Written by Hippogriff Tamer
Based on some situations originated by James Cameron.

I looked around the room. It seemed awfully crowded, but I guess that it would be when you were on the grandest ship in the world, or at least that’s how my mother described it. She led me to a table and we sat, waiting for my father to come back with a plate full of food. There were other tables filled with people already eating. He came shortly after with what looked like chicken.

"Eat up, sweetie. It’s been a long day," my mother told me.

I nodded and picked up my fork. After the third bite, I glanced up to see a tall, brown-haired man walking towards our table. He wore a brown shirt and pants. He was smiling at something behind us.

"Look! I’a found us a table," he told someone. I couldn’t see who he was talking to. I wondered if his voice always sounded that funny.

"Great job, Fabri," another voice said.

I tried to peer around the first man, but he was too big for me. When he came closer to our table, that was when I spotted the owner of the second voice. I almost dropped my fork at the sight. He was tall and had yellow hair. He looked in my direction and I saw that his eyes were a deep shade of blue. He was wearing a white shirt and brown pants. He also had a brown book under his arm and as he passed by the table he dropped it. I could hear it make a small sound since it was so close to me.

"Sorry if I scared you, miss…"

"Cora Cartmell," I answered.

He smiled. "Cora. My name is Jack. It’s nice to meet you."

I matched his smile. "It’s nice to meet you, too, Jack. You didn’t scare me," I added, sitting up straighter and looking straight at him.

He gave me a brilliant smile.

"What’s that book you’re carrying?" I asked.

"It’s a folder of my drawings," he answered.

"Drawings? Can I see them?"

"Maybe a couple, as long as your parents don’t mind."

I turned to them. They looked up and smiled at Jack.

My father held out his hand. "Hi. I’m Bert Cartmell, and this is my wife, Lily, and you already met Cora."

Jack shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. I’m Jack Dawson."

"Cora can look at your drawings," my father told him.

"Maybe I can draw you and Cora some day while we’re on this ship, Mr. Cartmell."

My eyes flew open as I looked at Jack. "Really!?"

He nodded.

My father smiled. "I think that would be wonderful, Mr. Dawson."

"Please, call me Jack."

"Can I see the drawings now, Jack?" I asked.

"Sure."

I pushed my brown curls back so they wouldn’t fall in my eyes. He opened his folder and took out a piece of paper. He knelt down next to me and allowed me to look at it. It was a picture of a sleeping man sitting on a park bench. I thought the lines were better than anything I had drawn.

He glanced at me, then back at the drawing. "This was drawn four days ago. I found him sitting outside a café. He looked so peaceful that I decided to take out my pencils and draw him."

I stared into his eyes. It was much easier since his face was at the same height as mine. "Did he mind you drawing him?"

Jack shook his head. "No. He never knew I did it."

"You never told him?" I asked. I was surprised that he hadn’t asked permission.

"No," he answered.

"But Mommy always says it’s polite to ask permission," I stated.

"She’s right, and I should have. What would you say if I wrote that man a letter and asked him about the drawing?"

I grinned. "I’d say that would be a nice thing for you to do."

He grinned back. "Then it’s settled."

He put that drawing back in and took out another, placing it in front of me. It was of a woman wearing a hat, old-looking clothes, and jewelry.

"I call her Madam Bijoux. I found her wearing every piece of jewelry that she owned," he told me.

I looked at what she was wearing. "Her clothes look old."

Jack nodded. "They look all moth-eaten."

I scrunched up my nose. "Moths? I hope there are none on the ship."

Jack chuckled. "I think your clothes are safe, Cora."

"Did you ask her permission?" I asked him.

He smiled. "Yes, I did."

I grinned. "Good. You won’t have to write two letters then."

He chuckled. "No, I guess I won’t."

"There you are," a voice said behind us. I turned to find the guy that was talking to Jack before.

Jack put the drawing back in his folder and stood. "Sorry, Fabri. I was showing Cora here some of my drawings."

Fabri, as Jack called him, looked at me and smiled. I extended my hand to him. "Hi. I’m Cora Cartmell."

He took my hand and kissed the back of it. I blushed. No one had ever done that before. Jack seemed amused by my reaction.

"I’m Fabrizio di Rossi. Nice to meet’a you."

"Your voice sounds different," I told him.

My mother turned to me. "Cora, you do not say things like that." She turned to Fabrizio. "I apologize for my daughter."

Fabrizio shrugged and smiled. "Is okay. I’m Italian, so I have an accent."

"It’s a pretty accent," I told him.

He laughed softly. "Thank you, Cora."

Jack looked at Fabrizio, then at something behind me. "Well, I guess we should be going. But I’ll see you later, Cora, Mr. and Mrs. Cartmell."

"Nice to meet you, too, Jack, Mr. di Rossi," my mom said.

"Call me’a Fabrizio."

She smiled and nodded. "Fabrizio."

"You have to go?" I asked. We had just met. I didn’t want him to leave.

"I want to let you finish your dinner and I should eat mine," Jack answered.

I pouted.

He chuckled, which made me jut out my lower lip more. "I promise that we’ll see each other soon," he told me. "And I have never broken a promise," he added.

I smiled. "All right. I’ll see you."

"Bye," Fabrizio said before turning. Jack followed him.

As I went back to the chicken, I couldn’t help but hope that I’d see Jack soon like he had promised.

The End.

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