Just like Layla promised, the little girl would jump back right into the big old dino's scaly but lovable embrace after an entire year of separation. And each time she had to jump a little higher because Ethan seemed to grow at least three more inches with each visit. He grew so much in fact, Layla now had to be plucked off the ground by him just so they could resume their traditional friendly friend hug. Then the little girl in his arms would then mumble something into his strong chest about how embarrassing it was for her while Ethan would just laugh and lick her adorable wittle face.

However, he wasn't the only one growing up.

Layla morphed from an adorable five/six year old who obsessed over plastic dolls, to a phone abusing teenager who kept getting new said phones with apparent new features from her mother since seven. Habits aside, her appearance also made a change through time. Her orange hair that once only fell to her neck now cascaded down to her shoulders like fiery water. And her once childlike blue eyes were now fierce and gave off a rebellious glare that demanded you to screw off. And height? She didn't actually grow that much. Maybe like a few five or six inches, but nothing compared to Ethan.

Anyways, the two's usual antics have changed a bit over the years.

These days, Ethan likes consider himself a master chef. And in order to accommodate that role, he requested for a mini kitchen to be installed in his large room so he can create his culinary art and make Layla his perfect test subject; not that she minded of course. She especially loved bloating her belly with his stupidly ridiculous intricate cakes that took him like at least a DAY of unblinking eyes and frozen breathing as he tried planting the strawberry on top of the most absolutely perfect and most symmetrical spot. Though, his pastries aren't the only things she liked stuffing her mouth with. Ethan also created a crap ton of foreign foods that Layla had never seen or heard of.

One time, Ethan offered Layla a bowl of roasted hopefully dead insects on a stick seasoned with whatever the hell you season bugs with.

"It has…" she mumbled between loud crunches "a lot of flavor…"

Her face was easy to read. "Oh, ok…" Ethan sighed as his claws drew over the bowl so he could rid himself of his failure.

Layla's own hand smacked his hand away. "I didn't say you could have some!" she growled and armed herself with another insects on a stick.

And whenever Layla wasn't available, the scientists inhabiting the island were the next perfect test subjects for him to experiment on.

It all began when he offered Dr. Malcolm and a group of other scientist a plate of classic sushi made with the salty rice created only by him, the raw fish caught fresh from the ocean, and the seaweed hand-plucked out from the bottom and roasted to perfection (Ethan is a really good swimmer apparently).

They were all reluctant at first, tapping their fingers together and coughing uncomfortably, that is, until Dr. Malcolm took the great big step and swallowed one down the hole.

A shit scramble happened and the entire plate was licked clean after that.

His cooking became so popular in fact, some random guy decided to make him head chef of the entire park. And to prove Ethan's promotion, he was given a simple cooking apron and one of those fancy chef hats that limped off his head. It actually looked kind of ridiculous on him, but he didn't care. He was proud to wear it.

Although, a master chef can't feed hundreds of hungry scientists on a big giant island alone. And either because the park couldn't hire some amateur cooks from across the ocean because the whole experiments thing is supposed to be a secret from the outside world, or they were just plain stingy with their money, the scientists themselves became Ethan's servants in the hotel's super large kitchen.

Now, the scientists weren't scared working with him just because he looks like a big scary monster from rated R horror movie. It's BECAUSE he WAS a big scary monster whenever you make the slightest mistake in his kitchen.

The absolute smallest hint of the food being over or undercooked? You'd get sent to dish washing duty as he watched you go with hatred burning fiercely in his predatory eyes.

Too much salt? Prepare to have your fucking ears bleed from his powerful roar of supreme anger.

Accidently drop a plate of one of his master pieces and have it plop all over the floor just when it barely came out of the oven? He'd point his sharp claw towards the exit and tell you to G.T.F.O. That's right humans.

Get.

The.

Fuck.

Out.

He didn't even want to look at as you left with head down in shame.

But of course, Layla knew that he's not always the angry beast. That's really only in the kitchen. He's more of a crying nerdy sissy.

So one day in the dino's room, Layla and Ethan were sitting comfortably on the large green couch with eyes glued to the large flat screen TV hanging on the wall, which both items were obtained through the little girl's request that Ethan should request, watching the Hunger Games. Then when mother fucking Rue **** (no spoilers), Ethan started wailing like a complete baby, squeezing the preteen with his strong sorrowful hug.

"Ethan, you're crushing me!" she whined as she fought valiantly to free herself from his death hug but to no avail.

"But I'm so sad!" he wailed.

"I don't care! It's just a movie!"

Sports were another example. If you throw a basketball, baseball, football, or even a Frisbee at him, Ethan will rear up one leg, shield his scaredy cat face with his hands, and cry out, "Not the face!" Then later the ball would bounce harmlessly off his steel-hard scales.

