Chapter 15
The window suddenly crashes open letting me see who the person on the other side is.
It is Thomas. Thomas is hanging on for dear life, on the side of a ship, at night, in the middle of a storm. He is a madman.
I step back, shocked, and watch silently as Thomas squeezes himself through the tiny window. I hear a popping sound as he dislocated both his shoulders in order to complete that feat. He doesn't even grunt in pain.
I just watch silent, my eyes wide with fright, shock, and awe.
Once inside, he casually pops his shoulders back into place and closes the window.
All I can do is stare, my jaw down to the floor, and my brain temporarily dead.
"What are you doing here?" I gasp after a few moments of both of us just staring at each other.
He doesn't reply but holds out his clenched fist. He slowly opens it revealing a small picture frame, face down.
I quickly pick it up and flip it around, curious. It is the picture of my mother. The one I had brought with me from home.
"I-I thought I had it in my bag!" I gasp.
"I found it on the floor in the house." He explains handing it to me.
"You risked your life just to give me back my picture?" I ask, incredulous, looking back and forth between the picture and Thomas, not sure which one is shocking me more.
"Not voluntarily." He replies with a small smile, "I wouldn't have done it if I had known that there would be a storm."
I stare down at the picture, tears springing to my eyes.
"You would have done the same if I had forgotten my family picture." He says.
"Well, I wouldn't have gotten in the water. I don't know how to swim." I reply, brushing my tears away.
"I guess we'll have to fix that. Besides, I wasn't ever actually in the water. The small rowboat on the side of the ship serves as pretty good hiding spot."
Silence descends upon the room, as we both just stare, him at the floor, and me back at the picture frame, which had amazingly been hardly ruined by the rain. He must have had it griped in his fist the entire time, making his incredible trek that much more dangerous.
"You should get out of those clothes before you catch a cold." I say, breaking the silence that had lasted for a couple minutes.
Thomas nods through his dripping wet hair.
I reach up and brush some of it away but quickly retract my hand, my face turning red.
"Sorry." I lie, softly, "I thought there was something in your hair."
By the way he looks at me, I know he doesn't believe a word I have just said.
I grab a blanket lying on the end of the cot, eager to change the subject.
"Here," I say, holding the blanket out to him, "Use this to dry yourself."
He doesn't take the blanket from me but starts removing his shirt.
"What are you doing?" I yelp.
He looks at me, confused. "Did you want me to try and dry my soaked clothing with that blanket? They, and I, will dry faster if we are separated."
He resumes lifting his wet, clinging, shirt off his back, and I can't help but STARE. His arms are muscular, but do not have any grotesque veins protruding from them. His shoulders are broad and thick but don't make his neck look too thick and short. His chest is well chiseled and I see some of the muscles quivering from the cold and the excursion of climbing the side of the ship in the middle of a gale.
Thomas watches my expression and chuckles. I snap out of my drooling and I can feel my face heat up.
"You'd think that you would have never seen a bare-chested man." Thomas says with a grin.
"I haven't." I say, breathily, mostly to myself.
Spotting something thin and white on his left shoulder, I frown.
"Thomas." I say warily, "Please turn around."
He looks at me confused, "What?"
"Turn around." I command, my heart beat racing.
He does, reluctantly, and I can't help but gasp.
Criss-crossing his entire back are a multitude of whipping scars.
"Thomas! What happened to you?" I shout.
"Quiet down!" He whispers loudly, "And it isn't a big deal. Haven't you seen men getting whipped before?"
I shake my head violently. "I thought only pirates did it. And cruel ones at that."
"Actually, I got this aboard an English ship." He explains.
"No, you didn't."
"Yes, I did. Pirate captains don't whip their crew. It is mainly government and merchant ships."
I shake my head, "I don't believe you."
"It's true. Pirates normally maroon or dismember."
"Fine, you are telling the truth," I say in an unbelieving tone. "What would you have been doing on a government ship?"
"Obviously, I was making trouble for the captain. I used to do quite a bit of that."
"Wouldn't someone recognize you as a wanted man?"
"Let's just say that Frederick Barrington isn't the first person I've pretended to be."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Just that I have become proficient at not being myself."
"Are you yourself right now?"
"Maybe yes, maybe no."
"Now you're just toying with me."
Thomas smiles brilliantly at me, "I've missed you."
"It's been less than a day." I state, quizzically.
"I know, it's been way too long."
I return the smile. "I wonder how many women you've managed to impress with that line." I tease.
"Only one, and she seems to like it." He replies, waggling his eyebrows.
"Cover yourself." I grin, pushing him onto the cot. "Your bare chest is too tempting."
The second that comes out of my lips, I gasp and slap my hand over my mouth. I can't believe I just said that!
I can't hold it back and laughter erupts from behind my palm.
Thomas stares at me, amusingly shocked by my comment before joining me in laughter.
I stumble backwards, trying to contain my laughter. I hit the wall and slide to the floor.
"I take what I said in Tortuga back. You would make a wonderful tavern wench." He manages to say between ragged breathes, "You really have a way with words. If I wasn't so strong-willed, I would be panting at your feet."
My eyes widen, but I am in too good a mood to reprimand him.
We eventually calm down, grinning at each other.
"So, will you be going back?" I ask him suddenly remembering our previous disagreement in Tortuga.
"I can't." He replies. "The ship is too far out to sea. I wouldn't be able to swim back and I doubt that Will or Jack would be willing to turn back."
"Right you are." Jack's drunken self says, suddenly appearing in the wide open doorframe. "However, we usually get rid of the garbage at the next port."
"Get out." I say sternly, after getting over my shock. I get up, push Jack back in the hallway and shut the door with a bang.
I turn to find Thomas looking at me strangely.
"What is it now?" I ask
"Nothing, I just find your personality changes endearing."
"My personality changes? What on earth do you mean?"
"One moment you're a haughty, spoiled, pain in the backside and then you do a complete personality switch and turn into a mighty pirate, fearless, or stupid, enough to risk angering those more powerful than you."
"Who could be more powerful than me?" I ask, acting completely innocent.
"Well, Jack, Will, Greaves, even in his state, the crew, me…"
"Ha ha ha." I say mockingly, "I am not as powerless as you say. In fact, I managed to sew up an entire sail." I tease, trying to look serious and genuine, "It was a daunting, overwhelming feat. I doubt you would be able to do such a thing."
"You're incredible."
"What?"
"You are incredible. Here you are in the middle of the sea, surrounded by pirates, off on an adventure to save you beloved sister. And yet, you are not passing out, afraid, or even uncomfortable."
"Oh, believe me. Having more than a dozen males within a few meters of me, the only female, is just a little uncomfortable."
"See! You're making light of everything. You don't let everything that is happening get to you. You know what you have to do and you're determined to do it. Most people, even men, would be completely unsure, anxious, worried, and completely frightened if they were in your shoes."
"Can't you see?" I say, suddenly getting a little agitated. I don't like being labeled as someone who keeps my head because now, people have expectations of me that I probably will be unable to meet. "I am all those things. I am anxious. I am unsure. And I am scared. Just because I don't show them, doesn't mean there are not there. I guess… I guess I am just as good a pretender as you are." I finish with a sigh.
Thomas stands up and takes me into his arms, "You don't have to pretend around me. Please don't pretend around me."
As I breathe in his smell, I realize how much I would have missed him if he hadn't come back to the ship. My loneliness from earlier wasn't because there wasn't anyone to be with. It was because there wasn't Thomas to be with.
And for once, I don't even think about what others would think about me being clasped tightly by a shirtless man. I just take a deep breath and relish the moment and feeling of being in the arms of the man I love.
