Chapter 67: Chapter 67

"I don't care how hard being together is, nothing is worse than being apart."

-Josephine Angelini-

***

"Good morning, Mon Amour. I made breakfast for you" Clara was still sleepy when Raphael came over with a tray of food and drinks. She felt a bit dizzy when she tried to sit and straightened her bed. With her eyes still closed, Raphael kissed her which woke her up in an instant, mixed with the scent of a freshly brewed cup of coffee which managed to restore her vigor. She took the glass of water and gulped it down in one shot, then she picked up a cup filled with honey and herbal tea which supposedly could help her heal faster. Once she was done, she lifted up her face to meet his.

Raphael had appeared exceptionally dashing that morning, he was nearly half naked if it was not for the robe that covered part of his abs but his muscular chest was exposed for her to enjoy. Clara had to admit, she would not mind waking up every day to this handsome man.

"Good morning, thanks for the breakfast." Raphael laid himself on the bed beside her and pulled a bedside table attached to the side of his bed and laid down the tray in there. Clara was enjoying her meal when she noticed Raphael staring at her. Then, without warning, he gave Clara who was taking a bit of her toasted bread a peck on the neck.

"Why don't you eat as well?" Raphael flashed a grin at her and pointed at the bread on her hand.

"Why don't you feed me?" Clara knew Raphael was on the mood to be spoiled. His childish side surfaced from the bottom of that handsome masculine face. She decided to play along with him and pushed a mouthful of bread on the tip of his mouth.

He took a big bite of it and Clara was left with less than half of the bread. His mouth was then full of food and the side of his cheek was chubby as a cheeky hamster's cheek. Clara raised her eyebrow. She took the fork and cut the sunny side up in half and took a bite for herself, and Raphael besides her was looking at her with his best attempt of puppy eyes.

"You don't even like eggs" She scoffed. Raphael did not care and took a bit from her fork. He was enjoying himself. Taking a cup of coffee for himself, the two cuddled in the bed for a good thirty minutes while eating.

A few days had passed since New Year, it was a casual Saturday morning and they both had nothing to do that day. Instead of cuddling all day in bed, Raphael had decided to take her out. It's been a while since she actually go out somewhere, and he knew just where to take her to make her happy.

"After this you should get ready, because I am taking you out today"

"Where?"

"You'll see"

After taking a good long shower together, they both headed out to get dressed, he had told her the place they were going to was a semi-formal place, meaning they needed to dress accordingly. Since it was still rather cold outside, she settled for a burgundy wrap dress that was styled along with a burnt ochre winter scarf while Raphael was dressed in a layered winter suit which made him appear even more charming than his usual self. She always loved it when he wore a suit. He just appeared more refined.

headed to the parking lot where he pulled out one of his car, and they were on the street before long. Clara had gotten used to Raphael's secretive nature. She had known by then in the future there would probably be more times and scenes where he would not tell her their destination. But when she saw a familiar looking triangle building, she figured out where they were going.

"Louvre? Great, I've lived here for almost a year by now and this is the first time that you are taking me here." Raphael could not agree more with her, but it just happened so. Although Clara was a great art enthusiast, the incidents which had occurred in her life as of lately had truly made her forgot that inside the very city she was in, there was a great historical painting which she had longed to see her entire life.

They bought two tickets and had to wait around thirty minutes to get in to the actual museum, but it was worth it because on the inside, there were plenty of art pieces which could satisfied the art maniac inside of her.

The entrance to the museum was the famous Louvre Pyramid, constructed out of glass and metal, it was surrounded by three smaller pyramids. It was one of the most famous Paris landmark along with Eiffel Tower. Clara had accustomed herself with the life as a Parisian, she was no longer acting like a country girl, her manner was more sophisticated and she no longer felt out of place, because in Paris, there were people from all parts of the world, which was the reason why people liked to separate French people from Parisian.

They were holding each other's hand the entire time, acting like two newly dating teenagers, but no one was really paying attention to that, people were mostly looking because the two were looking like model couple made in heaven. But the two were equally distracting on their own, each had their own charm which appealed to men and women

By this point Clara had learned to not pay attention to any of the stares and just minded her own business, throughout the place they stopped once in a while to take a look at the pictures and Clara also managed to get a few snaps using her camera.

If there was one thing Louvre museum was known for, it was the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo Da Vinci which was displayed in one of the room. It was covered by glass and had a safety fence built in around it. A lot of people were gathering around and it was a bit packed but they managed to sneak in their way to the middle where Clara could take a direct picture of the painting.

