Jack held Rose in bed that night. He stroked her hair softly. Rose lay her head on his chest and felt his breaths, his heartbeat. She loved being this close to him. She wanted to be this close to him forever. Jack wrapped his arms around her tighter. She looked up at him and smiled slightly before lifting her hand and running it down his cheek. He placed his hand over hers on his cheek and closed his eyes.
That night, as Rose slept soundly in his arms, Jack thought about his life. He had never loved someone as intensely as he loved Rose. It seemed as if nothing could tear them apart. But sometimes he wondered if he was good enough for her. He wondered if she ever regretted her decision to run off with him. Rose stirred in his arms and he looked down at her sleeping face. He reached down and pulled the covers around her. She opened her eyes for a second.
"Jack?" she whispered.
"Yeah?" he said. The moonlight streaming through one of the windows over their bed caught her eyes, making them glow like an azure sky.
"Go to bed," she said, resting her head on his chest again.
"How can I sleep when you're right next to me?" he asked teasingly.
"You've been doing it the past two nights," she said nonchalantly. "I think you can manage."
He pulled her on top of him in one fluid motion. She looked down at him for a second, her hair falling across his chest and then kissed him tenderly.
When Jack awoke the next morning, he looked up to see Rose standing across the room in front of the window with a sheet wrapped around her. He got out of bed and pulled on his pants before walking over to her. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach. She relaxed into him and rested her hands on top of his.
"Morning," he whispered, kissing her neck. She turned in his arms and kissed him.
"Morning." He pulled her into him.
"I've been thinking," she said, resting her head onto his chest.
"About what?"
"Let's get out of here," she said, looking up at him.
"Where do you want to go?" Jack asked, chuckling slightly.
"Don't know. Let's just go."
"Okay."
That afternoon they got onto a bus. And they went. They didn't know exactly where they were going, but they figured their end destination would be the pier at Santa Monica. They drove west and stopped in various little towns along the way, staying for over a week in some. In one town they stopped at a little diner and enjoyed a pleasant lunch. Later that afternoon Jack and Rose split up. Rose wanted to do some clothes shopping. Jack always hated shopping for clothes. He let Rose get him some stuff.
Jack wandered down the street, looking into various shop windows. He eventually passed a little jewelry store. Jack lingered in this window a little longer than the rest. He finally walked inside and casually eyed the engagement rings displayed in the cases. An elderly man approached him.
"Can I help you with something in particular, sir?" he asked politely.
"Well," Jack said, scratching his chin. "I was thinking of getting one of these rings."
"For someone special, I presume," the man said, smiling slightly.
"Very special."
"Any in particular that caught your eye?" the man asked, leaning forward slightly and peeking into the case himself.
Jack nodded slightly. "Yeah, that one looked nice," he said pointing to a ring in the corner of the case.
"Ah, yes," the man said, retrieving it. "Very beautiful."
The ring featured a sapphire set on a silver band with two smaller diamonds on either side of it.
"How much?" Jack asked.
"One hundred and fifteen dollars, sir."
Jack looked slightly disappointed. "I only have a hundred," he said, deflated. "I'm sorry." He began to turn to leave when the man called out to him. Jack turned back around, hopeful.
"I can tell that this girl of yours is indeed very important to you. I'll give it to you for the hundred." The man smiled as he took Jack's money. He then began to place the ring in a small velvet case, but Jack stopped him.
"Engravings cost more, right?" Jack asked earnestly.
"What did you have in mind?" the man asked.
"You jump, I jump," Jack said. The man raised his eyebrows slightly, but didn't question it.
"I think that could be done."
Half an hour later, the man handed Jack the ring, engraved and all in the small velvet case. Jack exited the store and went off in search of Rose. He found her quickly in a clothing store right down the street. He spotted her at the back of the store and began to make his way toward her. She was talking to a woman who worked there. She was nodding slowly, listening intently to the woman. But when Rose saw Jack she smiled broadly and ran over to him. The woman who Rose had been talking with smiled to herself and watched as Rose jumped into Jack's arms.
"I missed you!' she exclaimed as he held her.
