something he hadn't seen before. He spoke in that sincere voice he commonly used when he analyzed something, "You were built flawlessly, you know." The blush that colored your cheeks couldn't be helped when he spoke so bluntly. You gingerly pulled your hand from him, the embarrassed smile still present on your lips. "Kaveh, what are you saying?" The man's pointer finger grazed the faint blue line below your palm that ran the length of your forearm. The caress caused a shiver to form at the base of your spine and stop in the same place. Kaveh smiled as his eyes roamed the rest of the way up your arm and across your collarbone.
He answered, "I'm saying that you are a beautiful creation that no one could hope to duplicate." He lifted his cup to his mouth and drank while you shook your head. "Stop it," you chuckled nervously and glanced at the one pair of people across the floor. Kaveh set his cup down and glanced in the same direction. "You're much too self-conscious, though as well-crafted as you are, I suppose you have a right to be wary of unwanted attention." He spoke too loudly for your liking and you shushed him, "Shh, someone will hear you."
He held a hand out as he finally made eye contact with you, "Fine, I can speak my mind quietly." You rushed to tell him that he didn't have to keep complimenting you, but it was too late as he continued. "We of the Kshahrewar can build anything be it a sprawling garden filled with the most magnificent flora, or a living room with the most intricate of designs. Even all this and no one, not even I, would be able to replicate this design." You opened your mouth even as your cheeks darkened, and you had nothing to say but he still went on. "The shade on your cheeks in perfect contrast with your skin. The proportions exactly matching with each other. The shape and placement of your features. One could never hope to accomplish such art." He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms the smile slowly fading. You sat in your own chair baffled by his words. You had no idea what to say. He had just put your body into academic terms, and you wondered how he could make it sound so romantic.
After a second of staring at him with wide eyes, his face began to turn a shade of pink and it seemed that some realization had kicked in. He picked up his cup and strangely looked into your eyes, "My drink is nearly gone. Care if I grab another for you since I'm going down?" The light blush on his face was still present even as you nodded, and he took both cups down the stairs for refills.