A young teen leaned her body over a stone bridge that arched across a flowing river. She had elbows plopped down with her hands mushing up her cheeks as they held her motionless head in place. Every now and then, her face would try to contort to a half-baked smile, but her reflection in the clear water shook her head for her to stop.

Summer's been going great so far since the day Ethan and she began their love relationship. It was a fluffy life of constant hugs, nuzzles, licks, and heated tongue action between the two.

Everyday Ethan would bestow her another masterful work of his art he put his heart and soul in to and enjoy the smile Layla had in her bulged-out cheeks as his tongue cleared away the leftovers stuck to her lips. Then there'd be times Shakespeare would bark for their attention with a leash under his scaly paws. They'd go out for a nice stroll under the warm sun until eventually resting under a single tree's shade. There, Ethan would gently pin the small human against the soft grass, his excited tail swishing behind him. She'd struggle a bit and he'd purr at the cute, vain attempt his prey was making. It only took a few nips and licks on the neck to cease her strugglings. But right before he can attempt a more "intimate" advance, Shakespeare barked for their attention yet again, a Frisbee under his scaly paws. Ethan would bare fangs and growl for him to "piss off". The damn reptile/canine wouldn't take no for an answer and returned his master's threatening growl with his own. The next thing they know, a meow brought down from the heavens commanding them to "Shut up". Looking up, they would discover an orange cat slacking on a branch, glaring with demonic eyes. Layla would end up laughing for the rest of the afternoon spectating a contest of never-ending death growls and meows.

Her reflection began to smile.

And every night, Layla got to bask at a shirtless dinosaur wearing nothing but a pair of boxers that had a hole cut in it to let his nervous tail swing about. The dino would blush and have a staring contest with his best friend, the ceiling, as the human slowly waded through the heavy air. When she finally made it face-to-abs, her hand involuntary ran through the manly, body feathers that coated his rough scales, earning herself a rumbling purr from the dinosaur himself. Without warning, he would scoop her out from the cold and into his tree trunk arms that granted warmth, bridal style, and nuzzle her face lovingly with his muzzle as he made his way towards bed. There, Ethan would clap his hands and the ceiling lights followed his command to allow darkness to settle. In the dark void, Layla would feel herself being tucked safely in feathery scales, and a nearby lamp would turn on and cast away some of the surrounding dark. Laying on his muscular torso, Layla would watch him remove his contact lenses and replace them with a pair of clear reading glasses.

From then on, he'd read to her compelling bedtime stories about math detectives searching for a solution to a problem, atoms scouring the globe for the special other whom they will share their electrons for eternity, and a rocket who struggles to be perfect and reach for the stars by undergoing brutal rocket science. She would've told him to stop before the death side effect of boredom can kick in, but the steady heartbeat beating under her solid, feathery bed her head nestled closer to combined with the sleep spell the dinosaur chanted was more than enough to soothe her body into blissful slumber. And within her sweet dreams, a smooth, gentle claw would trace her cheeks. And then a small "I love you…" bursting with heartfelt emotions would be whispered into her ear, a pair of strong arms engulfing her in heavenly warmth soon following.

All this he did to make her happy. All this for her.

Her smile faded into a scornful scowl.

And what was she doing for him?

The more happiness he gave her, the greater it fueled the fires of her anger. But it wasn't directed at him; rather, the fire raged on her.

Ethan cooks for her, cares for her, even takes the time to read her bedtime stories at night, and what was she doing in return?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

The self-hate boiled in her fists. What exactly could she do to make Ethan as happy as her? Could cooking be the answer? Though, now that she thinks about it, the best she could make him was a mircrowaved Cup Noodles with only a 10% chance of it being burnt, and even then she knew Ethan would rather die than eat microwavable food. Maybe she could introduce him to video games? Those are pretty fun! But since most of the video games she knew was about blood and violence, he probably wouldn't want go as far as touch a controller. How about she could try reading him a comic book or manga as a bedtime story? Then again, it is kinda hard to picture what's happening there without any pictures and Ethan would rather ask why the pictures were drawn when they can be easily be drawn in the mind through "proper" writing.

Her frustration grew a mind of its own, calling her "stupid" and "useless", and Ethan would probably come to find fancier ways to berate her once he finally realizes how much a mistake he made in loving her.

