The Soul Mate Spell: Brianna and Colin

It was there, right on the front cover of a book in the "spiritual" section of the book store. Spells to Find Your Soul Mate. The book title “called” to Brianna from across the book aisle, and who was she to question fate. Obviously, this was the book for her. She picked it up, thumbed through the chapters, found a spell of visualizing your soul mate, and walked to the counter to buy it. Along the way, she bumped into a man walking out of one of the aisles beside her. Of course, her nose was in the book, so she wasn't really watching where she was going. She dropped the book at his feet.

"I'm sorry, let me get that for you." he said as he bent down to retrieve the book from the floor. Reading the title, he gave her a quizzical look. She blushed.

"Just a little light reading. Thank you. I'm sorry I bumped into you. I should stop walking and reading. It's a bad habit. Ummm, thanks again." she said as he handed the book back to her.

"No problem, I wasn't really paying attention where I was going either." He smiled, turned and walked away.

"Damn, he was cute. I didn't even get his name." Brianna thought as she continued toward the check out. She turned to see if he was still in the store, craning her neck as she did so.

"I'll take the next in line." said the young guy behind the counter. "Lost something or someone?" he said from behind the register. Brianna blushed.

"He's in here all the time. Maybe you'll see him again. That'll be $19.28. Thanks again," he said handing her the change from the sale. "Have a great day. Enjoy your book. I'll take the next in line." Brianna nodded, then turned to leave realizing the conversation was over and the young man was just being nice. She walked out of the store, got into her car and drove home.

Yes, she definitely needed to read this book. “Calgon take me away" she said to herself.  Later, after spending close to an hour in the tub, Brianna thought she might have a good plan how to call her soul mate to her. Of course the book said not to have anyone's face in mind during the ritual spells, but for some reason "he" kept popping into her head. If only she had gotten his name.

That night she had the strangest dream. She kept walking down a long aisle that never seemed to end. Then out of no where she tripped and fell landing at the feet of the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. Tall, blond, well built. Athletic. And man, did his jeans fit just right! Only this man didn't see her or help her up. He was looking at a woman behind her.

Brianna woke with a start. Oh, of course. Mystery man has a girlfriend.

Today was the day. Brianna had spent most of the week rereading the soul mate spell book. She knew she would need to spend a few uninterrupted hours to perform the spell she had chosen. It required creating a scene in her head of a place she thought of as her own special place. The book suggested a nature scene or some place that Brianna would feel the most comfortable. A place she could meet her soul mate, talk with him, get to know him, even make love to him.

“Wow, fantasy with a purpose! What girl wouldn't love that?” she thought.

She had considered a beautiful beach with waves lapping gently on the sand, but she had been to the beach with her ex so many times, she didn't think that would make her feel comfortable. And the awful thought that such a place might even attract someone like him to her made her cringe.

She then considered a cabin in the woods. Yes that was a thought, but roughing it was not her idea of a special place. What if she was snowed in or a bear decided to show up in “Loveville.” Nope, that wasn't exactly right either.

She toyed with several other ideas, but finally decided a warm pool at the bottom of a waterfall would be her special spot. Brianna loved to hike to waterfalls. She loved the outdoors. She decided that any soul mate of hers should at least enjoy the outdoors too. She added a large rock with a smooth surface to her visualization. A place he could come to after he swam in the pool under the waterfall. A spot warmed by the sun. This was the scene she had built in her head during the week. Today she would spend some time building this place of hers in the astral plane so that her soul mate could come to her.

The first thing she needed to do was to create a tranquil environment. No TV, no radio and especially, NO CELL PHONE. These things were all turned off. She made sure her apartment was locked and hoped her mother wouldn't decide to just drop by.

It was a nice spring day. Not too hot or cold. The sun was shining through the blinds where its rays would hit her closed eyes just so. She wanted to feel the air around her as if she was in a shady glen with a waterfall. She had purchased one of those relaxation cds with the sounds of a waterfall and birds singing so that she could visualize the scene as well as hear it around her.

