Chapter 25
Tommy
Somewhere in the Atlantic
April 14, 1912
Tommy stared after Nellie for a long time before he was finally shooed from the second class dining saloon. Had he really just told this girl everything?
He hadn't been ready for her to leave. Her dark hair and even darker eyes had seemed to draw him in, allowing him to open up like he never had before. Cara was now a distant memory, becoming more and more forgotten with each mile gained between himself and Ireland. But it wasn't just that he desired Nellie and was lonely and looking for a bit of fun. Instead, he felt a need to be with her, to know everything she was thinking when she had stared at him so intensely as he had spoken, like she had known him her whole life.
Before his mind could catch up to his feet, he found himself back at Nellie's door. His hands were shaking so badly he couldn't bring himself to knock, especially when he considered she might be trying to put Isla to bed. But he had to see her again. Even waiting until tomorrow would mean he would lose his nerve. But how could he explain his appearance at her door twice in one evening?
He leaned his head towards the door, pressing it against the thin wood and praying the hallway he was standing in would remain abandoned. There wasn't a sound coming from within, not even a trace of a baby's cries. He backed away from the door, putting his hand in his vest where he felt his grandfather's watch. The smooth metal momentarily soothed his racing mind and calmed his twitching hands. How he longed to be back in the cabinetry to prevent idle hands.
He nearly fell into the room when the door opened. Nellie looked surprised at seeing him, having changed into a much more casual dress, her dark hair in a long plait rather than its usual knot at the base of her neck. She had a shawl draped around her shoulders which she pulled tighter around herself at the sight of him.
"Tommy?" she said, her dark eyes wide. "What are you doing?"
Tommy tried to hide the blush creeping up in his cheeks. "I– uh…" All he could do was just stare at her. "Is the baby asleep?"
Nellie smiled. "Thankfully, yes. Both her and my maid are sleeping so I thought I would get a bit of fresh air before turning in for the night."
Tommy continued to run his hand up and down his pocket watch in his vest. "I'm here because I wanted to see you again."
He was pleased to see her cheeks flush the same shade as his.
"How about we tour your part of the ship then?" she said. "You were kind enough to put up with second class etiquette all evening."
Tommy laughed at this and offered his arm. It wasn't long before they were roaming around the mostly abandoned poop deck, continuing their conversation from dinner and admiring the clear sky above. It was eerily still, without a breeze to blow their hair about. Her hand felt warm in the crook of his elbow and even though it was still early spring, he hardly felt cold as he watched her lips, red from the chilly night.
"It's nice to have some time to myself," Nellie said, stopping to sit on a bench. "I have a feeling Isla will sleep through the night tonight thanks to all the entertainment you gave her at dinner."
"Doesn't she sleep through the night for you?" Tommy asked, sitting beside her. He rested one of his arms on the back of the bench, just behind her shoulders. He could just barely feel her wool shawl wrapped around her with his fingertips. "I don't pretend to know much about child rearing."
Nellie shook her head. "Leana claims she sleeps through the night when I'm not there. My little lass loves to nurse and I can't bring myself to deny her."
"Nor should you," Tommy said. "She's strong and healthy thanks to you. I should bring her back to Dublin and let her lead the revolution."
Nellie threw her head back in laughter at this. "I really do envy you, Tommy. You're on the grandest adventure of your life while I'm just trying to keep my family from falling apart."
"Why don't you join me then? Come to America."
The words left his mouth before he could stop them. What on earth was he doing? He had just met this girl! They'd barely known each other for three days!
Nellie's eyes widened once more. Their faces were so close to one another that he could feel her breath on his skin. Her hands were twisting together in her lap as she studied him, as if trying to guess what he was thinking. Her mouth opened and closed several times, until to his surprise, she closed the gap between them and pressed her mouth to his.
His arms immediately wrapped themselves around her and he sighed contently. She put her hands on the base of his neck, pressing them even closer together. He could tell from the way her lips were firmly planted against his that she hadn't kissed very many men. He moved his lips against hers and at last felt her relax against him, sighing in contentment as well. A fire spread through him that he had never felt before, nearly driving him mad with desire. She seemed to feel the same, nearly crawling into his lap as her hands began weaving through his hair. It wasn't until they heard a group of drunken passengers come out to the deck that they broke apart.
"Spend the night with me," Tommy said, putting both of her hands in his.
"How?" Nellie said. "You know Isla and my maid are in my room. What would happen if my brother finds out I let a man from steerage into my bed, let alone my father when I return home!"
"Come to my room," he said, his voice soft. "My bunkmate's never there."
"But what will Leana say if I'm not back all night?" Nellie said.
"Nellie," Tommy said, his voice serious. "You said yourself that Isla would sleep through the night. Isn't that what your nursemaid is for?"
Before she had a chance to think about what he had said, Tommy kissed her again. It wasn't long before they were making the long trek down to G-Deck, giggling whenever they happened to come across other passengers who could tell Nellie was not from steerage. Nellie had confessed they had several bottles of milk for Isla for the journey which Leana could use, which solidified their plans.
Earlier that afternoon, Tommy had been lecturing Jack for the very thing he was now doing with Nellie. Rose had apparently tried to bring Jack to reality that morning, explaining to him that they couldn't be together. Fabrizio and Tommy had even helped sneak Jack onto the first class decks an hour ago so he could try and convince her to be with him. Jack should have been grateful she'd agreed to come down to steerage last night, let alone pursue anything beyond the end of this trip. Yet here he was, hand in hand with this girl from second class, on the way to his room during the late hours of the night.
As soon as his door was closed, Nellie threw herself into his arms. Shoes were taken off, buttons unbuttoned, stockings removed, before they fell into one another, years of frustration, loneliness, and loss all reconciled in this act they were performing together. As he took her, Tommy knew that this was very different from all the other women he had been with. It was apparent that not only had Nellie not kissed many men, but her husband must have never shown her the passion that was possible when two people went to bed together. He touched her in places he could tell had never been explored before, loving how she cried out his name as he made love to her. It was unlike anything Tommy had experienced before. As their bodies entwined with one another, he knew they had been joined as one. From now on, nothing would separate him from Nellie Milroy.
An hour later, Nellie lay beside him in his bunk which was much too small for two adults to sleep in together. She was breathing lightly as she drifted off to sleep, her breath tickling his bare chest. He had unbraided her hair earlier and had been delighted to discover it fell in long, dark waves down to her waist. He played with the ends of her hair as she curled up next to him, basking in the softness of her hair and skin next to his calloused hands and weary muscles from years of cabinetry work. This was the most peaceful he had felt in a long time.
He still wasn't certain why he had blurted out the idea of Nellie joining him in America, but as she nuzzled into his neck and sighed happily in her sleep, he didn't regret making her the offer. With his past in Dublin and Nellie's horrific family situation in Dumfries, it made more sense to start a new life in America with him rather than return home to a hotel as a widow.
He kissed her head lightly before closing his eyes and letting sleep finally wash over him, comforted by the thrum of Titanic's strong engines lulling them both to sleep.
A little spicy chapter for ya... only took 25 of them to get to this point! We're up to the night of the sinking, but I will warn you that I have 71 chapters planned for this story (yes you read that number right...) Stories tend to get a little long when you have FIVE character POVs!
