Chapter 10

            When we enter the berth, a cheer erupts from all the midshipmen inside. When he turns a corner, I look at him in surprise because we are heading into his room instead of him taking me to my room.

            “What the…?” I whisper in his ear so only he can hear me.

            “You promised a kiss in my berth. A minute long on the lips. I intend to get!” he whispers in my ear with a sly smile on his face. He lays me down on the bed and turns and closes the door.

            “So, Dr. Travie, if I may call you that, plant a kiss on me and I’ll try not to bite.” Smartly, I look up at his eyes and grin, waiting for a remark back. He sits on the bed next to me, cups my head in his hands, and pulls my head to his. Once again, we become one. This kiss continues for an eternity before we sadly separate.

            “It is strange how this all happened. You started out afraid of me. I kissed you once and look at us now.” Starring into his mysterious, brown eyes, I try to decode the emotions within them.

            “I know. It is just… I don’t know what you see in me. You are so beautiful.” His eyes go blank, giving away that he is upset.

            “My mum always told me, ‘Maria, if you ever meet a man and you think you have fallen in love with him but you are not sure…” The mention of love draws his attention. “She would tell me, ‘look into his eyes. They are the passage to both of your hearts.’ I never knew what it meant until I met you but I now know the wisdom of her words. When you said that you don’t know what I see in you, your eyes went hooded and I could tell it upset you. You believe it though, to me, it is a lie.” The light begins to come back to his eyes, showing that he is feeling better.

            “Maria… the truth is that I really, really like you. You have won my heart. It is just that… I tend to be nervous a lot. You, you are so brave. You came on a ship knowing that you were the only girl on board.”

            “I never knew I was coming here. My mother had someone pack my things for me. then, I was taken from my home during the night. I woke up once but was never told what was going on.”

            “You were so brave though. you still had all your regular spirit. When I was put on the ship, I cried because I didn’t want to go on. I was afraid of water. I was afraid of all the stories about sailors I had heard. I was afraid of war. I was only five, for god’s sake!” he exclaims, the sparkle leaving his eyes again due to the memories.

            “Have you gotten used to the ship now?”

            “Yes, but only since you arrived. You seem to make everything better. I think you deserve to know why I am so uneasy.” He pauses for a second before he nervously continues. “We were in a fight against a pirate and there was a gun lying on the deck, so I grabbed it. The pirates wouldn’t give up and everyone was trying to kill the captain. I had an opening and shot, piercing his throat. He started to choke before he fell to the deck dead. I…I still hate myself today.”

            I grab his hand and kiss his cheek, rubbing the back of his hand calmingly. I lie my head on his shoulder and we sit like that for a while, savoring the moment.

            “That was very brave of you. If anyone ever says anything to you about it, tell me. I’ll take care of ‘em.” Putting my ball in a pathetic fist and waving it around, trying to appear threatening, makes him chuckle. He relaxes some and the sparkle begins to return to his eye.

            “Thank you, Maria.” He says as he gives me a big bear hug.

            “For what?” I say, stupefied.

            “For forgiving me. You helped me feel so much better.”

 

 

            We idly chat for awhile but everything seems to calm down. A questions that has been eating away my mind bursts out of my mouth in a nervous explosion of stammering.

            “Is it alright… if I sleep in here? I have this fear that the captain is gonna come in at night and…” my voice trails off and tears start to trail down my cheeks.

            “I was going to allow you to stay. I would be afraid of him, too.” His eyes are full of compassion, making his face shine even more handsome.

            “But, the bed…” I begins but fade out, not wanting to continue.

            “I will sleep on the floor if you don’t want me to sleep in the bed.” Disappointment is seen in his eyes and I know I said the wrong thing.

            “No! You can stay! I have slept in the same bed with my older brother before so it’ll be fine if you sleep up here. I just thought you…” I trail off, the smile on his face saying that he wouldn’t mind.

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yes.” I respond automatically.

Reviews

[Moyo]

Aww, poor little Travis, I can see why he would feel that way. And Maria is being pretty bold here.