She shut her bedroom door, removed her clothes and began to create a circle of magic around herself. She had followed the instructions in the book. First she stood and drew a circle with her outstretched hand. She called forth the elements; wind, water, fire and earth; and invited them to join their energies with her own. As she made a slow circle she began to feel goosebumps on her flesh, although she wasn't cold. The fine hairs on her arms seemed to stand away from her body. Yes, it was working. She could feel the energy!

Next she sat in her circle and began to create the waterfall and the pool below it in her mind's eye. She held the thought for several moments and added a long smooth rock beside the pool bathed in sunlight. The area surrounding the pool and the waterfall was secluded. Hidden from the outside world by large trees.

Once she had her special love haven firmly in her mind, she called out to her soul mate.

Come to me, soul mate

I beg of you

Bring your essence

Bold and True

Blend your energies

Let ours entwine

Our hearts, our bodies, and our minds

Come to me here in this special place

Into my arms in a warm embrace

That we may find each other soon

In the real world

Under the sun and moon

Give me your heart as I give you mine

Soul mates, soul mates for all time

And it harm none, so mote it be

Thank you Goddess, Goddess three!

As hard as Brianna tried to keep the man from the store out of her thoughts. His image sprang before her eyes. She saw him as he dived into her pool below the waterfall. As he swam to her and then climbed the embankment to her rock where she waited. Then he slid his hand into hers and helped her stand. Bending down, his kissed her lips, and then the vision began to fade.

As her eyes fluttered open, she realized that several hours had passed. She began to feel cold, because the sun had moved out of her window and the morning was sliding into the afternoon. She stood and reaching out her hand she sent the energy from her fingers into the sky above as she thanked the elements for joining their energies with hers. She felt the pull as the energy left her fingertips. She opened her circle and then collapsed on the ground. Maybe there was something to this soul mate magic. Drained, she dressed and went into her kitchen for a late lunch. Man, was she famished!

Days went by. Nothing happened. She must have dreamed that there was energy around her that day when she did her visualization of the waterfall. She had hoped to see the mystery guy again. She had even returned to the book store where she bumped into him, but he was never there. So much for what the counter guy had said. Maybe magic was just a farce....

About two weeks after the spell, Brianna was watching the local news on TV. Low and behold, there he was being interviewed by the local press. Seems mystery guy was a new resident of her town, and he was becoming the local gossip interest. His name was Colin Maxwell, of THE MAXWELLS. Yes, this was interesting. He was the son of a multi-millionaire whose corporation had become global 30 years before. The company had investments in her city, and the son had moved into town to finalize the negotiations. It didn't hurt that his beautiful fiance', Amber Thornton, was a model who's family lived in town.


Of course he wouldn't be interested in her when compared to some famous leggy brunette bimbo. Okay, she used to be proud that the girl was from her city, but not anymore. Well, there goes that spell. Wasted time.


Colin Maxwell woke with a start. He has been dreaming again of that clutsy girl he ran into at the book store. She was average in height, and he thought quite pretty if you could look past the large glasses. Her hair was brown and he thought maybe she had green eyes, but once again, the glasses got in the way.

Lying next to him was his fiance', Amber. Now, she was beauty. Everyone said so. His friends would slap him on the back and say things like, “Aren't you the lucky one. Wish I had a girl with legs like that wrapped around me every night.” or “If you ever tire of Amber, send her my way. I'll know how to treat her right.....” then they would laugh. It was all good-natured teasing, because they knew he was very possessive of her. He couldn't help it. Men stopped in their tracks with their tongues hanging out when she walked in a room, and at the beach, well that was almost too hard to take. She definitely has the body of a goddess, but unfortunately the personality of a harpy.

This last thought made him wonder why this nerdy girl from the book store kept creeping into his thoughts. Maybe he'd go back to the store later today. He spent a lot of time there. He enjoyed reading and loved the smell of books. The store was locally owned and had interesting magazines from around the world. Sometimes he just needed an hour away from his work to get his mind off things. The coffee shop inside the store sold great food and he found it a restful place to sit and watch the world go by for a little while. Maybe he'd see her again.

