Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

I DIDN’T SLEEP much.

You’d think falling through time and waking up on one of the most famous ships in history would be exhausting—but no.
Apparently heartbreak and adrenaline make a hell of a cocktail.

I spent half the night turning over the name in my head.
Evelyn Blackmore.
It sounded like something carved into marble. The kind of name you see in cursive on a dusty plaque. A name with gravity.

And it felt like it knew me.

I still had her book.

I almost brought it back the night before, but something stopped me. Maybe I wanted an excuse. Maybe I wanted proof she was real. Maybe I just didn’t want to give her up.
Not yet.

So I waited until morning.
Polished my shoes. Straightened my collar.
And walked the deck like a man on a mission.

The sky was silver.
Not stormy—just pale. Still.
Like even the weather was holding its breath.

Breakfast on the upper deck smelled like eggs and money.
People clinked teacups and smoked cigars. I passed a group of men debating stock prices, a woman complaining about her maid, and someone sketching the horizon.

But no Evelyn.

Not in the dining hall. Not by the windows. Not near the band.

I started to think I imagined her.
Maybe I dreamt her. Maybe she was just the shape of hope wearing a face.

And then—
I saw her.

Not by the window this time.
She was out by the railing.
Looking out at the sea, wind tugging gently at her hair, her book nowhere in sight.

I stopped walking.

Because she was talking to someone.

A man. Tall. Clean-cut. Confident.
One hand on the railing, the other gesturing with too much charm. The kind of guy who’s always just a little too close.

Evelyn laughed.

Not politely.
Not out of obligation.

A real laugh.

And it felt like something cracked open in my ribs.

I turned.

Didn’t walk away.
Just turned.
Like I was suddenly interested in the ocean in the other direction.

I don’t know why I did it.
It wasn’t jealousy, exactly.
It was fear.

Because in that moment, I remembered something the old man said.

“Not lust. Not convenience. Love.”

And love?
Love doesn’t come easy.
It makes you wait. It makes you try.

So I stood there.

Trying not to feel it.
Trying not to care.

Trying to remember this was just a game.

Even though it didn’t feel like one anymore.