*This chapter contains explicit mature content*

"Move!"

"You wish blondie"

"Dude i can't believe I have to impress Ruth now" Jack said, not ever taking his eyes off the screen. As much as it bothered Tommy, he had to admit that Jack's fingers were fast. Of course, there was another very special person who had checked it out on her own as well, and it didn't bother her at all.

"I wish I could tell ya you don't have to prove anything to anyone... but sadly you're right. You hafta win both Ruth AND the family"

"Last lap, you better watc- THAT'S CHEATING!"

"Ain't my fault you don't know the glitches!"

"You can't use that on the last lap!"

"It's my video game, i may do as i please"

"Yeah, well it's my room" Jack stood up in front of Tommy blocking his view, the other one responded with a kick to the back of the knee. Neither of them noticed the two other people who walked into the room that Tuesday morning.

"Boys, can you put the controllers down for a second... I want you to say hello to someone" Fabrizio asked

"Hello" "What's up?" Both answered at the same time, not letting Fabrizio's politeness interrupt their game.

"Can you at least look at us?"

No response. Their eyes were glued to the screen. Slightly irritated, the other boy proceeded to turn off the console in front of their eyes, earning the loudest and rudest complains.

"I SAID someone wanted to meet you"

"Oh, he doesn't look g-" Jack's elbow couldn't let Tommy finish that sentence. He interrupted him as quickly as he could and stood up to greet their guest.

"Hi, Sean, right?"

"Yes. You must be Jack"

"Yeah, we met the other day at the buffet" they shook hands, Sean responded bowing his head, a powerful gesture back in South Korea. "And you must remember Tommy as well"

"Hey Sean, nice to see you again. Time for us to be properly introduced huh?"

Sean smiled and nodded in agreement

"Guys, Sean is coming with us to explore Italy and France... but we wanted to ask you first"

"You don't have to ask us anything dude. Are you coming as a student, Sean?"

"I'm working on my thesis. That's why I'm here actually, to finish my professional practices in Hotel Management. My father is the restaurant manager."

Well, that explains a lot.

They rushed to the lobby and met with Rose before the rest of the guests decided to disembark. From Napoli to Rome, each place was more stunning than the next, small corners that narrated the history of a country. It took them only two hours to reach The Eternal City; getting off the train, the group went to throw a coin in the Fontana di Trevi and from there, to have some brunch.

Another magical city awaited underground: the archeological site beneath Trevi was home to the
millenary stratification of Rome, where it is observed the archaeological evidence of the great events that characterized the history of the city. These range from the making of Aqua Virgo to the fire of Nero, going through the sack of Alaric to the siege of the Goths.

The group later enrolled in a guided visit to the Vatican and its incomparable museums, home to the most extensive and impressive art collections in the world, and of course, they couldn't leave before visiting Raphael's rooms and the Sixtine Chapel.

They arrived at the hotel completely exhausted, Sean and Fabrizio took advantage of the situation of their travel companions to go to dinner alone. Tommy fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes, and Jack had absolutely every intention of doing the same if it weren't for Rose's carry-on. The girl had brought (like everyone else) only a backpack with the essentials for hygiene and a change for one day, but unlucky for her, Jack recognized a vibrator when he saw one. Does this mean she's ready? He thought. Is this intentional? Was I supposed to find it? I shouldn't be going through her stuff... did she knew I was going to be looking through her stuff?

Jack heard a noise coming from the bathroom, and he left everything where he had found it. She came back to the bed with a clean face and her usual satin pajamas. Jack paid special attention when she walked to her backpack to grab something... but it turned out to be only her phone charger. She jumped under the sheets looking for some heat and opened the Tik Tok app on her phone. Definitely, she wasn't planning on spending the night with Jack.

"Hey, um... you look great"

"Thanks" Rose mumbled. Jack stroked her leg to gauge her reaction, she shivered. "Sorry, your hands are cold"

"Sorry... wanna cuddle?"

Rose nodded and positioned herself as the little spoon, her back against her boyfriend's chest.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure" she yawned

"Have you done anything with a guy before? I mean... you don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable... I just wanted... well... to know you better..."

