'I love you.'
Such a simply phrase to be bandied about without thinking of the meaning behind those three word, three syllables, eight letters, two pronouns and a verb. Essentially nothing, easily broken down.
'Ya lyublyu tebya.'
Her mother language, the one that flows easiest off her tongue. It's what her mother used to say to her before she left for work each morning and what she whispered each night as she went to sleep. Five syllables this time, still three words, fourteen letters. So, really, nothing.
'Je t'aime.'
French this time. The language of love, so really it should be something. Seven letters, one apostrophe, two syllables, two words. But it's no more auspicious then anything else said in French.
'Te amo.'
Latin, the root of all Romance languages, and they always say that the first's the best, so, theoretically, it should be the most romantic of all. But it's not. Two words, three syllables, five letters. Analysed and broken down into nothing.
'Ich liebe dich.'
German. Three words, three syllables, eleven letters. It isn't known as a romantic language, certainly not one to be picked for wooing. But Natasha's always liked German, the way everything is exact and precise, how you can always say exactly what you mean. But it doesn't really work either, does it?
'Wǒ ài nǐ'
Traditional Chinese. The phrase is composed of three syllables and three characters.
'Miqvarkhar.'
Georgian, one word, ten letters. It's straight, to the point, but somehow lacking.
'Ja liubliu ciabie.'
Belarusian, three words, fifteen letters, still analysable and breakable.
'Kocham cię.'
Polish. Three syllables, two words, nine letters. Still nothing.
'Seni seviyorum.'
Turkish. Four syllables, thirteen letters, two words.
They are so little, these three, two, one words that mean so much to us. They have stopped meaning anything to Natasha, they are merely words, like any other, to be twisted and used to manipulate her surroundings. But somehow, those three, two, one little words mean everything when the right person whispers them in her ear, when they casually twine their fingers with her and tug on her hand, when they scream it at her in the middle of a fight, when they murmur it in her ear as she wakes up in the morning and before she goes to sleep.
'I love you.'