The rose is a beautiful flower. It has inspired artists, poets, and writers through the ages, all of them falling mesmerized at her delicacy and beauty. The meaning of the rose hasn't ever changed, it means love and romance when red; it means gratitude, joy, and inspiration when pink; it means friendship when yellow and purity when white. When the flower dies, the petals get smaller and smaller... despite everything, it never stops being a rose. Symbolizing life: after overcoming difficulty, you will find inner harmony, union, and happiness.

"Alright, now look at me over your shoulder... good. Walk back to where we began... watch your posture, remember what I taught you"

Of course, how could she forget the runway walking training she had received from the artist not so long ago. The main objective had been to draw a smile on the redhead's face and make her laugh a little, the secondary objective, actually teach her how to walk.
Jack had discovered knowing how to catwalk was very useful in his photoshoot sessions, additionally it was useful in boosting the model's confidence.

"I still can't believe you know how to walk heels"

"Yeah, please don't ever mention it again-"

"I mean, I thought I knew how. I've been doing it since I was fourteen"

"-ever"

"Are we done? Titanic is going to sail without us"

"Oh, come on" Jack put his camera down and let it hang from his neck as he approached his girlfriend "How can she sail and leave this beautiful, stunning, amazing girl behind?" She outlined a shy smile accompanied by a melodious laugh in between adjectives. He rewarded her effort in the photoshoot with a kiss.

"I want to go to the trampolines again"

The TeamLab Borderless Interactive Art Museum in Tokyo offered fifty exhibitions divided in five sections, with artworks that moved out of rooms, communicated with other works, influenced, and sometimes intermingled with each other with zero boundaries. One of the exhibitions at the Athletics Forest included a trampoline park where you could immerse yourself in the neon lights while jumping in the stardust... unfortunately for them, you couldn't enter wearing heels.

Jack tried to convince her to put on his shoes so she could enter, since they wore almost the same size; but it wouldn't be the same without him, so she declined the offer and chose the En Tea House instead: the only place where flowers bloomed inside a teacup.

The pair thanked the gentleman who had served their tea using the few words they had learned in Japan and proceeded to place the cup on the table. As the heat and the weight extended through the darkness, a small flower began to grow in each cup. You could see the flower from its birth until it bloomed and reached maturity, then multiplied in various leaves which led to other flowers that set a path of light through the darkness.

Rose looks stunning, Jack thought, the way the light illuminates her, it does manage to catch a few curls, the ones closer to her face. And surrounded by a sea of art... just the perfect combination of light and dark. All of this is just... beautiful.

"Jack look!" Rose exclaimed; her voice thrilled with happiness "It's a rose!"

Her boyfriend couldn't decide between looking at the flower emerging from her cup or the wonderful sparkle in her green eyes. He put an arm around her and showed his support and excitement with quick strokes on her shoulder, those intended to warm you up. He sensed there would be tears coming soon and sat closer to her. Without losing his smile, he asked:

"What, baby?"

"It's just that... these past weeks have been hell... I can't believe we got through. I seriously thought I wasn't going to live to see Tokyo... and here I am, with you"

Jack gave Rose a kiss on the cheek, a kiss full of love, gratitude, happiness.

"Thank you for being so strong baby, you deserve the world. I'm so proud of you." Happy tears. Joyful tears. "Seriously, I'm so proud of you. You are the bravest person I know" he sealed his thoughts with a kiss.

They had to separate eventually, otherwise their tea would get cold. Jack wasn't a fan of the beverage, but he decided to try it with an open mind... the sweetness of the flavor he chose caught his attention in a positive way, on the other hand, Rose was big fan of teatime. How could she not enjoy the moment if she was surrounded by her three favorite things? Tea, art, and Jack of course.

They had already visited the TeamLab Borderless exhibition yesterday with the group, so they didn't mind leaving early before they could enter the rest of the rooms. It was midday and the couple still needed to go shopping for a pair of glasses. They chose to wait until the cruise reached Singapore because Jack had to have an eye exam before purchasing his glasses and he felt more comfortable doing it in a place where he understood the language. Likewise, they bought a temporary pair in a pharmacy near the port. By the time they needed to head back to the ship, Rose had already changed into a fuzzy coat and a pair of leggings due to the coldness. A contrasting change from Australia indeed.

"I promise I'll repay you as soon as I start working again"

"It's fine Jack"

"I'm serious"

"You give so much to everyone, let me give you back a little"

The blond one put on the glasses as soon as they left the store. He blinked a couple of times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the new magnification. The world that surrounded him was unquestionably clearer.

"You look hot" the voice coming from below said

"Do you like them?"

"As a matter of fact, I do, Mr. Dawson"

"Mr. Dawson... do I look like a teacher?" He questioned and began to ridiculously model his new acquisition.

"A hot one yes. And what would you teach?" She put her arms around his neck in the most innocent way, looking forward to another kiss. The boy's face moved closer, but he pulled away at the last moment, opting for a body-chill whisper in her ear instead.