"Not with someone else, no... you?"

"Yes"

It wasn't a big thing really, besides, Rose already knew the answer; nevertheless, if she wasn't Jack's first, she would still wanna be his last. He planted kisses around her neck and shoulders while caressing her sides and asked permission to hold her breasts, but she refused claiming she was too tired. Jack hummed in agreement and gave her a goodnight kiss on the cheek instead.

When they woke up, they weren't even close to each other, Rose hugged a pillow with her legs and another with her arms on the corner of the bed next to her phone, and Jack occupied the rest of the bed without any blanket on top. At this rate, they will soon start kicking in their sleep in a pitched battle for territory.

The redhead's eyes adjusted to her surroundings, understanding she wasn't on the ship, she was in Rome. In Rome with Jack. Pretty romantic, isn't it? She was full of energy inside out now, perfect scenario for a morning teasing. She kissed her boyfriend in the head and grabbed his hair in the most seductively way she found possible at 7 am.

She made sure he had opened at least one eye when she started undressing next to him. Then she ran the shower and brushed her teeth as she waited for the hot water. With one eye on the brush and the other one in Jack, she checked herself out in the full body mirror, making sure to run her free hand around her body and play with her breasts, showing him exactly how she wanted it.

"I'm gonna shower, are you coming?"

He didn't have to be told twice. Jack closed the bathroom door so the heat wouldn't escape and hugged his girlfriend by the waist. His lips alternated between quick and long, little kisses around her neck, shoulders and back. The steam of the water flooded the scene and urged them to get into the shower... although not precisely under the stream.

His back collided with the cold wall as he made sure hers did not touch the marble. The girl trembled under his embrace, turning her head and allowing him to continue playing with her neck; she had made the best decision when she put her hair up last night. Rose grabbed his left hand and directed it south, she let out a loud moan when she felt his fingers, still on the outside but making their way deeper. She pressed her back against his chest in hopes of faster and harder strokes. Her skin was the dough that needed to be kneaded by expert hands. With her free hand, she grabbed his member and gave it a squeeze, thus getting the reaction she wanted. It was no longer sure if the heat was coming entirely from the steam.

Seeking to complete the task of the famous shower, Jack grabbed the bar of soap and began to rub it all over his girl's body, then put some shower gel in his own hands and continued the massage, without forgetting to stimulate any part. After giving her the orgasm that she begged for, he separated and told her he hadn't brought any protection whatsoever. The fire was put out by the water, by the jet of the shower, literally.

They rushed to meet the rest of the group at the hotel lobby for breakfast as if nothing had happened, but the other ones did notice they were acting more cheesy than usual.

"Si ma... ci sentiamo dopo... stiamo parlando al telefono da 2 ore!... si mamma, mi dispiace... ti amo anch'io, ciao" He hung up the phone "My mamma says she will visit us tomorrow in Napoli, and she's looking forward to meet you Jack"

"Thanks Fabrizio, I'm excited to meet her too" He said between bites. Fabrizio faked a smile implying his friend is saying it because he doesn't know her.

"By the way" Rose interjected "I still have your stuff in my bag. It's really heavy, you know?"

Jack almost choked on his food when he heard that. First and last time that he urged on someone else's things.

"Are you okay? Do you need some water?"

"I'm fine... I'm fine..." he said in a raspy voice and incited his breakfast to go back to where it belonged. He took a sip of water and cleared his throat "I'm fine"

The second day was as exciting as the first. Fabrizio had rented a car so they could explore on their own, it all started out in the Colosseum, then the group headed to the Forum and the Palatine Hill. Afterwards, they had to go shopping and of course, exploring every restaurant, ice cream parlor and coffee shop that the city had to offer, even after sunset.

They left the rental car parked in a dimly lit alley and decided to walk to the plaza and find a place to get takeout. Rose had fallen asleep a couple of minutes before and Jack didn't want to wake her or move, mainly because she had fallen asleep on his chest.

"You sure you're not coming?"

"I'll wait here" he whispered

Fabrizio closed the door and walked with the rest of the group. Jack admired the view from the tinted window for a few minutes until his girlfriend started making little noises.

