When he asked if he looked like a chubby baby, all she could do was emphatically shake her head no. Because if she opened her mouth, all the words that she was trying to hold in would come spilling out. And the words rolling through her brain right now were definitely not the sort you just threw at a person. They were a little graphic, actually.
And when he asked if she was Harm's friend, Lottie was thrilled that he remembered her at all. But again, she just nodded, because those words were still waiting. She could almost feel them physically pressing against her lips and tongue, just straining to get out. And she could not let that happen or he'd never ever talk to her again.
Though, she was thinking if she acted like some mute boobie, he might not talk to her again either. So she had to say something. She just had to be really, really careful about it.
“I'm Philotes,” she responded automatically. Then she remembered that they were in Rome, and without thought she corrected herself. “Amicitia. That's what they call me here, Amicitia, but in Greece, I'm Philotes. I mean, I'm always Philotes, but you know how they renamed everybody, and they renamed me, and I'm not sure I like it but you can call me Amicitia if you like or Philotes, or whatever, I just like to hear you talk because you have such a beautiful voice, it's like honey, all sweet and golden, but that's really not all that surprise, because you're like that all over, and I know that sounds kind of creepy coming from somebody you've never really talked to before, but I promise I don't mean it that way, I just mean that you're really gorgeous, and it's really nice that the rest of us get to look at you because you don't look like a chubby baby at all, I bet you weren't even chubby when you were a baby, so I have no idea where the Romans got the idea that you look like that because I can totally see that you'd be the tiger rather than the baby, not that I mean that you'd be a tiger in bed, I mean, I'm sure you probably are, but that's not what I was getting at, I just meant that you're strong and lean and... and I need to shut up now.”
Lottie stopped speaking, feeling the familiar heat of a blush staining her cheeks. After the flood of words, all she could manage was a whispered, “Sorry.”