A VOYAGE TO REMEMBER
Chapter Thirteen
Isolde was still sitting in the
deck chair. She stopped messing with her hair and wrapped her arms around
Harold's neck. The kiss deepened. Isolde suddenly pulled away, a bit out of
breath. Their breathing came out in short little clouds of mist. They both
laughed at themselves. It seemed that everything was perfect.
But in Isolde's mind, she was
debating whether or not to tell Harold about Shamus. She finally decided
against it. It would only cause trouble. There was really nothing to worry
about. Shamus didn't know Harold was an officer. There was little chance they
would run into each other. Plus, she wanted their time on the Titanic to be
worry-free, for who knew what would happen after they reached New York?
Harold was now standing. He was
slipping his coat on. Isolde stood up as well. She saw the tip of his nose
becoming a bright red. She let out a small giggle. He furrowed his brow. What
could she possibly be laughing at? He decided to let her continue, but only for
a moment.
Isolde suddenly stopped her
giggling. Harold was looking at her intently. A blush rose on her face. She
hoped it would be masked by the cold that brought a rosy color. He suddenly
smiled and offered his arm. Isolde gladly accepted as they began making their
way around deck.
It was a comfortable silence for
nearly a half hour until Harold broke it. He stopped short and turned to face
her. She looked around deck. She noticed that it was the place where she had
boarded the ship, where she had first met Harold when he had checked her
ticket. Isolde looked up at him, unsure if she had done something wrong
earlier. She didn't let it show, though.
"Isolde," he began
softly, then finished in a rush of words. "I don't want you to go to New
York."
"What?" she began loudly,
pulling her hand away from his. "Why?"
"It’s not a bad thing,"
he began hurriedly, trying to fix his mistake. "I want to marry you!"
Isolde's jaw literally dropped.
She was speechless. They had only known each other for a couple of days! Harold
suddenly grabbed her hand. He knelt on one knee.
"Isolde," he began with
a grin, "will you be my wife?"
"Harold--" she began
nervously, hundreds of thoughts speeding through her mind all at once.
She looked down at him. His skin
was red with cold. His dark hair hung messily over his forehead. A huge smile
was on his face, but she saw the nervousness and love in his eyes. She couldn't
refuse him. That was when Isolde finally realized it--she had loved him since
the first time she had seen him. It had truly been love at first sight.
Isolde smiled. "Yes,"
she said softly.
Harold's eyes widened.
"Y-yes?" he began with a stutter, as if it was a miracle. "You
said yes?"
He quickly stood with a happy
yell. Lifting her off the ground, he spun her around in a circle. His sudden
excitement gone, he gently set her down on the deck. Harold decided she looked
more beautiful than ever at that exact moment. He pulled her close and placed a
passionate kiss on her lips. He quickly pulled away. Isolde looked up at him
curiously.
He shook his head. "This
isn't right--" he began with a frown.
"What?" Isolde began.
Was he taking back his proposal?
"No! Not like that!" he
began hurriedly after seeing the look that came over her face. "I meant
that you need a ring."
"Harold--" she began.
She wasn't a fancy person. Isolde didn't need expensive jewelry.
"No," he said sternly.
"When we reach New York, I will buy you an engagement ring."
Isolde smiled. He looked so
handsome when he was determined. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her again, whispering
to her at the same time. "I would do anything for you."
She smiled against his lips.
Pulling away for a moment, she looked straight into his eyes. "And I would
follow you to the ends of the earth."