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Anniversaries - Part 2.
Smiling, Joseph turned to the table and gestured towards it. "I have taken the liberty of ordering you a drink." He said while looking back at her.
Looking at the table and seeing a glass of champagne sat waiting for her, Clarisse smiled and looked back at him. "You remembered?" She said, touched that he had remembered her favourite drink after all this time.
"Of course I did, how could I forget," he smiled and helped her with her chair before taking a seat opposite her at the table. "You would be surprised over how much I do remember."
"Oh really?" She said with a smile and placed her shawl and purse on the seat next to her before looking back at him. Leaning forward, she rested her arms on the table in front of her and rested her hands down on the base of her glass. "Go on then, tell me what else you remember about me?" She said tilting her head slightly, intrigued at what else he might remember. If he actually remembers.
"Oh I remember a few things like how you take one sugar in your tea, that you love to walk, you love chocolate but only had it occasionally, your favourite colour is lilac and your favourite flowers are roses," he smirked and took a sip of his beer from the bottle before continuing. "Red ones to be precise," he smiled while placing his bottle back down on the table.
"That's very impressive, and all correct," she smiled up at him, feeling very impressed that he had remembered some of the little facts about her that some wouldn't. "Well done," she said and picked up her glass of champagne, raising it to her lips to take a sip.
"Told you I remembered," he laughed as she placed her glass back down on the table and looked back up at him while nodding.
"You did," she smiled and studied him a moment before turning her head to the side to look across the bar as he watched her. "This is a nice little bar, isn't it?" She said while looking back at him.
"It is, yes," he agreed while glancing around his surroundings before looking back at her, "and luckily for us, the party is on the next floor up," he laughed.
"Quite handy having it here at the hotel," she smiled and took another sip of her champagne.
"Yes it is," he agreed and took another swig of his beer, "you know when I've not had regular updates about you from my parents or Harry and Sabrina, I've been keeping up with you and your family on the news. But how are things going in Genovia?"
"They are good, yes," Clarisse smiled and watched as he placed his bottle of beer back on the table before leaning forward, mimicking how she was sat at the table with her arms resting in front of her. "I'm sure you would have seen, or heard, that I had another boy not long after you left."
"I did, Philippe," Joseph smiled, "bet your father is proud."
"Oh he is, he's very proud of course," Clarisse nodded, "but they are growing up so quick though."
"I can imagine, Philippe's what, six now?" He asked, trying to work out his age.
"Nearly yes, and Pierre is ten," Clarisse beamed, "nearly eleven."
"Wow, it only seems like yesterday he was born," he said in surprise, "and here he is, nearly a teenager."
"I know, it's madness," Clarisse said and shook her head a little.
"I noticed that Rup-, I mean his highness, isn't here," he said and watched as she laughed a little while looking down at her glass.
"You can call him Rupert, you know? And no, he had other arrangements with the prime minister that he couldn't get out of unfortunately," she said and looked back up at him. "But he did tell me to come, enjoy myself and let my hair down with my friends."
"Oh, he did," he said, feeling amused by that and took another drink from his beer.
"Yes he did," she nodded with a smile, "and that's exactly what I plan to do."
"Just like old times," he laughed.
"Yes, just like old times," Clarisse said with a laugh while looking down at her glass a long moment before looking back up at him. "But that's enough about me, what have you been up to this last six years then?"
"Apart from trying to make my marriage work, not very much," he said and looked down at his beer bottle. "I know you are going to ask what happened between me and Viola, but it just didn't work out between us."
"I am sorry you know," she said softly and looked up at him, "it was hard seeing you leave, but I honestly hoped for the best for you both when you left the palace."
"I know and at the end of the day, I really did try but it just wasn't meant to be," he said with a shrug, "and like I said earlier in the hotel lobby, it is what it is."
"I suppose," she said and watched him, "how long has it been since you broke up?"
"Nearly two years," he said, studying her face.
"Oh, your parents or Sabrina never said," Clarisse said as she sat back in her chair and watched as he looked back down at his beer bottle. "They just said that things were fine and that you were alright."
"That's because I told them not to say anything to you about it," he said, unable to look up at her.
"But why?" She asked in confusion.
"Because I felt ashamed at how I handled it all," he said and heard her gasp. Looking up, their eyes met and he continued. "She gave me that ultimatum because she hated the way you and me were around one another. She couldn't stand that we were friends and hated how close we were, but like a fool I allowed her to control what I did when I should have said no, we are friends and she would never come between what we had, but because I wanted my marriage to work I allowed her to come between us and until this day I still regret it. I still regret leaving you and the best job I ever had."
