THE DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE

CHAPTER2.2LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

5 years back,

It wasn't far from his vacation hotel room, deep in the forest, camouflaged between two great mountains, giving the place an ancient-like feeling. There was a lake between the private resort, named after the forest, Tarz Lake Resort, a perfect hideout site where hikers went to relax and rest, and a secret military base. The cool breeze and the natural sounds made the place seem alive. He smiled gently at the memory. He should make time and revisit the place. Sam didn't know there was such an amazing, magnificent site on the far side of the training grounds until that afternoon when he got tricked into entering the restricted grounds. The hands of fate were already at work, weaving their destinies, bringing the two souls together.

The scorching heat from the sun was suffocating, and the soldiers felt it most in their heavy-duty uniforms, especially after an order from high up came commanding them to be fully dressed in their combat uniforms. They called it discipline, but it felt more like torture, punishment. They hated the uniforms, but still had to wear them. Sweat trickled down their faces as they worked out lifting heavy equipment. The heat was unbearable. And the soldiers weren't happy about the lake area being restricted. They held a grudge. After a hard morning's training, they loved to enjoy the cool water on their skin, but it all ended when they arrived. They had formed groups, whispering in low voices.

''Who are they?'' One of them inquired, upset about how it was decided for them. They didn’t have a say in the matter; they just had to follow orders. ''Do you see who they were protecting?''

''Do we have any information on them?'' They kept asking each other, lost in their confusion.

''Nope, everything about the guy is classified.'' A young captain passing by confirmed it, gave them a warning look, and walked away. They didn't have a say in the matter. Giving them too much information was not allowed. Especially as the strangers were foreigners on a secret mission. And their soldiers were not to interfere.

Even after the warning, they kept on mumbling among themselves, but none seemed to have any Intel on the person who had enough power to close off the area for themselves. It had been a week since the men dressed in black arrived at the fort and seemed to have taken over. They matched in with heavy footsteps, dressed in black suits, shielding a young man from their view. What hushed the soldiers was not their gigantic tall figures and stern cold expressions, but the respect and the high authority they held, given by their higher-ranked lieutenants. They arrived early that morning, and by noon the next day, the lake area became a restricted ground.

Sam had insisted on accompanying his father to the base, obviously to cause mischief or prank someone, and enjoy a serene environment away from the city. At that age, he was very talkative and cheeky, which seemed to have grown out of him as he got older and more aware of the world. It was also through these methods that he made lots of friends and enemies jealous of the power their family had. He would cause trouble, enjoy the fun, and then apologize so sweetly that all the anger one felt got washed away. Some fell for his trick, but some held even deeper grudges, but with his identity. They could only watch and wait.

He caused trouble now and then for them, so when they saw him walking towards them, they decided it was payback time. And came up with a trick to trick him back. They needed information about the powerful guest, and it seemed only Sam could get it for them.

''We should let him check it out for us.'' John, a huge guy with a dark skin tone, one of the soldiers who was not very fond of their family power, incited the others, gazing at Sam with a scowl.

I think they are royalty. Did you see the way they are dressed? We shouldn't mess with them.''

"If you are scared, you can leave." John mocked the man who had tried to stop them, which discouraged the others.

They then acted like they had not seen him and deliberately raised their voices so that he could hear them. They were also looking for an opportunity to prank Sam back, so they just went along with it, and he got there just in time to fit into their idea.

''Is he looking? Don't look, he is coming this way,'' they whispered in hushed tones. How naive he was to believe them so easily.

Sam turned his gaze in their direction in time to see them acting and looking at him suspiciously, which attracted his attention and curiosity got the better of him, so he kept his head down and made his way past them, pretending not to listen in on their secret.

''You know what, the lake is very cool right now.'' One of them suggests, audible enough for him to hear.

''We should go there right after training.'' Another one added.

''If only our training time were over.''

''Shush! 'Don’t let him hear you, that’s our secret spot, he will ruin our relaxation time.'' He heard them mention it softly. Gotcha, Sam thought, excited. He knew their secret. They had made him believe that it was their secret and that they were planning to have fun at the lake without him. And the young mind of a teenager, easily manipulated, he fell for it.

''A lake? How come I don’t know there is a lake?'' He asked out loud to no one specific.

''Ooh, it’s a secret they are hiding it on purpose?'' His lips curved into a grin, ''Hmm.'' He scoffed at them, turned around, and skipped towards the hotel. He asked one of the attendants about the lake, and the hotel attendant pointed out towards the end of the training grounds. He was so silly that he easily fell into their trap. He didn't know it was a setup to get him in trouble. He just didn’t like being left out, especially with what his brother was doing back home. He'd become possessive, fond of, and very protective of a delicate young boy who was visiting their mansion with his diplomatic parents. Completely ignoring him. Hence the trip. The young boy had completely stolen his attention from his family, like his soul was possessed. But they were all just pieces on a chessboard being played by fate. Being placed in all the right places.

A little arrogant and stubborn, he'd decided to beat them to it and arrive at the lake before them. Claim the place and cause them some trouble. Immediately, Sam had left. They high-fived and laughed out loud at his disappearing figure running towards the lake. ''Yeah, we got him.'' They boasted, thrilled, not feeling any guilt.

''Let him go. 'It's time he also faced some trouble, right?'' One of them uttered, giggling.

''Let him taste the waters for us. If something happens, then we will know if it’s safe or not.

''What if he gets hurt? Will we get in trouble? You all know who he is.'' Carlos, a nerdy soldier with glasses who liked how silly Sam was, tried to intervene for him.

''Don’t worry, no one can touch him here, at most he will just get a scolding,'' John answered sarcastically, giving him a side-eye. He didn't like anyone taking Sam's side. The impression he gave was like a warning to others. They then kept on lifting their weights, not caring or trying to mediate for the silly boy.

A red warning was given for them to stay away from the lake, and even though no reasonable account was given, they knew it had something to do with the men in black. It’s been a week since they arrived, and it become restricted ground. Sam had just arrived at the base, and he had no idea.

George had been sent on a mission by his majesty to attend military training as a guest from the Kazakh kingdom to the United States. After a hard morning's training, George often rested at his secret spot, which he had occupied right after he arrived. By the lake, under the umbrella tree, where he lay under the tall reeds, conscious of all the surrounding sounds that he tried to identify in his mind. He found peace in the solitude, so he mostly kept to himself. He didn’t like being disturbed or interacting with others, so the moment he’d occupied that area, his guards had the place closed off.

That fateful afternoon, while he was resting, he felt the presence of an unwanted visitor. Stomping their feet heavily. Annoyed at the approaching footsteps towards him, George's eyelids opened. His guards were trained in advanced martial arts, and their footsteps never made a sound. The heavy steps were definitely from a stranger, and a careless one at that. He sat up alert, ready for an attack. Over the years, facing more than fifty assassination attempts, he had gotten into the habit of being sensitive to sounds or any small movement. He sat up and watched as the young boy walked towards him, unbothered.