"We've only been apart an hour," he said teasingly.
"It seemed longer." Rose took his hand and lead him back to where the woman was waiting.
"Sorry about that," Rose said sheepishly.
"Quite alright," the woman said.
"Molly here was just about to show me some dresses," Rose explained to Jack.
"Yes I was." Molly motioned to a rack of dresses beside her. "These are the dresses in your size and price range. Tell me if you need any more help."
Rose looked through the rack of dresses carefully and finally decided on a few to try on. "Now wait here," Rose said to Jack, motioning for him to sit in a chair outside the dressing rooms. A few minutes later, Rose emerged in a simple lavender dress with a fitted waist, cut just below the knee. She was beautiful.
"You look beautiful," Jack said sincerely.
"Good," Rose said, satisfied, and she disappeared into the dressing room once again. She came out again in a different dress—a green one. Again Jack approved. But this time, after she went into the dressing room again, Jack followed her in. Rose was half-undressed when he opened the door. At first she looked terrified, but when she realized it was him, she broke down in a fit of giggles. He took her in his arms and kissed her, lowering her to the floor.
When they finished shopping, they got onto another bus. It had been almost a month since they left New York City. The next stop was Santa Monica. When they finally reached Santa Monica, they checked into a hotel and then found the pier. It was crowded with people. Jack and Rose made their way to the roller coaster. Rose couldn't stop giggling. They boarded and the car began to move forward slowly. Over the course of the ride, Rose was both terrified and thrilled as they flew over the track. By the time the ride was over, Rose was flushed from the excitement.
"Whoa," she said suddenly, holding her stomach, "I don't feel so good."
"You okay?" Jack asked, suddenly concerned.
"Yea, probably just the ride," Rose replied with a weak smile. They wandered around the pier the rest of the night, putting riding horse "like a man" off to tomorrow. They checked into a hotel later.
"You can have the bathroom first, Rose," Jack said, lying on the bed, yawning.
Rose walked into the bathroom and shut the door. "You okay, Rose?" Jack asked through the door. "You been really quiet since the roller coaster today. Are you still feeling sick?"
"No," Rose replied quietly. "It's nothing."
Rose emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later in a nightgown and gave Jack a quick kiss. "Hey," he said, pulling her into him. He hugged her tightly. She seemed stiffen in his grasp. "You sure you're okay?" She relaxed in his arms for a split second, but then looked up at his face and froze.
"Positive," she said pulling away. She walked over to the bed and got under the covers, turning off the light. Jack went into the bathroom, a look of bafflement plastered to his face.
Questions reeled around in his head, as he got ready for bed. What was wrong with Rose? Was she mad at him? What for? Was she regretting her decision of choosing him over Cal? That couldn't be it. He beat her. He hurt her. Jack loved her, with all his heart. He never would lay a finger on her. He knew Rose loved him and felt safe with him, didn't she? Had he done something wrong? He had never known Rose to be this quiet and restrained in his presence. Wasn't it just a few days ago when they couldn't keep their hands off each other? Sadness sank to the pit of his stomach. What would he do without her? Didn't she love him anymore?
He exited the bathroom and climbed into the bed beside Rose. After debating for a second whether or not he should hold her, he decided against it. He turned on his side, away from Rose and stared at the wall. He didn't notice when silent tears began to fall down Rose's cheeks.
The next morning Jack awoke to an empty bed. Rose was gone. For good? He scanned the small hotel room for any sign of her. The bathroom door was closed. He got up and knocked on it gently. "Rose?" he asked softly. Nothing. "Rose?" He asked a little more desperately.
As Rose sat on the floor of the bathroom, crying softly she heard Jack's knock. She looked up, trying to stifle her sobs. She heard his voice calling her name. Then the second knock followed by his more desperate calls to her. She got up slowly, wiping the sadness from her eyes and opened the door.
He could tell she had been crying. But why? Out of regret? He instinctively went to her and wrapped his arms around her. This time she didn't stiffen under his touch, but let him hold her.
He loved her, didn't he? He would not be angry with her. She leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes. He would not be angry.