"It's true, there is definitely something mysterious about her smile." Clara had seen the painting hundreds of times before from the internet and magazine but seeing it in person gave a different feeling, she could see something in Mona Lisa's eyes and curved smile, but she could not quite picture out what it was. One thing she was aware of was how alive her eyes looked, it was as if Mona Lisa was following her with her gaze.

They spent the rest of the time walking around, she admired every pieces she could place her eyes upon, every little details of the sculptures were sculpted by valuable golden hands of their creators, for Clara who had a high taste for art, they were masterpieces.

It was one thing Raphael admired of Clara, she was so genuine in everything she did, her facial expressions, her body gestures, all were perfectly synchronized with each other to show her emotions. As a businessman, Raphael had learnt to judge people's characters throughout his lives, some people were liars, some were cheaters, others were genuine and kind souls, some people were difficult to read, some were as transparent as water, and Clara, she was a blinding light, warm and pure, she was such a rare soul.

"Look, it's Venus de Milo, named after the Roman version of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, it was found in Milo Island, and although she is armless, she is still one of the most valuable piece of art in history." She explained to him with an innocent smile as she went forth between him and the picture. What she did not notice was the fact that his gaze had never left her. He was silently admiring her, from her soft honey shade hair to her light green eyes that never failed to melt his heart. She was a beauty of every angle. Her existence was a blessing upon earth, she was pure art, pure magnetism. He had no idea what he did to deserve such a woman in his life. Yet, there he was, standing next to her with adoration. There was only one thing he wished to convey at the moment.

Clara, you are a living Aphrodite.

Raphael was not really into mythological stories, but he had seen pictures of The birth of Venus and how Aphrodite were usually depicted in the common media, Clara's features did resemble her, pale skin, light honey golden hair and a striking beauty. She was fit to be called a living Aphrodite, he was just glad Clara was not as flirtatious as the goddess herself, his possessive ego would never allow it.

Then, if one thought of it, the two couple really did resemble Aphrodite and Ares.

Clara, a beautiful, goddess like woman, attractive, gentle, and motherly like, and she did have a decently high sexual appeal, but not overwhelmingly so.

Raphael on the other hand was slightly hot tempered and possessive, just like Ares, he was not the most agreeable person on his position, although he did attract quite the number of women, yet he was deeply in love with Clara, and he had the yearning to fully have her for his own. What would that make Corentin then? Perhaps he was Adonis, but perhaps he was someone else, or perhaps he had no role on the story.

There was no time for him to figure it out. He did not care, all he cared about was the outcome, Clara was his, and his alone. From then on, he would never allow anyone to be with her. Never!

The art geek inside her started to take over as they continued their little private tour. Clara could not stop telling him about everything inside the place and Raphael did not mind, he enjoyed listening to her descriptions and knowledge of each piece and she could just talk about them all day long if she wanted to.

The reason why he took her there in the first place was to ease her mind and allowed her to forget her problems and suffering even for a little while. Judging from the endless smile on her face, it seemed to work just fine. Then out of nowhere, he felt the need to convey his feelings to her once more. While she was distracted, he took her hands and pulled her in for a sudden kiss. She did not quite understand what he was doing until he verbally expressed it to her.

"Clara, I promise you, from now on, we will always be together, it does not matter what you do, I will always be with you. I will always trust you and I will never let you go again." It was a vow he made before her as they stood before the statue. Clara gazed deeply into his eyes and found nothing but sincerity in them. She knew Raphael meant what he said and she also knew if he was to ever betray his own words, she would have her ways to punish him. Her emotion took over her at the time as she placed her palm on his cheek.

"Raphael, I am giving you one more chance. Please, do not ruin it." she pleaded. She could never imagine the same thing happening to them again, thankfully, it would never.

He nodded happily as he brought her close to him and tasted her lips, ravishing her hungrily without a care for the reality. In the spur of the moment, Raphael became completely oblivious to their surroundings.

"I swear, I will never make the same mistake again." he vowed before the goddess of love.

Both of them smiled at each other, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for another kiss. It was as if the two deities had incarnated themselves in the two lovers. Clara, who was merely an ordinary country girl, who was once driven by her own hatred and thirst for revenge, ended up in a much better place than what she had expected, while Raphael, who had held his longing for her for years, finally had her in his arms for the rest of his life.

However, their love story would not end there, for true love does not end when the story ends. There were still so many questions left to be answered. The people around them still haven't received the endings they deserved. What would become of them?

Perhaps it would be a story for another day.