Welcome to New York
The Royal Marine School students were currently at MoMA, the Arts program focused in memorizing each detail of the exhibition for the homework they already knew was coming... the other programs, not so much.
"I could have done that. It's just a bunch of color rectangles" Tommy said as he played with a yo-yo he got from the gift store.
"It's supposed to be abstract"
"Yeah well it looks like what i used to do when I was seven"
"After the World War II, artists longed to make things simpler so they wouldn't be seen as political, and therefore they would be safe. Rothko said that if you're only moved by color relationships, then you're missing the point"
"And the point is...?"
"Tragedy, ecstasy, doom"
"Calm down Jackie, it's just a painting"
"Don't argue with him" Fabrizio warned "he always wins"
"I'm not looking forward to win, I just enjoy annoying him" Jack rolled his eyes at Tommy's comment "So what's with you and that girl?"
"Her name is Rose, we're friends"
"You sure?"
"Yeah"
"Right. She's the one with red curly hair, medium height, great ass, right?"
"Ye- I mean, I haven't noticed"
"Isn't she the one that's over there?"
Jack turned around immediately and used both hands to fix his hair, sending his other two friends into a laughing fit. Too late, he was already in a crush.
"You two are idiots! Shut up, they're gonna kick us out" his friends wouldn't stop laughing even if he smacked them, it was way too funny. "C'mon the group is moving, let's go"
Finally, they gave in and walked towards the next exhibition in the fifth floor. Meanwhile, not too far in Manhattan, Rose and Cal were looking for an engagement ring.
The store was small but that made it even more exclusive. Rose was busy scanning jewelry through the big glass while Caledon had the manager explain to them between which rings they could choose from. A friend of the Hockley's owned the store and had offered to give the young couple a present. It's dumb how everyone is friends with everyone and their relationships are built with favors, Rose thought, i couldn't possibly buy jewelry in another store because the family has a jewelry business. If they saw me wearing another brand in public, they would say i don't support the family and basically make a big fuss about it. It's not even exclusivity, it's just dumb.
"Sweetpea?"
She looked up from her daydream "Huh? Yes?"
"From these over here, pick the one you like"
Rose came closer to the window and chose a stunning gold band with a small square-cut morganite on top. The fact that she had made a decision for herself made her happy and made her look forward for the rest of the day. Afterwards, she spent the morning at the beauty salon while Cal went with his uncles to discuss business.
The couple met with the photographer at the Brooklyn Bridge and spent the afternoon doing their engagement photoshoot. The sunset reminded Rose of her first dates with Caledon, the time when they were dying to impress the other, when there was zero pressure, and they just enjoyed each other's company. Maybe the engagement wasn't bad after all? Maybe there was still a possibility for them to fix their differences... Her phone buzzed a few times before she had the chance to pick it up, when she unblocked it she found 5 Instagram notifications from an account she didn't follow, but recognized quite well since yesterday...
jdawson_
Heyy here are the pics from yesterday
rosedewittbukater
How did you find me?
jdawson_
You liked one of my old posts
Shit.
rosedewittbukater
Sorry about that...
jdawson_
Haha it's okay
Wyd?
rosedewittbukater
In the middle of a photoshoot
jdawson_
Sorry ttyl
This wasn't a bad day after all, Rose thought, Cal and I didn't fight, i got my hair and nails done, i had fun exploring New York and Jack, Molly and i are becoming great friends. Maybe this trip is really going to fix everything...
"You look great Rose"
"Thank you, so do you. I think this one is my favorite"
"Mine too" Cal said as he grabbed his girlfriend by the waist and whispered in her ear "I'm so lucky to have you"
Their lips hadn't tasted that good for months, they slowly deepened the kiss and only pulled apart when they needed to breath. Rose smiled.
"I missed you"
"I missed you too"
The city that never sleeps
They had promised to let Rose choose the show that they would be attending that Sunday evening, however, a few recommendations from their social circle were enough for Ruth to change the plan. It was sunset when the Hockley's and the DeWitt Bukater's ended up at Lincoln Center, surrounded by the beautiful Metropolitan Opera House. It was not their last night in New York, but Rose felt like it was, the next day would be a 'dark' day on Broadway and she wasn't sure if she would catch the show she wanted to see.
At the end of Act I, Rose excused herself to go to the bathroom. When she finally found it, she splashed water over her face intending to wake up and snap out of her thoughts for a minute. She started to sense that things were weird when nobody argued with her. Usually when she was happy with her mom, she was mad at Cal, other times she was mad at Cal but got along just fine with her mother, sometimes it was both.
She almost threw a tantrum in the bathroom when she realized she had splashed water over her makeup. I need some fresh air, she thought. Caught in her thoughts, she didn't realize there was another step left on the stairs, she expected to fall on her face but before she could twist her ankle, she felt her weight being lifted by someone.