"To you, i'm gonna teach you a lesson tonight"

Despite being together for months, they still hadn't explicitly talked about sex. Jack didn't want to bring up the topic because he knew Rose didn't feel comfortable with her body; although that thought didn't stop the constant dreams with her, the only place where he could live his fantasies. Let the dreams not get confused with reality, he thought, as long as his expectations didn't distance so much from real life, he would be fine... and so would she. Rose did enjoy both giving and receiving affection, and she was eager to move to the next level. At this point, she knew exactly what she liked and where she liked it, why was Jack holding back? Maybe he was the shy one?

Rose let her imagination sail away as she caressed Jack's hands. She knew every detail of them, which veins were thicker, how many moles did he have and their exact location... she had also memorized some scars she would wait to mention further in the relationship. Another matter for attention for the redhead was how well her hands fit in his.

"How are your knuckles?" She recalled the night Jack and Cal had had the fight. Once again, Jack had discarded any self-control and he punched him with all his might that his knuckles were bleeding. The artist decided to wait until he was in his room to cure his wounds. He thought the pain of the alcohol was enough, but he had to listen to the scolding as well: 'You have to learn when and how to fight your battles' Fabrizio said, but Jack always led his emotions dictate his actions.

He flinched at the memory "They're better, thank you. You know? Ever since the day of the party I've been wanting to punch him in the face"

"Well don't do it again. You have to learn to choose which battles to fight" Rose too? Was it a pattern? Maybe it was a good advice...

"Yeah, you're right. It was a dumb decision. It's getting cold, why don't we go back to the ship?"

"I'm tired of it" Rose said, after a minute of walking

"Can I make it a little less boring?"

"Am I really going to see you tonight?"

"You know the drill; I'll be there by 10 if I manage to sneak out. If I don't, I'll call you and we'll sleep at the phone"

Jack was determined to keep his promise, but as they approached Vietnam, the ship was caught in a storm. The floor was moving under their feet. Whatever was left on the outdoor decks had been blown away from the wind. The staff greedily mopped the floor and rugs only to find the water had already gotten in again. Before the storm had gained strength, Jack took the precaution to get the table and chairs from the balcony inside the cabin. To say Fabrizio was terrified was an understatement, he had already put his phone, charger and wallet in a Ziploc bag in case he needed to run for his life.

"Helga must be terrified"

"Fabri, I can assure you she's asleep already" Each boy was on their respective bed, Jack had turned the lights off so the younger wouldn't notice if there was a blackout.

"But what if she's not? I must be there for her"

"Buddy, get her outta your head. I know it's recent, but you have to block her from your life to move on"

"You didn't move on from Rose, you fought for her"

"It's different"

"How is it different?"

"Look. It's the second leg of the trip, and we're only beginning. You'll never get to read the next chapter of you keep re-reading this one. Maybe the next one will be better, who knows? You'll only find out if you turn the page"

"I can't just erase someone from my mind... with more reason if it's someone I love-"

"You still love her?"

"I don't want her as my partner, but I do wish her the best"

"Just tell your mind she's never going to be in your path again and it's not worthy to remember her"

"Is that how you go place to place?" his countenance had changed "By just pretending people didn't exist?"

"I did not say that"

"Then how do you know so much about erasing people Jack? You know? We are a combination of every people we meet-"

"...person"

"It's the same! You understand me" Fabrizio took a deep breath, showing the self-control his roommate lacked "Look... I don't want to forget Helga, she taught me so much. I don't like to forget people. I thank them and I move on... I know it hurts, it is a meant to hurt, but for now I just ask for your support, as my friend"

He was right. Thinking about it, it's complex giving advice to someone so close to us. We do everything in our power to persuade them to follow a road we have set out; a path we traced with our own knowledge and personal experiences. We forget that perhaps... there is another road we cannot see from where we are... but that person in front of us does.

"Of course, buddy" Jack glanced at the Polaroid pictures, all of their moments were captured on the wall. The paint-stained trio after the welcome rally, the girls enjoying a day on the beach, shopping in NYC, Easter Island, the glaciers, and of course, Australia, where the group had visited dolphins once again. Everyone was on that wall. "Want me to get those pictures so we can cut them?"

"What? No..."

"But we have to take them down still" Jack argued and stood up to grab a picture of Helga. Before he could process what was going on, the ship tilted and took his balance. He put his hand behind his back to grab hold onto the table, but the table had moved as well. Jack landed on the floor with a sharp pain on his wrist.

"Jack!"

"I'm fine! I'm fine! It's not- AAH" He knew he was doomed when he heard the breaking noise.

"Che cazzo!" He helped him up and sat him on his bed before the sea rocked the ship again.

"No no no, this can't be happening! No! Is it swallowing?"

Fabrizio couldn't do much for his friend, they needed to seek medical attention and it had to be quick. The two of them left the cabin to see the school's doctor a deck below them, they made sure to lean on the wall so they wouldn't fall again.

