Clara sat at her vanity, her hair and stomach both in knots. She had yet to come to a decision regarding Tommy, but she planned on finding him that night after dinner, hoping that by then she'd know what to do.
Being with Tommy felt easy. He listened to her and encouraged her work, though she hadn't yet told him her plan for New York. He was charming, and the accent was a definite plus. He was easy on the eyes, too. Clara had taken notice of his friendly smile and kind eyes, not to mention the strong build from life on the farm.
But what happened once they weren't confined within the walls of the ship? When real world pressures and circumstances weighed in?
A soft knock came onto Clara's door, followed shortly by Molly's head peeking through. "Am I interrupting anything?" Molly asked.
"Nope. Just figuring things out. My hair, I mean," Clara said, quickly adding on that last part.
Molly paused for a moment, then stepped into the room and approached Clara. "May I?" Upon Clara's nod, her hands went to work: detangling the windswept curls, taming the flyways, and twisting locks every which way to make a sensible updo.
Clara closed her eyes. It felt wonderful to have someone else work on her hair. No one had done that for her in ages. Her mother used to always play with Clara's hair when she was little. Clara glanced at Molly in the vanity mirror's reflection. Molly was intensely focused on the task at hand, but she still had a small smile. Clara felt a sudden wave of emotion at Molly's tenderness and love. A lump formed in her throat. Molly glanced up and met Clara's eyes in the mirror. She gave Clara a quick wink, knowing what was on her mind and silently comforting her. Clara laughed; Molly could read her like a book.
As a finishing touch, Molly slid in a pearl hair comb. Happy with the end result, Molly squeezed Clara's shoulders. "There. Beautiful," she added.
Clara turned her head, seeing her hair from all angles. Molly had done it up in a bohemian-looking style with braids and twists of all sizes. She gave her aunt a hug. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome, sugar," Molly said, sitting at the small table where Clara's notebook was. It was then that she noticed Jack's drawing. She stared at it for a second, glancing between the couple in the drawing and Clara in front of her. "Who's this?"
"Oh… a friend. He's in… he's in third class."
Molly's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Is that who you've been sneaking off to see?"
"Well, not today. But yes."
"Why are you avoiding him?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Because… just because. Things became really complicated. Logically, there's no way we could work in the real world." Clara said. Molly gave her a look, silently pushing her to confess. Clara sighed; her defenses were useless against Molly. "I'm scared. We get along just fine here, with no outside forces against us. But off the ship? I have no idea what could happen, how different we'd be. We have completely different backgrounds and I'm afraid that would be our fallout."
Molly gave her a sad smile. "But do you wish it would work?"
Clara sighed. "If you were anyone else, I'd say no. But… yes."
Molly came around to face Clara and squeezed her hands. "Then go to him. I'll tell you this. I've been on both sides of the aisle, and they both have their hardships. But if I've learned anything, it's that the people worth having around are the ones who don't have much themselves. And if he makes you smile like I see here," she nodded toward Jack's drawing, "you deserve each other."
Clara knew Molly was right. She nodded in agreement.
"You'll make the right choice. You've always had the determination to solve things for yourself. Don't fret." Molly gave her hands another squeeze. "I'm going to get dressed. You better fix up quick. We have a guest and he needs our help." She hurried out of the room.
Following her aunt's directions, Clara looked through her wardrobe. She decided upon one of her favorites: a dark blue evening gown with a nude chiffon overlay. The sleeves went to her elbows, with ribbons to keep it in place, but they draped opened throughout the upper arm. Because of the chiffon's sheerness, the dress had a dramatic, somewhat scandalous figure to it. Intricate beading on the bust and skirt gave it a touch of sparkle. She paired it with pearl earrings, a matching necklace and dark blue gloves. She thought of Tommy, wondering what he'd think.
Happy with her outfit, Clara went out to the sitting room to see who exactly this guest was. She was shocked to see Jack standing in front of the fireplace. Men's dress clothing was strewn about the room, covering just about every surface, including Jack. He was in a suit shirt and pants, only missing the jacket and tie.
"Jack?" Clara asked. "What are you doing here?"
He grimaced. "I was thinking the same thing." Jack shrugged. "Molly offered to let me borrow a suit. How do you know Molly?"
"She's my aunt."
"Seems like everyone here is connected somehow."
"We're purebreds. Gotta keep it in the family," she joked. Jack laughed, and it seemed like it was a nice break in his tense stance. He was obviously stressed about dinner. "So," Clara started, trying to get his mind off things, "can I ask you something?"
Jack fiddled with the pearl cufflinks. "Does it have to do with your Irishman you've been avoiding?"
She gave a small smile, confirming his suspicions. "Did you see him today?"
Jack nodded. "He seemed pretty down this morning. Haven't seen him since."
"We didn't leave on the best terms last night." Clara sat on the chaise lounge. "I didn't mean to hurt him."
"Are you gonna see him again?"
"I plan to tonight. Though he doesn't know that yet."
"Yeah? What are you gonna say?"
