I was at the book store/cafe, Perfect Pages, in my home town Magnolia. I spend a lot of my time in there especially since I graduated high school. I sat in my normal both in the back with my favorite cup of tea, Earl Grey with sugar. However I hadn't touched it at all. I simply sat there with my hands pressed together in front of my face with my thumbs slightly pressing into the soft patch of skin under my jaw. I had noticed a man in the store every day for a week, but he doesn't live in Magnolia. Our town was only a square mile big and every one knew each other. No, this was someone new. Today however he wasn't present in the little corner I had seen him prefer. I pulled out my cell and pretended I was on the phone so I could talk out loud. This was how I thought best save for playing my violin. "Subject is tall, pale, and quite skinny. Has dark curly hair and eyes like mercury. He looks at people the same way I do with those eyes. As if he can read every thought going through their little minds. The man often appears sad and agitated. Further observation needed." I said as I stored all of my mental notes in the filing cabinet in the back of my mind. Suddenly the very man I was thinking of waltzed through the door and walked right over to my table. "May I join you?" he asked in a baritone voice with a British accent.
"Of course," I say as I gesture for him to sit. "I'm Nickii and you are?" I watched as he gracefully slid in across from me.
"Sherlock Holmes. Look I have seen you here for about a week and I had to come over and say hello. There is something about you that is so, I don't even know. I feel drawn to you in a way I don't understand." He said looking quite irritated. I could tell he wasn't used to being lost for words and he didn't like it either.
"I see. Well, I sit in this seat every day and I know every one that lives in this town, including all the dogs, and I have only seen you here in the past week. What brings you to Magnolia, Mr. Holmes? You don't live here and you aren't visiting family because you are here for long periods of each day alone. We have no real tourist attractions so I cannot find a reason for you to be here in our quiet little piece of the big bad world." I tell him relaying my deductions then resuming my previous "prayer" position.
"Please call me Sherlock. And this is what draws me to you. You could tell all of that by observing me for a week." He said with a grin causing his already sharp cheek bones to become even more prominent. He was avoiding my question, interesting.
"Five minuets," I said as I picked up my neglected tea and took a sip. It was stone cold and tasted dreadful. Placing the mug back on the table I wave Jamie over. Jamie is by far my favorite of all the employees. She makes my tea to perfection. When she get over I smile and say, "I'm sorry, but my tea has gone cold. Can you bring me a new cup and a second one for my friend here he takes his the same as mine, not to hot and with sugar." She nods and walks away.
"How did you know that? And what do you mean five minuets?" He asked completely bewildered.
"In five minuets I could tell you live in England but you had to leave because of something of great importance. You miss home but you're strong enough to stay away. But there's more, you not only miss England but you miss someone you had to leave there. You have higher than average intelligence and normal people annoy you. And then of course you like your tea with sugar. Am I wrong on any thing? I doubt it, I haven't been wrong about a deduction in years." I say with a smirk.
He returns the smirk and replies, "That is all correct. I like you, Nickii. You see I have the sane gift of observation and deduction."
Now I am intrigued. "Oh you do? Well, Sherlock what can you deduce about me?" I ask putting my poker face on.
He get this gleam in his eyes and I can tell he has been wanting to show off for some time now, "You recently broke up with your boyfriend. He dumped you although I have no idea why. You are highly intelligent and are glad to be out of school. You have recently lost both of you parents and your brother. Now you live by your self and you find that you are slowly getting more and more accustomed to solitude. You're parents were rich and left you everything so now you will not have to work for your entire life and that suits you just fine. However you are bored easily and sometimes turn to drugs and alcohol to escape the non stop pirate long of you beautiful mind. You shouldn't do that. I was in a similar position at your age and I soon became a full blown addict. Did I get any thing wrong?" He asked with a soft smile now. In his eyes I could see the concern he held for me.
"How did you know about my parents and brother." I asked around the lump forming in my throat.
"Your hoodie belonged to a boy who was into sports judging by the grass stains and your locket has a picture of the three of them, it's open by the way. In the picture your brother is in a football uniform and your parents in expensive suits. I can tell you recently lost them because you frequently rub that locket with tears in your eyes but you blink them away before they spill over. I also asked around town over the past few days so I also know your real name is Nichole but you only let certain people call you that."
"Well," I say as my tea is placed I front of me by Jamie. "That was impressive. And all 100% correct. If I may ask were are you staying"
"At the motel about three miles from here. Why?" He asked.
"Because I want you to come stay with me." I say. Sherlock looks completely shocked by this. "Like I said earlier I can tell that you can't go back to England so why pay for a motel when you can stay with me. Free of charge. If you are okay with staying with me we can go get your things now I have my Chevy so we can put everything on the bed."
"Um, sure," he said as he got this look like he was a puppy being adopted after being abused for years.
"Sweet, are you done?" I ask then down the end of my tea.
"Yeah," he says and we both pull out our wallets. "Allow me. You are about to let me stay with you for an unknown amount of time free of charge. The least I could do is pay for our tea."
I resign and simply say, "okay." I put my water back in my purse and stand. After placing his money on the table we head out to the parking lot. I hop in my truck and start the engine. Sherlock step up into the passenger seat gracefully and buckles his seat belt. We get to the motel and Sherlock leads me to a room pretty far from the entrance. He kneels in front of the door and quickly picks the lock. I sand behind him open mouthed as he works and when he stands I whisper, "Do they even know you're here?" He shakes his head and grabs his two duffle bags off the floor.
"Could you grab that last case over there?" He asks nodding an a small black object against the wall. I pick it up and I instantly recognize the shape of a violin case. I smile and hold the case in one arm as I close the door behind the two of us. Back at the truck we put his duffle a in the bed and his violin in the cab with us. "Um, Nickii?" he asks.
"Yes?" I reply wondering what this extraordinary man next to me wants to know.
"Were do you live?" He asks its raised eyebrows.