Hey everyone, I just want to thank and give all you amazing people reading this story and leaving me wonderful reviews a big shout out. I APPRECIATE IT!
I would also like to say, to the guest who reviewed chapter 8 and said 'Rupert has shown what sort of a person he is several times including the occasions he went out of his way, knowing that Joseph loves Clarisse, to let Joseph believe that he & Clarisse had made love when they hadn't.'
I had added those little occasions to see if anyone would pick up on that, and you did, so thank you :) it gets mentioned in this chapter so hope you are still following the story, whoever you are.
Anyway, thanks again everyone :) here's the next chapter for you all now...
New Years Eve - Part 3.
Placing her glass back down and resting her hands either side of it on the bar, Clarisse thought a moment, contemplating what he had just said before she averted her gaze to him and returned his coy smile. He'd always had a gorgeous smile, it was one of the first things that had attracted her to him and it still, till this day, gave her butterflies. "That's true," she smiled and looked down at her glass.
"Here I am," Sabrina smiled as she suddenly appeared behind them sitting at the bar and watched as they both turned their heads to look at her. "Sorry I wasn't about when you arrived," she said while stepping closer to Clarisse, to kiss her cheek while putting her hand on her back.
"That's alright, you don't need to apologise," Clarisse smiled at her and watched as she leant closer to Joseph, to kiss his cheek, "everything is alright though, isn't it?"
"Oh yeah, everything's okay. I just needed to speak to the hotel manager about something," Sabrina nodded and reached her arm between Clarisse and Joseph, placing her glass down on the bar before looking back at Clarisse, "anyway, are you okay?" She asked.
"Yes, of course I am. Joseph's looking after me, aren't you?" Clarisse smiled while glancing towards him and reached her hand out, putting it on his bicep as she looked back to Sabrina. Gasping, she quickly looked back at Joseph while giving his arm a small squeeze, "wow, someone's been working out."
"Well of course I have, I gotta keep fit in my job you know," Joseph smiled at Clarisse and watched as she gave a small smile back while removing her hand from his arm and picked up her glass.
Shaking her head at that interaction, Sabrina looked from Joseph to Clarisse and leant closer to her friend to whisper in her ear as she took a sip of her drink, "honestly though, with everything that's going on are you okay?" Sabrina asked quietly.
"Yes absolutely," Clarisse smiled and looked at the bar as she placed her glass back down, "Joseph is making sure that I'm safe, and looking after me."
"That's what I'm worried about, him looking after you," Sabrina said as Clarisse looked back at her, her expression changing as she realised what her friend was insinuating and raised her eyebrow. "Don't you look at me like that either, I have known you both long enough to know what you are both like, especially when you have been drinking."
"Oh relax, nothing is going to happen between us. Not this time," Clarisse said with a shake of her head.
"Hmmm... you said that before," Sabrina smirked before leaning closer to whisper in her ear, "and yes I know most the time nothing has happened, but at the moment things are, shall we say, different?"
"I know they are," Clarisse nodded while looking at her before averting her gaze to Joseph as he stepped off his stool. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm okay," Joseph said with a shake of his head as Sabrina turned her head to look at him, "I was just moving to the next stool along so that Sabrina can sit up here next to you."
"Aww thank you," Sabrina said and smiled at him as he climbed up onto the next stool along.
"It's fine," he smiled and took a sip of his drink before looking back at them, "I know how much you ladies love to talk so you could be here a while."
"Hey," Sabrina exclaimed and stood open mouthed as Joseph chuckled in his seat.
"He has a point," Clarisse smiled as she rested her elbow on the bar and rested the side of her head against her hand while looking at Joseph, "we do love to talk," she said and looked at Sabrina as she sat up on the stool between her and Joseph.
"Hmm, I suppose we do," Sabrina said and smiled at Joseph before turning her head to look at Clarisse sitting on her other side.
"Oh, I just remembered," Clarisse suddenly exclaimed as she lifted her head from her hand, "I forgot to tell you earlier, if it all goes well tonight and she says yes, then I will have an engaged son."
"Not Philippe?" Sabrina exclaimed in surprise and watched as Clarisse nodded while pulling a mock sad face.
"Yes Philippe, my baby," Clarisse exclaimed while entwining her hands and placing them together on the front of her knee as she sat with her legs crossed on the stool.
"But he's not old enough?" Sabrina said, "how can he be getting engaged already?"
"I know," Clarisse nodded slowly and looked across the bar a long moment, thinking of her sons, her life, and how messed up everything was at the moment. Oh how she wished it could be simpler.
"I admire you, you know?" Sabrina said, pulling Clarisse from her thoughts, and watched as she turned her head to look back at her.
"Why?" Clarisse asked with a smile and small shake of her head.
"Well for coming tonight and for not letting whats going on, get you down," Sabrina said softly.
"Oh, well, I think the fact that we haven't actually slept together since before I found out I was pregnant, which was over a year ago has helped greatly," Clarisse said while picking up her glass and looked back at her friend, "and the fact that he moved out of our suite earlier this year has helped a lot too."
