Struggle for Liberty by Marline (the giving tree read aloud .TXT) 📕

looked at him defiantly.
“And what if I don’t?”
“You just added another two hours to our hike. Now move.” Jason demanded. He turned around and started walking away from me. Suddenly it struck me, this was the perfect moment to get away. I could at least attempt running, it didn’t seem so hard to hide in this thick forest filled with thousands of trees. With a pounding heart I stared after Jason and analyzed each step he took. Five more steps and I would make my move. Four. Three. Two. I didn’t have enough patience to count to one and turned around and ran. I bolted forwards, not caring about the branches that were whipping in my face or the fact that I was stumbling over the uneven ground. I had to get away. I would’ve gasped when I heard the footsteps behind me but I didn’t have the breath and instead I forced my legs to run faster. Run Liberty, Run! I urged myself. Faster! I had to get out of here. This was my only chance at escape, after this, Jason would hold me under lock and key. Or worse, actually do what he had been threatening for so long. This thought made me run even faster. And then, all of a sudden, I was tackled to the ground. I lay there, unable, and unwilling to move. I knew that fighting wasn’t going to help so I didn’t even bother to try. Jason turned me around roughly so that I was now lying on my back and facing him. He wasn’t even out of breath while I was gasping for air.
“You know, for someone who doesn’t like to hike, you’re a pretty fast runner.” Jason said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Shut up.” I growled and tried pushing him off, but he wasn’t having that.
“Let me go.” I demanded.
“Oh no, who says you won’t run away again?” Jason grinned. I gave up and just lay there, refusing to look at him. If he wanted to hold me down on the muddy forest floor, then so be it. Besides, I was still catching my breath from running.
“Caught your breath yet?” Jason asked, as if he could read my thoughts. I looked at him annoyed.
“Yes, now let me go.” I said sarcastically.
Jason smirked and I wondered what he was up to. “I deserve a reward after chasing you through the forest.” He said.
“You deserve nothing.” I spat.
“Hmmm.” Jason smirked and then without warning, he leaned forwards and brushed his lips against mine, rubbing it in that he was in control. Then he pressed his lips harder against mine and kissed first my bottom lip and then the top. My determination was crumbling with each touch. Why did he have to be such a good kisser? Probably because he’d had so much practice. Jason softly nibbled on my bottom lip, asking me to let his tongue in but I refused. Oh no, he wasn’t getting anything from me. I felt Jason’s momentary grin against my lips before he went back to massaging my lips with his own. This can’t be good, I thought to myself. He’s not pressuring me because he knows I will give in. But that is not going to happen. I will not give in to him. Not now, not ever. Yet with every second that passed I was wondering why I couldn’t just kiss him back for one second. What was wrong with such a short moment? It couldn’t do any harm, could it? And then I caved. I opened my lips for him and kissed him back hungrily. We lay there, kissing on the muddy forest floor for at least five minutes and I enjoyed every moment of it. We only parted for air. When Jason finally pulled away we could only stare at each other. Then Jason stood up, dusted off his clothes and held out his hand to me. I refused to take it and stood up by myself. I dusted off my clothes too and could still feel my heartbeat going 1000 miles an hour. My cheeks filled with heat when I realized what I had just done and I was grateful that Jason hadn’t said anything about it. Yet.


Chapter 6

“God, why have you put me in this situation? And why do I actually like Jason’s kiss?” I prayed as I trudged after Jason through the forest. I looked through the canopy of leaves above me, waiting for an answer but none came. “Lord, what’s your purpose with all this? What good could ever come of this?” The silence was deafening and I wondered if God was even listening. Probably not, I deserved his silence after the way I had just kissed Jason.
“Keep up.” Jason suddenly snapped, without looking back at me. I bit my tongue because I was on the verge of saying something rude.

Finally, after hours of walking, the apartment building came in sight and I had never been happier to see it.
The moment we reached the apartment Jason turned to me.
“Go take a shower and then start dinner.” I nodded wordlessly, grateful for the fact that I could shower but also that Jason hadn’t commented on our kiss.
I took a long, warm shower, trying to still the swirling emotions within me while praying desperately for self-control in trying to resist Jason. Why did he have to be so impossibly hot? And muscular? And masculine? And there I went on a roll again, almost drooling over Jason’s body while he wasn’t even in the same room as me.

