THE
SHIELD
OF
LOVE
Tesla Publishing, North Carolina
An imprint of Sherlock Circus LLC
A Sherlock Circus Book / Published by arrangement with authors
Copyright 2016 by Sherlock Circus LLC
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310 Arlington Avenue, Suite 420, Charlotte, NC, US
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Version_1
NC mass-market edition/2016
Cover Images: by Angela Saunders
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1:
Chapter 2:
Chapter 3:
Chapter 4:
Chapter 5:
Chapter 6:
Chapter 7:
Chapter 1:
They say that sometimes, all it takes is one moment to change your entire life. Mary never believed in that phrase. She always believed that it is the series of decisions that we take in the entire course of our life that defines its cumulative effect. Little did she know that all her beliefs were going to shatter after she would meet Augustus! He was that one guy who was able to redefine the entire course of her life with a single meeting.
Mary was living in Sacramento and was pretty content with her life. She was a primary school teacher and was really proud of her profession. She used to feel content by shaping the lives of other kids. She was one of the friendliest teachers in her school. She was about to celebrate her 27th birthday in a matter of a few days and knew that she needed to bring a change in her life.
Mary has been attracted to guys and she had dated a few of them in the past as well, but it never resulted in anything concrete. Her longest relationship lasted for six months, which made her questions about her choice in men. She knew that there was nothing wrong with her. Tall, blonde, and beautiful – she could make every man of the street turn their head in order to get her second look. She knew that she was confident and was an independent woman, but even after all such positive qualities she never got to meet the perfect guy.
She had only jerks who wanted nothing else than sex. There were plenty of one night calls and regrets in her life, which made her believe that maybe love was not meant for her. Even at the age of just 27, she started to assume that she would be living the rest of her life alone. Her parents died in a car crash a few years back and after that, she lost the one most important support of her life. She had no family to go to and used to spend every major festival like Christmas or Thanksgiving either by staying in her apartment or visiting her friends.
Almost all of her friends were either settled or were engaged in a relationship. She knew that they had their priorities straight and she didn’t want to be a third wheel while crashing their intimate moments. Her birthday was no such exception and she had no plans of going out or celebrating it. She wanted to stay home and watch a few of her favorite movies while eating her favorite chocolate ice cream.
“What are your plans for the weekend?” Melinda asked her when Mary was wrapping up and planning to head home.
“Uhm. Nothing. I will stay home,” Mary said in the most natural way, as she knew that Melinda had no idea that it was her birthday.
“I know this guy, Augustus. He is a real keeper, Mary. He is a musician and he is available…” even before Melinda could finish her sentence, Mary realized where the conversation was going.
“No. The answer is no. I am not interested,” she said without even giving it a thought. She had experienced the worst of dating, which made her avoid it at all. She knew that she can’t let anyone else have that ultimate control over the heart and love was not meant for her. She had made peace with the fact that she is not going to find the love of her life and would be living the rest of her life alone. Not everyone in this world is fortunate enough to experience love in its true glory and maybe she was one of them.
“You didn’t even listen to me, Mary. Trust me, I don’t really work as a matchmaker. You know I am not one of those people. But he is really a nice guy. He is one of my husband’s best friends and every time I talk to him, I think of you. He is really simple and focused on those small things in life that make us happy, just like you. I am not asking you to fall in love with him, Mary. All I am asking you is to meet him once and see if he is the one for you or not.
There is no harm in going out and checking the water. Yes, I know you have been through a bad phase, but you can’t stay like this forever. The worst-case scenario is that you will have a bad date or that he would turn out to be a bad kisser. In that case, you will come home and drink a glass of wine before you go to sleep. But what if, he turns out to be the one for you, Mary. You don’t want to miss out on such a great possibility, do you? Are you ready to live with that “what if” for the rest of your life?”
As Melinda asked her that final question, Mary realized that she certainly had a point. If she was so sure about Augustus, then there was no harm in meeting him. She had been on the worst possible dates and Augustus can’t be any worse.
She didn’t say anything at all to Melinda and kept looking at her bag for the next few moments while at that instant, her mind was able to bring back all those bad experiences that the dating game had given her throughout.
“When and where?” she smiled, as she finally gave up and asked Melinda a few more details about the date.
Melinda showed her a picture of Augustus on her phone and Mary couldn’t fail to notice how handsome he looked. He had an unforgettable face and it seemed like he used to work out regularly, but it was his hazel eyes that stole the show. Augustus had beautiful and deep hazel eyes that were limitless. It was that one thing that turned Mary on and she couldn’t wait to see him.
