by DL Gallie
My eyes lock on Daddy and I see regret in his stare. “But how, Daddy?”
“When William decided that we needed to get rid of Nate at any cost, I knew I couldn’t let you marry him, no matter the consequence. I came up with the idea of sending him away. I just failed to mention that it would also be with you. When I got the tickets, I got two. I was always sending you with him, but I couldn’t tell you, or him. I needed William to believe and trust that I was heeding his orders, doing as I was told. Following his demands.” Daddy grips my cheeks, kisses the tip of my nose, and whispers, “I’m sorry, sweetheart, so very sorry.”
“What about you, Daddy? Come with us.”
He pulls me in for a hug. “Sweetheart, I would if I could, but I need to stay here. I’m aware of the consequences, but your happiness is all I care about.”
The ship’s blaring horn snaps me back to reality. “Ohh, Daddy, I love you so much. Once we are settled, I’ll send word to you.”
“No, Bailey, don’t worry about me. You go and live the life you were always meant to have with Nate. I will be fine. But you must go…now. Just remember that I will always love you, Princess, always and forever.”
“I love you too, Daddy, always and forever,” I say. Hugging him one last time, I take the bag he hands me, turn towards the docks, and run. I race towards the grandest ship to ever be built and my happily ever after. As I’m in line to board, a gunshot rings out from the direction I had just come from, and I know that Daddy is gone.
My eyes well with tears as I step onto the ship.
My heart breaks, but at the same time, it also beats faster.
I’m sad for Daddy and everything he sacrificed for me, but I’m excited for the adventure ahead of me.
After placing my bag on the bed, I look around our suite and notice that Nate hasn’t been here yet. If I know him, I know exactly where he will be. Exiting our room, I walk down the corridor and I’m met with the most exquisite staircase I have ever seen. The two-storey high staircase has a magnificent wrought iron and glass dome overhead, complete with a chandelier. The sunlight casts a natural brightness on the staircase during the day, while I’m guessing the chandelier will illuminate the dome from behind in the night; it’s truly spectacular. The staircase and bannister are built from English oak and are adorned with iron embellishments that are very Louis XIV styled. To some it’s over the top, but to me, it fits the ship perfectly.
Placing my hand on the bannister, I run it along the smooth timber as I climb the staircase and make my way to the upper levels…and Nate. Pushing open the doors, I step out onto the upper deck. Over by the railing, I see Nate staring out at sea, exactly where I knew he would be.
Just like the first time I saw him, my heart skips a beat. He is leaning on the railing, his trousers taut across his buttocks, his hair flapping in the wind as the Titanic sets sail for the first time. He takes my breath away. With a smile, I put one foot in front of the other and begin walking over to him. I become nervous and everything around me is heightened. The erratic beating of my heart, the roar of the engines, the excited murmurs of fellow passengers, and the screaming of those on the dock is deafening. I can hardly hear a thing. Twelve paces later, I’m standing behind Nate. Hesitantly, I lift my hand and place it gently on his lower back. He flinches beneath my touch. He spins around and when our eyes lock, I know without a doubt that I’m exactly where I am meant to be. I made the right choice.
Nate’s face breaks out into the biggest smile, and like I always do, I throw myself into his arms. Neither of us utters a word. We just hold onto one another, completely content and happy to be reunited.
Eventually, we pull apart and Nate grips my cheeks and gently places his lips against mine. He kisses me like this is our first kiss. I lace my arms over his shoulders and pull him in closer. This kiss is full of passion. This kiss is Nate and me. This kiss is perfect.
He breaks our kiss. “How are you here, Bai?”
My eyes well with tears at his question, and I wrap my arms around him and begin to cry. Sadly, I think of Daddy and I know that he’s gone. The tears continue to flow down my cheeks as Nate takes my hand and leads us over to the lounges lining the upper deck.
Nate lies back and I settle between his legs. He wraps his arms around me and gently kisses my ear. Taking a calming breath, I tell him everything that happened after he walked away from Daddy and me.
