THE HEART IS GOLD
Chapter Five

Celeste awoke to the banging of pots and the pleasant smell of frying eggs and bacon. She almost forgot that she was in Sam’s apartment, but quickly remembered when she looked up. She sat up in wonderment. Her head hurt terribly. She remembered how John had beaten her. It was so painful…but Sam was there to rescue her. She thought of how much she appreciated him just for his being there. Suddenly, she heard her name being called.

"Celeste!" Sam called. "Celeste, breakfast is ready…" He studied her, as if to learn more. "Oh. Well, breakfast is ready." He looked nervous for some reason. She could not help but laugh. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing." She smiled. "All right. I’ll be there in a minute," she told him, motioning for him to go out so that she could get dressed. He left, and she pulled the beaded silk dress that she had worn yesterday on. Sam had given her a nightshirt to wear the previous night. She combed her beautiful, curly, blonde hair up into a bun. She liked this dress. It was dark blue with red trim, and little black beads decorating it. She soon appeared in the kitchen.

"There you are! I thought you’d never get here!" He smiled, giving her a playful punch.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, grinning as she lightly slapped him. She sat down. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome. It’s no problem." They began to eat after they had said the blessing.

Celeste ate the delicious home-cooked meal with pleasure. "You know, you are not a bad cook," she complimented.

"Why, thank you, Mistress Celeste. Always my best for my dearest friend." He playfully bowed to her.

"I am glad. Now, don’t start taking me as your queen!" She laughed at him.

"Yes, ma’am!" He gave a pretend salute. "So…what are you doing today?" he asked her.

"Well…I don’t exactly know. I just hope I don’t run into John." She cringed at the very thought of that evil man.

"Don’t worry! I’ll make sure you don’t!"

"What were you planning today?"

"Not much. I was just going for a walk, since it’s such a nice day. Want to come with me?"

"I would love to." She smiled warmly at him.

"Well, come on, then." She followed him out the door and into the bright morning sunlight. She smiled as she breathed the fresh air. They walked down the stairs and out onto the street. "Well, you never got to finish telling me why you ran away," he said, glancing over at her.

"Well, I…I got home from being with you, and he had no idea what had been keeping me. He took me by the arm and started yelling at me. Then he began hitting me, harder and harder each time. Oh, Sam! It hurt so much! Then he slammed me up against the wall. I tried to get free, but he caught me. He was too strong. He pinned me against the floor and hit me even harder. Sam…he…he tried to steal from me my virgin’s glory…" Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she thought about the pain. John was terrible.

Sam wrapped her in a warm hug. "Oh, Celeste…I’m so sorry…that awful man. He doesn’t deserve you!" Sam said angrily.

"And then, he got in just the right spot, and I kneed him in his solar plexus. While he was howling in pain, it was my chance to escape. I got out the door and ran all the way to the middle of town, like I had never run before. I was in pain. I did not know that part of town. Next thing I knew, I fainted, and then awoke in the hospital with you there…" She sighed, but smiled as she spoke of him and his kindness toward her.

"That man deserves to be put behind bars…" he growled.

"That is near impossible. He is very rich. He’s related to the Hockleys. His bother seems to be just as bad, if not worse." She cringed at the thought of him.

"Oh, no…nothing’s really impossible. There’s some way out for you, Celeste. All you have to do is believe," he spoke softly.

"Well…I have always been taught that money is the only way out. But I see it differently now." She glanced around, grinning. Suddenly, as they walked, Celeste spotted a figure with long, curly red hair walking alongside a tall, dark-haired man. Celeste realized that it was Rose. "Look! It’s Rose!" she said, excitement filling her.

"Rose? Who’s that?" he asked.

"She’s a good friend of mine. She is Caledon Hockley’s fiancé, sadly. He is practically John’s twin, if not worse."

"Wow. Oh, yeah, that’s that guy who is John’s brother." She saw him glance at her in a way that was ever so sweet. She was about to walk over to meet Rose, but thought twice. As evil as Cal was, he might possibly tell John where Celeste was. But it was too late. Rose had spotted her.

"Celeste! It’s so good to see you!" Rose exclaimed, hugging Celeste. Celeste couldn’t help but smile.

"Um…you, too…" she said. "Rose, this is Sam." Celeste smiled at Sam and pointed to him.

