sinking ships - succession

chapter two

       To be young and in love.

       Rose thought she knew love but she was utterly wrong. The love she felt for Jack made her heart beat faster at the mere bliss she felt just by having him in her life. She learned that love fed her soul with a giddiness, an excitement. She felt bubbly and she never thought she'd feel that way. Loving him made her feel brand new.

And it was easy to love him. With every adorable kind smile he threw at her or the way he held her hand so gently, she fell more deeply in love with him. He was like a fog rolling in and she wished she'd stay wrapped in its haziness forever.

But despite already feeling the coils of love wrapped around her heart, she was taking things slow. Of course they kissed quite a few times since the first but they mostly talked and laughed; it was an atmosphere she needed away from the cutthroat business world or just the world in general.

         She always thought the world was business, business, business. It was her black and white before Jack revealed a world of color. She realized there were mundane things she knew nothing about. One of them being what they were doing right now: cooking.

           "So how are the noodles looking?" Jack asked.

            Rose stared at the pot of noodles with furrowed eyebrows. Jack was teaching her how to cook and they were starting with spaghetti. But she had never cooked anything in her life; not even noodles. Noodles being the food she was pretty sure she was burning because it started that burnt smell started to wisp out.

         "I think they're burning," she informed him.

        "What? You can't burn noodles," Jack replied and he walked over before looking down into the pot as his jaw dropped.

          He turned his head to her as he kept opening his mouth and closing to determine what to say without offending her. Then he spoke carefully, "Rose...you didn't put them in water."

          "Was I supposed to do that?" she questioned.

           "Yes," his eyes widened in shock. "Have you ever cooked noodles? Anything at all?"

            "No."

           "Haven't you watched me during all the times I've cooked for you?"

            "Yes," Rose smiled giddily. "I watch you."

               Jack felt his cheeks turn red before he shook his head, "You really are an uptown girl, aren't you?"

              This time, her cheeks turned red, "Shut up."

He nudged her playfully with his shoulder as they stood next to each other at the counter, "Don't worry. I'll be your downtown man."

She couldn't help but smile as she looked at him. It was cheesy to be quoting a song but her heart sped up and she got butterflies, "Forever?"

"Forever."

______

They were practically inseparable as the weeks passed. Weeks that turned into months and she got a lot better with cooking but she would never be any sort of master chef. That was Jack.

She was currently with Jack again. She was in his apartment this time. He wasn't teaching her how to cook this time. Instead, they had been watching a movie which quickly turned into a makeout session.