Jack sat across from Fabrizio at a little wooden table down in the steerage lounge.
All around them were happy, carefree passengers, dancing and laughing and singing as if they were the luckiest people in the world.
Jack smiled, wanting to dance along with them at the thought of going home to America. How he'd even managed this chance was an incredible streak of luck.
"We are a'lucky." Fabrizio spoke up, seeming to read the words dancing across Jack's mind like their many fellow joy ridden passengers.
"That's the honest to God truth, Fabri." Jack agreed with a nod, picking up his glass of beer and taking a long swig.
Fabrizio lifted his own glass. "To destino!" He proclaimed with a big smile.
Jack grinned back at him and tapped his glass against his pal's.
"To destiny!" He agreed before they both took a long drink from their glasses.
To destiny indeed.
...
Titanic docked in Queenstown Ireland the next morning, picking up another bunch of passengers when it did.
Jack and Fabrizio went up to the boat deck to watch from above as a mass of Ireland's luckiest bunch boarded the ship of dreams.
"Found their pot of gold huh?" Jack chuckled, looking down at the people below.
"Just like a'us." Fabrizio grinned.
"Yep. Just like us." Jack agreed, standing up straight from where he'd been leaning over the rail. "Now I don't know about you, Fabri, but I'm starving." He told his friend.
"Anch'io." Fabrizio replied, standing and following Jack across the deck to the door that led to the third class lounge. It was almost time for lunch, and they needed to get a spot in line early before the rush came down to eat, especially with all these newbies on board today.
"Maybe we'll get more of that plum pudding today." Jack said, hopefully. "That was good stuff wasn't it?"
Fabrizio opened his mouth to reply but stopped when a certain new passenger caught his eye.
A young man, blonde red hair curler than a vineyard line, and dancing eyes of blue stood with two other men, chatting and laughing about something or other.
He wore a brown bowler hat, covering most of his curly hair. Fabrizio would've liked to have seen more. And that smile. God it could light up a room.
"Hello?" Jack knocked his head a couple times to get his attention back. "Fabri? You still with me?"
"Scusa." Fabrizio replied, forcing his eyes away from the curly haired young man.
"Thought you must've taken to one of those daydreams of yours again." Jack chuckled.
"Maybe I did." Fabrizio shrugged. "Is that a' so bad?"
"It's just what makes you you, Fabri." Jack replied, lighting up his cigarette and slapping his friend on the back as they continued on to the dining area.
Fabrizio looked back over his shoulder to catch a last glimpse at the curly stranger, and in a moment of bubbly awkwardness, they locked eyes.
Fabrizio looked away first, not wanting to seem like the weak man that he was, and the young man looked away too.
"Jesus, Fabri, come on." Jack urged him, grabbing his arm and pulling him along.
Fabrizio kept looking foreword, his face flushed red.
...
Fabrizio watched over Jack's shoulder while his friend sketched a drawing of Bert Cartmell and his little daughter Cora.
"Perfecto!" He praised Jack who chuckled a little.
"Naw, it's okay." He shrugged. "I could do better."
"Senza Senso." Fabrizio shook his head. "You're a'pictures, they are bellissimo!"
"Thanks, Fabri." Jack grinned, continuing his work.
"Nessun problema." Fabrizio replied, leaning back against the bench and taking in the beautiful day. The sun shone brightly on the ship's deck and the cool air smelt of the ocean's sea salt. He couldn't remember a time that he felt so lucky.
"I'll be down in a bit." A thick Irish accent called from across the deck, catching his attention for some odd reason.
He turned to his right to see the same young, curly haired man from earlier strolling in the opposite direction from his bunk mates, right towards him and Jack.
Fabrizio turned to look away, but he couldn't do it. Why? Nobody could know but him. If they did he'd be hung, or burned at the stake like a witch. His type of existence was all in all forbidden back home, and more than likely it would be in America as well.
Still, he couldn't help what he was, or what he liked for that matter but as for trying to understand why he was different, he couldn't begin to guess. It was a mystery to all, even to himself.
He pretended not to watch while the particularly attractive young man lit up a cigarette and lounged against the railing, blowing smoke rings out into the salty ocean air.
"The ship is a'nice eh?" The words slipped from his mouth so suddenly that he couldn't stop them. Making conversation with this boy seemed to be something his mind and body wouldn't allow him to pass up.
The young Irishman looked over at him. "Yeah it's an Irish ship." He replied through his cigarette before taking it between his fingers to hold while he spoke.
"Is English, no?" Fabrizio questioned him again, butterflies in his belly.
"Naw, it was built in Ireland." The boy replied. "Fifteen thousand Irishmen built this ship. Solid as a rock, big Irish hands." As he talked a steward came past them, walking several dogs along the deck.
"Well that's typical." The Irish boy muttered distastefully. "First class dogs come down here to take a shite." He took a long drag off his cigarette to calm his nerves.
"Ah it lets us know where we rank in the scheme of things." Jack spoke up.
"Like we could forget?" The stranger asked in reply with a humorous grin, earning a chuckle from Jack before he extended a hand to him. "I'm Tommy Ryan." He introduced himself.
"Jack Dawson." Jack replied, shaking his hand.
"Hello." Tommy nodded to him, then reaching the same hand out to Fabrizio.
"Fabrizio." Fabri introduced himself with a smile as he nervously clasped the Irishman's hand in his own.
"Hi." Tommy nodded o him, his cigarette hanging from succulent lips. Fabrizio's skin crawled.
"Do ye' make any money wit' yer drawings?" Tommy asked Jack, bringing Fabrizio out of his dazed state.
Jack wasn't answering. His eyes were locked on something in the distance.
Tommy turned around and followed Jack's eyes up to the first class decks. There, at the railing, stood a young red headed woman, dressed in her finest, starring out across the lower decks and the vast ocean with a weary expression.
Fabrizio looked up at her as well. Was Jack so crazy as to think he could have a woman like that?
"Aw forget it, Boyo." Tommy said with an amused little smirk. "It's more likely you'll have angels fly out your arse than gettin' next to the likes of her."
As the two gazed at Rose, Jack in admiration and Tommy in disbelief, Fabrizio's eyes were locked elsewhere.
Maybe he could believe in long shots at love. After that poker game and winning these tickets he was willing to believe anything was possible. Even if it was forbidden by society.
TBC