"What the- What are you doing here? Are you following me?"
"You're welcome" Jack laughed and put her down on her feet
"Sorry, thank you for saving me... again"
"You're very welcome"
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to draw some stuff, mainly the fountain. What are you doing here?"
"My family had tickets for the Opera"
"I thought you were going to see a Broadway show?"
"We were, but she made me come against my will"
"I'm sorry"
"Don't be, she thinks opera is far more exclusive and cultural... like she cared about culture at all..."
"Ugh i hate when people do that. They think they have to choose between two art forms because one is better than the other... I mean, at the end of the day it's just art"
"Yeah, exactly!"
"Except cubism. I hate cubism." Rose laughed at his sassiness "I just don't get it, I mean... for me it's all about capturing what's out there and putting it on the paper, you know what I mean?"
"Yeah" she answered with a smile. For the first time in his life, Jack truly felt he had someone who shared the same ideas as him. He felt like he could talk endlessly about art, and she wouldn't tell him to shut up. He definitely wanted to spend more time with this girl.
"Hey, wanna see if there's still tickets available?"
"No, it's fine. They all must be at the end of Act 1 by now"
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I can go later"
Jack wasn't convinced, an idea popped to his mind. His heart was screaming to make the young girl in front of him smile no matter what.
"...wanna make it count?"
"What? Again?" She wasn't sure if sneaking out with a guy she barely knew in a city she barely knew was the best idea at the time.
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes?" But she did anyway.
Jack asked for her hand and guided her out of Lincoln Center.
"Where are we going? As far as I know, you could be a serial killer"
"I could. Or YOU could be a serial killer"
"I could" Rose laughed. Jack noticed certain discomfort from her walking. Must be her heels.
"Want a piggyback ride?"
"What?"
"C'mon, give me your shoes"
It had been years since Rose dared to be this free, she jumped on his back and glanced at the city lights when they reached the main street.
This was what New York was all about. Bright lights, people everywhere, adventure. The atmosphere made her feel like there was no limits to what she could do, it made her long for adventure, discover new feelings, trying new things.
"Have you ever been to the Bronx before?"
"What? Is that where you're taking me?" Jack looked behind his shoulder as an answer "...isn't it like... dangerous?"
"Every place has its own dangerous neighborhoods. The Bronx is just like every district, but tourists still believe after all these years that it's like they show it in the movies"
"Tourists? Why do you speak like you live here?"
"'Cause I did"
"Wha- Right. Is there a place you've never been to?"
Jack meditated his answer for a while "The stars"
Rose realized he was planning to take the subway. "Wait! How long will it take to get there and come back before my mother realizes i sneaked out?"
"I don't know, a couple of hours maybe?"
"Why don't we take a cab?"
"Rose, i-"
"It's fine, i'll pay"
"What? No... it was my idea"
"Exactly. Let me help with something"
His initial thought was she can't stop a cab. I've tried hundreds of times, they're never empty, but before he could express his thought out loud, the fierce redhead had already stopped one.
Twenty-five minutes later, they were walking through the light show in the Bronx Botanical Garden. Rose felt like she was in a dream, the way the lights reflected on the water surrounded by beautiful nature. Jack had been there before but tonight was different because, apart from the beauty of the garden, he had his own flower to admire. The way Rose's eyes lit was fascinating, she was like a little girl at Disneyland. He was falling for her and falling hard.
When they finished, the boy had Rose try some bagels before heading back to Manhattan. She insisted on taking a cab again and they talked all the way back about how stunning the city's Botanical Garden would look like in daylight, a squirrel they saw on a tree and why she hadn't tried bagels before. They made another stop at Chelsea Piers before returning to Lincoln Center.
"Jack, what are we doing here?"
"Have you ever ice skated before?"
"No"
"Another first time then, c'mon I'll show you"
Jack paid the entrance fee with the money he had earned that afternoon sketching people at Central Park and they didn't hesitate in putting the skates on and get on the ice. There was still time before the opera ended so there wasn't need for a rush, but frankly, Rose couldn't hide her excitement for her first skating lessons from Jack.
"You skated back in Wisconsin, didn't you?"
"Is it that obvious?"
Rose was still leaning on the wall while Jack skated circles around her.
"C'mon, you'll never taste the real fun if you keep leaning on the wall"
"Jack, i'm very clumsy"
"I'm aware of that"
"Hey!"
"Give me your hands. I won't let go i promise"
At this point, she trusted Jack like she had never trusted anyone, even herself. She locked hands with the blue-eyed boy and he guided her to the center of the ice rink.
"Let's dance"
"DON'T YOU DARE!"