Loyal readers! :) I'm so sorry its taken so damn long for me to update, but my brain has been so tired. And I would hate to force myself to write and have it come out like crap instead of taking my time on it. Quality over quantity, I say! So finally, here's a new chapter.

And for those of you who read my other Titanic stories, I will be updating those in the next couple of days. Don't worry, I have not abandoned them. I will get around to them much sooner rather than later!

"Rose, darling," Cal said in a stern whisper, "at least pretend like you're enjoying yourself. Most of these people do business with my family, and we wouldn't want to leave a bad impression now, would we?"

Rose rolled her eyes and put on a fake smile. "No. Of course not."

"Good."

It was the night of Rose and Cal's engagement party, the night that she had been dreading. Her large penthouse apartment was completely filled with people, making the air even more suffocating that it already was. Everywhere she turned she saw either men in suits, or women in elaborate dresses and diamonds dripping from their ear lobes. And yet, she didn't recognize more than five of them.

She sighed and glanced at the clock. 7:00. It had only been thirty minutes since the party had started, but to Rose it felt like she had been standing there for hours upon hours. And the worst part hadn't even started yet. They would be seated for dinner in about ten minutes. Rose hated large dinners like this one. It left her in the middle of mindless, selfish, egotistical conversation.

"I'm just going to go freshen up a bit," she said in Cal's ear.

"Don't be too long, sweetpea. There are many people here that want to meet you."

She didn't respond to him as she made her way quickly, yet gracefully through the room, making sure not to bump into anyone or draw any major attention to herself. Once she made it to the staircase, she bolted up to her room as fast as she could to get a moment to herself.

She walked over to her large mirror and surveyed herself. Her hair was up in a bun, which wasn't unusual for her. Most of the time she did wear her hair in a bun, but it was usually a casual bun with loose curls falling into her face. Tonight her hair was tight and calculated, and the pins that were being used to hold it in place were causing her head so much pain. She grimaced at the amount of make up that was on her face, and especially detested the deep red color that adorned her lips. She always knew she was blessed to have such full, soft, pink lips and she hated covering their natural beauty with such a harsh color. But Ruth had insisted that it was the right color to compliment the dress she was wearing. The dress was a deep red color with intricate black beading on it and it hugged tightly to her body, showing off every curve. She felt so exploited, as if she were being put on display like a piece of jewelry up for auction. It disgusted her.

She walked over to her window and looked out into the New York skyline. She imagined all of the free spirited people running around, enjoying their evening, doing whatever they wanted. She thought about all of the people just getting off of work and wondered how great it must feel to actually do something throughout their day. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, keeping the tears of frustration at bay.

Oh Jack, please show up soon. Make this night at least a little bit enjoyable.

….

"I thought you said we were going to a party?" Fabrizio asked as they stood in the kitchen or their small two bedroom apartment in Brooklyn.

"We are," Jack replied simply.

"Then what the hell is this for?" Fabrizio asked, holding up the suit that Jack handed him. "What kind of party are we going to that I have to wear a suit?"

Jack sighed and gave him a pleading look. "Its in the better area of the city, if you know what I mean. Listen Fabri, just humor me, okay? I really like this girl and if this is the kind of shit I have to do to see her, then so be it."

"Wait, this is for a girl? That red head that we saw at the festival?"

"Yeah."

"Well now it makes sense. I saw those earrings she had on yesterday. Must've cost a fortune. What's the occasion, anyway?"

"Its her engagement party," Jack said without any emotion.

"She's engaged? She's a little young, isn't she?"

"What's with all the questions, Fabri? Would you just put the suit on so we can go?"

"Alright, alright," he said, putting his hands up in defeat.

"This is it," Jack said as they walked up to the very upscale apartment complex. They approached the doorman and showed him the piece of paper that Rose had handed him the day before. "Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to this room?"

The man took the paper from him and looked it over. "Ah, yes. The penthouse. Just take the elevator to they very top."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, sir."

Fabrizio let out a low whistle as they walked into the building.

"Penthouse suite on the top floor, eh? I know this may come as a shock to you Jack, but I think the girl is outta your league."

"Just shut up, will ya?" Jack said impatiently as they waited for the elevator. "Lets just act like we're supposed to fit in, and hopefully nobody will notice that we're slums."

Rose finally gained the courage to walk back downstairs after regaining her composure. When she reached the middle of the staircase, she saw the front door open, and in walked a very dapper looking Jack with his equally handsome friend in tow. The mere sight of him made her stop in her tracks. His usually loose blond hair was slicked back, and he was in a perfectly tailored suit. She watched as his eyes scanned the room and as him and his friend smiled nervously as passersby. She smiled to herself when she saw them awkwardly exchange hellos with Cal's father.

Finally, Jack's eyes landed on her. He felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw her staring at him. He was mesmerized by her as she slowly began to descend the stairs, keeping her gaze completely locked on him. He finally found some strength in his legs and took a few steps forward to meet her at the bottom of the stair case. He was in awe of the way the dress she was wearing fit her body like a glove and how the color complimented her milky white skin. Jack was never a fan of women who wear too much make up, he was more of a natural look kind of guy, but as he looked over Rose's face, he couldn't help but appreciate how her face handled the dark make up she had on beautifully. He was sure she was an angel.

