Crying freely now, Priscilla raced down the streets of Rome, not knowing or caring where she was going. Her head was aching, her heart cracking, her vision blurry, and her stomach flipping. She could hardly believe what she had just witnessed. The man she loved…kissing someone else. He had chosen Jessica, not Priscilla. And it hurt like hell.

Suddenly, she bumped into someone so roughly that she fell backwards and scraped her elbows on the cobblestones. Instead of getting up, she just lay where she was, crying her eyes out.

Centurion Tiberius dithered a metre or two away, unsure of what to do. He had had a crush on Priscilla ever since she treated his horse and prevented it from being put down two years ago. He had known that her heart belonged to General Octavius, though, so he had tried to get over her, but it had not worked. What was she doing, now, running through the streets in such a state?

Eventually, he crouched down next to her and hesitantly said, "Priscilla?"

She didn't respond so he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Apart from flinching slightly, he didn't get a reaction.

Glancing around, Tiberius spotted a few legionaries standing nearby, snickering behind their hands. Enraged, Tiberius snapped at them, "Go away!"

When none of them moved, Tiberius stood up and said sternly, "I know who you are; Forcus, Kilius, and Polus. If you three don't leave in the next five seconds, I will have you on latrine duty for four months!"

The three legionaries almost tripped over each other in their haste to get away.

Turning back to Priscilla, Tiberius took off his cape and lay it over her. This finally made her slowly stop crying as she registered the material over her. She rolled onto her back and sat up against the wall of a building, holding the cape around her. Tiberius sat down next to her, close enough that he could offer comfort, but at a respectable distance.

"Do you…need to talk?" he asked hesitantly.

Priscilla swallowed and looked down at the ground. "The man I love…chose someone else."

"Oh…" Tiberius bit his lip sympathetically. "I'm sorry."

"I saw him…kissing her. It hurt so much, Tiberius."

Tiberius blinked, momentarily surprised that she had remembered his name. "I understand why. Do you feel betrayed by him?"

Priscilla sighed sadly. "No. Because I know he was not mine and I was not his. He owed me nothing. We were not together."

"But it still hurts, doesn't it."

"Of course it does."

Tiberius regarded Priscilla, huddling under the cape, and came to a decision. "You need a drink. When was the last time you ate?"

"I…I don't remember."

Tiberius stood up and offered his hand to Priscilla. "If you will allow me, I would love to buy you a meal and a drink, to cheer you up."

Priscilla looked up at him. "You'd…do that? Why?"

"Because you need it."

With mixed feelings, Priscilla accepted the hand and Tiberius helped her to her feet. She offered him his cape back, but he shook his head. "You need that too."

"If…If you're sure."

But as they began walking, Priscilla kept the cape drawn around her. She had to admit that she was cold, despite all the running she had just done.

Tiberius took her to a place called The Crown, a bar and restaurant. They went in, sat down, and ordered some food. While they waited, Tiberius chatted to Priscilla about random stuff, to keep her mind off the incident. He told funny stories about his siblings, made jokes, and asked her questions about herself. By the time their food arrived, Priscilla felt like she knew and trusted Tiberius better than she had ever known and trusted Octavius. She had admitted things to him that she had never told anyone before. She briefly wondered why, but she soon realised that it was because she felt she could truly trust Tiberius. Unbeknownst to her, Tiberius was feeling the exact same way.

After they had finished their food and paid, Tiberius took Priscilla into the centurions' lounge at the back of the bar, which was exclusive to centurions and their one guest each. They sat down on the sofas and listened to the piano playing in the background.

"Thank you for this," Priscilla said gratefully, taking a sip of her wine. "I really needed this."

"I bet it was better than lying on the street, crying."

Priscilla giggled awkwardly and nodded. "Definitely. You're an amazing guy, Tiberius. Any woman would be lucky to have you."

Tiberius nodded slowly. "Try telling any woman that," he joked.

"You're…single?"

"Yeah. I haven't really had much luck in love, either. My first serious girlfriend cheated on me, and my most recent girlfriend died."

"Oh, that's…terrible. I'm so sorry."

Tiberius shrugged helplessly. "It's alright. I've moved on."

Priscilla sighed. "I wish I could move on. I don't know how long it's going to take me to get over Octavius. I guess if I truly loved him, it'll take longer."

"Hey, you don't have to worry about it." Tiberius reached across the table and placed his hand on hers. "Any man would be lucky to have you."

"Thank you." Priscilla smiled. "Again, thank you for everything you've done for me."

"I'm at least glad you allowed me to help. After all, I wouldn't have been a very good gentleman if I left you on the street, would I?"

"I guess not." Priscilla took another sip of her drink. "Do you have any kids?"

"No." Tiberius sipped at his own glass of wine. "My first girlfriend did give birth to a son who I thought was mine, but he turned out to belong to the man my girlfriend cheated on me with."

Priscilla grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. She never truly loved me, and I'm better off without her."

Hesitantly, Priscilla leant forwards. "Do you want a girlfriend?"

"Depends if you're willing to be that girlfriend," Tiberius replied automatically, then he groaned. "Oh my gods…I'm so sor-."

Priscilla interrupted him by leaning even further forward and kissing him on the lips. After a few seconds of surprise, Tiberius relaxed. They automatically reached out and held each other's hands, looking like a real couple.

When they pulled back, Priscilla was blushing. "I'm willing," she said, smiling shyly.

So Tiberius leant in and kissed her again.

The day may not have started well for Priscilla, but it could not have had a better ending.