ELUDING DESTINY
Chapter Two
They leaned against the railing
just outside the bridge, stamping their feet to keep warm. Finally, they
decided it was futile to stay warm by themselves and stood together, arms
around each other to retain body heat, not caring what anybody thought.
Inside the bridge there had been
a commotion, but it had suddenly gotten quiet. The officer who patrolled the
deck near the bridge--Rose had seen him earlier in the afternoon--resumed his
guard. He saw them standing near the railing and approached.
"Evening," he said,
nodding at Jack and then at Rose. "It's a cold one, eh?"
Jack nodded. "Cold enough
for icebergs," he said, raising his eyebrow at the man in a slight
question.
The officer nodded. "So, you
saw it, did you?"
"We were right there,"
Rose said, searching the man's face for any sign of strain. "It didn't
hit, did it?"
He sighed. "It grazed the
ship. That's why we're slowing down." He looked at their expressions.
"Not to worry," he added. "The damage isn't serious. We'll limp
our way into New York Harbor as planned, but then it’s back to Belfast, I'm
afraid." He sighed again.
Rose felt relieved. Up until
then, she'd been feeling an inexplicable sense of fear and urgency, but it was
quickly subsiding.
Jack had been experiencing
similar feelings, but now he only nodded. "Thanks for telling us," he
said.
"You two would be better off
inside," the officer said as he turned to leave. "It's a mite cold
out here, especially dressed as you are."
The officer returned to his
duties, and Jack and Rose headed aft again down the boat deck. "It is
getting pretty unbearable out here," Jack said. "Want to go in?"
Rose didn't care where they went
as long as they were together. "All right," she said, "but just
to be safe...let's use the second class stairway."
"Good idea. I don't really
want to run into your fiancé." Jack's casual tone barely disguised the
anger he felt whenever he thought of Caledon Hockley. He had nothing but
disgust for him and his uppity, holier-than-thou attitude. Cal was a classic
example of what Jack hated most about high society, and Rose's mother, the ice
queen, wasn't far behind.
"He's not my fiancé,"
Rose said, quietly but firmly. "Not anymore." An idea struck her and
she headed toward the railing of the ship. Jack followed.
"What are you doing?"
he asked.
"Getting rid of this,"
she said, sliding the engagement ring off her finger and holding it up.
"And hoping it goes straight to the bottom." She grinned impishly,
remembering what he'd said the other day. "Would you care to do the
honors, Mr. Dawson?"
Jack laughed, watching her.
"You go ahead. I'm sure it'll be much more satisfying for both of us if
you do it."
Rose raised her eyebrows at him
and, without looking away, tossed the ring overboard like it was a piece of tin
and not a priceless diamond.
Jack shook his head, unable to
suppress a smile of wonder that any of this was happening at all. This never
happened, not to him. Jack had faced hardship after hardship during his life.
He was fairly surprised that he'd survived this long, considering he had barely
a penny to his name, no home, and no way to support anyone but himself. He
really had no right to the heart of anyone, especially someone like Rose DeWitt
Bukater.
God, now I'm thinking like
him. Or her. Jack shook
his head, thinking of the two other people in Rose's life. She'd shunned them
both and come to be with him.
When this ship docks, I'm
getting off with you...it doesn't make any sense. That's why I trust it.
He understood what she'd meant as
he stood there, looking at her. She looked exhilarated at her newfound freedom.
She sees freedom in me. That's
partly why she wants to be with me. It doesn't have to make sense. It simply
is.
He pulled her into his arms, and
their lips met in a passionate kiss. When they finally stepped apart, Jack knew
that there was something he had to tell her. Something he had never told
anyone.
Jack met her eyes and did not
look away. He took both her hands in his. "I love you," he said
softly, and the innocent truth of those three simple words took her breath
away.
Rose could feel her eyes filling
with tears, but she didn't bother to brush them away. "I love you,"
she answered him, her heart full and her mind brimming with hope and joy. A
tear slid down her cheek and she let out her breath shakily. "And I'm so
glad I found you...when I needed you most."