Chapter 11

"To love is to return to a home we never left, to remember who we are."

-Sam Keen-

***

The plane had departed from the airport for a while, while all the passenger had settled themselves, it was not the case with Raphael who was still making an attempt to calm his own heartbeat. No, it was not from the flight. Raphael had flown with plane too many times, the only reason why his heart was beating like crazy was thanks to the beauty beside him. Once in a while during he would steal glances at her just to ensure she was fine. Clara was seated next to the window, there were mixtures of emotions present in her eyes.

She had been staring outside for a while since they were seated. Resting her arms on the side of the plane, she pondered upon the possibility of a new life in Paris. She knew it was going to feel so weird and to be honest she was still doubting her decision but the pain in her heart had overcome the fear she had for the uncertainty. She just knew she needed to move away and if it had to be done through a stranger's help. So be it.

It had been a while since she had been on a plane, so long she could barely even remember it, it had nothing to do with her finances, she could travel if she wanted it was just she had never been that great at handling airport and all the trouble that came with it. Usually she always had someone accompanied her during these times. She had traveled several times with her father and some friends from college, but she had never traveled by herself before. Technically speaking, she was not alone, Raphael was right beside her.

Should she count it?

A million thoughts rushed through her mind, she had wondered if she made the right decision, but even if she did not, it was already too late. Everything was becoming very real for her.

The Previous Day...

Clara was packing in her room when she heard a knock on the door, putting down the clothes in her hand, she accidentally bumped her elbow on the side of her bed and let out a small groan before she eventually opened the door and found Raphael standing there. It was the first time she had looked at him up close. At this point her head had cleared out a little bit and she was able to take a proper look at him.

She had not realized it before but he was incredibly handsome. Much more handsome than what she had initially seen. It made her heart skipped a bit. Though it was no time to be admiring him, clearing her throat, she asked him what his business was, instead of answering her question, he tilted his head to get a view of her room and saw a stack of boxes laying on the floor.

"May I come in?" She thought about it for a minute before moving her body to clear a path for him. Closing the door, he pulled a chair and made himself comfortable. He never thought there would come a day where he could enter her bedroom as an adult, it felt a bit strange. One thing he noticed was the vibrant floral and wood scent that seemed to envelope the room.

"Are you planning to bring these?"

She nodded as she pulled her suitcase from the inner part of her wardrobe. It was her biggest suitcase which she rarely ever used, the last time it went out to see the sun was when she went to college. Never thought the old thing would eventually be useful again.

"These would not be necessary, I could get you anything you want." She stared at him in disbelief, did he just seriously say that? She did not understand how his mind functioned, the handsome stranger that suddenly invaded her life out of nowhere was telling her that he could get her anything she wanted? She had no idea if she should take it as an offense or a compliment. Both options seemed decent but she chose the latter.

Still, who exactly was he with the audacity to make such offer?

"You would be mon amour, it is only the right thing to do." he stood up and walked over to her, with every step he took, she took a step back, automatically as if it was programmed and then she reached the wall, and she could no longer back away. He rested one of his arms on her side and gave her a flirtatious smile. Clara had to admit this man's smile was deadly in a good way.

The distance between them was closing in, admittedly, she had never been that close to a man before except for Marcel, it was making her nervous, she placed her hand on his chest and went to push him away. Raphael backed out a bit and she took the chance to slipped out from the awkward situation. He was incredibly amused with her reaction but he was holding himself back from appearing to enjoy it too much.

She continued packing and he was grinning like a victorious cat. She pretended not to see but it was becoming way too obvious, the two of them were teasing each other without even being conscious of the tease. This brought back the wonder in Clara. Her mind diverted back to the night when she had agreed to his bizarre offer. She had no idea why she even accepted his proposal, when she had initially rejected it, perhaps it was because of his persuasive tone, or maybe it was because she knew he truly could help her beyond what she could do herself.

As she was packing, a soft hum was heard in the air, she made sure that she had pack everything she needed and checked it several times. Raphael remained in his position watching as she packed, he wanted to help but he had no idea how he would come to be useful, therefore rather than messing anything up, he just sat there until he could no longer. There was barely any conversation exchanged between them when she was packing and he was not enjoying it. As he rested his hand on the edge of the chair, he opened up his mouth to break the silence.

"Clara, I would like to thank you for accepting my proposal, you have no idea how much it means to me." He smiled a sincere smile. Her heart warmed up as she heard those words uttered yet she needed to make something clear to begin with.

"Okay, I need to get this out of my head. Before we truly do this, I want us to make a set of agreement." It was not even a question, it was a demand, An order right from her pretty lips. The smile slowly dissipated from his face. Raphael lifted his eyebrow. An agreement?

"1. I would marry you but but before our marriage ceremony is held, I would stay in a separate room in your penthouse." He felt slightly disappointed upon hearing her first request. He had imagined them staying together in a room, that way, he could cuddle up to her at night or more, but he could understand her position, and nodded his head.

"2. I would not bother with you with your personal space and vice versa, we would mind our own business until we are officially married." That one was an easy one for him, at least theoretically.

"3. Our engagement would remain private from the public's eye, It will only be revealed to trusted family members. I may not know you, but I do know you are an important person, and I don't want to get involved in the spotlight." He could respect this one, because he himself did not want anyone outside the family to find out about Clara either, he wanted her all to himself. At the same time the disappointment returned to him as she mentioned the phrase again 'I don't know you'.

Had everything they gone through back then a mere lie then? Was it an illusion easily forgotten by her?

No, he thought it was time for her to know.

Before she even continued further, she had asked him for his name because obviously if she would live with him for a long period of time, she needed to know his name. It's true he had not told her yet, because he hoped she would find out about it on her own, but he shrugged it off and smiled. It was time to drop the bomb. He told her his full name. At the moment, something rang inside her head, the name was oddly familiar, she felt like she had heard it before. Somehow, somewhere...

Raphael Desroches, Desroches...

She dug deep into her memory and closed her eyes, then it hit her. She took a step back and cover her mouth out of shock. A sense of the feeling she had buried deep inside years ago resurfaced. She finally remembered.

"No way!" Her eyes widened, then a drop of tear fell from her eyes. Clara's heart was jumping out of her chest at the mention of his name. How could she fail to recognize him? Though it no longer mattered. With a bright smile, he reaffirmed.

"Yes, it's me, Clara." He walked over to her and reached out his arms to embrace her tightly. It was the first time she had allowed him to touch her since he arrived. The warmth of his body enveloped her. Clara was frozen, she unable to move even an inch of her body. He kissed her forehead and whispered on her ear.

"I'm back, Mon Amour."