Although JC was his fiancé, Justin seemed to find it necessary to stay away from him as much as possible. He was using every opportunity he had. The first one came when a woman named Molly Brown came aboard with her step-son Nick Carter. This of course was at Cherbourg port in Ireland. Justin used to excuse that he wanted to get to know Nick as a friend to leave the smoking room and get some fresh air.
To his surprise, he found Nick by himself at the railing just outside the first class gangway doors. He was looking out at the dark water as if lost.
“Hey,” Justin said. Nick turned to face him and gave him a small smile. He nodded his head and looked back out at the water. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I just have a really bad feeling about this trip that’s all.”
“I know what you mean; I feel exactly the same way. I tried to convince my father and JC to let me have the wedding in Europe. They of course, wouldn’t hear of it.” Nick laughed.
“Really?” Justin nodded. “I tried to convince Molly and my father to let me stay with him. He said though, since he wasn’t going on this particular voyage, Molly needed a man with her. So he made me go anyway.” At that point, Molly came out. She nodded towards Justin.
“Terribly sorry Justin, but Nick and I best be going. We still have to unpack.” Justin nodded his understanding. Nick sighed.
“I will see you tomorrow if not sooner,” he said to him. Justin watched them go and turned his attention to the water.
A few moments later, Justin decided to walk around the ship and explore a bit. He had nothing better to do and he really didn’t want to go back to his father and JC.
Although it was chilly, he stayed out on the deck. He didn’t want to take the risk of being caught by someone who knew him. He walked briskly but slowly enough to examine the decks décor. It wasn’t long before he found himself in the third class deck area. He had expected to find it empty but was surprised to see a young man standing at the railing on the stern of the ship. By the looks of him, he was poor. His clothes were tattered and dirty, a clear indication that he probably didn’t have a permanent home. But the thing that drew Justin to him the most, was his gorgeous blonde hair. He made the quick decision to speak to him.
Ashley stood at the railing on the stern of the ship, smoking a cigarette and looking out at the night sky. He was still taking in the fact that he had won passage on this beautiful ship with a lucky dart throw. He was startled when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around to see a young man about his age standing there. He was dressed in formal dinner wear which indicated he was a first class passenger.
When the young man turned around, Justin’s heart skipped a beat. He was gorgeous. His blonde hair was cut to the middle of his neck and hung down gracefully in front of his face. He had the most beautiful blue eyes Justin had ever seen. His face was perfectly structured and the skin looked really soft and smooth. He wore a confused expression on his face.
“Hello,” Justin said polite. The young man just nodded. Justin knew he must be feeling awkward. After all, he was a third class passenger and here Justin was, a first class passenger, attempting to speak to him. The young man was probably wondering what he was doing in the third class section of the ship. Justin turned and started to walk away.
“Hi,” Ashley finally responded. Just stopped and turned back around. His heart skipped another beat. Ashley was smiling and the smile really lit up his face which made him look even more gorgeous than he already did. “I’m Ashley, Ashley Angel.” Justin smiled. His name was even beautiful.
“Justin Timberlake,” he responded. Ashley smiled again and Justin felt his heart melt.
“So, what’s a first class guy like you doing in a third class section like this?” Justin sighed.
“I was just taking a walk, that’s all. I needed to get away from my party. In fact I really wish I could jump off the ship and swim back to England. I don’t want to be here.”
“That’s the opposite of me. I’m lucky to be here. My friend Jacob Underwood and I won passage on this ship in a dart game. A couple of really good throws was all it took. I’ll do anything to get back to America.”
“What about your family, what happened to them?” Ashley sighed.
“They perished in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. I’ve been on my own ever since.”
“I’m sorry.” Ashley smiled weakly. He turned back around to face the water. Justin came and stood next to him.
“There you are,” said a sudden voice. Justin whirled around to see JC standing there with an annoyed expression on his face. Ashley slowly turned around and offered JC a small smile. JC glared at him. “What on earth are you doing on the steerage deck? And with someone as dirty as that rat next to you no doubt?”
“I was only exploring. I didn’t expect to see anyone here but I found him and I just started a polite conversation was all. Don’t have a cow JC, please. I don’t need your anger right now.”
“Steerage scum is not worthy of our company, Justin. Get away from him now and we shall return to our room.” Justin sighed. He gave Ashley a silent apology and walked over to JC. JC linked their arms together and led Justin away. Ashley stood there, glaring after them.
When they had gone, Ashley turned back to the water again. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jacob come up and stand beside him. “Who were they?” he asked.
“The blonde’s name is Justin Timberlake. He’s a first class passenger, really quite friendly. The other one, I don’t know who he is but I think Justin called him JC. He was rather rude. He called me steerage scum and said I was as dirty as a rat. He didn’t want Justin around me for some reason and made him leave with him. I think they went back to their room or something.”
“Geez, some of those rich first class people really are stuck up. He should learn to be more polite.”
“Yeah well, when you’re rich, you can afford anything, except politeness. It’s better to be where we are, you gain a bigger respect for God and the world around you. You have better manners.” Jacob nodded. Ashley stretched. “I suppose we had better be getting some sleep.” Jacob nodded again. Ashley began to walk off and Jacob followed behind him. Neither said a word but for some reason, Ashley couldn’t get Justin out of his mind.
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