*Chapter 9*

That evening, at dinner, while they were waiting to be served, the girls sat patiently, talking to each other.

During dinner, Clara was so excited about meeting up with Lightoller, that she ate her meal very fast, confusing those who were watching her. She didn't usually eat this fast. Claire just watched, dumbfounded.

After dinner, the men, as usual, went to the smoking room, while the ladies sat around, talking.

Clara noticed that another man was sitting with them tonight, a handsome young man. She had seen him somewhere before, but couldn't put her finger on it.

But she didn't care. She just wanted the time on the Honour and Glory clocks to change from 8:45 to 9:00 so she could see the man she had know only for 2 days, and was already head over heels for.

She couldn't wait any longer. Her heart was growing fonder and was racing at 100 miles now, because she longed to be with Lightoller. Hell, she didn't care about the age difference. Or her mother blasting her if she ever found out.

She quietly excused herself from the table, and made her way up the grand staircase, out of the inside of the ship. She burst outside, taking in the freezing cold night air.

Clara was shivering a little, because she was wearing a short-sleeved gown, but her long gloves kept her arms warm.

She brushed her hair out of her face, and started walking in the direction to the bridge.

She suddenly heard a man talking to himself, coming close to her, so, she spun around, and saw that it was Mr Wilde.

Her heart slowed down a bit, as she thought it was Lightoller.

"Hello, Miss Sherbrooke. What brings you out here at this time of night?" Wilde asked.

"I have a meeting with a friend of mine."

Wilde simply nodded.

"Enjoy your meeting then."

Clara hurried off, to avoid having to explain anything to anybody else.

Clara stopped running and found Lightoller, leaning on the railing, peering at his gold pocket watch. He looked up when he heard Clara's footsteps.

"Oh, there you are! On time as usual!" Lightoller said happily.

Clara rushed up to him, and if it weren't for her controllable emotions, she would have kissed him there and then. But she didn't.

"Come, I'll show you something," Lightoller beamed, and took Clara's hand.

Clara leaned against Lightoller, and the hold of her hand became his arm around her waist. Lightoller stopped, under some stairs, and pointed to the sky.

"Look, Clara, how beautiful the sky is tonight. Millions and millions of stars. It's rather unusual actually. They must have come out just for us."

Clara smiled, and snuggled up to Lightoller. He slipped his arms around her waist, from behind, and rested his head on her shoulder.

"You, Clara, are my beautiful star. You are absolutely gorgeous, graceful, and elegant." Lightoller said, grinning.

Clara turned her head to face Lightoller, who took his cap off, and put it beside him. Clara turned her whole body now, not shivering from the cold anymore, being in Lightoller's embrace, and put her arms around him.

"Are you sure this is right, Charles?" Clara asked.

"Of course it is. All the officers are either asleep, or on duty up on the bridge. Nobody will find us down here. Nobody looks here, anyway," Lightoller reassured.

Clara nodded. She thought about kissing him, as she looked into his eyes, but the thought of him being nearly twice her age, and never seeing him again, upon arrival in New York, made her cringe.

Maybe he didn't really love her. Maybe he did this to every beautiful woman that he saw. Maybe he liked younger women.

Clara didn't have a clue. There were thousand of 'maybes' running through her head at the one time, which made her quite confused.

'Oh, what the hec!' She thought.

As her feelings overcame her, Clara leaned into Lightoller closer.

He leaned forward, and as they both closed their eyes, their lips met, passion getting the better of them, giving them a very passionate kiss.

Clara lay down, on the hard ground, and Lightoller was now on top of her, lightly.

She loved this moment so much. She didn't want it to stop. Or be interrupted, either. This was her first kiss.

She would remember: Aboard the Titanic, on April 13, 1912, on deck, to an officer named Charles Herbert Lightoller.

As they parted, Lightoller leaned over and whispered in Claras ear,

"Can you feel the love?"

Clara smiled. This is what she had wanted to hear, from the moment she'd met him.