LOVE THAT NEVER FADES
Chapter Twelve

Wedding Preparations

It was nine o’clock in the morning on the twentieth of April--Jack and Rose’s wedding day. Rose was still sleeping in the bed while Jack was out getting his suit for the wedding with Mike. Rose was soon awakened by the sunlight, which had crept through the window. Rose opened her eyes and sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her hand. Once she had woken herself up, she found that Jack wasn’t beside her. Rose saw a note on Jack’s pillow. Rose picked it up and read the note.

Dearest Rose,

You don’t need to worry about me. I’m out with Mike, buying myself a tuxedo, or so he said. I already told Annie that the wedding will be today. She’s out buying herself a dress. She said she was inviting a couple of friends. Hope that’s okay with you, Rosie. I’ll see you at the church. I love you, and I can’t wait until you become my wife.

Love Always,
Jack

Rose smiled at the familiar handwriting on the paper. Rose folded the letter and got out of bed, putting the letter in the drawer. Rose went to the kitchen to prepare herself her breakfast. She made herself scrambled eggs, hotcakes with maple syrup, and a glass of orange juice. Once she was done, she sat down and began eating. It took her approximately ten minutes to finish eating her breakfast, and when she had, she washed the dishes and went to take a soothing bath.

She went to the bedroom and grabbed clean underclothes and a clean dress, which was lavender in color. Rose went into the bathroom and filled the tub. She filled the tub with soap particles and stripped out of her nightgown. She got into the tub and felt relaxed at how warm and relaxing the water felt against her naked body. Rose began to scrub her body with soap and began shampooing her hair. After she had rinsed herself, she just lay in the water, closing her eyes and imagining what their wedding would be like for Jack. A smile played upon her lips as she thought of their wedding night.

Minutes passed by, and Rose got out of the tub, pulling the plug out of the drain and watching as the water disappeared. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body to dry herself off. When she had, she began putting on her underclothes and the dress that she had chosen. She began drying her hair. She grabbed her brush and began brushing her hair until it shone and until her curls were soft and bouncy. Rose set the brush down and just looked at her reflection in the vanity mirror. She smiled at her reflection and ran her fingers through her fiery red hair. Sighing happily, Rose left the bathroom and went back to the bedroom, where she took her wedding dress out of the closet.

She set the dress on the bed and smiled. The dress was beautiful to Rose, and it meant more to her than any other bridal gown she had seen when she was engaged to Cal. Rose smiled as she picked up the dress and held it up against her body. She went to the full-length mirror and looked at her reflection. She smiled and thought about how she should do her hair. Rose smiled and decided to leave it down, since Jack loved it down. Rose hung the dress on the closet door and tried to find something to do.

She remembered that she needed to pick up the clothes from the laundry, so she grabbed some money and her key and put on her shoes, leaving the apartment and closing the door behind her. She walked down the stairs and into the lobby, where she saw Annie coming in with a bag. She smiled and went over to her.

"Hi, Annie." Rose smiled.

"Hey, Rose," Annie said. "Jack told me that you two are going to get married this evening, so I went out and got myself a dress."

"Yes. We thought it was best if we got married sooner, rather than later," Rose said. "Besides, I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t married to him sooner."

"With that handsome man by your side, I can’t blame you, Rose. You have good taste in men," Annie said. Rose smiled.

"Mike isn’t too bad-looking, either, Annie," Rose said, smiling. Annie blushed. "You should go for it. Don’t hide it. Tell him how you feel. That’s all you need to do."

"I know, but I don’t know if he feels the same way, and I’m afraid that he’ll reject me," Annie said.

"Annie, you won’t know unless you try," Rose said, encouraging Annie to tell Michael how she felt towards him.

"Well, I’ll think about it. Okay?" Annie said. Rose smiled and nodded.

"That’s good enough," Rose said. "Well, I have to run some errands. I’ll be back soon. Okay?"

"Okay, Rose. I’ll be by your apartment at five to help you get dressed," Annie said.

"Okay. Thanks, Annie," Rose said, leaving the apartment building.

