A Night to Remember

It was a rainy afternoon. Clarisse stood at the window of the living room of her temporary home in the south of London and was gazing in the beautiful garden. After Mia had taken over the throne of Genovia Clarisse had stayed for another year to make sure her young granddaughter became comfortable with her new role as queen of Genovia.

Even though Mia still had "clumsy moments" as she liked to put it Clarisse was sure she would make a fine queen. So she had left the country for England. There was much to think about. Joseph, her former chief of security, had become a very close friend. It was obvious that he had fallen in love with her but she just wasn't sure what her feelings for him were. Of course she liked him. Actually she liked him very much. But nonetheless she had a feeling of guilt when she thought about her deceased husband. It still felt ... wrong to have feelings for another man.

Sighing Clarisse turned around and looked through the living room. Thinking about Joseph reminded her of the fact that he was still in Genovia. After their last disagreement concerning the nature of their relationship he had insisted on remaining there. In order to support Mia as he had put it. But Clarisse couldn't deny that she missed him. She missed his company and their long conversations. He had seen the woman in her when she was still queen. And he had tried to convince her that she had a duty to herself. The duty to allow herself to be loved as a woman again.

The sound of footsteps on the other side of the door caught Clarisse's attention. Someone knocked.

"Come in!"

The door opened and one of the servants came in, carrying a tea tray. "Your tea, Your Majesty." The elder woman smiled brightly at her and put the tray on the nearby table.

"Gertie, I told you I'm not queen anymore so, please, stop calling me that." Clarisse tried to remain calm but the fact that she had to repeat herself about this over and over again was quite annoying. Especially with that former German actress. She didn't seem to listen to anything Clarisse said. But Clarisse decided to deal with that later. For now she wanted to enjoy her tea. Alone. Again.

After Gertie had left Clarisse sat down and poured herself some tea. She had always liked tea time but lately it had become very ... lonely. She was still thinking about the good old times in Genovia when there came another sound from the door.

She turned in order to see who had entered the room without knocking but all she saw was a huge bunch of red roses and a pair of legs in black trousers. Clarisse smiled.

"Hello Joseph!"

"How do you know it's me?", came the familiar voice. When his face appeared behind the flowers Clarisse could see his radiant smile. He was just as happy about seeing her as she was.

"Well, I guess a woman should keep some secrets." When Joseph kissed her lightly on the cheek she closed her eyes. She really enjoyed the feeling of his skin on hers.

"Do you want some tea?" Clarisse pointed at the table but when Joseph shook his head she motioned for the sofa instead.

Soon they were deep in conversation about Mia and Genovia. Joseph could tell that Clarisse missed the country and being the queen. But it was also obvious that she had used the time here in England to relax and forget all the troubles she had had to deal with in Genovia. Well, maybe not all troubles.

Suddenly Joseph became quiet. He looked at her with that special look in his eyes.

"So, how is life here in England?" he asked carefully.

"To be honest it's a bit lonely. I missed you, Joseph." She touched his cheek lightly with the back of her hand.

"And I missed you. That's why I just had to come." Taking her hand into his he started putting butterfly kisses all over her palm. Clarisse shivered but didn't pull away. She knew that she was afraid of the intimacy, of what could become of these kisses. But she also knew that she couldn't resist. In this very moment she understood that she had actually fallen in love with Joseph.

"And I'm glad you did." Smiling Clarisse moved closer to him. And then their lips met in the first shy kiss. First they were gently exploring each other but when their tongues met in a passionate embrace Clarisse broke away.

Surprised Joseph looked at her. He had been quite sure that she had wanted this as much as he.

But then she surprised him again. "Let's go to the bedroom. I'm too old for this on the floor.", she said with a mischievous smile. Taking his hand she led him upstairs to her bedroom. After closing the door they moved closer and closer until their bodies finally met.

"I love you, Clarisse." Carefully Joseph began stroking her back while he kissed her all over her face.

"And I love you." Somehow it seemed a relief to have finally said it. Clarisse smiled and took his face in her hands. She brushed her lips over his and enjoyed the sensation of feeling him respond so nicely.

The next morning Clarisse awoke suddenly. She realized what had happened the other evening but somehow she didn't regret it. When she looked up to see whether Joseph was already awake she found him looking at her inquiringly.

But with a content smile she nestled herself right beside him resting her head on his breast and listening to his heartbeat while he caressed her back lazily.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked.

"Oh, I just wondered whether or not you'd accept my proposal this time." Clarisse could feel his smile when he said that.

"Which proposal?" she asked with an innocent look on her face while she turned her head so she could look at his face.

"You won't let me off the hook, will you?" Joseph sighed in mock despair.

"No!"

Sitting up Joseph helped Clarisse in a sitting position as well.

"Okay. As I already said, if it weren't for my knee replacement I'd kneel. So, here we go: Will you marry me?"

Clarisse closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the passion they had shared only hours ago.

"Yes." With tears in her eyes she looked at him. In this moment she was perfectly happy, and she knew that this night had changed her life forever. Joseph would be the man she would grow old with. Who would make her laugh, dry her tears and fight away her fears. This certainly was a night to remember.

Fin