Chapter 3A

The sun was rising in the east when Gideon lifted her up and climbed to the lower part of the cliff where Gina was staying. She looked around for Francisko but could not find him. She sneezed, hesitating for few minutes before opening her mouth to ask. "W-Where's Francisko?"

"He drifted in the river. I'll let someone look for him when the sun is up. Can you stand up?"

She blinked, turned her eyes to the dark river but saw no movement there. Sadness crept her chest when she imagined what happened to Francisko.

"Jewel," Gideon called her again.

"Ah, y-yes. I think so."

Gideon lowered her slowly. She felt the the dry and cold ground in her feet as chill travelled down her spine. By then, she realized that she had no footwear. The man took off her boots earlier and she didn't have the strength at that time to stop him.

She could still feel the slight tremble and her heart was still beating loudly in her chest. The horror she felt had impacted her so much and it made her difficult to breathe.

Gideon suddenly took off his jacket in front of her. Her forehead furrowed and her face wrinkled. She looked to the side and tightly close her eyes. "Don't undress yourself in front of m-me!"

She heard his faint laugh. "Am I?" Gideon asked.

"Yes, y-you're n-naked!" she accused him then bit her lower lip.

"See it yourself."

She drew a breathe and slowly opened her eyes. She took a peek at Gideon, and she saw the he was wearing a shirt and his arm was crossed over his chest. There was a small smile on the man's lips. Amusement was there in his deep and enticing eyes.

She narrowed her eyes at him. She hugged herself as the dew passed over her wet body. She took a deep breath and rubbed her palm against her arms. She bit her lip to stop the chattering of her teeth. "C-Can we go h-home? It's c-cold."

They were standing under the shade of the gemelina tree and she watched the man as he hung his wet jacket on the low branch of the tree. He looked at her from head to toe, before lifting her up on top of Gina.

It seemed like her teeth chattered even more. The cold seeped through her skin and she felt as though she was trapped in a freezer for hours.

"Hold tight. I'll take you home," Gideon said.

"But it's c-cold up here," she complained, her voice was trembling.

She heard his deep sigh. "Endure a little, Jewel."

"And y-you don't want to ..." She stopped herself from saying more. She drew a breathe again but ended up sneezing. It was freezing cold and she was having hard time to breathe properly.

She looked at Gideon who was standing nearby and thought if he would accompany her on horseback, and would hug her to soothe the cold.

She blinked and shook her head. 'And why would he'll do that?' she rebuked herself mentally. Gideon didn't even notice that she was suffering.

Her face was even more confused when Gideon spoke to the horse than on her who was trembling above. She pouted and looked ahead.

The dawn was breaking at the horizon and she could hear birds singing in the trees. The chill was still biting into her muscles, specially when Gina began to walk forward as she rode on top of it. Gideon held the horse's rein below and was walking slightly ahead to guide the horse in the direction.

Her lip almost bleed from the pressure of her bite. As time went on, the surroundings got colder. Maybe because of the dew caressing her still wet clothes.

She could barely feel her fingers in the cold. Even her legs and toes had froze. Cold tears trailed down her cheeks. That was the first time she had shivered in the cold.

Now, she regretted not listening to Gideon. Why did she become so stubborn? The more people prevented her from doing it, the more courage she had to do the thing that was forbidden.

Gideon suddenly spoke, "Jewel."

"Y-Yes?"

"Are you good up there?"

"Well, u-uhm ... I-I'm dying?"

Her hope revived when Gideon stopped the horse. She smiled slightly. Finally, Gideon must have heard her complaint. She imagined Gideon to climb up and to hug her from behind to ease her suffering.

She closed her eyes to pretend she didn't care if Gideon would climb up. She thought, ‘He should beg. I won't let him ride with me unless he'll beg! '

But, a cold hand gripped her leg. She was startled. She awoke in a daze and looked down. She saw Gideon holding her leg and looking up at her.

She gritted her teeth as she stared at Gideon. He noticed the chattering of her teeth, and Gideon tightened his grip on her leg. She swallowed hard. It seemed that her throat dried up even more with what Gideon did.

Gideon took a deep breath before a smile flashed on his lips. "Come down. I'll catch you."

Her lips parted. He wanted her to come down? But what about the thing she imagined earlier? She drew a breathe and kept her disappointment in herself. "W-Well, I can't move my l-legs?"

Gideon's eyes stared at her for several seconds. "Be still."

She averted her gaze and pouted. Fortunately, she did not blurt out what was in her mind. Otherwise, she would have embarrassed herself in front of the Mayor's son.

Her face contorted in confusion. Was she becoming attention seeker for Gideon? She pursed her lips. No. She should be annoyed by her future husband.

Husband... Her heart beat wildly at the thought.

She was brought back to reality when she felt Gideon rubbed both of his palms onto her leg. Her eyes widened but her mouth remained shut. She then closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

But she could not stop herself from her own curiosity and that she looked down on the man who seemed serious in rubbing her legs. She watched how his hand moved up on her smooth leg then down to the five toes of her left foot. Gideon even drew a circle on her skin which made her cheek turned bright red.

'What is he doing?' she thought.

She opened her mouth to ask him but she closed it eventually when Gideon suddenly sang an unfamiliar song.

She looked at Gideon's face. There was a small smile on his lips as he hummed a song.

Jewel was in daze as her heart's beat quickened. Gideon's grip on her leg became softer and she felt his care. Even though she doesn’t fully understand the song, it was pleasant to the ear and she was attracted to listen more.

Gideon looked up and their eyes met. He smiled. "Still cold?" he asked.

"Uhm ... not so much."

He nodded and continued rubbing her leg while singing. There's something in his voice ... there was something that Jewel couldn't understand.

She then felt the heat coming from Gideon's palms, and a smile made its way to her lips as she was able to move her toes. But Gideon kept holding her and touching her skin. She let him because she liked what Gideon was doing.

Gideon's voice was beautiful. It was cold and deep. Maybe, he was a band's vocalist when he was younger or he might  participated in different singing competition. Nonetheless, she enjoyed his voice.

Jewel bit her lip to stop her mouth from questioning. But as the singing went on she was tempted to ask questions, until she could no longer restrain herself.

She interrupted his singing. "Uh, Gideon?"

"Mmm?"

"What are you singing?"

Gideon looked up at her and sang the brigde of the song. Her face contorted. "What's that title?" she asked impatiently.

Gideon smiled and shook his head. "Leave Me Astounded."

"By whom?"

"Planetshakers."

"And who's that?"

Gideon shrugged. She frowned. When Gideon saw her contorted face, he laughed and patted her leg lightly. "Move your foot across," he ordered.

Though confused, she immediately complied. Gideon quickly walked to the other side.

Jewel's eyes widened when Gideon suddenly grabbed her waist and lowered her straight from the horseback.  She was a bit shaken at the sudden move. Gideon laughed as he approached her body to hug her.