Rose walked up the block until she reached the laundry. She went inside to retrieve the clothes. She saw two men behind a counter, and she went towards them and told them about the clothes that Jack had dropped off the day before. She described the clothes to the men, and they handed them to her. Rose smiled and gladly paid the amount they asked. Rose bid them good-bye and left the laundry. Rose passed a flower shop and smiled. She went inside the shop and went to the counter.

"Hi. How may I help you?" the woman asked Rose politely.

"Uh…I need a bouquet for my wedding," Rose said.

"Certainly," the woman said. "What would you like?"

"Uh…I would like red, pink, and white roses, with a white ribbon tying them together, please." Rose said.

"No problem, miss," the woman said, preparing Rose’s wedding bouquet the way she wanted it. Five minutes passed, and the woman had finished the bouquet. "How’s this?" The woman showed her the bouquet.

Rose smiled, seeing five roses of each color she had chosen tied together with a white ribbon. The white ribbon had gold trim, making it look more elegant and beautiful. The bow was perfectly tied, making the bouquet look more beautiful. The woman had cut half the stems so they wouldn’t be too long for Rose when she held it. Rose smiled, tears glistening in her eyes. She knew her wedding would be perfect. More perfect than her wedding to Cal would’ve been.

"It’s perfect. Thank you," Rose said, taking the bouquet from the lady. She gave her twenty dollars. The lady gave Rose her change and bid her good luck on her wedding. Rose thanked her and left the flower shop, heading back towards her apartment building. Once she reached her apartment building, she went inside and walked up the stairs to her apartment.

She took her key out from the small pocket on her dress and opened the door, going inside. After closing the door behind her, she walked to her bedroom and put the clothes on the bed. She went to the kitchen and put the bouquet in the icebox, so it wouldn’t wilt before her wedding. She went back to the bedroom and looked at the clothes, which were spread out on the bed. Rose sat on the bed and caressed her dress. Jack’s shirt, pants, and suspenders were beside her dress, looking the same as they had the last time Jack had worn them. A smile appeared on her lips as she remembered the night in the Renault.

Rose got up and went into the closet to see where she could put the clothes. She looked up and saw a wooden box on the shelf. Rose tiptoed up to retrieve the box from the shelf. Once she got the box from the shelf, she went to the bed and sat down. She blew the dust off the top. She opened the box, finding it empty. Rose smiled and thought that this box could be the box that would hold the clothes they had worn onboard the Titanic, and it would be their memory box throughout their years together.

Rose folded the clothes and put them in the box. Rose closed the box and put it under the bed, planning to show it to Jack later on. Rose looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was only 10:30 in the morning. Rose decided to take a walk in the park to kill time. Besides, she wanted to have some time to herself before she got married. She grabbed the key and left the apartment once again, going towards the park.

*****

Jack and Mike were in a men’s clothing store, sizing Jack for his tuxedo. Mike insisted on paying for Jack’s tuxedo, ignoring his protests. He told him it was the least he could do because Jack had asked him to be his best man. They were already good friends after getting to know each other better the day before. Jack was looking at himself in the full length mirror before him. He remembered the last time he had worn a tuxedo. It had been only eight days since he had been at the first class dinner on the unsinkable ship.

Jack was wearing a black tuxedo, which fit him perfectly. The black bowtie made him look even more handsome. Mike smiled at him and nodded. Jack smiled, and had to agree with Mike. This tuxedo was the perfect one for his wedding, and Jack wanted his wedding to Rose to be perfect, and he wanted to provide her with everything, just so he could see her happy. He didn’t want to see her cry. It broke his heart to see tears fall down her cheeks and to see her eyes full of sadness.

Jack looked at his reflection in the mirror once more and smiled, knowing that this was the tuxedo he would wear for his wedding. He had everything planned. Jack and Mike had gone to Freddy’s Italian Place and asked the owner if they could have the reception there, and the owner had agreed, telling them that he’d be happy to have the reception at the restaurant. Jack had also bought the wedding rings for both himself and Rose with the money he had left. Jack walked towards Mike, who was choosing a new suit for himself.

"Hey, Mike, I can’t let you pay for this. I’ll just get a regular suit. A tuxedo is much too expensive," Jack said, hoping to change Mike’s mind.

