Chapter 36: Chapter 36
"The only way to have a friend is to be one."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson-
***
The car stopped on the proper parking lot and as the gentleman he was, Corentin opened up the door for Clara. They were stopping near Seine river, which roused her curiosity since it was not exactly the place she had in mind when Corentin told her he was taking her somewhere, correction, Clara had no idea what they were doing there.
It was all Corentin's ideas, she simply tagged along with it. In the man's mind, closed spaces were not the best thing for someone who is in a low mood, so Corentin decided to take Clara on a casual walk along the Seine river which was an open space with naturalist touch mixed with the city vibe.
Besides, the view in the evening would be breathtaking.
It was pleasant indeed, Clara needed some fresh air after what had just happened. Sometimes she thought all she really needed all along was just a bit of sunshine. He really wanted to hold her hands as they walked, but Clara had her hands on the pocket of her jacket. It was a bit windy outside and perhaps it was the reason why he could not do it. Still, the weather did not stop them from getting an ice cream.
There was an ice cream parlor nearby. Clara chose strawberry as her pick while Corentin chose to stick with choc mint ice cream. They ate the ice cream as they were walking, and they talked and laughed about many things. For a moment there Clara forgot about her encounter with Giselle earlier. Corentin had a magic in him which cast away the pain in her heart.
As they were savoring the sweetness, a bit of the ice cream got into Clara's lip corner, she did not seem to realize it as she was happily biting the cone, Corentin saw it and moved his thumb to wipe the the ice cream off her lips. He grinned mischievously when he saw Clara's embarassed look as her fingers moved unintentionally to where Corentin touched her lips.
To hide her embarrassment, she bit off the last piece of her cone which ended up a bit too large of a piece than what she expected and she ended up nearly choking herself as the sharp base was stuck behind her mouth.
She coughed hard, and Corentin had to pat her in the back to help her out. It was a moment both of them would never forget while it was funny to some, it was concerning for both of them. Good for her, she managed to swallow it without hurting herself.
Clara was beyond embarrassed, again. She covered half of her face with her hand. Corentin thought she looked so adorable, both laughed at the silliness. At this point Clara had forgotten about the little incident they were through in the office and they were genuinely just having fun. Before moving to another spot, they only walked and talk, but for Clara, the little moments were much needed.
A lot had been going on, a huge shift in her life had been taken, with Corentin, she felt at ease that life did not had to be taken too seriously. He taught her how to enjoy herself at the present. Clara was grateful for Corentin. She felt lucky she had found someone like him as her friend. Corentin saw the glimmer in Clara's eyes as she talked. He felt relieved, she seemed to have forgotten what happened.
Just smile, Clara, all you have to do is only smiling, that is enough for me.
Out of nowhere a small boy with a beret approached them and reached out his hand which was holding a round tie of flavored blow bubbles. The little boy offered them the bubble, Clara was trading glances with Corentin and he understood she wanted it.
Corentin knelt down to the boy's height and took two bottles from him. He handed them to Clara and pulled out some money from his pocket to pay the boy. It was more than the price for two but he told the boy to keep the change.
The boy left and Clara gave Corentin one of the bottle. Corentin raised his eyebrow in a teasing manner, but he took it anyway. They opened up the bottle and started blowing the bubble. It was flavored and the fruit scent spread into the air. It was so much fun for the two.
Corentin remembered when he was just a little boy, his mother would take him on a casual walk like then and bought blow bubbles for him to play with. It brought a nostalgic feeling inside him. He turned to Clara who was blowing her bubble with a big smile on her face. The two were suddenly like children again, having fun without a care in a world, wrapped in their own little world.
Clara took a turn to poke the bubbles which was floating in the air until it popped, and then she laughed. The wind was hitting her hair in a semi wild motion, almost cinematic like. Deep down inside, Corentin had wished he had found her sooner. If he had found her before Raphael did, perhaps he had a chance, but the ring on her finger reminded Corentin the woman was already engaged. As much as he wished she was his, Clara had belonged to someone else. Being by her side as her best friend was the most he could do and it was all he ever could be. She was a gem, but she was not his gem.
Corentin shook off the thought from his mind. He poked the straw inside the bottle and blew the bubble to the air, mimicking Clara.
After a while, the sun began to set and the lights of the city were turned on. In a blink of eye, the dark blue sky was illuminated by the city lights. From afar, it had looked like floating stars on earth. They could see the Eiffel tower from where they were standing. Then a cruise ship passed by the river, probably one of the tourist cruise.
The view was really beautiful. They had spent hours walking and talking and decided to take a short break. Then out of silence, there was a grumbling sound heard echoing in the air. This time, it was not Clara, it was Corentin. Clara was holding back a chuckle since she thought it would be inappropriate to laugh at it.
"Maybe we should have dinner." Clara returned his favor from the first time and this time it was her turn to take him out to eat. They dined at a cozy restaurant nearby and ordered their food. During the meal Corentin had asked Clara what she had been doing since she arrived in Paris. Truthfully, Clara had not done much in Paris, she had been living under Raphael's umbrella.
All these time during her stay she had been provided with the necessary commodity and luxury from Raphael, Clara had always been a hard worker back then at home, people might say she was spoiled, but she was the one responsible for the management at the wine production before. She loved her job as a painter, but she was starting to miss her managing work. Because sometimes when she was out of idea she could stop painting for days.
"Why don't you work for me then?" Clara thought Corentin was joking. He could not possibly suggest this, especially after what he witnessed today, but she examined his face and realized he was being serious.
"I can't, you know why."
"You can, I'll put you on a completely different division from her. You are an art major, aren't you? I'll put you in the creative division. You will never have to see her face, and she would never bother you at work. You can be near me, she would not touch you." Corentin tried to persuade her into agreeing with him. Which was quite a smart move.
"I know you don't want to rely on Raphael completely. You two are not even married yet. Nothing in the world is completely free, Clara, you should be cautious even around him." She had no idea why at the moment Corentin had sounded awfully serious when the topic was brought to the surface, which was so unlike him. It was true, she was aware that Raphael was not helping her out of charity, he must have wanted something in return. If she could at least financially support herself and had financial stability of her own by working a stable work, in worst case scenario, she would have backup in Paris.
As for Corentin, she naively assumed that the man had no other intention other than purely supporting her. She had been through so much and she was dear in his eyes. Raphael from what he had heard from his former employees and acquaintances, could be somewhat of a cold man. He was afraid that one day Raphael could snap for whatever reason and hurt Clara.
"You're right." She admitted.
Thus it all began.