A TALE OF TWO LOVERS

The woman screams as she is dragged away from the man. Two strong men known as 'the keepers of the tower' pull them apart as their love is deemed "not enough". This might just be the tenth case I've seen this month. Her lover, a man with black hair and light stubble on his face screamed for her and as I stood there, I was wowed by their speech. "Wait for me my love... I'll increase my affection" he screamed. The woman, a beautiful blue eyed maiden fell to the ground weeping and at the same time a sad smile decorated her beautiful face and I watched with my eyebrows raised as she dramatically pulled herself away from the keeper to run to her lover arms flailing and tears flowing. I licked the icecream I was holding due to the hot weather and just because I need a snack to watch the soap opera called " other peoples lives". Many couples have gone through the same and some throw such a tantrum that you, the watcher find yourself defending their love. I watch with pure amazement as they run towards one another , defying the strength of the keepers by pulling away and I find myself clapping. No one has ever been able to get away. People start congregating the area to watch what most of us will go through and as some shake their heads in disappointment, others shed tears and go home with their eyes cast downwards never really having any hope at marriage. This is a city where, a love measure sits at the tower I'm currently standing in front of and at this tower, the fate of lovers is decided. Marriage will not be possible unless the man loves the woman more and how do they know that??? Well, the item that sits atop the tower measures the love they have for one another and a decision whether you will go out to town with a smile or strangle your lover in a bear hug as this two are doing due to the sadness is made. The keepers try and pull them apart once again but these two prove to be more difficult. Why don't they just use hugging as a measure?? These two could definitely win. The woman refuses to let go and the man, well he is currently trying hard to breathe from the suffocation of the bear hug his lover has trapped him in. Now I understand why they failed, she obviously loves him more. As ridiculous as it sounds, this is the life we live and yes we are controlled by a machine, that measures love. The keepers finally remove the woman from the man and he coughs, trying to catch his breath. The faces of the keepers were a sight, with their mouths wide open and their eyebrows furrowed, they regarded the woman. "Is this why you failed??" one of the keepers asked. "He wouldn't survive a day with you" the other said. I held in a laugh at that moment and covered my mouth with my hand as the woman made a horrified expression on her face. "How dare you. We love one another" she replied after which she looked at her lover " right, my love??" she asked. He looked at her and nodded, his eyes teary due to the coughing. "of course " he rasped. The woman started going towards her lover once again and instead of running the other way, the man just sat there waiting for another one of those chocking hugs. Her face and her personality are two totally different things. if one looked at her face, they would think she was an innocent girl but just let her give you a " friendly hug" and you'll know. Before she could reach him, she was suddenly carried up by one of the keepers as he shook his head at her. He looked at her as if she was a crazy woman and who wouldn't. Her brown hair was in a mess, her make up smudged with the mascara forming black lines on her cheeks and her dress was dirty. "You are going to kill the man, now go home and wait for him to increase his affection as he said" the keeper told her. She shook her head aggressively. "No!! Stop trying to came between us. I'm sure you have no one to love you and that's why you want to get between us" she huffed, crossing her hands in front of her. The keeper smirked and she furrowed her eyes in confusion. He leaned so that he could be on her level. "Unlike you, I'm already married" he flashed the ring that sat on his finger and she gasped. "I passed this a long time ago, so stop disturbing us and let your husband revise for the next time you are here for the test" he finished. That shut her right up as she slowly stood up and started passing a hand through her hair to reduce the mess and dusting her clothes. ' Revise'. Her husband is going to have to love her more than he already does and I carried my bagpack repeating " it's because of the bear hugs", " its because of the bear hugs". I walked into the shop decorated with art of various colors that sold musical instruments, Mason, the owner welcoming me as I entered. I opened the door, making it chime and the shopkeeper, a man in his late thirties, looked up. His eyes immediately warmed up and a smile carved his face. He leaned on his broom, black hair bouncing on his forehead and he looked towards the tower of love. “Another one?” he asked as we looked out the large window. “Yeah, that’s the tenth couple this month” I answered, watching as the crowd disperse. “Some bounce back, some don’t” he said as he swept the dirt outside where there was a trashcan. I walked further into the shop, the cabinets that lined the walls filled with CD’s and cassettes. I browsed the various cassettes as I searched for a blue cover. They were mostly empty, and I had come to purchase one for a music playlist I was making for my brother’s birthday. The door opened with a scratch, imitating a faulty CD and Mason entered, placing the broom at the corner. “Were they causing a ruckus?” he asked as he took his