CHAPTER 8
NATE
Bailey is here.
My Bailey is standing in front of me, on the Titanic…with me. I can hardly believe it. It feels like a dream but she is really here. My arms are wrapped tightly around her, and I listen intently as she tells me everything.
Bailey and I watch the mainland disappear, and when the air chills, we head inside and take my duffel to our cabin. After we cement our reunion as a couple, we head out and explore the ship. We are in awe. Never have we seen anything so magnificent in all our lives. We act like honeymooners; we are so very much in love. I’m extremely happy and it’s all to do with the magnificent woman next to me. She charms anyone and everyone that we come into contact with; I like to call it the Bailey effect. I was under her spell from the moment I laid my eyes on her by the river that afternoon, and I will be until my last breath; she’s it for me.
Like we do most evenings, after dinner, Bailey and I head to the upper deck, lie on the top deck lounges, and stare up at the night sky. Never have I seen so many stars. On the fourth night, we are gazing up at the sky when there is an almighty crash and the ship shudders violently. All of a sudden, a huge iceberg passes extremely close to the ship. Ice chunks break off, littering the deck. “What on Earth?” Bailey and I say in unison. Hopping up, we race to the edge to have a look. When I see how close the iceberg is to the ship, a plunging feeling develops inside of me, and I know that we are in trouble.
My sinking feeling has literally come true; the Titanic is sinking. The ship collided with the iceberg that Bailey and I saw, and come morning, the grandest ship in the world will no longer be floating. She will lie at the bottom of the Atlantic in her final resting place.
The following few hours are crazy and chaotic. People are frightened. The staff is trying their hardest to calm everyone and keep everything in order, but as time goes by, it’s becoming more and more hectic as people become desperate to survive.
After helping a few people, we head back to our cabin. Once inside, we sit on the bed. Bailey is shaking from fear. “Nate, what are we going to do?”
Shaking my head, I quietly reply, “I’m not sure, Bai. But whatever we decide, we will do it together.” We sit in silence for a few moments, and then I say, “We need to get to the boats and get to safety. I have a really bad feeling, Bai, and if we sit here moping, it won’t do us any good.”
After making our decision, we grab our life vests and head up to the lifeboats. On our way up, we pass Mr. Andrews in the corridor; he looks broken, defeated almost. Bailey and I had gotten to know him quite well over the last four days. He sees us and when he realises that it’s Bailey and me, he races over to us. “Bailey, my dear, you need to get off this ship. The Titanic will sink,” he sadly says.
“But…but they said it’s unsinkable,” I state.
“I thought so too but I was wrong, so very wrong,” he quietly says. “Bailey, I’m sorry that I didn’t build you an unsinkable ship.” He hugs Bailey, shakes my hand, and walks away from us towards the first class smoking room. That was the last we, or anyone, ever saw of him.
Tugging on Bailey’s arm, I hurriedly say, “We have to go, Bai.”
Bailey sadly glances to Mr. Andrews before looking at me and nods. “Let’s go,” she says, squeezing my hand, and we head towards the doors leading to the deck outside.
Bailey and I step out onto the upper deck and the scene before us is chaotic: women are screaming, children are crying, the staff is bellowing orders to get the women and children into the lifeboats and off to safety. We make our way over to one, but
when Bailey realises that I cannot go with her, she refuses to get in. She storms away, leaving me standing there alone. Catching up to her, I pull her aside, grip her cheeks, and I kiss her passionately. I kiss her like this is our last kiss. Pulling back, I look lovingly into her eyes. “Please, Bailey, get into one of the rafts,” I plead.
“Not without you, Nate.” She grips my hands that are cupping her cheeks. “You and me, now and forever,” she quietly adds.
I smile at this, placing a gentle kiss on the tip of her button nose. I say back to her, “You and me, now and forever,” before I pull her in for a hug.