"Oh Joseph," Clarisse said softly and reached her hand across the table, placing it down on his arm. "I am so sorry."
"It's not your fault," he said. "I know she was alright with us being friends at first, even after she found out about us, but after the miscarriage it changed her. I wondered if it was because you were still pregnant and she wasn't, I don't know."
"Unfortunately that does happen sometimes," she said and watched him a long moment as she pulled her hand back and put it back at the base of her glass. "But you know, you mentioned just now that by doing what she wanted she came between us?" She said and watched as he nodded. "No matter what happens Joseph, and yes we just spent six years not speaking because of it, but look at us now? She could never come between us, no matter how much she tried. We have that close bond remember, we talked about it on the security office floor that day you left and no one will ever break that. Not Viola, Rupert, or anyone." She said confidently as he averted his gaze away from her.
Thinking back to the day he left and the conversation that they had on the office floor about their bond, he nodded. "I remember," he said, half smiling as he looked back at her.
"Good and see, you aren't the only one who has a good memory," she said and watched as he chuckled before taking a swig of his beer.
"God I have missed you and working at the palace this last six years," he said while placing his bottle back on the table. "I wish I could come back, but those days are gone."
"They don't have to be... why don't you come back?" Clarisse said quickly, without thinking and watched as he sat in surprise. Realising that yes, she would love him to come back to work at the palace, she continued, "It won't be under the same position as you were in before, not to begin with anyway, but you are a hard worker, a real credit to the team and we would love to have you back."
"Are you serious?" He exclaimed and watched as she nodded.
"Absolutely," she smiled.
"Wow, thank you," he said and shook his head in disbelief, "I don't know what to say."
"Yes, might be a good," Clarisse laughed.
"Yes, alright. In that case I would love to come back to work at the palace," he smiled, "thank you."
"It's okay," Clarisse smiled and took a sip of her champagne before looking back at him, "when would you like to start?" She asked while placing her glass back down.
"Oh I don't know, next week? Next Monday?" He answered, still in a state of shock that he was to once again work at the palace and will be seeing her everyday.
"Next week is good, I will sort it all out once I return home," she smiled and raised her arm to check the time on her watch, but seeing it had twisted around she put her other hand up to turn it back. "Oh god, we better finish off our drinks and get upstairs. We are already five minutes late."
"Are we?" Joseph exclaimed and checked the time on his watch as Clarisse drank the remainder of her champagne. "So we are."
"Okay," she smiled and placed her glass back down on the table before pushing her chair out and getting to her feet. "I'm ready."
"Don't forget your shawl and handbag," Joseph said as he got to his feet and watched as she looked down at the chair she had placed them on earlier.
"Oh yes," she laughed and picked up her shawl, draping it over her arm before picking up her handbag and looked back up at Joseph as he patted the inside pocket of his jacket, making sure he had his wallet. "Ready?" She smiled.
"I am," he smiled and extended his arm out for her to lead the way, just like old times, "after you."
"Thank you," she smiled and began to lead the way out of the bar. The feeling of knowing that he was close behind her once again, exciting her.
Moments later, they were walking through the doors of the ballroom where their friends anniversary party was being held.
"Hello," Sabrina beamed as she hurried over to them and kissed Clarisse's cheek before noticing Joseph was stood behind her, "and what's this? Did you come in together?" She asked while stepping back.
"We did," Clarisse smiled and turned her head to look at Joseph as he stepped forward and kissed Sabrina's cheek, "we had a drink together and a long chat in the bar downstairs."
"You did?" Sabrina exclaimed in surprise, "and everything's obviously alright between you because you are both smiling."
"Yes, everything is fine," Clarisse said and turned her head to smile at Joseph as he nodded before she looked back at Sabrina.
"So all this time I have been worrying about you two being together again and sitting at the same table was all for nothing?" Sabrina teased.
"Yes it was," Clarisse said and they all laughed.
"Ahh well, I'm just happy that everything is alright between you and that you have talked," Sabrina smiled as a couple other guests entered the ballroom.
"Us too," Clarisse smiled, "but we will leave you to finish welcoming guests."
"Okay, to save you looking at the table list, you are both sat at the table with my parents," Sabrina smiled and gestured towards the table where her mother, father and two other guests were sat, "and I will catch up with you both after the meal," Sabrina smiled and watched as they both nodded before walking away.
Raising her eyebrow, Sabrina watched as Joseph put his hand up onto Clarisse's back and shook her head at the action before turning back to greet her other guests.
Thanks for reading this chapter and remember, please do let me know your thoughts ;) it's very much appreciated. Also, what do you think is going to happen in the following chapter? Let me know, I'm curious to see what you all think.
Part 3 will be posted shortly :)