Chapter 39: Chapter 39

"Little surprises around every corner, but nothing dangerous."

-Gene Wilder-

***

Clara woke up that day with a bouquet of flower at the end of her bed. Instead of the usual white floral, this time there was an arrangement of red carnations. She reached out to it, turned out there was an attachment around the base, it was a hard cover letter, embossed in gold lettering. What a silly thing to give informally. It was so Raphael. He was always a predictable romantic. She flipped open the letter, finding another attachment. It was a note of apology along with an invitation for breakfast at the balcony.

Clara had no idea what else Raphael was planning, with gentle force, she pushed her leg out from bed, headed straight to the bathroom to freshen herself. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, put on her morning moisturizer followed by a quick hair brushing. Still in her comfy white satin pajamas she walked out from her room and saw a table arrangement in the balcony with plenty of her favorite breakfast menus laid out on the table.

Raphael was the one arranging the table himself. He flashed a charming grin the moment she walked over there reaching out his hand in an inviting manner. With a confused look, Clara took a seat and stared at him for a three seconds. The table was setup similarly to instagram breakfasts pictures which she knew most of the girls never actually finished, she started thinking there must have been some sort of celebration that morning, otherwise why would he spend his precious time doing such trivial matter. Most importantly, she wondered if both of them would be able to finish everything in the room.

"Bonjour, Mon Amour.  I made you breakfast today, I hope you like them."

Apparently, Raphael had woken up earlier that day to cook for her. He had felt guilty about their minor misunderstanding the other day. He thought being upset to her because of someone's else fault was unfair on her part. As he walked into the kitchen, he ignored the stares from the cook who stood near him with curiosity. Raphael used to learn to cook french cuisines back then in high school during spring holiday. Unknown to most people, he developed a natural skill at it. He thought what better way could he apologize to her than by making her favorite dishes?

"How do you know these are my favorite?" She slipped a finger through her hair, tucking them behind her ear with eyes filled with esteem. Raphael grinned in victory. He made the right decision by consulting his sister last night. Celine might not be a dating expert but after nagging him for the first fifteen minutes of their call, she advised him to deliver an experience of "home" which she had been familiar with growing up within their current one, what she meant by that was to create a scenery which would remind her of her home in Bordeaux within her new place in Paris.

Raphael had to ponder for quite a while since Bordeaux in itself was hard to replicate. Though the two cities came from the same country, their essences were completely different. Not to mention, Paris had become an urban destination which slowly altered its original state which used to match better the rest of the country. There is a reason why even French people differentiate themselves from The Parisian. Those were none of his business, all he cared about was how to please her. Judging from the shy smile on her face, the whole thing was worth it. Yes, it took more physical effort than what he would like to admit, but if it could rekindle their relationship then it was all worth it.

Clara was certainly not impressed enough by diamonds and dresses he had provided for her, it was one thing she had always known about herself, but she certainly appreciated Raphael's effort in serving the meal. They had a comfortable breakfast together that morning. Within minutes of the meal, both of them had been laughing to each other. Clara no longer mentioned what happened the other night and Raphael decided to drop it as well. The two had their breakfast in peace. Yet it was not all he had up on his sleeve. The moment she finished her last bite, Raphael put down his utensils.

"After this, pack your suitcase, we are traveling somewhere." Raphael suggested out of nowhere. Clara nearly choked on her orange juice when she heard it. It was too sudden for her to comprehend and deep within she was a creature of habits.

"What? Where are we going? I have work next week." She had settled the agreement to work at Corentin's Place despite Raphael's desperate attempt to stop her but nothing could stop her when she truly wanted something, not even him. Therefore, the suggestion came to a surprise because if he kept her in vacation for too long she would not make it for her first day at work.

"I know. Don't worry, we'll be back home two days before your work starts." He had previously considered everything. He made a quick planning for their unexpected vacation. He thought if she remained in Paris there would be too much obstacles between them. He could not fully be alone with her, even at home there were the bloody housekeeper and cook.

Raphael never thought he would take days off from work to take a woman on vacation. Never in a million years would such thought ever passed his mind. He used to mock one of his Greek friend from being such a woman pleaser for taking his girlfriend and ex-girlfriends on vacation when he still had work to do. Now he was acting like him. The trip would allow him to get personal with Clara without any disturbances. Like they said, couple who traveled together stayed together.

"Pack your swimsuits and don't forget to bring sunscreen. I don't want your smooth skin to get sun burnt."

"We're going to Bora – Bora." The island which had been a choice to visit for many young people, known for its picturesque scenery. Clara had rarely go out to the beach ever since she was a young woman, because back there everywhere she went, there were mostly vineyards as far as the eyes could see.

If there was one thing Clara should have been used by then was the unexpected experiences she would have when being with Raphael, the man had never been predictable. One day she could be in a place and the next day she would be in a completely different place with him. Her life could be more unpredictable than a model's life.

She was not complaining though, it was quite the opposite, it excited her. Clara had a monotone life growing up, her life was never anything exciting, she barely traveled outside of France, but Raphael could completely turn her world upside down within months. She had to admit no matter what she owed him something. He had gone through a lot for her.

At first she only agreed to Raphael's marriage proposal on an impulsive decision, she thought she would regret it after a while, even if she did have a rather deep feeling for him at one point in her life. She was glad she didn't. It was not because Raphael was a multi-millionaire, money was important, but Clara was not desperate for money. There were many reasons. Other reasons why she was confident enough to declare herself to be in love with him.

One of the thing which made her fall for him was his genuinely sought for happiness with her, and she could clearly see that then. The only flaw of him she had seen so far was his jealousy and possessiveness, which was the result of his own insecurity, but Clara wanted to learn to accept those. After all she had nothing else to lose.