"Nature has intriguing ways of fashioning enchanting art, doesn't she?" Ethan's reflection said next to Layla's.

Light darkened around the human as her head swung to the right. A huge, buff dinosaur was towering above her, blocking out the bright sun. "Oh, uh… right," she agreed, lamely. "Nature is great I guess…"

Ethan's eyes dropped half-way as they caught the glum stare she made at his taloned feet. "Is there something troubling you?"

"Nah, I'm cool, Ethan…"

His intelligently brain immediately processed the lie. Worried, Ethan knelt down and tenderly placed large, rough hands on her shoulders. "My dear, as your lover, it is my duty and desire to ease your worries and grant you happiness, so I ask of you to please explain to me your troubles."

She wanted to resist, but the honest care in his red eyes and almost-whiney purr he let out easily shattered the feeble cage that held her insecurities. Ultimately, she sighed. "It's this relationship, Ethan."

Just by the grave tone of her voice, his breaking heart knew where this was going.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. But I really don't think this relationship is gonna work out for you," she continued, forcing back tears. "I'm just so-"

Ethan raised a silent hand. His eyes had closed to hide the bitter sadness behind them. "No need for you to continue, Layla, for I already foresee your reason."

"Wait, Ethan, if you just let me-"

"When I first proclaimed my love to you, you must've felt that you needed to love me because you did not wish to bring harm to my feelings, correct? I forced you to love me…" The dinosaur rose and turned his back to the human. He refused to let her see him cry. "Forgive me for placing you in such a position. I will take my leave now, but I do hope we can still prosper as great friends…"

"Dang it, no!" Layla shouted and snatched for his hand. Despite knowing full well trying to pull a weight of his caliber impossible even with the aid of both hands, she attempted with all her might. Ethan refused to turn back, but allowed his reptilian head to gaze solemnly behind him "I just don't think I'm good enough to be your girlfriend!"

Ethan froze mid-step, concerned curiosity straining his hearing.

The escaped truth had left her in breaking tears, but she managed to fight through them and calm her breathing. "All right, listen…"

He was listening.

"You're a really great guy, Ethan. You can cook, you're super smart, mature, and with that body of yours, any girl would fall for you once they get to know how super nice you really are! Any girl that's better than me!"

Ethan returned to standing on one knee so he could gaze at the sullen human with sympathy.

A portion of built up tension was released through her sigh. "It's just that in school, I always see girls who're smarter than me, prettier than me, and most importantly, more mature than me. I'm just a stupid teenager who focuses more on comic books and video games instead of focusing more important things like making themselves better for their boyfriend. I can't stop thinking when I compare myself to those girls." Her hand unconsciously rubbed shame on her arm. "I… just think… you're wasting your chances at love with someone like me."

Layla lost the courage to maintain her gaze into those compassionate, predatory eyes of his. The mental dam she put up earlier had broken and left nothing to hold back the rush of flowing tears. As a feeble last resort, she hid her vision within darkness; however, her sense of touch was impossible to shut off. As she continued to leak uncontrollable tears, something hot and wet was licking them off her cheeks, and as long as she kept crying, it never stopped to leave what felt like comforting saliva.

She squinted one eye open to discover a dinosaur lapping up her sad tears with gentle care. As much as she hated it, she loved the consideration he was granting to a stupid girl like her. Her hand reached for his muzzle and the dinosaur stopped his approach. He allowed what little strength her hand had to guide his muzzle to rest against her soft cheeks. The deep, powerful breathing his snout released over her shoulder relaxed her. And the grateful purr he rumbled as she pet his snout sent pleasant shivers throughout her body.

"Ethan," she continued. "Even though you're not human, you're just so wonderful and perfect that you deserve anybody but me who can actually make you happy."

"Make me happy?" Ethan purred as he nuzzled the human's cheeks. "Just what are you trying to imply?"

"You really make me happy, Ethan, and it's so frustrating to know that I can't do the same for you. You probably won't eat Cup Noodles, you probably won't wanna play video games, and you probably won't wanna read childish picture books. Everything you hate is just about everything I do to waste my life. Everything I do… everything I am isn't enough for you to enjoy."