"Hey, Jack," Michael said, facing him. "I’m doing you a favor. It’s your wedding, and I know you want it to be special. That’s why I’m doing this. Don’t worry about the price. I’ve got enough money to get five tuxedoes at once." Jack looked at him, perplexed. Michael sighed. "Yes, I’m a rich man, but I don’t want to live in a big mansion like most rich people do. I’m not stuck up or conceited. I care for other people, and I want to help them when they need it. You’re my new friend, and I want to help you. I don’t want to see your wedding become a bore. Okay?" Jack smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you, Mike. I really appreciate this," Jack said.

"Ah…there’s no need to thank me. Just wait for your wedding present. Then you’ll thank me," Mike said.

"Mike, you didn’t have to," Jack said.

"I know. But I wanted to," Mike said. "You’ll know once you get it. Trust me. And there’s no giving it back, just to let ya know." Jack just smiled. "Okay. How about we pay for that tuxedo and for my suit so we can head on our way to my apartment. Now, there’s no seeing Rose at all today. At least, not until the wedding. You know it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. You’re going to stay in my apartment until we have to leave for the wedding. Okay?" Jack laughed.

"Okay. I just hope Rose is fine with it," Jack said.

"Don’t worry about her. She has Annie to help her. That’s what maids of honor are for," Mike said. "Now, change back into your normal clothes. That way we can pay for your tuxedo and I can pay for my suit." Jack nodded and went into the fitting room to change back into the clothes he had worn before. When he had changed into his clothes, he held the tuxedo with the hanger. He found Mike holding the suit that he would be wearing. "Okay. Let’s pay for these and be on our way."

Jack followed Mike to the counter, where Mike would pay for the tuxedo and the suit. Jack just stood beside him, thinking about Rose and how, in less than four hours, they’d become husband and wife. He hoped that Rose wasn’t worrying about him. He didn’t want her to be worried on her wedding day. He knew that the wedding was too soon, only five days after the tragedy, but he knew he couldn’t wait any longer, and he knew Rose couldn’t, either.

He knew that if she married him today, Cal would probably leave them alone and go find himself a new debutante to marry. Jack loved Rose, and he would do absolutely anything to make sure she was safe and happy. He saw that Mike had already paid for the formal wear, so Jack followed him out of the store and back to the apartment building. Jack followed Mike to his apartment and sat down on the couch. He had four hours until he would be married to the love of his life.

*****

Rose was now sitting on a bench in the park. She had six hours until she would legally become Mrs. Jack Dawson, and she couldn’t wait. But she was nervous. She wondered if Jack really wanted to marry her. She wondered if he was only doing this to make her happy. She loved him with all her heart, and she knew he loved her. She just hoped that he wouldn’t regret marrying her. After all, she had been a first class debutante, engaged to Caledon Hockley. But, all that had changed once she had met Jack.

Rose saw Annie walking towards her. Rose smiled and watched as she took a seat beside her on the bench. Annie was wearing a light blue dress that had short sleeves. The dress brought out her eyes, making them a deep blue. Annie had her hair in a bun, but a few strands had escaped from the pins that were holding her hair in place. Annie smiled.

"Are you nervous?" Annie asked.

"A little," Rose said. "But I can’t wait until I become his wife."

"I can tell you’re in love with him," Annie said. "Honestly, I have never seen anyone so much in love as you and Jack are. Your love for Jack will probably last a lifetime."

"I know it will. I’m still glad that I met him," Rose said. Annie smiled.

"Well, shouldn’t we be heading off to your apartment to get things ready? Besides, we can just talk and enjoy ourselves before the wedding comes. It will kill time, and before you know it, you’ll be walking down that aisle to your beloved Jack," Annie said. Rose smiled.

"I agree. Let’s go," Rose said, standing up. She couldn’t wait until she was ready for the wedding. Until she finally became Mrs. Jack Dawson, married to the love of her life, and to her best friend, who had saved her life more than once and who loved her for who she was, not for what she was. He had captured her heart, and sure enough, she had captured his, each becoming deeply in love with the other. More than life itself. Annie and Rose headed towards their apartment building and went up the stairs to Jack and Rose’s apartment so they could talk for awhile before getting ready for Rose’s wedding. All Rose knew was that she was the luckiest woman alive to be Jack Dawson’s fiancée.

Chapter Thirteen
Stories