Chapter 4

"A promise is a promise."

-Proverb-

***

On his last day there, the whole Bellavance household was gathered in the living room. Dennis, Clara and Giselle has wanted to bid a proper farewell to the Desroches. Archard was the one who thanked Dennis first for his hospitality and Dennis returned it with a smile.

"It was my pleasure." What the adults failed to notice was the gloomy air that surrounded both Clara and Raphael. They had grown fond of each other during Raphael's stay and Clara had spent more time with him than he did with the others. In her young mind, she knew exactly if he left then she would be alone again. Well, not exactly alone, but she would lose a dear friend and the thought made her somewhat upset.

The same could be said with Raphael, the young boy's heart had been filled with Clara's warmth and to lose it temporarily would be dreadful, yet he knew it would not be the last time they met. Therefore, he tried his best to smile as he watched Clara who was standing beside her father.

Clara was trying her best to not appear blue, she wanted the last bit of memory she could give him to be out of joy. When they were walking outside, she walked over to his side.

"So, you're actually leaving."

"Yes, I have to go back to Paris. I need to continue life there." He turned to her and take her hand in his, he held it so tight as they passed through the door. He kept on holding it until his parents called him to enter the car. With a heavy heart he had to release his grip. Right before He entered the car, she shouted 'wait'. He stopped in his track and Clara took out the wooden box which she had been keeping in her gown's pocket the entire time and handed it over to him.

"Here, a present for you." Raphael was staggered, never in a million years would he expect her to give him anything. He took it from her and moved his hand to open it up yet she laid her hand on top of his to prevent him from doing so.

"Don't open it now, just open it when you're on the plane" Archard and Darline thought it was very sweet of her to do that. They had nothing more in their mind about the two than an innocent relationship between two friends. Giselle who had been silent sent a teasing gaze her way, but Clara did not seem to catch it.

It was only Denise who noticed that there was something going on between these two young teenagers. There was almost an invisible spark between the two. He had been suspicious of it, yet it seemed harmless. For a moment it took him back to his own youth, watching her smiling as Raphael placed the box close to his heart.

"I'll cherish it." she took two steps back from him and it was time for them to leave. Dennis guided them once more to the car and stacked the luggage like usual. Clara was standing on the stairs in front of the house with Giselle by her side. She was patting Clara's shoulder and gently squeezed it to cheer her up.

The car started moving, Raphael pulled down the car's window and stared at Clara for the last time, she was waving her hand at him with a faint smile on her face. It was the last time Raphael would see her in a while and he knew it. He put the box inside the pocket of his jacket. He could contain his smiles, his cheeks were gradually turning red and he had to cover his eyes with his palm to prevent his parents from noticing.

The whole way to the airport, his mind was filled with the thoughts of Clara, he kept on replaying their time together like a broken cassette. He was imagining everything about her, her eyes, her lips, her soft hair, and he found his heart beating faster and faster and there was an inconvenient feeling between his legs.

Never in his whole life had he ever felt that way, there was something inside of him, an awakening of something new. He could feel it, it was an unknown emotion, an attraction. He was eighteen years old, he was already a young adult, and he managed to get through his teenage years without dating the girls. Although they were all swooning over him, so why ? Why did it have to be Clara?

He did not know the answer but he did not care. When they were seated on the plane, he took out the box and opened it up, it was a antlers key chain she had made for him. It was surprisingly good for a handmade item done by a sixteen years old. He thought it looked cute but rather than that, he appreciated her thoughts behind the object. For him it had so many different meaning.

He was grinning like a fool as he held the key chain on his hand, Archard saw his son and wondered what was wrong with him, but he had a guess, after all he was once young himself. He just giggled it off and pretended like he knew nothing.

Raphael was young and did not have a huge vision of the world, but he knew one thing at the moment.

He would meet her again. Even if it might take years, he would definitely find his way to her again. In fact, he was not just going to meet her and ended it there, he wanted more than that, he wanted to bring her with him to Paris and marry her, and then they would start their own little happy family, the thought alone intrigued him. He had been thinking way beyond his age, it might sound silly if he was to express it to his friends.

The young boy was sure that they had never felt what he felt. It was a strong attraction, an emotion of deep yearning, of wanting.

Raphael had never truly believed in the classic romance he used to read on his father's library, he was always more of a realist, yet something changed within him that day. He tried to figure out what he was feeling, deep within his subconscious, he had known right then,

He found his first love... and he was going to hold on to it.

That was his promise.