Mirror Phase

She moved with grace, perfected godlike beauty that hid a soul just as sterling in quality. It was a well kept secret, beneath layers and masks, aesthetically pleasing indifference. But he knew. He had always known. They were one and the same, skin deep in lies the world took for truth. He looked beyond that, embraced her flaws as she did his. For who else would search deeper? Who would know too? Walls had been built and only patient understanding could scale them to cross into the treacherous labyrinth that was their trust. For it was dear to them, hard won and so very fragile, as experience had taught them.

Brightly coloured strands fell across her face, and he gently brushed them away from her eyes. She smiled and twined their fingers, hers delicate and his refined. A beam of morning sun fell across him, casting golden reflections onto her pillow. Shadows would set in soon though, she knew, as soon as they left this haven and faced the world. Outwardly they would shine, bright fake smiles and defensive sarcasm locked in place. All while the shadows crept deeper inside, slowly dimming the light as everything turned to ash amidst the refuse they retained. And everything built up so high would shatter to dust, locked in the gilded, glittering cages they had built for themselves.