"The fucking icing on the cake!" Jack realized it was his right wrist, a shooting fear made him wonder if he would be able to hold a pencil again. The single thought was enough to bring tears in his eyes, so he pushed it away. That couldn't happen, he was thinking the worst scenario. He had to wait and see.

They found the doctor at the school's infirmary, which was no larger than the size of an average bedroom, with just a desk, a supplies closet and two hospital beds; they helped Jack lay on one of them. After explaining what had happened, the doctor made Fabrizio sit on the other bed as he examined Jack.

"Why does life hate me Fabrizio?"

"It hates us both"

"Ah, adolescence" Dr. Pascal said "At this age everything seems like it's the end of the world"

"It is the end of my world, I'm right-handed and I won't be able to draw... Mr. Tod is gonna kill me..."

"He will understand, it was an accident. Don't be surprised Jack, many accidents happen in this weather"

"Am I gonna be alright?"

"Oh yes, it's just a little sprain. Don't move your hand for two weeks and we'll see how it improves" Jack nodded. Two weeks. It was so easy to say... Jack looked out the porthole and saw himself in the storm, this next weeks were going to be tough. The doctor immobilized his hand and gave him a splint so that he would be calmer. "I'm not going to let you walk back to your cabin in this weather. The ship is moving too much"

"You go, Fabrizio"

"No, I'm staying"

"Alright" Jack didn't argue. Fabrizio had just broken up with his girl and was afraid of the storm. Maybe it was for the best.

"You can sleep on the other bed lad. Jack I am going to need to call your parents"

"Uh yeah..." He turned on his phone to search for the contact of the DeWitt's social responsibility officer, it had been three minutes and he was already struggling to do things with his left hand. "I have an email is that okay?" The doctor examined the email domain and gave him a doubting look "It's from my tutor" satisfied with the answer, he left.

After taking a pill to help with the dizziness, he fell asleep soon followed by Fabrizio, who plugged his phone in order to hear the alarm the next morning. Jack's mind was already silencing from the fear when he started to hear voices coming from below him. Was it a dream? Maybe it had something to do with the fear itself.

"Help me! Help!"

"There's children and women out here!"

"Jack!"

He woke up so suddenly, swore he had heard Rose's echoing voice calling for him. The echo kept pounding in his head, even with his eyes opened. Just seconds later, the alarm went off, waking the tousled boy next to him who had fallen asleep with his mouth open.

"I want you to ice that wrist two or three times a day for 20 minutes, alright?"

"Excuse me doc. What's under here?" Jack asked before heading to his cabin.

"Oh well, nobody has ever asked that..." Jack remained quiet, hoping for an honest response "It's the morgue" The boy's eyes widened, not for the same reasons though. "Each oceangoing cruise ship is required to carry body bags and maintain a morgue... I just scared your sleep, didn't I boys?"

"How many people are there?"

"It's empty"

Fabrizio had peace upon hearing that. They thanked the doctor and left. After changing clothes and heading to the auditorium, Jack pleaded that it was filled with water so they had to cancel the lecture and he wouldn't have to see Miss Catherine. Their relationship hadn't started with the right foot, so he couldn't expect much empathy from her. He swore he could already hear the scolding: I hope you are taking notes, I don't care if you can't write. Then what are you coming for? Sadly for him, the auditorium was in perfect conditions.

Misfortune follows me.

An hour and a half later, the group found themselves at the buffet having breakfast. Sat at the table they were Tommy facing the door, Jack in front of him and Fabrizio at his right side.

"Did you know Vietnamese food is highly influenced by French and Chinese culture?"

"No breakfast is complete without 'Brizio's fact of the day" Tommy said between bites, ever hardly impressed.

"It's a great fact, THANK YOU Fabrizio" since Jack learned that Tommy was bothered by a loud volume, he teased him by almost screaming the first words of a sentence. It was a game at first, but now it had become a habit and inside joke between them.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Tommy got up to welcome this person. Jack didn't pay that much attention to the situation and kept eating unbothered... that was until he heard who he was taking to.

"Well, someone left me hanging last night and I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner tonight with me on land? I have news on you know who..."

"I'd love to Rose; I'll see you at the lobby"

She didn't even notice me.

"Ooooh you left her hanging?" Tommy sat back at the table

"I hurt my wrist! I already told you!"

"Well say that to her" The blond one stood up willing to catch the girl behind him "oh, never mind, she already left"

"Yo, what's with you two? Ever since Australia you've been very close with each other"

"You have nothing to worry about Jack, we just like to have coffee and discuss business and politics, it's entertaining"

Hockley's voice echoed in his head, 'It'll all be business and politics, that sort of thing- wouldn't interest you'

Adding to the little incident, school was rough that day, but Jack managed to get through it and went to work at the kids club that same afternoon. He certainly hoped his boss wouldn't mind the sprain.

"Jack! Welcome back! We have a new crew member; I trust you can help her integrate successfully to the team"

"Hi! Of course, where is she?"

A tall, slim girl emerged from the other room. She put a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and greeted him with a white smile. She carried an aura of confidence and energy.

"Jack, this is Marina"