“I will text you the place and time after asking him. I am so glad that we are doing this!” Melinda said as she hugged Mary in excitement. She was pretty happy to be the matchmaker and couldn’t wait for both of them to meet.
Chapter 2:
That weekend, as Mary and Augustus decided to meet in a beautiful café, they both couldn’t be any more excited. Melinda did the entire thing the age-old way and tried her best to make the evening a memorable one for the both of them. Mary was not sure if she was making the right decision or not.
As she got ready and wore a casual outfit, she kept thinking about her past experiences. She wanted to believe that just because her past was not as good as her expectations, it didn’t mean that her present and most significantly, her future would be that bad. Maybe, Augustus would be different. It was that “maybe” which was making her feel excited. As she reached the café wearing a lavender blouse and a pair of black trousers, she started to look for Augustus. She started to believe that maybe she was a little early, when she saw Augustus waiting for her at a side table.
“Hey!” that was the first thing she said as she walked towards Augustus. He was certainly far more handsome that he looked in his pictures. Mary couldn’t stop noticing how strong his arms looked or how flawless his face was. He has an amazing body and an equally handsome face to go with it. His eyes were even more magical in real. Th
ey were hazel with a hint of light blue in them – or maybe, it was her lavender blouse that was getting reflected in his eyes.
Mary knew that she couldn’t keep staring at his eyes anymore and decided not to figure out how mysterious his eyes looked.
“Hi! It’s a pleasure to meet you finally. Melinda told me a lot of things about you!” he said as she greeted her and they started to talk. Augustus was wearing a dark green t-shirt and a pair of beige chino trousers. He was looking nothing but perfect in that laidback attire, which made Mary believe that maybe Melinda was right. Augustus was indeed a simple man and had his priorities straight, just like Mary. Although she wanted to remain cautious because it was their first date and she knew that too often, our first perception of someone could be wrong.
“I hope good things!”
“Definitely good things! She told me how simple you are and that we would be really compatible. But it seems like that she forgot to mention the most important thing!”
“What?” she asked him.
“She didn’t tell me that you are so damn beautiful. Yes, she gave me your picture to see but you are certainly far more beautiful than your pictures, Mary. Uhm. Well, that came out in a wrong way!” he was able to make Mary blush with the subtle compliment.
“Thank you, Augustus,” she said as she kept looking at her own reflection in his eyes. At that moment, Mary realized that Melinda was certainly right. As they kept talking to each other and knew more about their lives, they realized how similar they were. Yes, just like every two individuals, they had a few dissimilarities as well, but they didn’t really focus on them.
Instead, then thought of making the best out of that evening and had a long and thoughtful discussion. Even though it was their first meeting, but Mary was able to pour her heart and soul out to him. He was barely a stranger to her anymore as she was able to tell him some of her deepest and darkest of secrets. She told him about how she lost her parents and that the grief was able to change her. Augustus certainly felt bad and shared incidents about his life to Mary as well.
“I have no idea about my parents. When I was an infant, they dropped me in front of an orphanage. At least, that is what the people from the social service used to tell me. They have no records of my parents and I have lived a large part of my life in foster cares. When I turned eighteen, I realized that I have to do something with my life. I started working in a music shop and realized that it is indeed music which is my passion.
I saved for a few months before I got a guitar for myself and that is when it started. I have never looked back ever since and I am so glad that I took that decision. I know that I am not a famous star, but I like where I am. I have good contacts and I play at some of the finest places in the city. I have my own fans here and I have made peace with it. I like where I belong. This is where I choose to be.”
As Augustus narrated his story, Mary realized how different yet similar their lives were. Both of them lost their parents and even after facing a life full of hardships, they were able to find peace with it. They were pretty content and satisfied with what they had and were able to make the best out of it. Even after when Mary completed her college, she got a pretty good offer from a company in New York. She could have joined it and the entire course of her life would be something else.
But she knew that the change would not be a good one. She didn’t want to simply pass every phase and notion of life without actually living it. She wanted to experience every passing day and live it to its best. She was one of those people who could find happiness in the most normal and ordinary things and her life in Sacramento was something that she was not ready to let go of that easily. That city was her home and she was definitely not ready to leave it for anything in the world.
As they both shared their ideas and beliefs, they got connected instantly. Mary realized that Augustus was certainly not like any other guy that she had ever been with. He was different. It was not just his dashing looks or the way he used to speak that turned her on, but it was his overall appeal and his idea towards his life. It was as if the two of them shared the same ideology and Mary felt instantly relieved to meet Augustus.
They both didn’t realize how quickly the time went. Amidst their chat and the delicious food, the day came to an end and it was late evening already. They both were talking to each other when Mary received a message from Melinda that made her look at the time. They both realized that it was pretty late.
