The frigid wind wakes me up. I'm still on the beach, still tucked into Tommy's side. As I sit up he adjusts himself so that his head is resting in my lap. A smile crosses my face.
Alex, who had fallen asleep only a few yards away, comes to sit next to me. "I wonder why he's so worn out?" I ask.
"Your guess is as good as mine. You've known him longer, if only barely." I nod, then glance over at Gibson who's still asleep further along the beach.
"I don't want to get on another ship, Alex," I say. "I don't think I could bear it if another went down. But I so desperately want to get home and away from all of this pain and suffering."
"My dear, I swear by everything in me, I will get you home. And I guarantee that Tommy would do the same for you." The boy in my lap stirs slightly, but doesn't wake. "He's infatuated with you, ya know?"
"Good to know the feelings are reciprocated," I laugh lightly. I shouldn't be having these feelings over a boy I met yesterday and barely know. But here we are. If something is to come from this dreadful war, this might not be too bad.
Almost two hours have passed, and I now know more about Alex than I do Tommy. He told me all about his mother, who moved to England after his father passed away in Italy. He was only seven. Alex has grown on me, much like the older brother I never had.
"Alex," I say. He hums in response. "I have always wanted an older brother. Someone who would take care of me, even if he was a little mean. I think I finally found him."
The smile that spreads across his face is the most genuinely happy thing I've seen in such a long time. "Cece you have no idea just how much that means to me. I want you to meet my mother. Yeah, you can come meet her sometime soon hopefully!"
His shouts of excitement finally wakes Tommy fully from his slumber. "How long was I out for?" He asks, groggily sitting up and running a hand through his messy hair.
"A good few hours," I reply. "Alex and I have been talking for at least two, judging from the sun."
"You should have woken me up," He tells me, an indescribable look in his eye.
I smile at him gently. "I knew you needed rest. Heck, I'd only met you yesterday around this time and who knew the last time you slept." The words out of my mouth shock me. It's only been a day. A measly twenty-four hours.
"You know what," I say, standing up and brushing the sand off my clothes the best I can. "I should probably be returning to the nursing quarters. The ship I was supposed to be on went down, and what with the number of men on those boats I'm sure I should be aiding people instead of lying around."
"Cece," Tommy says, grabbing my hand so I can't walk off, "just stay a little longer. Half an hour. For me?" The look in his eyes, pleading, leads me to say yes. I'm not sure how much time passes before I get up, but I assume it's been at least thirty minutes.
"I've got to go now, I'm sorry," I say to Tommy. He gives me a sad, broken smile before letting my hand go. "I'll see you again, you can't leave without saying goodbye either."
"In that case, let me say a goodbye here, in case something goes awry." He gets up and wraps me in a hug. I inhale his scent of sea salt and hair grease. We pry apart at last and Alex gives me a quick hug.
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