"Shh... i'm here, sleep" he kissed her head and slowly ran his fingers through her hair. She's too cute, he thought.

"Hmmm where's everyone?"

"They went to buy dinner. Go back to sleep"

Rose yawned a second time and stretched her arms. Her boyfriend understood she wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon. Rose asked for her bag so she could show Jack what she had purchased earlier. An idea popped into his head so they could pass time until the others returned, he climbed to the front seat and fixed the neck of his shirt.

"Where to, miss?" He said, completely in character from his driver role play.

Rose put a squared plastic wrapper no larger than her hand in front of his eyes, and signaled she wanted to stoke the fire from that morning.

"To the stars" she whispered in his ear

Jack climbed to the backseat again and placed Rose on top of him. Their hands entwined in a covenant of true and consensual love, which Rose sealed with her lips.

"You nervous?" He asked

"No"

The girl caressed those hands that she adored so much, with which she so much dreamed of and so longed to have inside her. Those hands that drew her naked for the first time, those that healed her wounds one by one, the same hands that gave her the strength she needed to get things done. She placed a finger on her lips and began to play with it, not realizing that the blue-eyed boy was watching her warily.

"Put your hands on me, Jack"

Her request was granted. The boy did not separate even to take a breath, on the contrary, each time he opened his mouth more and more, making room for Rose's tongue. He carefully laid her on the seat and pulled down her jeans, then he took care of kissing her from ankle to crotch and vice versa.

The game was just starting and she was already wet. Unable to hold on without making noise she sat and laid him down instead. Rose understood that the best way to silence herself was if her mouth was entertained with something else.

Jack recognized the moment when he was reaching his limit and paused on the spot to put the girl back where she was. He took the small plastic bag and put the condom on so he could give her what he had so vigorously asked for. She had already denied it before, but at that moment, Rose would lie if she said that she was not afraid, Jack took her hands and assured that he was there for her, thus and carefully, he penetrated her... The girl's sounds no longer came from her lips, but from her chest. For more control, he placed a hand under her bottom and pushed her pelvis forward, she tensed, now she was beginning to hurt. At that moment, she forgot everything she knew, it was a fact, she was scared.

"Shh baby, calm down, i'm here" Jack soothed "relax baby... relax baby girl, everything's okay... hey, look at me. If you want me to stop, I'll stop, okay?" she shook her head "No? You want me to keep going?"

"Please" she moaned

"Alright but i'm gonna need you to be a good girl for me? Can you do that baby?" She nodded

"Wait don't pull it out... it hurts..."

"Calm down honey" he used a slightly more imperative tone to get her mind back "I want you to take a deep breath for me... good girl, now close your eyes... visualize the sky full of stars..."

Eventually, Jack got back to his rhythm and went even further deeper, he then tried to remember where her spot was so he could hit it again, and again, and again; faster, and faster each time. Rose was about to explode if she didn't do something to let out all her energy, so she slammed her hand against the window. Coming down from the climax as well, Jack felt something wasn't right at all. He viewed from a distance and through the front glass two policemen who were approaching the car due to the noise. They had less than a minute to get dressed or else, it would be too late.

Taking advantage of the darkness of the street, they got off the car and ran to the other side of the alley. Hidden behind a wall, they watched the policemen fail miserably in catching them in the act. The couple ran towards the piazza laughing as hard as they had ever laughed in their life.

"Did you see those guy's faces!? Did you see them?" Jack cheered

"You're trembling"

"Don't worry, I'll be alright"

"Not without these ones you are not..."

She stole my underwear? When? How?

Rose ran back to the alley very aware of how fast her boyfriend was. Jack caught her by the waist and put her over his shoulder, slapping her hard on the butt. "What do you think you're doing? Huh? Who do you think you are?" She couldn't stop giggling all the way back to the car. He finally put her down and put her against the white Renault. Jack kissed her again, enjoying the air and the space this time...

"Ugh, I should have known" Tommy had arrived with intentions of hitting a Roman night club. Hopefully they wouldn't feel the enclosed heat of the vehicle ...