"Oh, yes, the one you’ve told me so much about. Hello, Sam. Celeste has told me a lot about you," Rose said, smiling.

"Hello there, Rose," he replied politely.

"And as you know, this is Cal." Rose frowned as she pointed to him.

"Hello, Cal," Sam shot coldly.

"Hello, young ma’am and Sam." Celeste could clearly tell this evil man before her with Rose was two-faced.

"Celeste, where is John?" Cal asked. That was it. The question she had been dreading. She didn’t know what to say. She looked helplessly at Sam.

"Um…we were just out for a stroll. John is back at the hotel with her mother," replied Sam. Celeste was relieved.

"Oh, all right then. Well, I will go find him," Cal sneered. Rose looked at Celeste and Sam in wonderment. "Come along, Rose."

"Yes, Cal." Rose pretended to be following him. But as soon as she had lost him in the bustling crowds of people, she came strolling back to them.

"All right. What really happened, Celeste?" Rose asked Celeste.

"It was that horrid man!" Celeste angrily exclaimed.

"Tell me," Rose said. Celeste explained the whole story, leaving Rose with an angry look on her face.

"He’s Cal’s twin, if not worse." Rose sighed.

"Exactly what I thought. Horrid, I tell you. But Sam is very kind ,and took me in…" She trailed off dreamily.

"You love him, Celeste, don’t you?" Rose’s question hit Celeste unexpectedly. Celeste’s cheeks turned bright red.

"Excuse me?" she retorted.

"You heard me. Now, come on. Admit it. You’re blushing."

Celeste looked at Sam, who was within earshot of the conversation, staring at her with a quizzical look. "I…he’s my best friend, Rose…" Celeste stammered. She glanced over at Sam, and walked closer to him.

"Don’t ever be scared to admit your feelings for someone, Celeste. Even if it’s me," Sam said comfortingly.

"Oh, we’ll just see who she loves," a deep and dark voice said. Celeste screamed. It was John. "Come back to me, sweetheart."

"No!" she shouted.

"Then I’ll kill you!" John let out a dark and evil laugh. She realized then that Cal had teamed up with him. Cal must have led him to her!

"Celeste! Run!" Sam’s voice rang out as he took her by the arm and pulled her forward. She started forward, running. Suddenly, she heard a gunshot and screamed. They had guns! They had to get out of their path! All of a sudden, she tripped over her skirts, sending her down with a painful thud. She let out a yelp.

"Sam!" she cried. He hurriedly came running to her, just as John and Cal neared.

"Come on, Celeste!" Sam determinedly pulled her up, and they continued running. She picked up her skirts further for better running as they rounded a corner. She sighed with relief. They had lost them! Or so she thought…

"Whew…that was close…" she breathed.

"Yeah…Celeste…I…" she heard Sam stammer.

"You what?" she asked.

"Um…nothing…" He gave her a warm hug. She wondered what was on his mind. She loved his hugs. Suddenly, Celeste heard a nearby gunshot. "Run! Now!" he yelled. They grabbed hands and ran for dear life. They had to escape. They just had to. She screamed as John and Cal got closer.

"Enjoying your time together?" John asked sternly.

"Shut up, John!" she yelled bravely.

"Come with me!" He reached for her arm, and she yelped as John grabbed it painfully.

"No!" she yelled loudly. Then Sam came to the rescue.

"No, you don’t!" Sam shouted, ferociously punching John right in the solar plexus, and they made their glorious escape while he was howling in pain. But Cal came after them. "Hey! Leave her alone!" Sam grabbed Cal by the arm and then got a good hold on him. Celeste gasped as they fell to the ground, a gun about to be fired in Cal’s hand. Celeste knew that she had to do something.

"No!" she cried, ripping the gun out of Cal’s hand as he fought with Sam. She threw the gun far out into the pond, and watched it land with a mighty splash. Sam got a grip on Cal and punched him hard in the face. Cal howled in pain. Sam threw him up against the wall.

"Learned your lesson yet?" Sam asked Cal. Celeste gasped in horror as John came up behind Sam like a zombie.