“How did it go?” Mary read Melinda’s text and smiled.
“If I will tell her that I am still with you, then she would definitely freak out!” Mary said and they both started to laugh.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mary!” Augustus said as they both left the café. The road was illuminated by several street lamps and Augustus could see those beautiful fairy lights that were making Mary’s face look even more beautiful. They both looked at each other and tried to initiate the conversation.
The day was finally over, but none of them wanted to leave. They wanted to stay with each other, but none of them knew how to make the offer. Mary didn’t want to give any wrong signals and Augustus was cautious too. He didn’t want to ruin his image in front of her and they both decided to let silence writer their story.
“Is this the goodbye?” she asked him.
“No. This is not a goodbye. This is just the beginning. I hope to see you soon, Mary!” he said as he leaned towards her and kissed her. They both closed their eyes and could feel each other’s warmth. Mary loved how he was able to make sure that it was the perfect kiss. She could feel his warmth inside of her and was able to taste his presence at the tip of her tongue.
As she opened her eyes, she realized the intensity of that kiss. It was as if he was able to make her visit a whole new realm with that kiss and the moment she let go of his lips, she came back to the earth. The kiss was enchanting and had a magical touch. For a moment, Mary felt as if her whole life she was under some sleeping curse and her prince charming was able to bring her back to life with that true lover’s kiss. She kept looking at him, knowing that he had felt the same way.
“Wow!” was all she could say as she brought her back to life.
“I am going to call you, tonight,” he said as he let go her and she started to cross the street.
“I will be waiting for your call!” she said as she crossed the road while looking at him. She knew that she was in love, but she didn’t know that love can sometimes make us blind.
As she kept looking at him while crossing the street, she had no idea that a car was coming from the other side. It was at its full speed and as Mary kept walking towards it, Augustus realized that it won’t turn out well.
“Mary! Watch out!” he shouted at the tip of his voice as he ran towards her. Mary turned around to see the black Jaguar coming towards her and at that moment, she saw the face of death – and it certainly didn’t seem pretty.
Augustus ran towards her at an unbelievable speed and even before Mary could realize what was happening with her, Augustus wrapped his arms around her and they both fell on the opposite side of the street.
“Augustus! Oh God!” Mary screamed as they both fell. Augustus wrapped her in his embrace to make sure that she won’t get hurt. The car didn’t stop for even a second to make sure about their safety and simply left. The street was almost empty except for the two of them.
Mary wasn’t hurt at all. She simply got a few scratches and her elbow was bleeding. It was a near-death experience for her and she couldn’t believe that she was able to walk out of it with only a handful of bruises.
“Augustus! You saved me!” she said as they both stood up and hugged each other. Mary saw Augustus and realized that he wasn’t doing that well. His head was severely injured as he was bleeding.
“Are you alright, Mary?” he said in order to make sure if she was fine or not. Though they met for the first time, but the thought of losing her devasted him and he was able to risk his own life in order to save her
.
“I am fine, Augustus – all thanks to you. But we need to visit the hospital right away. Your head is bleeding… or not,” she said and looked confused as she saw his head getting healed in a matter of a few seconds right in front of eyes. She couldn’t believe it at all.
Right in front of her, every scar and wound that was there on his skin were healed and Mary couldn’t understand what was happening to him.
“Augustus, what is happening? The last time I saw, you were on the opposite side of the street. How did you run so fast and came to me? How is this even possible? I just saw that your wounds got healed in a second. This is unbelievable. Who are you?” As Mary asked him, she realized that maybe, they were not that same after all.
“I was just here, Mary. I saw that car coming towards you and I couldn’t stop myself from protecting you. I ran as fast as I could to come and protect you…” even before Augustus could explain her anything, she realized that he was speaking a lie.
“What is it, Augustus? You can tell me. Do you trust me – yes or no?” she asked him.
“Yes. I trust you. But this is not the right place to tell you everything. My apartment is just down the street. Would it be fine for you to come there with me? Your elbow here needs a bandage as well,” Augustus realized that he couldn’t lie to Mary anymore, not if he wanted to maintain a healthy and honest relationship with her.
Mary knew that it won’t be that safe to go to his place, but there was no harm in that as well. The man just saved her life and it was a risk that she was willing to take. She knew that Augustus won’t harm her. In fact, in that moment, she knew that she could trust him blindly.
“Okay! Let’s go.”
Chapter 3:
“What is it, Augustus? Tell me!” Mary said as Augustus opened the gate to his place. It was a clean and neatly done apartment and Mary loved the overall ambiance of it.
[2016] The Shield of Love Page 1