Chapter 7: Rendezvous

Gideon finding the faes’ home at first was completely serendipitous, however, the following days after he trains he traces his steps and made his own pathway there.  And every night that he gets a chance to visit the faes he sees her.  Some nights she wasn’t there, some nights she was.  Gideon wanted to know her more, not risking the chance that he misses her.  A memory plays in his head as he walks through the path he made.

“Leora, may I ask you something?” Gideon says while they played skip stones along the river.  “What is it?” she replies standing up and carrying a new batch of stones to throw.  He toys with the last stone in his hands preparing himself for her answer.  “How would you feel if we met up every other night?” he throws the stone and it skips four times until it fell into the water. Nervous to see her face he took a deep breath and looked at her.  She was again crouching down but still holding all the stones in her arms.  She had the brightest smile like she won something.  She puts the stones down carefully from her arms but holds on to one stone in each hand and walks up to him.  She hands him one and he continues to watch her waiting for her answer.  “And I thought I was the only one interested in this friendship.”  She throws her stone skipping six times before it fell into the water.  “Yes, I’d like to meet every other night.”  Gideon exhales relief and throws his stone with force, it skips seven times and reached the boulder in the water. “I win,” he laughs.  Taking walks at night and going about their lives during the day.  They agreed to only meet by the faes homes for it was easy for both to find. 

"I thought that was you," her voice shakes him to the present.  Leora sat still by the faes’ houses. Gideon walks closer removing leaves and twigs from his shirt and pants. "Yeah. I don’t understand why I can’t find you in daylight even when you say you're here, but so easy at night." Noticing the question, she diverts to a different answer. "I guess it’s the lights from the faeries’ houses, isn’t that right, Diona?" She gestures to a beautiful dainty fae. "You said it. I can't even find my house until nighttime. I'm pretty bad with directions." She says in a 'silly-me' manner. "Is that so?" Gideon thinks it's probably just a coincidence but he's passed through this place a couple of times in the day and he sees it. Leora's answer didn't match why he can't find her, rather she answers about the place. The thought remains but he couldn't stand still while looking at her. Her hair was different tonight, braided intricately across other braids. Her face was even more beautiful than the last time he saw her and her smile and twinkle in her eyes when he looks at her. Why didn't I find her sooner? He was in awe of her. A soft smile escapes from him and Leora turns to look at him as she talked to Diona. "What are you smiling about? Bewitched by Diona's charms?" Leora jokes. Diona blushes and turns completely pink. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no!" Squishing her face together, patting her chest, and fanning her face in panic. "Calm down Diona, it was a joke." Leora fans her too with her hands while laughing. Gideon chuckles in amusement, I wish I could make her blush like that too, he thinks to himself and smiles even wider.  A handsome fairly built fae approaches running to Diona with a bucket of water. He throws it over her and drenches her to cool.  "Thanks, that works every time.”  Diona raises her head to peek through the curtain of her wet hair and sees Pytr. “Are you okay? I saw your turn red from way other there!”  Her red blush softens into a pink glow.  “Yeah.  I’m okay.  Thanks.” Looking back at Leora with sparkling eyes, she scrunches her nose and pokes Leora on her knee.  “Be nicer next time,” she giggles “see you, Lo!" The Diona walks alongside Pytr and they laugh while he dries her off.  Leora stands up and walks to Gideon "well, I didn't see that coming," he says. "It happens, but this is the first time I saw her like that." Giggling to each other stepping in rhythm as they talk so more. "Let me show you something," Gideon says. He holds her hand in his and notices how soft her palm was but had calloused fingers. She must be training hard like me I guess. All he knows is that she’s a wolf like him.  Assuming she trains day in and day out to protect herself made sense, but for him, he wanted to become strong and dependable like his grandfather. He strokes his thumbs over her knuckles and calluses. Leora closes her eyes for a moment feeling his whole hand covering hers. I hope he wouldn't mind the calluses. Leora didn't get the calluses from training or any of that heroic sort. She got her callouses from making flower crowns for the deers and helping weed out the faes' neighborhood.  At home she's not allowed in the kitchen, so she couldn't have gotten it there. Not that she's a bad cook, but Leora has so many ideas and thoughts going through her head while cooking that one dish mixes with the other and she misplaces a lot of things.

They climb a steep yet picturesque mountain, the top focused a ray of moonlight between the trees and boulders creating a natural spotlight to the cleanest stream of water trickling down towards a beautiful pond of lilies, fireflies flew around lighting their stay in the forest.

“This is beautiful,” she says amazed by the scenery before her. Her eyes wandered everywhere trying to capture the moment within her while she breathed heavily, she hated climbing.  “I’m glad you like it.  I found this place searching for you.”  Gideon pulls large leaves and places them on the ground as a makeshift mat. “Here you rest here.  It’s pretty muddy, I wouldn’t want to get you dirty.” He says as he grabs more leaves for her comfort.  She smiles watching him busy himself with the leaves, “I don’t mind getting dirty” she winks.  Gideon looks up to see her smirking in the most playful manner he’s seen her.  Her demeanor changed from playful to something he couldn’t describe.  Was it anger, hunger, or frustration? None of them seemed to match what he was feeling.  She steps closer to him and excitement races through his body, he takes a step towards her settling the last leaf for her seat.  Eyes not leaving each other’s stare, shallow breaths deafening their ears, step, step, step.  Chest to chest they stood, only a berry apart from their bodies.  Leora smiles wanting this to happen, his green eyes startled glowing his eyes drift from her eyes to her lips. She whispers, “You won’t hurt me.”  Gideon raises his left hand, “may I?” she nods having his left hand hold her waist and his right brush off the strands of hair on her face.  She leans into his touch and suddenly he understood what it all felt to be; she was his destined mate.  Meeting her when he got lost has to mean something more than just getting lost.  He looked at her face, her expression, he was trying to memorize her. 

