The cold air hit them as they burst out onto the boat deck. Both were laughing too hard to notice. Jack held her hand; swung her around playfully and then pulled her toward him. They clutched each other, trying to keep from falling as they pictured again what had just happened belowdecks. "Did you see . . . those guy's faces?" he was saying through his laughter. "Did you see . . .?" Rose's face was flushed from cold and excitement. She managed to calm down somewhat and sobered as she studied his face. Something was suddenly crystal clear. She could not let this man out of her life. Rose put a hand to his cheek and his laughter disappeared as he saw the expression on her face. His blue eyes studied her, and she met his gaze straight on. "When this ship docks," she said softly, her heart pounding with hope and love, "I'm getting off with you." Rose knew she had never before uttered truer words. Jack stared at her, his eyes growing wide as the full meaning of her words hit him. He understood what she was saying. And he understood what was implied. She would give everything up - her wealth, her status, her life - to be with him. An amazed smile crossed his face and he laughed a little, shocked and at the same time thrilled as pure, unadulterated love swept through his system for the first time in his life. What she was saying meant everything to him. It was right, so right, and yet . . . "This is crazy," he breathed, staring at her. Was she really willing to leave everything she knew to be with someone she'd only known for three days? She put his confused feelings into words. "I know," she said, her face growing serious. "It doesn't make any sense. That's why I trust it." Her eyes were glowing and he could only look at her, speechless. She was so beautiful. So spirited and full of life. He'd never dreamed he could feel like this about anyone. He knew that he loved her; that he too would give up everything to be with her. Suddenly their faces were only inches from each other, and Rose leaned forward and kissed him, and as their lips met he could feel her heart beating like he could in the car, and it matched his own. And he kissed her back, with more passion than he ever had before, because suddenly his life was no longer empty; it had hope and promise and meaning. And when the ship docked in only several days, their lives together would truly begin. *** Rose was lost in a world that held only the two of them. Jack was holding her tightly, keeping her warm and safe, and he unleashed such joy in her that she could not concentrate on anything else. She lost herself in his touch and his scent and his kisses. And then - what was that? - the deck seemed to quiver beneath their feet, and Rose felt a strange rush of cool air. She and Jack hesitated, then reluctantly broke apart, still clutching hands. "What was that?" Rose asked, trying to catch her breath. Jack opened his mouth as though about to reply but no sound came out, and he stood looking past Rose, his eyes growing larger. Rose turned her head, and gave a little gasp. A huge mass - an iceberg, she realized a second later - was gliding by on the port side, seemingly only feet from the railing. "Jesus," Jack said under his breath, and in that same moment chunks of ice littered the deck, spraying almost as far back as where they stood, and Jack said, "Look out!", pulling her back out of harm's way. Rose stared as the grayish mass of ice moved past, feeling a strange sense of forboding. Jack let go of her hand and ran to the railing, skirting chunks of ice. Rose followed closely behind, and they both leaned over the railing, watching as the iceberg disappeared into the night. Rose had never seen an iceberg before, and she hadn't been expecting to see one so close up, so it took her a moment to get over the shock. Jack turned to face her, and he grinned, a little nervously. "That was close, huh?" he said, turning back again and peering down the ship. Rose opened her mouth to respond but her eye was caught by a smaller piece of ice at her feet. A thought seized her and she grinned wickedly. Jack's back was still turned, and quick as a flash she'd reached down and grabbed the chunk. It's sudden, surprising weight and the fact that it was absolutely freezing made her want to get rid of it all the faster, and she dropped it down his shirt, watching in delight as it slid down his back. Jack's reaction was priceless. He let out a yelp and grabbed for it, but it was futile. He whirled around, jumping up and down and pulling out his shirt. "Rose!" he yelled at her, half laughing. The ice dropped innocently to the deck. Rose was beside herself. She was bent double, laughing, and her face was turning a color that could match her name. "Jack . . .you . . . you looked so funny," she managed to gasp out. "Your face . . ." she squeezed her eyes shut as tears trickled down her cheeks. Jack loved seeing her laugh like this and she looked absolutely adorable at the moment, which quickly melted his anger. He grinned good-naturedly and, while her eyes were shut, reached out and lifted her in his arms, pretending to toss her overboard. "Jack!" she shrieked. "No!" It was his turn to laugh. He set her back on her feet and she attacked him, pretending to slug him, which only made him laugh harder. The iceberg had apparently attracted the attention of other passengers, for they were gathering on the deck above, looking down at the ice which littered the deck. Some even came down and started kicking it around, laughing as they passed it back and forth. Rose grabbed Jack's hand, cutting off his laughter. "It didn't hit, did it?" she asked, for the thought had suddenly struck her. "I don't think so," Jack said. "We might have just grazed it. I didn't feel much of anything that would cause real damage." She must have still looked nervous for he said, "Let's go find out. Come on," and tugged her across the deck. They climbed the stairs and Jack held open the gate at them top for her. Rose went through and noticed a few officers heading their way. They were talking amongst themselves, but they didn't look too worried. She looked at Jack and knew he had the same idea, so they leaned against the railing and eavesdropped as the men walked by. " . . . some debris below but no serious damage has been reported," one was saying as they passed and headed down the stairs. "The watertight doors were shut just in case," the other responded, and then they were out of earshot. "No serious damage," Jack repeated, watching them go. "I hope not." "Let's go hover around the bridge," Rose said in a low voice. "Maybe we'll overhear something." She was in no mood to return to her cabin and this was turning out to be rather exciting, now that the threat of serious damage was nearly dispelled in her mind. "Okay." Jack looked at her shivering and seemed to realize that she wore nothing but her almost sheer evening dress. Immediately he took off his coat and draped it around her shoulders, baring himself to the cold, bitter wind. "God, Rose. I forgot you didn't have a coat. Here." "You kept me warm enough," Rose said coyly, snuggling into the coat. "But thank you." "Oh, shoot." Jack suddenly hit his forehead in a gesture of self-dismay. "I don't have a coat either." "What?" "That's not even mine," he said with a sigh. "I kind of borrowed it earlier so I wouldn't be noticed when I came up to talk to you in the gym. I completely forgot to return it." "Borrowed?" Rose repeated wryly. "I was going to return it," he said sheepishly. He sighed. "After we talked I was...upset, and I forgot that I even had it." Rose's eyes softened. She knew she had hurt him that afternoon. "I'm sorry for what I said," she said softly. "Every word of it was a lie, Jack. I was just so confused." His eyes sought hers, silently asking a question. "But not anymore," she said, answering it. She glanced down at her coat. "We can return this later," she said with a grin. "I'm freezing." She stuck her hands in the pockets to warm them, gathering the coat around herself. Jack rubbed her briskly with his hands to warm her. "Thank you," she said, giving him a kiss. "Ready?" he asked a moment later. "Yes. Lead on, sir." She smiled up at him. They headed toward the bridge. |
