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“That’s Rose in the future.”
“Oh, spoiler alert, she survives then. How did a boat that size pass inspection to sail without enough lifeboats?”
“Because they didn’t think it could sink.”
“Well, that is just stupid. Every boat can sink.”
“Oh dio mio! Are you always this annoying to watch films with?”
“I don’t really watch films. Life is too short.”
“It is when you live right next to Etna!”
He laughed while I sighed, slouching back into the pillows and giving up. He managed to stay pretty quiet and watch the rest up until the part when things started to get a little heated between the pair in the famous drawing scene. He suddenly leaned over the pillow wall and I turned my head to meet those dazzling, mischievous eyes and cheeky grin.
“I see what this is all about now, Princess. You want to draw me naked like Jack did for Rose.”
I shoved his shoulder and he chuckled, falling back over to his side of the bed.
“Do you ever take anything seriously?”
“Work. But everything else is meant to be fun,” he smiled, giving me a playful wink. My core clenched and those pesky butterflies emerged in my stomach again as I looked back at the screen.
“They had no idea what danger lay ahead of them. It’s so sad. They only just found each other and this was their last night together.”
“You’re not going to cry, are you?” Alessio asked in disbelief, peering at me anxiously as though I might explode with emotion.
“No! But don’t you think it’s sad? Their love is so rare. Instant and intense. The kind of love people spend their whole lives hoping to find and it is all about to be taken away from them.”
When he didn’t respond, I couldn’t help but turn to see him staring at the side of my face, watching me with the same look he first gave me all those years ago. Mild interest. “What?”
“Nothing,” he muttered, turning back to the film. As soon as the action started, he was fully invested. Angry when he saw how many self-righteous men were climbing over the lower class women and children to take their places on the boats. Swearing when the ship was going down. Saying how intense this was. I watched his reactions with interest, seeing a whole new side to him. I couldn’t deny that it was probably a mistake, forcing him to watch this, because it was only making my complicated feelings for this man even more complicated.
Suddenly, he flung himself forwards on the bed, anger and frustration written all over his face.
“No way! I am not having it! There is definitely enough room for two people on that door! He hardly even tried to get up! And she didn’t even try to move over! Are you kidding me?” I couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter at his passionate outburst. His eyes were wild as he looked from me to the screen and back in disbelief. “Tell me I’m wrong!”
“No, you are right. I thought the same when I first watched it. Like how did they both not keep trying to get him on?”
“Exactly! It’s her fault he dies!” he shouted.
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far. He sacrificed his life for hers. It’s romantic,” I started to argue but he was already ranting about how she said she would never let go, but then does exactly that. Laughing tears were streaming down my face. He just looked too funny now as he flopped back against the headboard, shaking his head and folding his arms over his chest. When the film ended, he sat motionless staring at the credits rolling. I turned onto my side and sneaked a glance up at him over the pillow wall.
“So? Did you enjoy it?” I whispered.
“No. Yes. I don’t forgive Rose.”
I tried to suppress my laughter as my shoulders shook which caused his serious face to crack into a smile. I yawned loudly and he reached for the remote, turning the TV off and plummeting us into darkness. I could just make out the handsome shadows of his face from the moonlight shining through the window and my heart soared. He was so bloody beautiful, it was infuriating. My nerves started to build as I thought he may be about to send me back into my room to sleep. I never wanted to go there again and I would scream and shout if he would’ve made me go back. He suddenly stood up and walked over to the windows, locking them with a key and then over to the bedroom door to do the same. I sat up on my elbows as he disappeared into his dressing room for a few minutes. When he returned, he climbed back into his side of the bed, under the covers.
“What did you just do?” I whispered.
“Locked you in and hid your means of escape from this room,” he replied calmly and rolled onto his side away from me. His enormous bare back flexed as he found a comfortable position and I stared at him in surprise.
“I’m sleeping in here? With you?”
“Where else are you going to go, Princess? And don’t worry… we have a pillow wall, remember?” he smirked.
I sank down into the cosy mattress and pulled the covers up to my shoulders as I stared at the ceiling. Relief and excitement washed over me that he wasn’t kicking me out into a spare room, but with it came the scary realisation. For the first time since I arrived here, I had gone a few hours without a single thought of escaping. In fact, I had actually enjoyed my evening. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that at all.
