Thanks for twisting my arm Luckie. It's dislocated now.
Well mates, it just so happens to be that wonderful day of Friday. I hope you are all caught up on your reading, because today, I want to show you...
This Moment
Lawrence pulled back after just a moment. Kat looked at him in shock. “Lawrence, I-”
“Shh, Kat,” he whispered, placing a finger to her lips. When he saw that she would be quiet, he took the finger away and wrapped his arms around her. His voice was an octave lower than normal as he said, “Kat…just…” He lowered his lips to hers again, gentler this time. Kat was unresponsive, but he just clutched her tighter and cupped the back of her head.
Finally, she responded. Her arms went around his neck and gripped him tight while her eyes closed. She let herself give in, if only for a moment. She let herself acknowledge all the hints and the pushes from Josie and the close calls that had come before this. In this moment, she let go.
Lawrence’s fingers ran through her dark hair, the hair she had never before let be released from the tie it was always caged in. The other hand comfortingly caressed the small of her back. He had finally caught the girl.
Kat took one of the hands around his neck to push run a hand through his soft hair, making his hat drop with a clack to the floor. She took it from the back of Lawrence’s head and traced the contours of his face. With a single finger, she went from the top of his head, creating a line past his eye, down across his noble cheekbones, to his strong, bearded chin. It fell to his shoulder, where it rested.
The two felt as though this moment was everlasting. It was only them, in the ship, in the world, in the universe. All they had, all they
needed, was this.
Then, Kat opened her eyes.
She realized what had just happened.
She pulled away.
Lawrence felt her leaving and held her closer.
“No, Lawrence, I can’t,” she murmured. There was a catch in her voice.
“Yes Kat, you can, you
can,” Lawrence said. He leaned in to kiss her again. Kat kissed him back for only a moment, but removed herself again.
“No…”
“Please Kat,” he pleaded, caressing her face gently. She couldn’t help but lean into the calloused, but comforting, hands. The soft touch was almost enough to make her cry. She reached up to lightly grab his wrists and pull his hands away from her face.
“I can’t, Lawrence…” She dropped his hands and turned away. “Please…just leave.”
She could almost see the crestfallen look on his face, even with her back turned. Soft footsteps crept out of her cabin, and the door clicked as it closed. Kat wrapped her arms around herself. The night was suddenly cold.
She gave a sigh and walked over to the rum mess on the wall. Glass blinked up at her from the ground. These were the tears of the night. She gathered the sparkling bits and tossed them out the window for the sea to absorb. The hair tie she had thrown on the table lay there, lonely. Kat considered putting it back in its rightful place, but figured it wasn’t worth it. Lawrence’s hat lay on the ground from where she had taken it from his head. He’d had such soft hair…
She looked out of her cabin window to see her crew working diligently. Lawrence came into view and barked orders at one young man – barely a boy. The boy cowered in front of him, and she saw Lawrence soften. He knelt down and helped him, showing the young man the correct way to tie a knot. Kat felt a tug on her heart at the sight.
She sighed as she thought of the day. Had it only been a few hours ago that she had been happy, ready to sail with Lawrence and Solomon with a new crew? Only a few hours ago, everything was perfect… and now she may have lost both of her boys.
She picked up the worn hat as she walked to her cot. The tri-corn was rough and worn, but it was so…Lawrence. For the first time in a long time, Kat lay on her bed, hair strewn all over the pillow, clutching a tired hat to her chest, and cried herself to sleep.
So... um... Yah... *cough*. I think it's time for me to...*flee!*
Haha, I kid mates. It's short, but... I love this chapter. I await to hear what you think. In the meantime, though, I'll be hiding underneath a rock with my rum stash. Thanks for reading!
-Kat Crestshot