Despite his unforgiving rage and cowardice towards thrown projectiles and crybaby issues, he was happy. And he has no one other to thank than Claire and her child.

However, her solution turned out to be a temporary solution.

With each soul wrenching goodbye Ethan had to endure, the loneliness and longing he radiated only increased as he would do nothing but lay down on his bed, gazing into Mr. T Rex's lifeless googly eyes with his own. While so his heart would persevere through the long days waiting for his dear friend's return while his brain would calculate just how much time was left.

Really, it looked worse compared to when Ethan never met Layla at all.

So Claire came up with another solution. The magic of technology.

It was about nine excruciating months since Layla and Ethan last embraced each other and onto their separate lives, but today, the way how Claire explained to her 14 year old daughter back in their home, it seemed like they were gonna see each other. Yet it won't be through their eyes this time. This time, it's gonna be through the eyes of a computer monitor.

Apparently, Ethan has a laptop. Although the idea did come from Claire, it was Dr. Malcolm who had to buy the damn expensive thing on Amazon. But as long as it's gonna make Ethan happy, he's okay with it. Just as long as Claire pays at least half of the expenses.

So Ethan, 22 years old, was sitting nervously in his chair gripping his shaky tail that fought for release, awaiting to see his close friend for the first time in forever since like nine months ago. All she had to do was to answer his call on screen.

Before she did eventually answer, Ethan admitted he had never seen a girl's room before. Through the books he's read and pictures he's seen, he'd guessed that Layla's room would be a typical girly girl room. Messy with disapproved clothes scattered across the floor in an over worldly pink room with hints of cheap perfume fragrance flowing in the air. A mirror would be placed on top of a table where all the makeup imaginable would be ready to use on any time. And let's not forget the stupid posters of young famous singers permanently glued to the wall where they will worshipped for an eternity by fangirls.

One second later, all his beliefs were shattered.

Layla's room was nowhere near what he predicted. Instead of girly clothes scattered across the ground were left open pizza boxes each a different topping ranging from dead anchovies to an entire surface of meat, half-eaten hot pockets spewing out their insides onto their respective plates, and an unfinished Cup Noodles cup with fork still plunged in there like Excalibur were there releasing the fragrance of junk food rather than cheap perfume. And the posters? They weren't the kind of posters you'd normally see a girl have plastered everywhere on their walls. Each and every individual poster had at least one random guy holding at least one gun towards the outside world, giving off the feeling that they could shoot you at any given time. The only difference? Each poster had a different name different from its neighbors representing the game they're supposed to advertise. Halo, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Counter Strike are barely one eighth of the family.

Speaking of guns, though he could not see it, the sounds of gun fire blasting away and grenades exploding things into oblivion were clearly emanating from a TV far from the camera's reach. A video game perhaps?

"Hey scrubs, STOP FRICKIN CAMPING AND FIGHT ME!" Layla herself, sitting her knees on top of her barely neat bed, screamed into the mic encased around her orange head. The controller in her hands vibrated worriedly as she began to crush it in her fury. And by the looks of it, she probably doesn't even know he's there.

Definitely a video game.

"Um, Layla… can your ears perceive what I'm saying?"

To his utter joy, her head actually started to turn towards the computer screen, but she wasn't really planning on giving her friend the old "Hi!" and "I miss you!" crap. She had more of "Shut the hell up and lemme play goddammit!" kind of thing in mind. The kind of thing her father would say to her mother really.

But when she took one good long look at him, and I mean a really long look, the controller in her hand crashed against the soft mattress, echoing across the room.

For as long as she's known Ethan, he's been always bit lean in muscle with a lithe body that had barely noticeable abs. Now, looking at him in the first time in forever since like nine months... HE LOOKED JACKED. Every single part of his body was ripe with thick power that would put even a pro wrestler to shame. Broad shouldered, tree trunk arms, big powerful legs, and everything. And evidently, there's no such thing as a third xtra in an xtra xtra large T shirt in the park's gift shop. To solve this, the huge dinosaur was given a very flexible muscle shirt that really showed off his powerfully broad muscles that bulged with every movement possible.

Ethan smiled a toothy grin. "Ah, I see you've noticed quite a few changes since we last encountered," he said, puffing up his impressive chest proudly.

"Really?" she croaked out between sarcastic and unbelief.

"Yep!" he cheered. "If you noticed, I no longer require my glasses because I'm wearing contacts!"

"Yeah... uh huh… totally didn't notice." The longer she stared, the more she became mesmerized by his new form. Especially his pecs. Sprouting from his chest was… chest hair? Wait, no. Scratch that. Taking a dive towards her screen and planting her face on it, his hair was actually super-mini dark grey feathers coating most of what she's been able to see on his chest. Chest feathers? Also, they weren't just on his pecs either. It seemed like a whole bunch of it grew over his arms and ended to his fingertips, granting him an even manlier dinosaur appearance. To make things manlier, was that small patch of feathers growing below his muzzle a beard? "But what I did notice is your uh…" she pointed a wavy finger, "physique?"

