To the coliseum

"She sounds like me," I manage to blurt out after a little while, running my toe in circles over the ground. With her so called sudden bursts of outrage, it would seem Lyla is shaping up to be more similar than me than I had anticipated, and the thought doesn't exactly sit well in my stomach. The way that Valerian described Lyla now seemed almost unfavourable, albeit that it was a mere scrap of information about her amongst a goldmine of other things I have not heard about her. But that makes it unfavourable nonetheless.

Obviously lost in thought, Valerian quickly replies:

"Who, Lyla?"

I nod once.

Patting the top of my hand, Valerian gives me a little smile, leaning across to tenderly reach out and flick a strand of loose hair behind my ear. For a moment I let myself become lost in the affectionate nature of his gaze, content to let myself melt away into those amethyst orbs and the gentle nature of his touch.