"Sam!" she yelled anxiously, pointing behind him. Sam quickly swung around, only to be punched quite hard by John. Celeste screamed as Sam fell to the ground. "Oh, no, you don’t!" she yelled angrily. She took a leap of pure faith, ran up behind John, and sent him down with a crash. But she went down herself, as well. She howled in pain as John began slapping her. She lay there, half-unconscious, as he had her pinned to the ground in a painful grasp. "Sam! Sam! Sam!" she yelled his name, trying to get free. Now John was trying to rob her of her precious virgin’s glory. She screamed loudly in pain. John covered her mouth, and she made the perfect move. She quickly bit his fingers hard. He yelped in pain.

"Why, you little…" John quickly slapped her once more. But Sam had the perfect plan. He jumped up behind him and punched him, enough to send him down.

"Come on, Celeste! Run!" Sam yelled, grabbing her and pulling her up. She yelped in pain from all of the bruises and cuts. But she gripped his hand tightly and ran and ran. They had finally lost Cal and John.

Sam picked her up and carefully climbed the stairs. She was in deep pain now. She looked up at him, her eyes only half open. "Are you okay? Those were some smart moves back there. I must say, who taught you to fight like that?" He smiled at her.

"No one, really. I just cannot stand him. He is always doing something to hurt me. I have to stay away from him. I am very happy being a virgin at the moment," she said, smiling slightly at him.

"I see. Well, I will protect you, no matter what. And you know that. But come on. What you need is some hot tea to warm you up after that event," he said comfortingly.

"Yes, I sure do. And I am glad for that." He carried her inside the apartment and softly lay her down on the couch. He covered her with a soft blanket.

"There we go. I’ll be right back with some tea." And with that, he scurried off to the kitchen and set a kettle to boiling. She smiled as she watched him in the kitchen. He had just saved her life, and she was proud of that. You love him, Celeste, don’t you? Rose’s earlier words rang inside her head. Admit it. You do. She smiled slightly, wondering to herself if she did love him. Don’t ever be scared to admit your feelings to someone, Celeste, even if it’s me, Sam’s words rang out. She thought for a moment. If he was ever right, he was right now. She was awakened out of her reverie when Sam appeared in the doorway with a steaming cup of tea.

"There you go. Careful. It’s hot," he told her caringly, which made her smile.

"Thank you very much. And thank you for…for saving me back there. There’s no telling what would have happened if you had not have been there." Her eyes were sparkling.

"Well…you’re welcome. I’m glad I was there to help." Their eyes met, and they both held the gaze of the other for a moment. His large, penetrating blue eyes sparkled. Her heart was pounding now. The adrenaline from earlier had left her…and now she felt comfort and peace.

"You know, I was going to write a new book. I was wondering if you’d like to help," he stammered nervously, and she noticed he was blushing slightly.

"Um…sure. What is it going to be about?" She gazed around, wondering what could possibly be making him so nervous.

"It’s going to be a love story. A young girl meets a young man when she tries to commit suicide, and he rescues her from the trap she’s been in. The two fall deeply in love with each other. They would do anything on earth for one another. They would laugh together and tell each other just about everything. But suddenly, her ex-fiancé comes looking for her. He finds her and tries to kill her. He is angry with her for leaving him. But it was his fault, you see. But the young man steps in and gets him, and saves the young woman from being raped. The end."

She thought for a long moment. Kind of like us…except I don’t really think we’re in love, she thought. She smiled warmly. "That is a great story. Of course I will help you write it." She felt his gaze tighten upon her, and she suddenly felt nervous.

"I’m glad. Thanks. Well, you are going to have to get to bed, or you won’t get any better," he told her sternly, but smiled.

"Oh, all right. Fine, then." She made a pretend angry face at him.

"Well, good night. I think I’m going to get ready for bed myself."

"Good night," she said, a bit dreamily. She gazed off into open air, thinking. What would become of them? Would she come in contact with John again? She sure hoped not…her stare led her eyes to look down the hall, where she saw a light on in the room. It was night. She decided to go and see what Sam was up to. But she also had to make sure he didn’t see her, or she was in for it! She quietly got up, and made light footsteps down the hall. She peered around the door, careful to not be seen. She smiled as she watched him at work, writing in his notebook. He looked like he was working very hard. I wonder what exactly he’s writing. Her thoughts trailed off. She saw him look up, and quickly hid behind the next door. When he went back to work, she quietly crept down the hallway and settled back onto the couch. Finally, drowsiness overcame her, and she settled into a deep sleep.

Chapter Six
Stories