We are shoved aside by someone making their way to the boats. In the few moments we are lost in one another, complete and utter chaos has erupted. I decide in that moment that we need to get off this ship…and now. Looking around, the doors inside catch my eye and I have an idea. Grabbing Bailey’s hand, I walk us over to the edge and look to the cold dark water below. I look up and down the corridor and realise that in a few minutes this ship will be sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, and I refuse to go down with her; sorry captain. “Bailey, we need to jump and get as far away from this ship as possible, otherwise the current will pull us under with it. I have an idea.” Letting go of her hand, I walk over to the doors leading to the bar and I rip one off its hinges.
“You can’t do that! That’s property of White Star Lines!” a steward shouts at me.
“Was,” I smartassly reply before I throw the door overboard. Turning back, I take Bailey’s hand in mine and we stare over the railing, down to the black ominous ocean below. “On the count of three, you and I are going to jump overboard, swim to the door, and climb on. We will then row ourselves to safety and wait for the rescue boats to pick us up.”
“I…I can’t Nate,” she stammers.
“Yes, you can, Bailey. This is just another one of our adventures,” I reassure her, squeezing her hand in encouragement. She looks up at me; her eyes are filled with fear but she smiles. She turns towards me, grips my cheeks, and kisses me. “I love you, Nate. Let’s do this before fear takes over.”
“That’s my girl,” I proudly say, before I take a deep breath and lift her over the railing. Once she steadies herself, I climb over next to her. Looking towards her, gripping her hand tightly, I say, “On three.” I don’t give her a chance to reply before I begin the countdown. “One. Two. Three.” We both leap on three and we free fall into the ocean below.
With a splash, we land in the ocean. The water is colder than I expected. It pierces my skin like a thousand pins all at one time. Once in the water, Bailey and I are separated but as soon as I resurface, I call out for her. “Bailey! Bailey!” I shout over and over.
Eventually, I hear her yell, “Over here!” Looking around, I finally see her, hanging onto the door I threw overboard. Quickly I swim over to her. Gripping her cheeks I kiss her desperately, both of us chattering from the chilly water. “Nate, it’s soooo cold,” she stutters.
“Get up on the door, that will help.” Together we both manage to climb onto the door. We lie close to one another, her back to my front. Wrapping my arms around her, we huddle together and float away from the ship that was taking us to a new life.
Soon after Bailey and I jumped overboard, the Titanic broke apart and she sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, taking all those still on board with her.
The air is now eerily quiet.
The water is dead calm.
It’s getting colder and colder.
Bailey and I huddle together and cling to one another for warmth and security. We are frozen to our core, and even though we both know that we are highly unlikely to make it, we are together and that’s all that matters.
Wrapped in each other’s arms, just before dawn, Bailey and I take our last breaths and death envelops us. We float on the door until the rescue boats from RMS Carpathia discover us. As stories of survival and heroism emerge, Bailey and I are dubbed the “Romeo and Juliet of the Titanic.” Our love story is as romantic and heartbreaking as it was for the famed Shakespearean couple.
…With a jolt, I wake up; tears are flowing down my cheeks. I’m frozen to the core, just like Nate and Bailey were, but most of all, my heart breaks for the couple. It’s not breaking from remembering the dream. It breaks from the memory of physically experiencing it over one hundred years go.
Holy shit, I’m Nathaniel “Nate” Winters!
CHAPTER 9
NATE
For the next week, the dream/memory plagues me every time I close my eyes. Some nights I dream from start to finish, others it’s just bits and pieces all jumbled together. Each time it’s more and more vivid, and when I’m awake, all I can think about are Bailey and Nathaniel—well, Bailey and me, I guess.
It’s Friday night and Jason and I are heading to a booze cruise. I don’t really want to go, but with my ticket, it’s open bar and the money raised goes to charity so it’s a win-win of sorts. After boarding, Jason finds a table and I’m on drink duty, so I head to the bar. It’s pretty busy, it takes a few moments before I get served but there’s no rush so it doesn’t bother me. I’m staring at the bar top in my own world when I hear an angelic voice that I vaguely recognise. “What can I get for you?” My heads snaps up and I’m met with the most amazing hazel eyes and an electric smile. A feeling of déjà vu washes over me. “Have we met before?” I ask.
