"Natalia told me that she had hired a new sailor," he said cheerfully. "And I walked into the dining hall, and you were surrounded by all those people, playing five fingered fillet."
"No," he recalled. "You were doing really well, and it was your final round, and you finished and slammed the knife into the table."
She snickered, affixing out her tongue. "Ah, it'd be nice to do that again. Maybe I'll challenge some drunk people tonight."
He squinted at her. "I told you that in confidence; I'm not going to tell you these things if you're just going to throw them back at me."
Once they pulled away, she watched him lovingly. "Jack?" she said softly, her voice low and thoughtful. "I really, really love you."
He grinned, looking down at her. His hands rested on her upper arms, and he rubbed them gently. "Avice Rohesia," he said calmly. "I really, really love you too."
She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. "I'm so happy with you, I don't think you understand."
He wrapped his arms around her hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure he had the right. "You know," he said conversationally, "I really didn't think you liked me."