"Oh these?" he said, flexing a little. "They say I had a bit of a late growth spurt, but if you ask me, a small growth spurt hardly contributed to me gaining this new physique. Since your last departure, my caretakers have asked to me go through a training program for an important event that I may undertake in the future. So its 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10 km run every single day! And that's just a warm up. I've been gallivanting around the island's gym, lifting weights that far exceeds the human capabilities! How I know? I've done an entire research paper about it! Care to read it?"

Instead of giving a definite answer, she merely chuckled and closed her eyes in pure satisfaction. "Heh, glad to know you're still the nerd I know and love."

"So is that a yes or a no?" he asked, confusion written all over.

"No."

"Aaaaaah," he sagged and whined like a baby.

Greeting now aside, they were finally able to catch up to what's been going on in their lives. Layla's life has been a tsunami of high school. You know, the usual. Life-draining homework, overwhelming notes, and stress bombing essays and finals. However, it looked like Ethan had it worse, the tests and experiments and all grew more difficult, but the way he said it made it sound like he actually enjoyed it. Apparently, the more he understood humanity, the more they could understand him.

Then they moved onto what they liked to do in their free time. Layla liked to spend her freedom reading some violent manga overflowing with action or shooting guns in her screen while enjoying a perfect meal of crunchy nacho cheese Doritos and a fresh sizzling cold bottle of mountain dew. Ethan preferred a more peaceful-healthy route. On most days, he would lay back on his couch reading either a newspaper or a book whose pages knew no end, and sometimes maybe written in an entirely different language from common English, all the while washing down an apple with a boring glass of either fresh tea or coconut water.

Their conversation was about as long as an argument over the internet, but once they did run out of things to talk, Lalya shut off the world around her so she could focus more of her handsome dinosaur. Though handsome may not be the only word she could describe him with. He was also a little… how should she put it… scary? The last time she saw him, the spines he had that grew over his head and ended to the very tip of his tail were short and blunt. They couldn't hurt you if you touched them, really. Now, even staring at them gave you the sensation of being stabbed all over. They've grown into thick curved black spikes and not to mention tall; the tallest standing at a good four inches. The loneliest and smallest stood proudly at the front of his snout and looked like Ethan could easily impale you with it if he wanted to, splattering your guts and all. That's not all that's sharp. His claws and teeth now seemed to be at their prime, gleaming and ready to rip apart anything. Add his giant muscular figure to his dangerous weapons, he has a threatening visage that you do not want to fuck with.

However, his red eyes and bright smile were as kind and happy as ever. They lulled her into being held by his big strong scaly arms and ever so gently pressed into his broad feathery chest, listening to his familiar soothing heartbeat. Then his claws would trace her small back with absolute carefulness that practically showed his consideration. Then his teeth came close and breathed warmth to her sensitive ears, whispering the words, "I love you" over and over again.

"Layla, I think I've lost you again," the real Ethan spoke up, rudely snatching her away from her perfect daydream.

"Jerk!" she shouted, blushing with a mean pout.

"Huh?"

"You heard what I said!" At this point she was refusing to stare at him.

Then suddenly, the clatter of a chair being rolled off. "Gomen'nasai!"

She opened one eye, staring at him with curiosity. This time, Ethan was sitting on his knees, eyes shut tight, head bowed, and hands clapped together. Some kind of apology. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Layla! I did not mean in any way to offend you so please don't resent me! Please still be entitled as my friend!"

Layla smiled. As if she would ever leave her nerdy dinosaur alone. "I forgive you..." she whispered and Ethan's heart broke into relief.

"And I love you…" he whispered back, eyes back open and a content grin forming.

"Shut up!"

And he was back to where he started. "Gomen'nasai!"

Log 2

I apologized the most effective way I could think of: an ancient traditional bow of respect that was sure to work. And it did… as expected.

However, as soon as I said the words "I love you" she instantly refused to converse with me. Not even my earlier stance of apology had any effect.

In the end, the only solution was that I promised I would make her favorite meals the moment she sets foot on the island, which is pretty much everything due to the fact that every food I create is consumed by her. Not to be disrespectful in any way, I assure you.

Anyways, talking with Layla after for so long felt more refreshing than ever. Though I do admit, talking again after so long did make me ponder over some thoughts.

She's very… how should I place this… different from what I thought she would be, but then again, I guess I should've made that conclusion long ago from the moment I met her. No longer is she the child I once knew, but a rambunctious teenager whose aspects completely differentiates from mine.

But I have no quarrel over our differences because I still hold true to the words I've told her. In fact, our differences actually make me want to understand her even more than I do now. However, that can only be possible face to face, not through the face of a simple computer.

I just have to wait. For now, talking with her is all need for a head start.

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