AN ETERNAL LOVE
Chapter Three
Rated R for Content
Rose opened her eyes and felt Jack’s strong
arms wrapped around her from behind. Jack had been awake for quite some time,
and felt Rose stir in his arms. "Good morning, my sweet Rose." He
kissed her neck softly.
"Mmm. Last night was...wonderful,"
she said, with sensuality in her voice. "Thank you." She turned
around to meet his gaze; he had such hypnotizing blue eyes. She leaned in and
pressed her lips against his. When they at last parted, she saw that his eyes
were closed; he was asleep. The poor dear, she thought to herself. I
wonder if he had any sleep at all last night. She stood and put on her
robe. She walked out onto the promenade deck and found that breakfast was all
set out for them. She poured a cup of coffee and sipped it. She could feel it
trickle all the way down to her stomach.
She opened one of the windows and expected to
feel a blast of cool air, but she didn’t. She felt wind, but it was as though
it didn’t have any feel to it. If anything, it was a comforting sensation. Now
I know why Jack came out here without anything on. She spoke to herself in
her head. The wind was so relaxing. She gently removed her robe, and it fell to
the floor. The wind surrounded every part of her body. It made her so relaxed
that she thought she would fall asleep right then and there.
She knew she would be truly happy here. She
had had doubts of spending an eternity anywhere, but now she knew.
*****
Jack awoke shortly after Rose had gotten up.
But this time, he knew where she would be. He got up and put on his pants and
shirt. He quickly ran his fingers through his hair, and went to find Rose.
As he entered the sitting room, he saw her
standing on the deck. She was so beautiful; her long, red curls flowing freely
down her back and her robe crumpled around her ankles. A large smile came to
his face. God, she’s beautiful, he thought.
Rose felt Jack’s presence and turned around.
She saw the grin on his face, and realized that she had removed her robe. She
set her coffee down and tied the robe snugly around her waist.
"You don’t have to hide from me, you
know." Jack commented on her nervous behavior.
"I know. Good morning." She gave
him a quick peck on the lips. "Did you sleep well last night?"
He grabbed her around her waist, and pulled
her close. "Well, I wouldn’t call it sleep, but I had a good night."
His grin returned, larger than the last time.
"I’ll bet you did," she said
mischievously. "And so did I." She gave him a long, passionate kiss.
Jack tasted something sweet on her lips, and
it made his mind whirl throughout the room. "Mmm." He tried to calm
himself. No matter what time of day, Rose always seemed to find a way of
sending erotic sensations throughout his body. "What has my sweet Rose
been eating?" he asked, while licking his lips.
"Oh, that." She wiped her lips.
"Strawberries. Here, have one." She picked up a plump strawberry from
the dish sitting on the table. He reached out to grab it, and Rose pulled her
hand back teasingly. "Uh-uh-uh. Open your mouth." This time it was
her turn to put on a broad smile.
How does she always know what I’m
thinking? Jack opened his mouth as he
was told.
"Now, close your eyes," she said,
playfully.
She placed the strawberry in his mouth, and
he ever-so-gently bit into it. He tasted the luscious juice in the fruit, and
it reminded him of the warm summer days he spent in California. He would walk
down to the market every Saturday, in the one summer he spent there, and
scrounge up enough money to buy one bundle of strawberries. Most definitely,
that money could have been put to better use, but he didn’t care. He would
savor every bite, and await the next Saturday to come. When that summer was
over, he left California. He hadn’t had strawberries since.
"Mmm. I’ve never tasted anything quite
as delicious as a strawberry." His eyes were still closed, and Rose
surprised him with a luscious kiss on the lips. "Except for that," he
stated.
*****
After they had eaten breakfast, they lay on
the bed, holding each other close. Jack was stroking Rose’s hair, letting the
scent of her wash over him. He had missed her so much.
The events of the past twenty-four hours
still overwhelmed him. He had watched Rose as she told their heartbreaking
story, and he, too, cried with her. When he finally knew that she would be
coming home to him, he wept tears of joy. And now she was here; in his arms, at
this very moment.
"Jack?" Rose spoke in that soft,
affectionate voice of hers.
"Yes?"
"I never thanked you for making me
promise." She paused for an instant, quickly thinking about her more
rewarding moments in life. "Thank you." Rose’s eyes filled with tears
of happiness. She owed her whole existence to one person, and one person only:
Jack. She looked at Jack, and he, too, began to shed tears.
Rose began to speak of some of the moments in
her life that she was most proud of. As Jack listened to her, he knew that he
had made the right decision.
From the moment that he saw Rose let go of
his hand in the North Atlantic, to the moment she was in his arms again, he had
never once stopped thinking of her. He thought it ironic that the one thing
that could permanently separate two people--death--hadn’t separated them at
all. In reality, they had never parted. Jack was always with Rose, and Rose was
always with Jack.
Jack and Rose had finally found what all
people search for. An eternal love...
The End.