AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY
Chapter Ten
Jack felt extremely depressed. After his
conversation with Rose, he had gone back down to his room. Fabrizio and Tommy
had tried to cheer him up, but he couldn’t be cheered up. He felt awful, not
only because she had rejected him, but also because he knew how much she was
hurting. He thought back to the night before. She had been radiant; her whole
face had been glowing with happiness. He hadn't seen any of that happiness
today. After telling Fabrizio and Tommy that he was going to go and watch the
sunset from the bow, he left.
Now, he stood at the bow of the ship. A
glorious sunset met his eyes, but not even that could cheer him up. Why,
Rose? Why did you tell me to leave you alone? he asked himself for the
thousandth time. He had been out there for quite some time, thinking about the
beautiful angel that had come into his life just as quickly as she had left,
when he heard the angel’s voice behind him.
"Hello, Jack."
He turned around abruptly, shocked that she
was actually there. He looked into her eyes, and saw his feelings reflected
there.
"I changed my mind," she said
simply. She couldn’t stand her stuffy world any longer. She had been having tea
with her mother and all of her stuffy friends when she noticed a little girl
being taught how to act properly. That little girl had reminded her of herself,
always being told what to do. The only difference was that Rose was an adult. So
she had excused herself from tea, once again receiving a warning look from her
mother. She had gone straight to third class, finally locating Fabrizio and
Tommy. They had told her where she could find Jack. Now, she stood before him,
his radiant smile going straight to her heart.
"They said that you might be here…"
she said, trailing off as he put his index finger to his lips.
"Shh. Close your eyes," he
instructed gently. She did as he requested. He took her hands in his and then
led her to the rail. "Do you trust me?" he asked.
She nodded without hesitation. "I trust
you," she replied.
"Here, climb up." He got behind her
as he helped her climb onto the rail. "Don’t peek," he said.
She smiled, her heart beating wildly.
"I'm not." He took a deep breath, then stretched her arms out to her
sides, like a bird spreading its wings. When he was ready, he instructed her to
open her eyes.
Rose gasped as she saw the ocean before her.
It was breathtaking. She felt as if she were flying. "I'm flying! Jack,
I'm flying!" she exclaimed. The sunset was beautiful! She could feel her
hair blowing in the wind. It felt exhilarating. She felt the warmth of his
hands as they softly caressed hers.
"Come Josephine in my flying machine,
and it’s up she goes, up she goes," he sang softly in her ear.
Rose felt like she was in a flying machine,
only the flying machine was Jack’s arms. He slowly brought her arms in,
wrapping his around her as he did. She turned her head toward his, feeling the
warmth of his body. His eyes revealed the longing and desire that he felt.
Slowly their lips met, and it felt to Rose as if fireworks were going off. She
had never felt that way before in her whole life. His kiss made her feel as if
she really could fly. There was no going back now; she couldn’t ever go back to
her old life after kissing him. His kiss set her completely free. He started
kissing her with more passion, showing her all of the desire he had kept hidden
for the last couple of days.
When they finally parted, she felt weak in
the knees. "Jack," she whispered.
He searched her eyes, looking for any sign
that she wasn’t happy with what had just taken place between them. All he found
were the same feelings that he was feeling. She started to shiver. "Are
you cold?" he asked.
She nodded. She couldn’t find her voice just
yet.
He took off his coat and put it around her
shoulders. "I forgot to return that earlier," he said, referring to
the borrowed coat.
"What do you mean?" she asked,
finally finding her voice.
He led her over to a bench, then sat down
close to her, trying to shield her from the wind. "It’s kind of a long
story. Let’s just say that I borrowed it earlier, without asking."
She smiled. "I do believe that you’ve become
a thief, Mr. Dawson," she teased him with a smile.
He laughed. "Yeah, I know. It’s
horrible. I've succumbed to a life of crime. The world’s best coat thief."
They both laughed.
"I’ll return it first thing
tomorrow," he said.
She shook her head. "No. Let me do it.
I’ll say that I found it somewhere. If you return it, they’ll arrest you for
stealing. They won’t care about your reasons."
He realized that she had a point.
"You’re right. I hadn't thought about that." He leaned forward to
kiss her again.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. When
they parted, she had a thought. "Jack, will you do my portrait?" she
asked suddenly.
"Sure. Where do you want to go?" he
asked. He would love to draw her beautiful form, although he suspected that his
drawing wouldn’t compare to her beauty.
"To my suite," she answered.
He grabbed his sketchbook, which he had set
on the bench when he had first arrived at the bow; he took it everywhere he
went. "Okay. Let’s go."