Next afternoon, they arrived in Napoli just in time to board the ship again. Everyone was grateful for the getaway, especially the boys, who would be entering their finals season pretty soon. The world where we live hides impressive things, the thought that each person has had their own history, has gone through a childhood, an adolescence just like all of us, a youth where they wonder what their place is in the world. To think that each person left their mark for us to be here... is simply surreal. Lost in young Sean's eyes, Fabrizio ignored his friends and focused on pampering him. He asked him what he thought of the trip and what parts he would use in his thesis, he was so hypnotized that he did not notice when Sean put his arms around him and lowered his head, looking for his lips. It was happening, they were going for the next step! The Italian had been that lost he forgot he was supposed to meet with his family.

"FABRIZIO!"

"MAMMA!" He turned around, fearing for his life. "Non è quello che sembra! siamo amici!"

"It's not what it seems! we're friends"

"Non mi dirai bugie. Ho visto come ti stavi toccando con un altro uomo"

"You won't lie to me. I saw how you were touching with another man"

"È così che andiamo d'accordo, era un gioco"

"That's how we get along, it was a game"

"Niente giochi. Al Signore non piace che facciano queste cose. Hai appena fatto un viaggio e ti sei lasciato influenzare negativamente! torni subito a casa. Vai a prendere le tue cose."
"No games. The Lord doesn't like you doing these things. You just went on a trip and let yourself be negatively influenced! You are coming home immediately, go get your things."

"No"

"No?"

"Mamma... per favore"

"Niente più viaggi, torniamo a casa. Non ti voglio vicino a questi..."

"No more travel, let's go home. I don't want you near these..."

"Pecatori? Dio ci ama, siamo suoi figli"

"Sinners? God loves us, we are his children"

"Non a persone come loro"

"Not to people like them"

It was getting too fired up, so Jack and Tommy grabbed Sean's shoulders and led him six feet away from the DeRossis. Fabrizio was getting out of arguments to convince his mom to let him stay on the Titanic II. He unconsciously looked at his friends, he looked at Rose. If she could stand up for herself so could he.

"Mamma, mi hai insegnato ad essere coraggiosa e ad accettare le sfide, entrare in questa scuola è stata una grande sfida e ce l'ho fatta. Non lo lascerò senza aver finito il semestre. Mi hai sempre detto di lottare per la mia felicità ed è quello che sto facendo adesso. Come madre... presumo che tu voglia che il mio partner mi ami e mi renda felice. E voglio che tu sappia che stare con Sean mi rende molto, molto felice. E finché seguiamo la via dell'amore e non facciamo del male a nessuno, penso che valga la pena stare insieme. Certo, farò molti errori lungo la strada, ma questo non è uno di quelli. So che non lo è. Continuerò il viaggio e continuerò a uscire con Sean, con o senza il tuo permesso... anche se mi piacerebbe che fosse con."

"Mom, you taught me to be brave and accept challenges, entering this school was a great challenge and I did it. I will not leave without finishing the semester. You always told me to fight for my happiness and that's what I'm doing now. As a mother... I assume you want my partner to love me and make me happy. And I want you to know that being with Sean makes me very, very happy. And as long as we follow the path of love and don't hurt anyone, I think it's worth being together. Sure, I'll make a lot of mistakes along the way, but this isn't one of them. I know it isn't. I will continue the journey and continue to date Sean, with or without your permission... although I wish it was with it."

His mom was quiet. He had convinced his dad, he stepped forward and gave him a big hug, he told him he was so proud of him, that he had grown so much. He was a man now... but he still needed to respect his mother.

"Se metti piede su quella barca, non torni a casa."

"If you step on that boat, you are not coming home again."

Fabrizio took a glance at the ship, it had never looked that huge, that colossal, that... titanic. A reflection of the decision he was about to make.

"I'm sorry mamma, mi dispiace tanto"

Gabriella DeRossi waited for his son to come to her arms, but instead, he stood alongside his friends, along the life he had chosen and was terrified to start.

"I'm staying on the Titanic"

Upon those words, the world seemed to stop, the Earth was no longer moving, his heart was no longer beating. Gabriella told him a few things and left with Fabrizio's father. The boy was broken, this was supposed to be a beautiful and meaningful goodbye until they met again, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. He had lost his mother; he had lost his home.