Colin got up soon after. He didn't want to wake princess Amber. She was always so hard to deal with in the morning. He wasn't much of a drinker anymore. His playboy days had come and gone. He was ready to settle down with a wife and have kids. A family. That's what he thought of as he listened to the execs argue about petty things in the board room every afternoon. But Amber, she was still a party girl. She was 10 years younger than him, and he was beginning to see that the difference was a bigger factor than he'd thought. She enjoyed staying out with her friends at night, club hopping.

They had met overseas. He was fixing an oversite by one of his companies' management (or mis- management) teams in Milan. She was a young model who'd outshone even the hottest Italian girls. Until she opened her mouth, that is. But one can overlook that when legs as long as the Eiffel Tower are entwined with your own. Now she was home with the girlfriends that she had known before her modeling career. She was almost worse than that hotel heiress who was always on the entertainment shows. And she was already itching to get back to her modeling career. She was going to be featured in a swimsuit issue so she would be flying to Aruba in a few weeks. In a way, he was looking forward to the time alone.

“Hey, Babe. Where are ya going this early?” she asked as she rolled over to reveal her perfectly shaped breasts peeking through her little nightie. The one he had bought her for Valentine's Day.

“I have some things to look into at the office. I thought I'd slip out to work without waking you. I'll try to get back early this afternoon. Maybe you'll still be in bed.” he said as he smiled.

“Oh, Colin, you're so good to me. You know I have an awful headache in the mornings. Don't forget to bring me something to eat. Maybe from that book store cafe that you like so much. I promise to stay right here. Or maybe you can wait to go in to the office for a little while.” and she preened and pouted to show how much she'd miss him.

“Did I really think that was sexy before?” he thought.  “Well, I guess I can go in a little later, if you convince me.”

And she did. More than once.

Colin arrived at the office a little after 8 o'clock. The office was already busy with people moving here to there. He went into his private office and asked his secretary to hold his calls. He sat down and thought about the morning's experience with Amber. She did make it easy to overlook her petulant behavior when she didn't get her way. The morning had definitely begun on a pleasant note. If only most mornings were like that. Usually she would pull her pillows over her head and whine about her headache, and “could you do this for me or can you get me some aspirin? My head is pounding.” Then it would lead to tears if he didn't immediately do what she'd asked or if that didn't work, she'd yell that he didn't love her. Sometimes he wondered if this is what being married to her would be like. Surely she'd change once they married. At least he hoped so.

Brianna was taking the day off of work. She was a computer programmer, and sometimes staring at a computer screen would bring on a big headache, but not today. She just wanted some time off. She loved her job. She didn't have to spend a lot of time talking to others. Just her and her computer. It was the perfect job for her, and she was thankful it paid her bills. Her birthday was in a month, and she wanted to treat herself to a nice vacation somewhere away from the city. She'd read about a hotel on top of a mountain that was a hike in, hike out resort. Well, more like rustic cabins on top of a mountain. The only thing was no one else wanted to hike with her. So that was out of the question. Maybe a cruise. She could do that alone. Seems like she'd read they were a great way to meet other singles. So she began to look into cruises online. She was sitting at the book store she had begun to frequent. They had a wonderful cafe and free wi-fi. “It's helpful to have a computer in front of you when you sit alone at a restaurant,” she thought.

Engrossed in a website about single cruises, she didn't notice that someone was standing in front of her table. When finally it registered that this body wasn't moving, and the fact that that same body made a sound to get her attention, she looked up. And then she nearly toppled out of her chair. She was so surprised to see it was “him!” Luckily for her, he was able to prevent her laptop from landing on the floor.

He smiled down at her. “Hello, again. It's nice to see you. Having lunch alone? Can I join you?”

“Yep.” she croaked. It sounded a little high pitched, but he didn't seem to notice.

“How was the book you were reading when I saw you last?” he asked, leaning forward as if he really cared about her answer.

“Oh, just fine. Very enlightening.”

“So have you found your soul mate?” he teased.

Thank goodness she wasn't sipping her iced tea. She probably would have spit it on him! Instead she tried to laugh it off and said, “No, apparently he doesn't exist.”

“Ah, well, maybe another book on the subject will help,” he said as he winked at her for their little inside joke. “By the way, I realized I didn't introduce myself the other day. I'm Colin Maxwell.”