“I don’t think so. I’m new to town,” she replies, her voice seeming all the more familiar.
Without thinking, I outstretch my hand, “Hhh…hi!” I stammer like a bumbling fool. “I’m Nate.”
Her head snaps up and her eyes bulge open when she hears my name. With a smile that lights her up face, she replies, “I’m Bailey, Bailey Beckett.”
She reaches across the bar and places her hand in mine. I’m overcome with feelings and emotions that I have never felt before, not while awake anyway. My heart rate accelerates. My breathing becomes labored, and as I stare into her eyes, I know.
She recognizes me.
I recognize her.
We both recognize one another.
Our eyes bore intensely into each other’s soul and an electric current passes between us. Memories of us from my dream vividly flash before my eyes, and I know precisely what she’s feeling, she’s remembering exactly who I am.
We both gasp.
She’s my Bailey.
I’m her Nate.
Like our first meeting, over one hundred years ago, everything around us disappears; it’s just us. My heart swells as snippets of our love begin to pump rapidly through my mind, and I’m accosted with memories of our previous meeting, not just on the Titanic, like I’ve been dreaming, but also many different times over the years.
CHAPTER 10
BAILEY
How is this possible?
How am I standing before the man I have been dreaming about?
How, after only touching this man, do I know it’s him?
How, after one brief touch, do I wholeheartedly know we are soul mates and meant to be?
“I’m dreaming. This isn’t possible,” I mumble to myself, as I continue to stare at Nate, my Nate.
My boss shouting snaps me back into the present. “Bailey, get back to work.”
Looking toward the walk-in cooler, I smile. “Sorry, Billy.” He’s glaring daggers over my shoulder at Nate. When his eyes snap to me, they soften a little but he’s still not happy. Looking back to Nate, I notice he’s still in shock. Hell, I’m in shock. If I weren’t working right now, I’d pour myself a shot of bourbon, down it, and then pour another. I can feel Billy still gazing, so I snap back to reality and get back to work. “Nate, what can I get you?”
He’s staring at me intently, but it’s not awkward, it feels like he’s done this a thousand times before. His face is etched with confusion, shock, awe, and love. His stare penetrates my soul; I can feel it coursing through my body. It leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy.
He blinks a few times and then
all of a sudden, together we say, “Beer.” Both of us laugh.
“Ummm, yeah, two beers, please,” he stammers, but then his face breaks out into the biggest smile. “How did you know?”
“Nate, I seem to know a hell of a lot about you. I’m betting that Titanic is your favorite movie and you love Hendrix.”
“This is too weird, but I know you love shooting bourbon and there’s a pink gloss in your pocket.”
My hand pats my pocket and I grin sheepishly back at him. He is even more gorgeous in the flesh, my dreams, well memories, didn’t do him justice. I look to the side and I see that Billy is still glaring at us. “Two beers coming right up.”
Turning to the fridges, I lean down and grab two bottles, pop the caps, and pass them to Nate. Our fingers brush when I hand the bottles to him, and I feel a spark. My body comes to life at his touch and I’m taken back in time as memories flood my brain…
…We had just arrived at Woodstock and the air was electric. Everyone was dancing to the music and having a blast. The five of us were walking in, when a guy leaning against a fence caught my eye, I froze midstep. He literally took my breath away, our eyes locked, and everything around me faded away. William bumped into me, and when he looked to where I was staring, he growled before linking his arm with mine and pulling me toward Wendy, Nancy, and Storm.
Looking back over my shoulder, the guy was gone. Instantly, I deflated. I was sad he was no longer there, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had seen him before; he seemed so familiar to me. Like we had met previously.
CHAPTER 11
BAILEY
…Earlier that day