“If you think I’m going to kiss you, I won’t,” he says.  Leora wasn’t even frustrated nor did she grumble in dissatisfaction she just simply smiled and chuckled.  “May I?” she asks and he nods.   She brings her arms up to embrace him.  Their first embrace completes and proves his thought, she is the one.  It felt like the world disappeared around them.  Leora found home in his arms, a comfort that none of her family could give her and for the longest moment, the curse didn’t exist.  It was just him and her in the most beautiful part of the forest that she begrudgingly climbed.   The moon glowed brighter in the sky, an uneasy feeling passes through them as if being watched, but none of that mattered, all that matters is being held in a sweet trance by what they knew to be love.

Both relaxed and pull away sinking into the bliss they were in.   Finally, Leora sits on the leaves that Gideon prepared for her.  She watches Gideon move about the place appearing with a knife.  Alert her eyes grew in surprise but wasn’t sensing much danger from him. 

“What’s that for?” she asks.

“Oh, I prepared this earlier so I just gotta…”  Gideon grabs a rope tied onto a tree and beyond that rope held hanging from the branches she whispers “a sack of wonders” since she knew nothing that’s in it.  He cuts the rope swiftly and he catches the bag with ease.

“I had to tie up there so bears or deers wouldn’t be able to eat these.”   He walks over and sits beside her.  “You’re going to love this.”  He brings out a bundle of banana bread, rice crackers, and a thermos full of tea.  He settles the food above the sack it came from.  Leora grabs a slice of banana bread and first smells it.  The scent of sweet banana entwined with the fluffy texture of the bread.  “I made that.” Gideon proudly says grabbing himself a slice a taking a big bite out of it. 

“No. Really?”  She takes a bite and all the sweetness melts in her mouth.  Her eyes widen in surprise and her hands flapped like wings showing him her excitement.  She looks at him, she looks at the bread, and at him again.  Her happy face was all he needed to see to know he baked well.  He read his grandmother’s cookbook and one of the notes written says Giddy’s favorite snack.   He followed the instructions religiously and made a lot of batches to disguise the act of treats for the surprise he worked hard for her. 

“Earth to Giddy! Hello? Are you there?” Leora’s voice wakes him from the trance.  He smiles and finishes the bread in his hand. “There you are!” She says. “So how’d you--“, she choked a bit and Gideon rushes to give her water.  She drinks as he rubs her back while chuckling.  She coughs and laughs and he wipes her face using the collar of her shirt.  She laughs harder at his gesture. 

“So what were you going to ask?”

“I was going to say” she finally answers after she settles “I was going to ask about your family.  But it seems like a mood killer so maybe let’s just stay in our little bubble.”

“No, no, no, no, no.  It’s all right.  Ask away.”  He says drinking while pouring himself some tea.

“I was wondering if there’s anyone you’re close to within your family?” 

Gideon ponders on the question. Who am I close to in the family?  It could be his mom but she doesn’t always listen or play with him growing up.  His uncles possibly but once they married off they no longer spent time with him.   His ridiculous aunt pops into his head.

“My aunt Seraphine.” He says looking over to Leora.  Leora looks at him expectantly to elaborate on what makes them so close. “I guess since grandfather passed my father sort of took over his responsibilities and mother took care of grandmother.  My other aunt Ava and Eleanor were managing the household and my uncles Daniel and Nathaniel did the rest.  My aunt Seraphine was the youngest among them and so they simply always put her aside to babysit me.”  Leora nods understandingly at him as he speaks.  The genuine emotions in his eyes and the radiating innocence of love warm her heart.  Just let me have this, please. She begs internally looking up at the moon.  Her days were numbered but who’s to say a miracle can’t happen?  Gideon looks at her again and asks her the same question.

“How about you, who are you close to?”

“Let’s see. I think everyone in my family, I think.  Grandma Maryn, well I tell her all the weird things I do.  My parents… I think I tell them everything too but not the things I know I’ll get in trouble for.  My aunt Salma is quite busy with her kid.  My uncles Larkin and Emilio are roughhousing a lot so I kind of stay away since they’re usually the ones that get me into trouble.  I am closest with my aunt Cora I guess.    My aunt Cora tells me everything about her life and somehow I spill everything to her as well. “

“We have such big families.”

“Yeah.  Packs live together no matter what.” They both lean back lying on the leaves, Gideon stretches his arm for Leora to rest her head on, she lies on her side snuggling close to him.  A cool breeze blows about and the fireflies danced above them.  A light floated in the dim forest, the light grew bigger and bigger until a voice breaks the serene sound of the night.

“I knew it.”