Once they met, he took her right hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing her smooth, warm skin. Their eyes stayed glued on each other the whole time.

"I saw that in a cartoon once and I always wanted to do it," Jack said with a small laugh. His heard skipped a beat when she smiled widely and laughed at his remark. He offered her his arm and she gladly accepted it.

"You remember Fabrizio from yesterday, right?" Jack asked.

"How could I forget?" Rose said with a smile.

"Nice to see you again," Fabrizio said with a courteous nod. "This is uh…this is quite the place you got here."

"Oh, thanks," Rose said shyly. "It's a little too much for my taste, if I'm honest."

"Sweetpea," Cal said as he approached the small group, "Care to introduce me to your friends?" The cold stare that Cal was giving Jack didn't go unnoticed by any of them, and it was evident in the way he was looking at Jack that he recognized him from the night that Rose had attempted suicide.

"Yes, darling, these are my friends Jack and Fabrizio."

Jack paid special attention to the change in Rose's speech and posture, and also noticed how timid and cold she became in the presence of Cal. He knew immediately that this Cal character didn't know the real Rose, and that in the short time that he had known her, that he was lucky enough to know the real her.

"Nice to meet you," Cal said with an emotionless voice.

"Hello, welcome to my home," Ruth said as she pushed her way into the circle. She offered her hand and exchanged hellos with both Jack and Fabrizio. "Rose how do you know these lovely gentlemen?" To anyone else, it would seem as if Ruth was being kind and courteous to these young men, but to Rose, she knew that there was an underlying distain and sarcasm in her words.

"Well, mother, I met Jack here a couple days ago. He helped me an incredible amount when I was distraught about daddy, so I thought it would be a nice way to thank him by inviting him to dinner. And this is his roommate, Fabrizio."

"Oh, well just lovely. Dinner will be served shortly gentlemen. I hope you enjoy." Ruth shot Rose a death glare before running back to mingle in the crowd.

"So tell us about the conditions in Brooklyn, mister Dawson," Ruth said from across the table. "I hear its getting better each year."

"Yes ma'am, it is," Jack replied as he put his napkin onto his lap. "But I haven't been here long. Fabrizio has been here his whole life."

"This year is the best its been ma'am," Fabrizio said, "hardly any rats."

The table let out a low chuckle and continued on with their food.

"These two gentlemen are from Brooklyn," Cal said, glaring down at them. "Jack was of some assistance to my fiancé a couple nights ago."

"It turns out that mister Dawson is quite a fine artist," Rose said as she toyed with her wine glass, "he was kind enough to show me some of his work."

"Rose and I differ in our definition of fine art. Not to insult your work, sir," Cal said.

"Not at all."

"You said you haven't been here long," Ruth pressed, "where are you from?"

"Well I'm originally from Wisconsin. But I've traveled all over the country as well as Europe. I've only been here for about a year or so."

"And how is it you have means to travel?"

"I work my way from place to place, just taking small jobs to get me enough money to the next city. I've liked it enough here to stay a while, though."

"And you find that sort of rootless existence appealing, do you?"

Rose gave her mother a stern glare and turned towards Jack, smiling at him apologetically.

"Well, yes ma'am, I do. I mean, I love waking up in the morning not knowing who I'm gonna meet," he said, his eyes locking with Rose's, "or where I'm gonna wind up. Just last night we were eating Chinese take out and now, here we are, in some penthouse suite having champagne with you fine people. I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You learn to take life as it comes as you. To make each day count."

Rose studied his face carefully as she took in his words. They stared at each other with slight smiles on their faces until someone from the group spoke up.

"Well said, Jack."

"Here, here."

Rose, keeping her eyes focused on Jack's, lifted her glass into the air. "To making it count."

"To make it count."

"Thank you so much for coming, Fabrizio," Rose said gratefully as she walked him to the front door of the apartment. "I know it was drab and tedious, but I really enjoyed your company."

"Hey, its just something I can check off my list," he said with a smile. "Thank you for having us. And I hope to see you very soon."

"I'm sure you will."

Fabrizio leaned down and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek and walked down the hallway, leaving Jack and Rose alone.

"Jack, do you have to go?" She asked him with sad eyes.

"Time for me to go row with the other slaves," he said with a smile. She chuckled and unconsciously leaned in closer to him.

Jack glanced back into the apartment and grimaced at the site. He knew that Rose wanted nothing to do with that whole scene, and he didn't want to leave her quite yet. He barely got to even see her that much throughout the evening. They were really only able to exchange glances over the dinner table or across the crowded room.

"So," he said as he cleared his throat and look down at her sparkling emerald eyes, "do you wanna go to a real party?"

Please take the short time to click the 'review' button. It makes the author's day! :) Until next time. xo