I hopped out of the shower and while drying myself I realized that I had to get out of here.
A Bible verse from 1 Corinthians drifted in my mind. “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way so that you can endure it.” I had to trust God and believe that he knew how much I could bear and how much of Jason’s presence I could take. After I changed and put on my clothes, I stepped out of the shower and walked to the kitchen so that I could start dinner.
Jason was standing in the living room with a bunch of papers in his hands, shirtless. He looked like some kind of Greek god.
I groaned inwardly. “Not beyond what you can bear

.”
“Done?” Jason asked, looking up from his papers. I could only nod. He dumped his papers on the coffee table and walked over to me. He wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my neck. “You smell good.” He whispered before walking to the bathroom. I stood in the middle of the room, too stunned to move. This situation was impossible and suddenly I desperately wanted Lissa here so I could discuss this with her. A girl needs to talk about things like this, preferably with other girls. Grumbling under my breath about how weak I was, I started making dinner.

Chapter 7

“Sweetheart, would you pass me the salt?” Jason asked the following morning at breakfast.
“Yes, honey

,” I answered sarcastically while dutifully passing him the salt. Who knows what he would have done if I disobeyed him and I was in no mood for fighting him off. Jason laughed.
“Never call your future husband honey.” He instructed. “It makes him feel feminine and weak.”
“Well, maybe I should call you that more often then,” I said half teasing, half challenging.
“Sure baby, call me anything. I have enough confidence to know that I could never be weak or feminine.” Jason flashed me a perfect grin that, if I hadn’t been so appalled at his arrogance, would have caused my heart to start beating faster.
“Nobody’s ever going to marry you if you don’t do something about your arrogance.” I couldn’t help but say.
“Oh, I’m not worried about that, I’ve had enough offers to believe that I could get any girl I want.” Jason looked directly at me and I forced myself to keep chewing and swallow.
“You’re wrong,” I said, with more confidence than I felt, “You can’t get every girl.”

“We’re going swimming today,” Jason said, “We don’t only have to get you mentally ready but physically in shape as well.”
I was actually excited about this, finally a sport that I liked. At least he hadn’t suggested that we go hiking again.
I nodded curtly, not wanting to show that I actually liked his idea, for once.
“Wear this.” Jason said, and he tossed me a bikini. Where did he get that from so fast? I looked at the bikini and then up at Jason.
“I will not.” I said.
“Either that, or nothing at all. How am I supposed to know which muscles need work unless I can actually see them? Go put it on, I give you five minutes.”
I stood in the bathroom for three of the five minutes, deciding what to do about this bikini that was really far too open for my liking. After living in the forest for most of my life and barely owning a swimsuit, this bikini seemed much too open for other people to see me in. Though I guess it wasn’t so bad, I tried to talk myself into wearing it, because at least it covered all the vital parts. After taking a deep breath, I quickly slipped on the bikini and then pulled my clothes back on over it. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Jason was already waiting for me at the front door.
“Ready?” He asked and I nodded. He had changed as well; he was now wearing swimming shorts and a shirt.
Opening the elevator, Jason pressed the button to the third floor. The elevator door dinged and opened to reveal a big and beautiful swimming pool, with a view of the forest on one side and an open field on the other. There was no one else at the pool and I briefly wondered what all the other couples were doing. Jason walked over to a bar and grabbed two towels and then dumped them on a sun bed. In one swift movement he pulled off his shirt and then turned to look at me expectantly. I knew what he wanted me to do but I had enough pride to not take off my shirt with him watching. I turned around and quickly pulled off my shirt. I contemplated keeping my shorts on but knew that Jason wouldn’t let me and so took those off as well. The moment my clothes were off someone grabbed on to me and slung me over his shoulder.
“Jason, put me down!” I squealed. “Jason!”
But he didn’t put me down, instead, he carried me to the edge of the pool and then dumped me in the water. I held my breath so that I wouldn’t choke on water and then came up for air. I saw that Jason had jumped in next to me.
“Jerk,” I said to him and tried to slap him, which was harder than I thought in the water. He laughed.
“I had to make sure you actually came in the water. Come on, let’s go swim some laps.”
I felt great swimming, I didn’t have to think of anything other than the water around me and I loved the feeling of freedom. I did a tumble turn and then swam in freestyle to the other end of the pool.
“Liberty, time to go!”