Love Is a Game [Sestina]

She said, "Love is a game we all play"
I replied, "How does this 'game' work?"
That's when tears fell from her eyes,
A fractured sentence was all I heard,
"Lies, deception, and an uneven smile"
With excitement I replied, "I will win"

Her heart was the first object to win,
A few phrases with intricate word play,
She mouthed "I love you" with a smile,
I wondered what part of this was work?
But love means nothing until it's heard,
So then I looked in her watering eyes,

All I saw was fear hidden in her eyes,
The desperate tears struggling to win,
But the "I love you" was never heard,
I wondered what part of this was play?
It was all starting to look like work,
So then I faked the brightest smile,

Even she saw through this fake smile,
With something other than her eyes,
Scared, I lied hoping it would work,
I wondered if I could possibly win,
But her heart was still set to play,
The voice of my heart was heard,

Faintly "Please run far away" I heard,
Ignorance took my hand with a smile,
I was trapped in the game we played,
And lost even deeper in her brown eyes,
So I quickly searched for a way to win,
But the rules were instantly set to work,

That's when I saw the trap called "work"
Parts of the fractured sentence I heard,
"The one who cheats, will never win"
I looked closer - she wore a fake smile,
I had been tricked by those evil eyes,
She was the only one allowed to "play"

I did all of the work for her to win,
She said, "You wanted to play - I heard"
I replied, "A fake smile deceived my eyes"