“Oh, hi. I'm Brianna Gordon. It's nice to meet you. And thanks again for helping me. I can be a little oblivious to things around me sometimes.”

“No need to thank me. After all, I believe it was my fault. I should have been watching where I was walking.”“Have you ordered lunch? I’d be glad to order for you if you haven't. I was thinking about having a bowl of their vegetable soup. Can I offer some to you?”

“I've been sitting here for a few minutes working, and I completely forgot to get into line. Vegetable soup sounds wonderful. Thank you.”

“Be right back. Don't leave.” he said walked to the counter to order their soup.

They spent an enjoyable lunch just talking. Brianna found Colin to be very attentive. He seemed very interested in her work. He convinced her to tell him what she had been working on when he had arrived. At first she was too embarrassed to say.

“Oh, come on. I won't laugh....too much....” he smiled.

“Okay, if you promise. I was looking for a singles' cruise to take for my birthday.”

“How old will you be on your birthday? If you don't mind me asking?

“I'll be 30.” Brianna looked down at the table and inwardly groaned. Not only was she 29 and counting, she was planning to go on a singles' cruise. And if that didn't top everything, he'd seen her book about soul mates. How pathetic she looked.

“I'm 36. I've been traveling around the world for some time now, righting all the things that my father's companies screw up. I guess I've enjoyed staying in one place for a while.” He looked down at his watch.

“Oh, gotta go. Before I go, I have to order something to go for a friend. Do you come here very often? Maybe we can meet for lunch again sometime soon. I really enjoyed it.”

“I come here sometimes. It's close to my office and my apartment isn't too far from here. Sure I'd love to have lunch again sometime.”

They exchanged numbers, and he got up to order his to-go box for “his friend.” He wondered why he didn't just say his fiance'. He'd never hidden that from anyone else before. He smiled and waved to Brianna as he was leaving. She had removed her glasses, so she didn't see him, but what he saw was the most beautiful face he'd ever seen! Too bad she seemed blind as a bat without those glasses. They hid her true features. He knew she was pretty, but the vision of Brianna without glasses was breath taking. And it took him some time to recover.

Colin waited several weeks before calling Brianna. He didn't want to seem too eager, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. As he contemplated whether he should call her, he thought about the events of the past week.  Amber had been partying excessively lately, and he had received an anonymous text message saying Amber had been seen out with one of the photographers she had been friends with in Milan. The text said they had been very, very friendly in the corner of one of the most popular night clubs in town. Later one of his buddies had called to tell him that Amber's pictures were all over a weekly scene paper, kissing her photographer friend.

Colin had been livid when he saw the pictures, but he kept his rage inside. He'd called her that morning to see if she was out of bed yet. Of course he knew she wouldn't be. He asked her to meet him out at a street side cafe for lunch. He had the pictures. He planned to show them to her and ask how she would explain these. He was hoping a public cafe would prevent a scene. Man was he wrong!

Amber met him at the cafe. One of her favorite places. She had already been told that her picture was in some tabloid by one of her friends that morning. She had a feeling this was why they were meeting for lunch. She could tell something was up. Colin sounded strange on the phone.

They ate quietly for about 20 minutes. Neither one wanted to start a conversation. Each one of them knew this could turn out badly if the pictures were mentioned. Amber planned to just pretend they didn't exist. Unfortunately, a passer-by on the street saw her and whistled. “Hey, hot mama! You can kiss me tonight. I'll be in a nice dark corner waiting for you!” and he blew her a kiss.

Colin didn't say anything, but she saw his face drain of all color and his lips tightened.

“I can explain, Colin. It was just Ramone. My friend from Milan. You know he kisses me on the lips whenever he sees me. It was innocent, really. Someone must have snapped a picture, that's all.”

Colin bent over and picked up a brief case he had beside his chair. He opened it and pulled out the picture along with a string of others. This was no innocent kiss. Amber had practically been making love to her photographer friend right there in a dark corner of the night club. Her clothes were hanging off her body and his lips were all over her. Some innocent kiss.

Colin didn't say a word. He placed the damning pictures in front of her, left money on the table to cover the tab, then walked out of the cafe. Amber, who was in shock, stood and began yelling. When he didn't turn around, she began to cry. Very loudly.

