Moonlight Serenade

She did not expect to see Gabbi as she entered the Education building. The girl also stopped when she saw her, but continued walking ahead as if she had not seen her. Jewel didn't know what she did wrong, why Gabbi's avoiding her. But maybe... Hazel already texted Gabbi about what she said this lunch break.

Her lips pursed into a line. She hadn't been able to see Gideon during lunch break because he wasn't in his classroom. And she remembered that her husband had a class this morning so she was determined to look for him, believing that Gideon didn't go out of the campus.

Nonetheless, she continued to step into the building. She followed the whole B1 and she has high confidence because Simoen's not there.

Coach Bremas excused him before lunch break. And that's why Joseph wasn't present since first subject because he went straight to the gym. Tomorrow the entire varsity will leave for a two weeks intercampus competition in Cebu City. She waited a few hours before the class on that subject ended. It's past five o'clock and it looks like Gideon has been waiting outside the University gate for a while but she decide to visit the girl's dormitory first.

Only now did she remember what she had planted in the little pot. Jewel didn't take it last week because her plan was to visit it in the dorm every day.

But now, it's no longer possible. She didn't want to see Hazel so she would just take her pot and take care of it at Gideon's house.

Jewel quietly traveled down the hallway towards the end. The small pot was just on the side of the door. She no longer had the key to the dorm, so she put it outside so that her friends could water it.

But she was stunned to see that the soil on the pot was dry and hard. Clearly, no one watered her seed for several days or even a week!

She took a deep breath. Jewel wanted to knock on Hazel's door to confront the girl but her pride prevailed. Her hand picked it up and took a heavy step back to where she came from.

She thought she'll see the sprout but dry ground? Most likely, the sprout beneath it was dead. Her eyebrows met and she huffed.

"You're upset again, Jewel" Gideon commented. He opened the passenger door for her.

Jewel quickly went to the back of the pick-up and placed the small pot there before hopping in the passenger seat and sitting down neatly. Gideon turned to the front and sat in the driver's seat. "What is it this time?" he asked. She folded her arms. "My seed is dead."

"That thing is yours?"

Jewel nodded. "That's my project. It should've sprouted by now. I did left it for one week in the hands of the three girls but look, the soil is very dry and most likely no one watered it for a week now."

"And you're blaming them?"

"Of course! I asked them to take care of it but they didn't do it!"

Gideon shook his head and drove the car past the Tindog bridge. "Maybe the girls were busy."

Jewel became even more upset. "I asked them, which means I imparted a responsibility to them. They should atleast keep the soil moist!"

"Did you ask if they were okay with it?"

She was stunned and remembered the afternoon when Gideon knocked on his dorm. Jewel packed her things and then put the pot outside her dorm. She followed Gideon without letting her three friends knew and just texted them that she'll left the dormitory and she'll left her seed project in their care.

The three girls didn't reply so she assumed it was okay for them to take care of it. She bit her lip and shook his head. "Not s-sure."

"Just mitigate on what you've lost," Gideon said.

She folded her arms and looked outside the window. "How?" she asked, annoyance was evident in her voice. She already accept the fact that Gideon's always against her, and that he didn't care about her feelings. He didn't even know how to soothe her resentment.

Gideon stepped on the gas and the car sped off. They slowed down as they passed a fruit vendor on the side of the road. Gideon lowered the window and asked the fruit vendor. "How much?" he asked while pointing something. "What kind of fruit do you like?" the vendor asked.

Gideon turned to her. "What do you want to eat?"

"Uh, anything that can be eaten," she replied without even looking at the fruit stand. She kept her gaze outside the passenger seat window, the other side of the stall.

"Alright, stay here. I'll be back," said Gideon.

He opened the driver's door and got out. She heard the door close softly but she still kept looking out the window, not moving an inch. Jewel waited for few minutes before the door to the second cabin opened and she heard the noise of a paperbag.

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"Brother, it's two-thousand!" the vendor cried.

The door of the second cabin closed, and a few minutes later the driver's seat door opened. Gideon re-entered before turning on the engine and driving the car. Jewel had no plans to speak out, but she could not kept her silence with the sweet scent of ripe mangoes hovering around.

"Mangoes?" she whispered.

Gideon glanced at her for a moment. "I don't know what fruit you like so I bought it all. Take a look."

Her eyes narrowed before reaching for the two large paper bags at the backseat. There was a variety of fruits in it and she could smell the mixture of the different sweet scents coming from the paper bags.

"What type of soil did you choose for your seed?" Gideon asked suddenly.

She shrugged. "Nothing. I just took land in the flower garden."

Gideon raised a bro w"You should chose your soil well. You're growing seedlings, not an old tree."

Jewel huffed. "There's no buffalo there for me to get their waste, is there?"

Gideon laughed and shook his head. "We'll visit the Aisle to get rich soil ---"

"Hey, don't." She averted her gaze. "I haven't talked to Papa yet after what happened."

"You should talk to them, Jewel. You're their only daughter."

"I know. But give me more time. I don't want to face them, not at this time."

Gideon nodded and turned the steering wheel, turning the car toward Curva. "Don Sebastian talked to me last night. They want you back to Mansion."

"Have you agreed to hi---"

"No. You're my wife. You must be under my provision."

Jewel heaved a sigh of relief and leaned back. "Thank you. I'm not ready to lock myself in that prison again."

"Prison, huh?" The corner of Gideon's lips rose.

"They'll lock me up in that mansion and control my life like they used to be. So... I don't want to go back, yet. And..." She glanced at him. "If you could promise me that you'll never let my Papa take a hold of me again, I will behave and obey yoir words."

But Gideon didn't utter another word. Jewel sighed and didn't speak again in the whole trip. To be honest, she had no idea where Gideon would take her but she was confident that Gideon would not leave her behind.

The sun had sunk in the west. Darkness and artificial lights were starting to take over the surroundings. The car's headlight was also lit.

"We'll stop at McDonald's before we go back to Cansanit," Gideon announced.

"McDonald's? Cansanit?" Her brows met. "Tell me, are we really going somewhere or not?"

There was a small smile on Gideon's lips. "You guess."

"There you go again!" she exclaimed. "So this whole drive is nonsense? Come on, you better tell me the truth."

Gideon tugged the corner of his lips upwards and softly hummed. "I just want to spend some time with you. That's all."

Raising a brow, her lips curved into a smile. She leaned softly at his direction, grinning from ear to ear. "So..." Jewel smiled broadly as she played circles with the strand of her hair while staring at Gideon. "Is this the right time you'll admit that I am finally not a headache to you?"

Jewel just watched how a smile flashed on Gideon's lips. "I'm starting to think that this version of you is better than the previous one," he said.

She bit her lip and leaned back. "You flattered me, old man." And laughed. "Just drive, silly."

Jewel shook her head and smiled. Only now did she see the good qualities in Gideon. And she never regretted agreeing to sign a marriage contract and be tied to a man very different from her type. Maybe, Gideon was even better than her ideal man.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She did not notice the look in Gideon's eyes as he glanced at her.