He stopped laughing and pulled Lucianus into an embrace so tight that it was painful. Fresh tears spilled out of Lucianus’s eyes.
“I won’t go to the colosseum. I absolutely refuse,” Lucianus said.
“Yeah, you don’t have to come,” Dominatus agreed. “Just envelop yourself in my favorite scent of lilies and wait for me in this room. I promise to return. I must hear your words of affection with my own ears.”
He released Lucianus from his arms and turned around. Not once did he look back as he left the room from the entryway that he’d crept in through.
✦ ✦ ✦
Five days later, Lucianus remained holed up in his room, claiming that he didn’t feel well. He didn’t want to meet anyone. Kaira, who knew not of his master’s thoughts, returned home after running errands. He stated that everyone was at the colosseum, and even the city had turned silent. All the while, he hoped for Dominatus’s safety. When Lucianus had declared that he wouldn’t visit the colosseum, Kaira had drawn conclusions of his own.
“Kaira, I wish to hear the outcome of this match directly from Dominatus,” Lucianus said. “No matter what you hear from others, you must never tell me.”
“Your wish is my command,” Kaira replied.
As the sun had started to set, Lucianus could no longer sit still and restlessly paced around his room. Dominatus’s battle should have wrapped up by now, and Lucianus glanced at the entryway several times in anticipation of his beloved, but only time passed to no avail. Night approached, and there were still no signs of Dominatus’s appearance. Time continued to pass mercilessly, and as it grew late into the night, Lucianus sank into his bed with tears streaming from his eyes.
He’s dead, he thought. I can never meet him again. If I knew this would happen, I wouldn’t have been stubborn that night. I should’ve vocalized my love for him a million times. Tears streamed down Lucianus’s face as he wept and wept. When he was all out of tears, he heard the door behind him open. He was tempted to whirl around, but he was so terrified that he couldn’t bring himself to do so.
What if it was just the wind blowing? Lucianus would despair and drop dead on the spot. But his worries were soon dispelled as he heard footsteps quietly approach him. The shadow of a man loomed under the light of the lamp, and Lucianus sat up, leaped off the bed, and whirled around.
He wanted to hug his beloved man in a tight embrace.
He vowed to vocalize his love tonight.
And he would finally bow his head in the face of true love.