"Hmmmmmm, are you certain with that proclamation?" Ethan purred lovingly, losing himself in nuzzling her skin. "I seem to be enjoying you right at this moment. And do you know why?"

Layla answered with a simultaneous snort and laugh. "Why?"

"Because I love you…"

"But what if there was this other girl you met instead of me?" she suddenly cried out desperately. "And if that girl was smarter than me, prettier than me, and a hecka lot more mature than me? Would you have chosen her to love instead of me?"

A throaty chuckle deep within his throat reached her ears. A seemingly complicated question with simple answers. "For the matter of intelligence, my dear, I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself in sharing much of my knowledge with someone who doesn't lack it as much as you."

Confusing at first, but the more her brain processed it, the more she understood it. There would always be a smile on his muzzle whenever he'd classify the numerous plant species they'd find on their daily strolls and how sunlight affects the chloroplasts that… uh… he lost her on that part. And sometimes, he'd gladly take the time to torture her with numerous textbooks at his disposal. Despite her protests of this, he is the reason why her grades haven't plummet to an F- last year. And the more thought she put thought into what he had just said… wasn't it an insult?

He didn't give more time to think about it as he carried on. "And as for beauty, I always believed that subject to be a subject of opinion. For example…" A gentle claw removed fiery bangs from her teary eyes. "…look at me."

Layla did as she was told and revealed to him her ocean of blue.

Ethan seemed pleased to the art he was beholding. "Ah yes, never have I met beauty such as yours. None can rival the brilliant sparkle within your eyes that will no doubt bring shame to heaven's stars. And the great artist of Mona Lisa would have switched over to you if he was gifted with the sight of you." Layla forced her head down to drown it in embarrassment, but a claw under her chin lifted it back up. "Yet, no matter how true I believe my words to be, the undenying fact of your beauty is merely a perspective from a single soul. To others, they may not believe in the beauty I see. They might as well be blind to it. And the reason why I can discover such beautiful magnificence within you is because…" He chuckled and licked her cheek. "…I love you…"

Layla felt confused to why she was laughing in tears. How can someone laugh and cry at the same time?

The sound of her heightening spirits earned her a satisfying purr from Ethan. "Now to the matter of maturity. I shall answer this question with another question."

How the hell does that work?

"Does it truly matter with one's maturity within a relationship such as ours? I fell in love with you and who you are. Thus, tying to your earlier proclamation, who is to say I will not enjoy what you enjoy? Who is to say I will not enjoy to your video games? Entertainment does take many forms these days. And who is to say I will not enjoy to your comic books. I do find any form of reading to be quite enjoyable."

"And you'll try a cup of Cup Noodles, right?" Layla asked, hope in her brightening eyes.

His predatory eyes grew deadly serious. "I'd rather suffer a thousand deaths than to indulge myself in-"

"Ok, dude, I get it!" Layla chuckled. "You don't have to be such a-"

Her words were cut short when a pair of huge arms engulfed her, pulling her into a warm embrace. "Please, Layla, I beg of you," the dinosaur spoke in a near-broken tone. "Don't ever disgrace yourself. It pains me to think you would belittle your own being."

"I don't know what the frick you just said," Layla whispered, running her hand through his feathers. "But… ok, I promise."

Ethan pulled her away, but immediately reassured her by nuzzling her head with his own. At this point, her tears had dried and evaporated into the summer heat; however, Layla felt a watery sensation being brushed against her face.

"Hey Ethan, are you crying?" she asked.

"Why yes," he answered without regret. "Yes I am…"

Log: Layla

Never have I noticed these insecurities my love has hidden away from me. As her lover, I should have never deduced the small pain within her smile and eyes to a mere misconception of my superb vision. I should have taken notice to her great reluctance to show me what she valued and what she loved to do. This feeling of failure consumes my confidence in myself.

But as today has told, I may no longer have to worry. I can see ourselves laughing as we play these video games and sipping tea as we read these picture books.

But I dread the day she will force me to ingest these… Cup Noodles.

Sorry for taking so long! School's been screwing my life so far. And typing Ethan's dialogue takes some time because, unlike Layla where she basically talks like me, I see him as this fancy word talker that I have to use Google to help me with sometimes.

Anyways, review if you liked this chapter!