THE LAST TIME TITANIC EVER SAW DAYLIGHT
Chapter Three

Rose held steadily onto Jack's hand as he helped her down from the railing. Her heart was racing, but the warmth radiating from his eyes showed her the truth of their situation. He smiled at her. "Won't your mother want to know why I'm with you again?"

"Why should it matter to her?" she questioned, still unaware of the lengths her overbearing mother and possessive fiancé had gone to ensure Jack would never see her again.

Jack realized he should tell her. He wasn't telling her to make the others look bad, but to let her know how much he had to overcome in order just to talk with her in the gym, hoping she would see how much she meant to him. "They had that valet or whatever he was keep me away from you."

Sighing, Rose took his hand, leading him toward the first class entrance as she spoke. "Both Mother and Cal tried to use furious gestures to convince me to have nothing to do with you, but I couldn't anymore."

He could imagine Cal's anger and harsh temper as he made it perfectly clear to Rose to worship him. The thought slowly enraged Jack, but he drew in a deep breath to block the emotions. Nothing was going to ruin their happiness now. When his mind came back to the present, he noticed Rose's clear eyes staring into his with wonder. "And, you're engaged."

With a laugh, she responded, "Really? I didn't think I was anymore."

Her laughter spread to Jack as his mouth dropped in awe. She slid the diamond engagement ring from her finger and prepared to throw it off the side of the ship. He watched her, expecting her to at any moment, but instead, she gazed into the jewel for a moment as if mesmerized and he saw the sadness well up in her eyes.

"Are you all right, Rose?"

Her brow furrowed as she turned the ring from side to side, examining every facet of the diamond. "I can't part with it just yet." She saw Jack's surprise. "My father bought it for my mother when they were engaged. Mother allowed Cal to give it to me, but now it's all I have left to remind me of my father." A tear slowly rolled down her cheek, and Jack quickly hugged her, loving the feelings that emerged through him at their contact and wanting to comfort her.

Rose's arms encircled him in response. She hadn't said she would be giving up everything to be with him just yet, and Jack knew he couldn't ask that of her right then anyway. It was completely unreasonable to expect anyone to give up their world entirely at one moment. "Then maybe you should keep it someplace special, but if you're not engaged you might not want to wear it on your finger."

The fire in her eyes and the smile of mischief returned as she gazed up at him. Jack took a deep breath. God, she was beautiful! Every emotion he just felt on the bow was slowly building in him, and he prepared to lean in to kiss her again. However, Rose shocked him by raising herself onto her tiptoes and kissing his lips. "It feels so good to have someone who actually understands how I feel," she shared. "Come with me."

He obeyed her request, slightly laughing and feeling tipsy even without the presence of alcohol. Just being near Rose sent him walking on the clouds. "Your wish is my command," his voice teased her. "What will await us there? More surprises?" And plenty more opportunities for them to be together, he silently hoped.

"Jack, I have an enormous favor to ask of you," she began, as the idea dawned on her. There grew something special and unique in her heart toward Jack within those last two days, and her mind flowed over every ounce of their conversations. The one that remained the most dominant was the one in which they discussed his special gift. Rose wanted to experience his eyes upon her as they had been while declaring he saw her on the deck again. She wanted to create a moment they both would never forget in their lives together and at the same time, a memento to always remind them of it. "Please, make a portrait of me."

His hand grasped hers harder and he began to sweat with nervousness. More than anything he would love to stare at her and display the wealth of beauty she possessed on paper. His artist’s mind analyzed her features and tried to think of a specific pose that would do her appearance the justice it deserved. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure," he answered her, his emotions almost bubbling over the surface.

They entered the first class decks as the subjects of incredulous stares and gasps. Jack was actually getting used to them since meeting Rose. Only at one point in their relationship had they ceased, and that was the previous night's dinner. However, that completely unimpressed him, if not for the way Rose looked while walking toward him from the staircase, or the deep and flirtatious glances they exchanged through the meal. Now, he seemed undisturbed by them, more intent on his moment with her and on the fact they were arriving at a room to which she removed a key.

"Is this the proper thing to do?" he asked, suddenly feeling nervous and hesitant.

She smiled. "Trust me."

"Promise?"

As she opened the door and led him in, her smile transformed into laughter that rolled over Jack like a warm, autumn breeze. "It's quite proper, I can assure you," she teased as he followed her in, his eyes awestruck by the splendor of the decor. "This is the sitting room."

Jack's mind was reeling. Everything about the situation was becoming more and more amazing. He suddenly felt insecure about how Rose must have interpreted the decor of third class the night before as he caved into the opulence of first class. The sitting room alone was three times the size of his room that he and Fabrizio shared with the other two men. His eyes surveyed the room, inspecting it and finding not one trace of dust. Incredible, he thought.

"Will this light do?"

Her words startled him momentarily. "What?"

Rose's eyes showed her concern. "Don't artists need good light?"

Now, he remembered what she was alluding to. The scene around him had made him temporarily forget the favor she asked of him. Still, his playfulness emerged while teasing her about her living conditions. "Zat is true, but I am not used to working in such orreble conditions."

Apparently, she understood his humor better than Fabrizio ever had, but his attention was suddenly focused on a painting across the room. He moved to it, astounded by the fact Rose owned a work that would cost him his life. "Oh, Monet!"

The exuberance in his words was equally matched in her tone. "Do you know his work?"

"Of course. Look at his use of color. Isn't he great?"

"I know. It's extraordinary."

Even their taste in art was the same. Finally, they both found someone who adored the same passions and shared the same traits.

Rose had moved into a bedroom and Jack's eyes continued to absorb the room. He heard the clunk and heard her laugh softly, obviously recalling something that amused her. "Cal insists on carting this hideous thing everywhere."

That was when he noticed the safe, harsh in the room's starchy atmosphere. Still, the mention of Cal reminded him they were in a place that wasn't just for Rose. She shared it with that other man who could probably care less about any Monet painting, not to mention any concern or feeling of the unbelievable woman he watched. Fearing the tyrant's arrival, he searched for possible escapes as she reentered the sitting room. "Should we be expecting him anytime soon?"

"Not as long as the cigars and brandies hold out," Rose sneered, annoyed, as she handed him the huge blue stone she carried with her.

His eyes gazed in awe at the gem as the light reflected in it. "That's nice. What is it? A sapphire?"

"A diamond," she replied very dully, which shocked Jack. "A very rare diamond." He sighed, mesmerized by the enormity of the stone. For a moment, Rose waited, forcing her nerves to grow calm again and attempting to squelch the butterflies in her stomach. This was why she had invited him to her room, what she wanted them to remember the night by. Still, it was something she had never done before, and her heart was beating with wild fear. "Jack, I want you to draw me like one of your French girls." There, she said it. His French girl had looked so beautiful and languid, the way she prayed Jack saw her, the way she hoped she appeared. But she knew Jack would be curious how the diamond came into play, so she quickly added, "Wearing this."

To Jack, the request seemed simple enough. The diamond might as well have been a crown since he felt like a peasant in the presence of a magnificent princess. His mind's eye tried to visualize her sitting demurely on the divan, looking straight ahead. He hadn't heard the statement really about the French girl. "All right."

Oh, no, Rose thought. He didn't fully understand exactly how she meant for him to draw her. This time there was no way she could look at him without blushing as she repeated her request with slightly more emphasis this time. "Wearing only this."

Chapter Four
Stories