He had her things moved out of his place, and sent her a letter explaining that the engagement was off. She could keep the ring. He just never wanted to hear from her again.

That was last week. It was in all the tabloids and entertainment news. He didn't care. For some reason he didn't feel his usual jealousy concerning Amber. Hot body or not, if it wasn't HIS only, then he didn't want it. He picked up the phone and dialed Brianna's number.

Brianna had been lying on the couch watching the TV last week when the news broke about Colin's fiance'. She had been watching an entertainment show to see what was happening in the world of the rich and famous. Or at least those who seemed to have a life, unlike her. When Amber Thornton's picture was flashed across the screen, Brianna sat up. When the pictures showed Amber in a very hot embrace with her “photographer friend,” Brianna's eyes almost popped out of her head. She was shocked at first, and then she became angry. “How can that slut be Colin's fiance'?” she thought. “She doesn't deserve him!”

The week went by and Brianna watched the entertainment news constantly. She purchased every tabloid that showed Colin and Amber on the cover. She was obsessed. She hadn't heard from him, knew it was best not to call him, although her hand itched to pick up the phone. She ultimately decided it was for the best if she didn't hear from him. The last thing she wanted to be was the “Rebound!”

Colin waited for Brianna to answer the phone. He needed to see her. He had been to the book store every day hoping he could just see her. He hadn't seen her. He found that he was actually missing her a lot. He didn't expect that. He hoped she'd answer soon. When he got her voice mail, he hung up. He just couldn't leave a message. His phone began ringing immediately. He looked down at the screen. It was Amber. He let the phone go to his voice mail. She was the last person he wanted to speak with. She had been calling several times a day. He never answered. He didn't even listen to the messages. He just deleted them.

Brianna was in the shower. She had been enjoying the hot water streaming down her body. She knew she was taking a long shower, but she didn't care. Sometimes you just needed a little pampering. When she got of the shower, she looked at her phone. She thought that she had heard it ring earlier. There was a missed call from Colin. “Shit, shit, shit!” she said out loud to herself. She dialed the number, but he didn't answer, so she hung up. She wasn't sure what to say to him, and she felt a little embarrassed calling him, even though he had called her first. She hoped he'd try again soon.

Brianna had plans with her friend, Jan. They were going out to see the newest vampire movie. Personally, she didn't care for the movies, but Jan loved them. She had read the books, but they had bored her. No, vampires were fine, if romance wasn't a part of the story. Brianna finished getting ready. She was running late, as usual. Jan wouldn't be very happy with her, if Brianna made Jan late to see her favorite vampire hero. Personally, she thought he was a little skinny and not all that cute. But if he looked like Colin, hmmmmmmmm......

Later that night, after the movie, Brianna and Jan went to have dinner at a local bar. They were sitting at a table in the back. Brianna was listening to Jan list all the reasons she'd rather have a man like her favorite vampire compared to most of the men she'd dated. Brianna was trying to concentrate, but something near the bar kept vying for her attention.

A man and a woman were talking quietly. She watched as they touched each other very softly, never taking their eyes off each other. They seemed so engrossed in each other that they didn't notice anyone else around them. Even the bartender had to say “Excuse me” several times before the guy finally heard him.Brianna wished she had a relationship like that, and she sighed wistfully. She imagined it was her sitting at the bar touching Colin, and he only had eyes for her.

After dinner, she went home and got in bed with her laptop. She decided she needed to go ahead and make reservations for the singles' cruise. The more she thought about it, the more she felt Colin was way out of her league. It was time to meet single men who would enjoy being with a book worm/computer nerd like herself. She found a week on a medium sized ship that would be disembarking in two weeks to the Southern Caribbean.  It was the only one she could find in such short notice. She had decided she needed a vacation sooner than later and had requested for time off the week before.

She needed to get away from all the hoopla surrounding Colin and Amber. Apparently they had gotten back together after Amber had begged him for forgiveness. Or at least that's what the newest tabloid had said. It showed a picture of the happy couple smiling at each other. Even though she knew to take the information in the tabloids with a grain of salt, seeing that picture hurt her in ways she couldn't explain.