place behind the counter and I hummed as I picked two cassettes. “As usual but the protectors seem to have the situation under wraps” I answered. Mason always thought that the idea of marriage was an extravagant thought, only reserved for those who had the physical and financial ability to have a mental breakdown. Surviving itself was an energy sapping task so adding a dream that is measured and having to console oneself once life beats it out of you was a bad idea. He was in his late thirties, having dated before but never looking for anything as serious as marriage. He also didn’t like the machine atop the tower, and I respected that. “Of course, that’s the training they get” he answered as I came up to the counter. “Will that be all?” “I’d also like two CD’s” I said and he opened the drawers to pull them out. “They are also people who have passed the test” I said, referring to the protectors and he smirked. “Of course. They wouldn’t want people who are not fully supporting the machine” he said with a small shake making the strands of his black hair bounce on his forehead. He was an attractive man, with a beard and thick black curls that covered his head. I was a regular at his shop and my constant visits led to the blossoming of the friendship we had. “Still dislike the measurer?” I asked as I packed the items in my bag. “I don’t think I’ll ever like it” he answered “It always feels like we are caged whenever I look at the tower” he said, and I followed his line of sight to see the glowing fortress of love. “Lack of freedom, huh” I said, softly and he chuckled, a strained one. “Yeah. People should be able to choose who they want to spend their lives with. It shouldn’t matter who loves the other most” he said, a vein popping on his forehead as if the notion of having to be tested disgusted him. I couldn’t help but agree as I paid for the items. It looked like a personal grudge as his eyes narrowed and balled his hands in to fists. I refrained from asking, having witnessed a lot of rejections by the measurer and I settled with either he failed or someone he knew didn’t make it. The radio on top of the shelf behind him suddenly started and I placed my hands on my ears as the noise blared through the small shop. Mason reached for the radio, shaking it as he pushed the off button, but the thing refused to stop. He hit it against the countertop and the sound slowly died out, coming to a stop. “I should get rid of this piece of junk. I hope it didn’t bleed your ears out” he apologised, and I shook my head. “No. Don’t worry, I’m fine” I said, grateful for the distraction as it took his thoughts away from the love measurer. I slung the bag over my shoulder, ready to head out and I raised my head as the door opened with the sound of a faulty CD. “Alright then, see you tomorrow?” he asked, and I smiled. “Yeah ‘ll be here to pick up the book I ordered” I said as I left the shop. My phone pinged with a message, and I pulled it out of my back pocket as I opened the door. After a fingerprint scan, I opened Fiona’s message to see the picture of a boy. Fiona, my best friend has made it her mission to find me a boyfriend despite my obvious disinterest in love. We had been on the same page until she had a mental crisis over never being sent flowers or forehead kisses or chocolate or gifts. I agreed that having someone who cared seemed like a great thing to have and I was a bit jealous of that, but I had to think long term. I inspected the picture, not looking up as I made my way out and I smiled at the good-looking fellow. He stood tall, with blue shirt and black trousers. He had light brown hair and I zoomed in to take a look at his face when my head hit a hard surface. " Sorry", I apologized. “No problem” the person said, his voice deep and I looked up. I narrowed my eyes at him, looking at the picture and back at him. My eyebrows raised at the coincidence and his eyebrows furrowed with confusion, wondering why I wasn’t moving. “What?” he asked, and I adopted a sheepish smile, cursing Fiona in my head and he looked down. He suddenly smirked, and I hid the phone behind my back as though that would help. He suddenly leaned in, and I found myself trapped between him and the wall. I cleared my throat, darting my eyes on the ground as he continued coming closer and closer. I could feel the light stubble on my cheek making the heat rise up them We were cheek on cheek, his mouth close to my ear and I wasn’t about to shout as I would normally since I was holding his picture. For all he knew I could be a crazy stalker, so I stayed still and he went closer making my knees shake slightly. He smelled of leather and dark chocolate with a hint of ... medicine? The slight hospital smell that wafted in the small space between us made me think that he was hurt. He wore black jeans with a grey t-shirt and a white jacket on top. He leaned his head, giving me a once over before his eyes settled on the bag that hung off my shoulder. Placing a hand on the wall near my head, he used the other hand to zip my bag shut and I looked up at the action. He had a lopsided smile and his eyes twinkled with mischief. “Max” he whispered making my eyes go wide before he pulled away. He opened the door, the faulty CD sound knocking me back to reality as I roboted my way home, my hand on my chest as my heartbeat refused to slow. I closed my eyes tight, unbelieving of what had just happened, as I pulled my phone out to glare at it. I could still feel the closeness and smell the mint mixed with hospital smell that wafted from him. He emitted a kind aura adding to the refreshing mint and he was in my head until I opened the door to my house..