Colour Me Alive

Sixteen: Bits and Pieces

A/N: Next chapter out either late next week or early the following week! Sorry, I have two big exams to worry about and then weekly updates shall return!
The month of July has been a busy month and I'm sorry for taking forever to update.

If you want to see sneak peeks or just curious about me in general, follow my instagram: @alexcarterd. As said, I post sneak peeks of the next chapter and it's the best way to know what I'm up to. So maybe I'll see you there? (:

Thank you so much for reading my story! I hope you're enjoying it and loving it.
Drama is coming soon my lovelies. Be warned.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always,
Happy Reading!

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Valentin Ramirez

 "Liesla." I call out her name, closing in the distance between us. She doesn't react, not even flinch. Her attention is solely on the thin, gray paper that contains photos of us together from last Saturday. "Lee, amor, please talk to me. Tell me something, por favor."

 A minute pause passes by and she just blankly stares at the words printed on the newspaper. Slowly, she begins to look up, regarding me with caution.

 Her eyes are doing that thing. It's a specific look she has when she's trying to hold up her guard but also let herself be vulnerable in front of me. That's one of my favorite things about Liesla, her expressive yet mysterious eyes. Any look they hold is captivating. No matter how big or small the look is, everyone is drawn into them.

 And right now, I can see the internal fight happening inside. It's something that has been more prominent since the moment I told her that I am an MMA. And can I really blame her?

 "Dayana," Liesla breathes out, clutching onto the paper with a force, "please tell me that she isn't on here. Valentin, I need to know that she isn't on the damn article nor in any of the photos."

 Her voice is firm, guarded from showing any emotion. I slowly approach her, now standing in front of her petite figure. "She's not. I saw it and read it all myself. Not once was she mentioned nor hinted at. It looks like we were caught together towards the end."

 She nods her head understandingly, her eyes still not making any contact with mine. I find it odd because usually our eye contact seems so comfortable and electric between us, yet right now, she's giving me nothing. I study her facial expression with detail and find her to be in deep thought. Liesla's gently biting down on the bottom left of her lips as her eyebrow furrow together then move apart in a slow and almost undetectable movement.

 "Valentin, I don't think you understand. I don't want Dayana on this damn newspaper or in any for that matter!" Her voice rises in tone, sounding almost harsh. "Please tell me this is just on this city's news. Valentin..."

 "Lee, what's going on? Why are you so adamant on Dayana not appearing on paper?" A small growl escapes her lips as she closes her eyes and lifts her head up towards the ceiling.

 "Because of her father!" She sighs, bringing a hand to her temples. "I don't know if he knows that she exists or not but, I do not want him to see her. Hell, I don't want him to see me. I can't imagine what would happen if he finds out about her. There's so much you don't know Valentin, so much."

 Silence engulfs us, allowing for our reality to slowly hit us.

 And the fact of our reality is: We're just two people with a deep connection that don't know enough about each other.