"You mean, you haven't... at all?" Sabrina asked in surprise and watched as Clarisse shook her head.
"Nope, nothing," Clarisse said and took a sip of her champagne before placing her glass back down on the bar and continuing with a shrug, "I tried, several times in fact, but, well, now I know why he wasn't interested."
"Oh Clarisse, I'm sorry," Sabrina said as she reached out her hand, putting it onto her entwined hands resting together against the front of her knee once again. "I shouldn't have said anything."
"No it's fine, honestly," Clarisse said and leant closer to her friend, "I'm here to have a good time tonight, because for the last 25 years I have done nothing but try my best and I'm tired. Tired of trying and putting on a facade to make everyone else happy when inside I'm actually quite miserable. I'm not happy, haven't been for so long that I've forgotten what being happy feels like. So tonight, I am going to see in the new year with my best friends and I'm certainly not going to let what he's done ruin my night."
"Oh Clarisse," Sabrina smiled, "I'm so proud of you."
"Thank you," Clarisse smiled and raised her glass to Sabrina, tipping it slightly towards her before taking a sip of her champagne.
Sitting behind Sabrina, Joseph looked down at his glass and shook his head at what he had just heard. He remembered all those times over the last few months when he was stood guard on Clarisse's door and Rupert would emerge with his shirt undone and pulled out from his trousers, his hair ruffled, a smirk on his face. Giving the impression that they had just made love.
He wasn't surprised though, knowing what kind of man Rupert is, he realised that is something that he would do, to keep up appearances in front of his staff so that no one would suspect what was really going on between him and Ruth. He himself should have realised long ago, that nothing had happened between them like Rupert had made out, and it sickened him that he didn't. It sickened him over what Rupert had done, and how much it had hurt his friend, catching them together in his office. He still wanted to kill him for what he had done, but Clarisse was right. He simply wasn't worth it.
"Right, I better get back to mingling," Sabrina said as she stepped off the stool, "I will come and see you again in a bit," she added while leaning closer to Clarisse and kissed her cheek.
"Well, I'll be here," Clarisse smiled.
"Good," Sabrina smiled while picking up her glass from the bar and looked at Joseph as he turned to them, "you make sure you look after her."
"Always," Joseph smiled and kissed her cheek as she leant closer to him.
"See you both later," Sabrina said and walked away as Joseph looked at Clarisse taking a sip of her champagne.
Lowering her glass and noticing Joseph watching her, she shrugged her shoulders and half smiled, "what?" She asked as she placed her glass back on the bar.
Stepping from his stool, Joseph moved around the stool that Sabrina was sat on just moments ago, to stand beside Clarisse and leant closer to whisper in her ear. "I like this song the band are playing now, so I was wondering if you would like to dance with me?" He asked, deciding not to say anything yet about what he had realised after hearing hers and Sabrina's conversation, wanting her to enjoy herself after everything she had been through this last few days instead.
"I would love too," she smiled and watched as he put his hand out for hers, causing a breath to hitch in her throat at the prospect of them dancing.
Taking his hand Clarisse stepped carefully from the stool and began to lead him over to the dance floor, where, once they reached it, she turned to face him and took a few steps backwards before stopping and waiting for him to move closer to her. Smiling, she wrapped her arm around him and placed her hand on the back of his shoulder as he snaked his free hand around her waist, resting it on her lower back as they began to move in time to the song.
Across the room, Sabrina stood with her champagne glass in her hands, watching them both dancing slowly together when her husband appeared beside her. "Are you alright?" Harry asked as he put his hand lovingly on her back and kissed her cheek.
"Yes," Sabrina nodded as she turned her head to him, smiling. "Just watching those two together," she said and looked back towards the dance floor.
Turning his head to look in the direction Sabrina was looking, Harry watched as their two oldest friends danced closely together, gazing lovingly in each other's eyes. "Oh," he said, "it's a shame she's married to someone else."
"What an odd thing to say," Sabrina said while turning to look at her husband, "considering she's been married for the last 25 years."
"I know that, like we both know how they feel for one another, have done for years," Harry said as he glanced at her then looked back at Clarisse and Joseph dancing, "It's just a shame that he's setting himself up for more heartache when they dance so perfectly together, like they were meant to be, even more so now he's single."
"What, he's single?" Sabrina said in surprise and watched as Harry looked back at her.
"Yeah, he and Nicolette broke up," Harry said and took a sip of his drink as Sabrina looked back at their friends dancing. "Anyway, as long as you're alright?"
"Yeah, I'm okay," Sabrina nodded and looked back at him as the band began to sing a more lively song, "go and have fun."
"Thank you, you too," he said and gave her a kiss before walking away.
Taking a sip of her drink, Sabrina looked back towards the dance floor just as Joseph took a step back from Clarisse while raising their arms up in the air and let go of her hand as she twirled away from him and stopped, swaying her hips in time with the music while resting one hand against her stomach, her other hand still up in the air.