Clara shrugged helplessly. "I think I have an idea. I just… I don't know if…" she sighed. "Would it be ridiculous to stay with him when we get to New York?"
Jack sat next to her. "Are you asking me, or are you asking yourself?"
"Anyone, really," she answered.
"I don't really know you well enough to tell you what to do. And I don't really know Tommy a whole lot, either. But I bet that he'd go to hell and back if that meant you'd be in his life."
She glanced at Jack. His shoulders were still tense, and his leg bounced restlessly. "Speaking of going to hell and back, how's this for you?" she asked.
Jack let out a short laugh, then gazed around the extravagant room. "Not what I thought hell would look like."
Clara reached out and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "You know there's a reason why she spends more time with you than with him, right?" The two of them shared a glance, considering the other's uplifting words. Jack gave her a small smile, relaxing just a tad.
Molly came in at that moment. Jack stood up for her inspection of his attire. She gave Jack a once-over, nodding firmly but adjusting his tie. Jack looked sheepish at the help. "Don't feel bad about it. My husband still can't tie one of these damn things after 20 years. There ya go," she said, finishing with his tie and handing him the accompanying jacket.
Jack left the room to finish getting dressed. Molly smiled at Clara. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you. It's nice of you to help Jack."
Molly shrugged. "Wasn't about to let the kid go blindly into the snake pit."
Jack returned to the room with his entire ensemble on. Clara couldn't help but drop her jaw and share an approving glance with Molly. Molly had a smug smile on, pleased with her work. "My, my, my ... you shine up like a new penny."
Jack sat between Clara and Molly at the dinner table, and he was quietly gracious for Molly's guidance throughout the three courses.. From Clara's observations, Rose seemed more dressed up than usual. Clara lost count of how many times Rose and Jack shared meaningful glances across the table.
Ruth was keen on asking him demeaning questions about his accomodations in the decks below and how on Earth he found his way to a ticket on the Titanic. He never faltered though, charming the crowd, all but Ruth and Cal, with his good humor and easy spirit.
"I figure life's a gift, and I don't intend on wasting it. You never know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you," Jack said after a hefty refill of his champagne. He tossed a cigarette lighter across the table toward Cal, catching him off guard. "To make each day count."
"To making it count," Rose echoed, lifting her glass in a toast. The table joined in on the chorus, much to the displeasure of Ruth and Cal.
Jack's toast touched Clara. She knew it was meant to encourage Rose, but his genuine love for the jeopardy of life's adventures gave Clara the spirit of adventure she needed. She thought about Tommy and how he was the unexpected hand. Her heart leapt as she brainstormed her plan for the rest of the evening.
Dinner wrapped up soon after that, and Molly had the table howling with laughter over a story about her husband lighting a fire. The gentlemen then excused themselves to "congratulate each other on being masters of the universe," as Rose so put it in a mutter to Jack.
Clara watched Jack from her peripherals as he returned a pen to Molly. He kissed Rose's hand goodbye. Clara quickly stood up. "Ladies, I'll be turning myself in for the night," she said. "I've got a headache. It's for the best I catch up on my sleep."
She made eye contact with Jack. "I'll walk you out on the way. Wouldn't want you getting lost." She could tell that Molly, Rose, Jack and Ruth were all suspicious of her intentions, but she moved forward with her plan anyway.
Clara linked her elbow with Jack's, and the pair headed for the staircase. Jack stopped at the top of the stairs in front of the clock.
"If you don't mind, I'm gonna stay here a minute," Jack said. He raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to bed, are you?"
Clara shook her head slightly. "Like you said. Make it count."
Jack gave her a wink. "See you in a bit."
Clara laughed, leaving him behind as she silently snuck her way out of the grand room and down to the decks she was becoming all too familiar with. She followed the sounds of music and loud laughter all the way to the general room.
Just as it was the night before, the room was raucous with dancing, drinking and conversation. The dance floor wasn't quite full, but she was sure it would be in no time. She stood at the door of the room, scanning the crowd and catching Fabrizio's eye. He waved her over and she fought her way through to him and Helga.
"Do you know where Tommy is?" she asked.
Fabrizio smiled and nodded. He pointed toward a table halfway across the room. Clara thanked him and made her way over. Her stomach was a ball of nerves. After last night, she had no idea how he'd react to seeing her or hearing what she had to say.
Tommy was in the middle of an arm wrestling match. A cigarette dangled between his teeth as he grimaced from the game. He wore a simple white shirt with a matching brown vest and pants, and his signature bowler hat sat atop his curls.
Clara approached the table just as Tommy's opponent pinned Tommy's arm down with a victory whoop. Tommy shook his head, clearly disappointed in the loss. When he looked up, his scowl turned to hurt, then confusion and finally trepidation as he noticed Clara in front of him. The two were quiet for a moment as they took each other in.
Clara swallowed hard. "I'm here for you."
A/N: Wow wow wow, I did not mean to take a whole year to update this. However I think I've got my groove back, so I hope you all enjoy! Next chapter should be fun. :)