Stockholm’s Syndrome

"I was thinking of going for a swim, would you like to come?" Miguel asked Gemma as he put away their dishes.

"Where?"

"There is a lake just behind the house." Miguel said.

"I don't know how to swim," Gemma admitted looking down at her fingers. She felt ashamed to admit that she can't swim, because swimming is a survival skill, something that she is supposed to possess, but she doesn't, because when her mates were learning how to swim, her mother wouldn't allow her to go near a swimming pool because one of her brothers, had drowned to death when he was little, and her mother was scared same fate was going to befall Gemma.

This happened way before Gemma was born, but her mother still feared the worst.

"For real? You can't swim?"

"No," Gemma shook her head. She had expected him to laugh just like everyone else does when they got to find out, but he didn't.

Instead he said, "I will teach you then."

Gemma gave him a skeptical look. "It's cold outside, I don't think swimming is a good idea."

Miguel chuckled. "We will be out of the water before you catch pneumonia." he stretched out his hand to her.

"Come on."

Gemma finally took his hand and they both went out through the back door in the kitchen. It was the first time Gemma was stepping out of the cottage since they had arrived.

Miguel led her through a narrow bushy path that led to the lake.

"If you are thinking of hitting me from behind, I suggest you don't."

Gemma chuckled because the thought had just crossed her mind when he said it.

Miguel stopped when they came in front of a small lake.

Gemma watched him as he started taking off his clothes. Soon he was completely naked, and he jumped into the lake. Gemma watched as he completely immersed himself inside the water.

"Aren't you going to come?" Miguel asked when he came up for air and saw her still standing at the bank, with her clothes still on.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Gemma said shaking her head.

"Come on, you will enjoy it."

"What if I drown?" Gemma asked, voicing out her fear.

"You won't, I won't let you drown," he assured her.

For some strange reason, Gemma believed him and she started taking off her clothes.

Miguel stretched out his hand to her and she took it, slowly stepping into the water.

The water was not as cold as she had expected it to be and neither was it as deep as she had thought.

"I got you," Miguel said as he pulled her against his body.

Gemma held tightly to his arms for fear that the water might sweep her away.

"How about a dip?" Miguel asked smiling.

"No."

"No?" Miguel splashed water in her face and Gemma gasped in shock. She quickly recovered and splashed him back.

Soon they were both splashing water in each other's faces.

By the time they stopped, they were both laughing and breathing hard.

"See? You are not drowning."

It was at point Gemma realized that she had been standing on her own all this while and she quickly grabbed Miguel's arm.

He chuckled as he pulled her closer to himself.

"Its's all in your head. Fear."

"You won't blame me, if you grew up around my mother, you would have been scared of water as well."

"Well, it's a good thing that I didn't."

There was a beat of silence between both of them as they looked into each other's eyes.

Their naked bodies were pressed against each other and Gemma yearned for him to kiss her.

As if reading her mind, Miguel dipped his head and slowly kissed her.

She opened her mouth giving his tongue entrance and moaned into his kiss.

Gemma didn't know for how long they'd been kissing, but it seemed like it had been for a while because they were both breathing hard.

"We should go back, can't risk you catching pneumonia," Miguel said, looking tenderly at her.

Gemma felt a little disappointed, she was beginning to enjoy the lake, (more like enjoying being in his arms in the lake) and wanted them to stay a little longer, but she didn't say it.

They both got out of the water and put their clothes back on.

They walked back to the cottage in silence.

"I need to use the restroom," Gemma said when they got inside the cottage.

Miguel responded with a curt nod.

By the time Gemma finished using the restroom, Miguel was still in the kitchen where she had left him.

As she approached the door of the kitchen, she could hear Miguel's voice as he spoke to someone on the phone.

He was talking in a very low tone, but Gemma could still hear some of the things he said as she placed her ear against the kitchen door.

"I have the girl, my father asking Russo to meet for him to hand his daughter back to him is a ploy to forcefully take the North trade line from Russo, I know him way too well. And I know that he is about to start a war."

There was a pause as Miguel seems to be listening to whoever was on the other side of the phone.

"So I was right after all, he wants to take the trade line forcefully." Miguel said.

"I know Russo isn't going to allow that. This will definitely cause a war, and I will be here to watch it."

There was another pause, before Miguel said,

"Of course the girl is the price, when my father is done fooling himself, I will contact Russo myself and make a bargain, half of the North tradeline, in exchange for their daughter, just like we had planned.

Gemma felt hot tears pool in her eyes. Hearing Miguel refer to her as the girl, as if she was a nobody, made her want to wail.

How stupid of her! What had she been expecting? Did she think because they shared a few moments of intimacy he was going to fall in love with her and abandon his mission?

For a moment of madness, she had thought he might actually like her just like she was beginning to like him.

But she was wrong, he doesn't like her and she shouldn't like him either. There is a name for what she felt, it wasn't likeness, it's called Stockholm's syndrome and she needed to snap out of it.

Gemma cleaned the tears that streamed down her cheeks, with the back of her hand, and then opened the kitchen door with a wide smile.