A new boatmance. After a rocky start, Ashley Marti and Tom Pearson decide to take the plunge and turn their flirting up a notch during a crew night out.
“I squashed the idea of getting with Ashley. It wasn’t in my head whatsoever. Have you ever heard of The Tortoise and the Hare? I am living proof that the tortoise won the race,” the deckhand says in Us Weekly‘s exclusive sneak peek of the new Below Deck Sailing Yacht episode, which airs on Monday, March 14.
In the clip, Ashley and Tom start to get cozy with one another on the boat before the third stew initiates a kiss. Their coworker Gabriela Barrigan watches their steamy makeout session until the pair decide to go to a guest cabin.
Ashley and Tom have had their ups and downs ever since they met on Parsifal III during season 3. The New York native initially explained that she wasn’t interested in Tom because he was too young, even though they are the same age.
After a recent episode of the hit Bravo episode, Ashley took to social media to poke fun at their issues. “He’s actually my favorite 24 year old. Hope y’all are ready for tonight’s episode!” she captioned a photo of the duo via her Instagram on March 7.
Even though the season 3 trailer teased a fling between Ashley and Tom, the stew initially connected with Gary King. During the premiere, the two kissed after a night of drinking with the crew. Gary, who wasn’t looking to hook up with anyone too soon, also had a steamy makeout session with Daisy Kelliher later in the season.
The chief stew, for her part, revealed that things got “more complicated” when Ashley learned about Daisy and Gary‘s moment in the hot tub.
“Our relationship [between Gary and me] is fine, but Ashley was probably more intimidated by my relationship with Gary than she led on,” Daisy told Us last month. “The difference between me and maybe some of the other girls is I kind of own the kiss. I kind of am vocal about it.”
The Ireland native added: “Gary and I are heads of department, so it’s easier for us to set our feelings aside. Whereas for the younger crew, they’re a bit more secretive, so I never knew that kiss happened. So I don’t feel like I’m stepping on toes.”
Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 3 airs on Bravo Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
