Of Heartbeats and Stardust

Of Breakfast in Bed and Trying New Things

Sunday morning, around 8 a.m, April 14th aboard the RMS Titanic

It was light out when Winniw awoke with a start. Harry was in the middle of unbuttoning his shirt, one of his shoes on and the other halfway across the room. He looked up at her and smiled weakly.

"Sorry," he said. "My shift is over so..."

Winnie scrambled out of the bed, doing her best to keep the shirt covering her thighs. "You can have the bed," she said. "I know your shifts are hard."

She actually didn't know but she had observed the bags under his eyes before he had...

She shook her head but Harry had caught it. He gave her a torn smile. "You couldn't have had more than six hours of sleep," he said. "I can take the couch again."

"No!" Winnie responded. "I'm not used to sleeping for a long time. I got a book from the library; I'm fine reading it while you sleep." She smiled weakly. "Please?"

Harry bit the inside of his cheek to stop any protest. "Alright," he relented. "Just, if you're uncomfortable, wake me. I'll be up before noon so I can walk you to lunch perhaps?"

Winnie hummed in response, grabbing Gulliver's Travels from the nightstand and sitting on the couch. Harry was asleep in a moment.

Now, in Winnie's defense, she tried to read; tried. Three hours went past before she finally got tired of reading. She knew she had promised she was just fine sitting on the couch, but her back was getting tired and so were her eyes. One could only read for so long before it became...boring.

It was an hour before Harry had to be off to work. She knew he hadn't eaten, and it was around lunch time. She grinned to herself as she stood from the couch, slipping on another dress Harry had gotten for her. After she had decided she looked semi-presentable, she tiptoed out of the room.

The hallway was surprisingly silent for such a big ship. That was probably because all officers were either sleeping or on duty. Winnie walked out of the hall and onto the deck where she knew the cafe was.

She was given a small portion of porridge and milk, fresh fruit and bread and butter. It wasn't much but she knew it was better than anything he would scarf down on the way to the deck.

She was back in the room in a few minutes and Harry had just started to wake up. His head stretched towards the door as Winnie entered. He gave her a sleepy grin. "Where did you run off too?"

Winnie placed the plates of food on the nightstand and stood by the bedside. "I thought you might be hungry."

Harry gazed up at her with a look she couldn't quite decipher. "Winnie," he said quietly. Winnie tilted her head. "Yes, Harry?"

"This was really nice of you."

Winnie smiled and blushed. "It was the least I could do." She motioned towards the plates. "Eat."

Harry didn't move.

Winnie sighed and smiled again. "Harold Lowe, if you don't eat your porridge, I'll have to feed it to you my-"

"Winnie," he repeated. Winnie huffed. "Yes, Harry?"

It was like a broken record.

"Winnie, I wanted to ask you something." He said it with such unease Winnie almost felt bad. "Sure," she answered.

"I've been thinking a lot all night, like when you were gone in 3rd class, or out in the hallway before we went to dinner." He pressed his lips together, sitting up against the wall. "And I've been having this same feeling each and every time I think about it, it's like I'm missing something or I've done something wrong."

Winnie frowned. "Harry, you were only helping me when we kissed. You don't have to feel bad about it." Despite this, she felt a knot in her throat.

Harry shook his head. "No! It's not like that...it's just." He huffed in frustration. "Can you sit down?" he asked, patting the bed.

Winnie obeyed with a worried look. "Harry, I'm sure we can find a way for me to sleep in another room if you're uncomfortable."
Another head shake.

"No, Winnie, that's the thing. I don't mind that you're in my room. I don't mind that I have to find you new dresses everyday. I don't mind that I have to see you after every one of my shifts or that sometimes I don't even take a proper rest because I'm thinking about you."

Winnie didn't seem to understand. She stared back at him with innocent, naive eyes; eyes that couldn't quite comprehend the grown up emotion he was trying to express.

"Harry," she said, her voice shaky. "You're confusing me."

Even though she didn't know what he was talking about, she felt the same pit in her stomach, the same knot in her throat. Her hands trembled on the bed, her shoulders remained stiff.

"Just...stay still, okay? Let me know if you want me to stop."

Winnie did as she was told, glueing herself to the spot. Harry leaned closer, pressing his lips to her cheek. It was soft, experimental, even, as if he was calming a startled horse. Winnie's eyes stared ahead. She didn't know how to react.

Not protesting made him continue. He moved to the corner of her lip, pressing one kiss to the right and one kiss to the left. Winnie took in quick breaths through her nose. Her hands tightened around the bedsheets.

He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, pulling away to see her reaction. Her eyes were wide. She leaned way just the tiniest bit, but it was enough for him.

Harry stopped, taking in a shaky breath. He lowered his head so that Winnie couldn't see his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said, his tone quiet.

He began to stand and it was as if he was about to cross some vast ocean or desert. He was going to be so, so far away.

Winnie panicked. She wouldn't be able to touch him or feel how his hand fit hers or have him run his hands through her hair or-
She grabbed his wrist and pulled him back, back across the ocean and back into the room with her. Her lips crashed against his and suddenly it was as if they had gone back in time.

Feverently Harry took hold of her, pushing her down on her back and leaning over. His lips met hers again, his hand resting on her neck as his thumb ran along her jaw. Their foreheads were together, their eyes were closed.

The distant laughing and conversing of passengers was drowned out as Harry's tongue delved deep into her mouth. He took her in as if he needed her to keep his heart beating.

It was a slow kiss, much slower than their first time. Their legs intertwined at the end of the bed, tangling with the blankets and sheets.

Harry pulled away for the second time, searching her eyes. Winnie met him with the same yearning. He laughed, his eyes crinkling. Winnie mirrored his excitement.

He kissed her nose and then both her cheeks, her chin, her forehead, her mouth, the corners of her lips. He convinced himself he wouldn't stop until every inch of her face had been covered thoroughly.

Winnie reciprocated, capturing his lips once more and pressing against him. It was like the bed had dropped away and they were simply floating in nothingness. Nothing mattered, not the voices on deck or the food sitting on the nightstand; not the captain in his cabin or the 3rd class passengers below.

God, if only a kiss could last a millennium. Winnie felt as if she could continue on for an eternity, her lips against his. It felt so right, there on the bed, her arms on his chest.

It felt even more right when Harry broke away, pressing kisses along her jaw and throat. Her back arched against the bed as it had the wall. This time she did not protest.

They didn't bother to think of where any of this would take them, but they both knew very well now that the thought of being married didn't bother them anymore.