Tommy unexpectedly was the one who rushed to give him a big hug and let him cry on his shoulder. The others had understood the situation thanks of his last words, that's why he had done it in English, Sean however... had understood the whole thing.

Fabrizio caught him out of the corner of his eye and knew immediately what he had to do. He wiped a last tear, let go of his friend and rushed to give Sean what he had intended earlier, their first kiss.

The taller guy grabbed him by the waist and pulled him closer, and he responded with the most passionate and sincere kisses he had ever given in his life. He had never been so sure of something until that moment, he had accepted that Sean was someone he wanted to have next to him. He pulled out of the kiss to inform his best friend the news, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"He went back to get your stuff" Rose said

He didn't want him to give up his life and run away from home just as he had done, he wanted Fabrizio to spend every moment he could with his parents. Jack had witnessed all these months how much his friend loved his mother. How he talked about his house, his family, his country... his home, that his first instinct was to help him return home before it was too late.

"No! I have to get him before he checks out the luggage!"

Fabrizio ran for his life through the crowd and onto the cruise terminal. He spotted Jack in the upper floor, already in line to board.

"JACK!"

"Fabrizio?"

"JACK WAIT I'M STAYING!"

Dodging the sea of people, Jack ran towards the stairs which he jumped in two seconds to meet the brunette who was also running towards him. He hugged Fabrizio like it was the last time he was going to see him, he had become his little brother, his confident, his partner in crime.

"YOU'RE SO STUPID! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"

"What? You thought I was gonna let Tommy move in? Vaffanculo..." The rest of the group finally caught up with them. It was quite a dramatic scene. Like a natural instinct of watching Fabrizio wipe away his tears, Tommy added:

"You're not alone, you've got us"

"And we're family" Jack added.

It was true, he had not intended to run away from home... his home was where his heart was. Still, he wasn't pleased about the fight he had with his mother, was she really serious? Rose had convinced Fabrizio that his mom didn't mean a word she said and that he'll be able to return home in no time.

"Those are things mothers say when they get mad, they never really mean it. They don't hate us, they love us and want to protect us from the world... it's just that sometimes that's the only way they know how."

Thanks to Rose's words, Fabri was much calmer now, and last night was just a blur. The next morning started as any usual morning, with Thomas Ryan slamming the door open before seven.

"Hello MTV welcome to my crib"

Tommy woke up with the motivation of spending the morning in the other boys' cabin, he didn't exactly enjoy spending time with his roommates. They were a little to conceited for his liking, didn't pay much attention in class and expected their fathers to pay their way to the next semester. His parents always taught him to work hard, and never take anything for granted. That's why he'd rather hang out with Fabrizio and Jack, besides, he could use their cabin for his new hobbies...

When Tommy walked through the door, Fabrizio stood beside him with his characteristic smile eager to be in the vlog.

"So this is Fabrizio"

"Hi!"

"This is the living room, here we have a small sitting area, full of drawings but it's usually clean. I'm the one who cleans after these two... and here are the beds... and here's Jack, he's american. Say hi to the vlog!"

"This is not your cabin, your room's down the hall"

"Agh why would you say that?" Tommy stopped recording.

"What? What did I do? Were you planning to post that?"

"I'm attempting YouTube. Everyone is doing it"

"It's true. Everyone on board does it."

"You should try it"

"You can actually get paid to do it" A brownie caught Tommy's eye and he proceeded to take a bite out of it; he needed some milk to go with it so he opened the mini-fridge.

"Why do you act like you live here?"

"Maybe I should move. It's not fair that you have a balcony, I share a porthole and a tiny bathroom with another two people. How did you get this cabin if you're on a scholarship?"

"Nobody wanted it" "It was the only one left" Jack and Fabrizio answered at the same time. Fabrizio's phone buzzed.

"Good. The signal is working" Tommy exclaimed at the sound.

"What happened?" Jack had a bad feeling.

"My... my dad says to come down... he brought the rest of my stuff" His eyes watered, he forgot the silliness from a few minutes ago, his mind was blank, his worst fear had come true. Fabrizio had lost his smile.