"Who is she, Joseph? Because whoever it is you just told her no, not tonight,"Clarisse said, but turned and started walking across the room and out the door before he could answer.
"Clarisse wait, please let me explain?" Joseph exclaimed while climbing from the bed and hurrying out onto the landing after her, where he watched as she began making her way down the stairs. "Clarisse, please?" He begged as she stopped on the steps and turned to look up at him.
"I can't even look at you Joseph, because you aren't meant to do things like this," she exclaimed while putting her hands out on the bannister in front of her. "You aren't meant to say another woman's name in your sleep," she said tearfully and shook her head.
"I know, I'm sorry," he replied and watched as she continued down the stairs while shaking her head. "Clarisse," he said softly. Knowing he had hurt her, he watched her disappear into the kitchen, while putting his hands on the railings and taking a couple of deep breaths, giving her a moment or two alone before making his way down to speak to her.
Standing in the kitchen doorway, he looked over at Clarisse sitting at the dining table with her back to him. He could tell from how she was sitting that she was holding her head in her hands and it broke his heart. "Her name is Gisele," he said and slowly stepped into the room while looking down at his phone.
"Yes, I established that when you told her not tonight," Clarisse snapped as she lowered her hands and turned her head briefly to the side before sitting back how she was. Holding her head in her hands.
"And," he said, standing beside her and reaching his arm out, he placed his phone on the table in front of her, "I had messaged her back before I fell asleep."
Lowering her hands from her head once again, Clarisse looked down at his phone and read the text he replied with quietly to herself. "Hi Gigi, yes I am back for a couple of weeks, on, as you may have guessed by now, my honeymoon. I'm planning to meet with family, and show my wife around, having never been here before. And we are quite looking forward to it." Looking up at him, she stared a moment before asking. "Gisele is Gigi? Vee's friend?"
"Yes, she is," Joseph nodded while moving the chair from the end of the dining table closer to Clarisse and sat down on it as she folded her arms together on the table in front of her.
"Did you date her?" She asked, studying his face.
"We didn't date, no, but we have somewhat of a history together," Joseph said and watched as Clarisse looked down at his phone. "After my mother's funeral we were all at the bar together, and after a few drinks we went back to where I was staying, one thing led to another, and Gisele and I ended up in bed together," he said as Clarisse took a deep breath and looked back up at him.
"Did you love her?" She asked and watched as he shook his head.
"No, we were merely, what people say, friends with benefits," Joseph replied.
"You mean it happened more than once?" Clarisse asked in surprise and slumped back in her chair.
"Yes, whenever I visited, we got together," Joseph nodded. "Which obviously wasn't very often, not with working at the palace."
"But there was no love there between you?" Clarisse asked while sitting back up. "You were just friends with benefits?"
"There was no attraction or real love between us, only as being long-time friends," Joseph said honestly as he studied Clarisse's face. Wondering what she must be thinking, finding all this out now. "Neither of us wanted a relationship, just a bit of fun. That was made clear right from the start, on both our parts. And that's how it always was."
"Of course, she's Vee's best friend, oh," Clarisse said suddenly remembering what he had said earlier that day in the car, "which means if she went to school with Vee that'll make her twenty years younger than you."
"Yes it does," Joseph nodded, "and before you say anything about the age gap between us, it was the same amount of years between you and Rupert."
Nodding, Clarisse sat back in her chair and thought a moment while crossing her arms across her stomach before looking up at her husband. "Did you bring her here? To this place we are staying now?"
"Oh god no," Joseph shook his head. "I first stayed here when I visited the last time I came two years ago, and we were together then."
"So you haven't been with her since we have been together? Even though we weren't sleeping together then, you didn't feel tempted to go see her while you were here and be with her because we weren't, you know?" Clarisse asked with a slight shrug, her heart beating a little bit faster at the possibility of him being tempted.
"God no, Clarisse," he exclaimed and shook his head, "is that what you think? That I would come here and sleep with her while I'm in a relationship with you?"
"No, I don't know," Clarisse said and shook her head.
"Listen to me okay, by the time we got together in San Francisco, she had moved away. But even if she was still here when I visited the last time, there was no way on this earth that I would have gone to her. Not when I had the most beautiful woman in the world waiting for me back in Genovia." Joseph said.
"Okay," Clarisse said, studying his face a moment. "And you have no feelings for her, whatsoever?"
"No, none," Joseph said with a shake of his head, "but there is something you should know."
"What's that?" Clarisse asked, her stomach was in her mouth and her mind was in overdrive over what he was about to tell her.
"She is back here now, that's what Diego wanted to speak to me about earlier at the airport," Joseph said honestly. "And she's working at his bar."
"Oh," Clarisse said and looked down at his phone, contemplating his revelation for a long moment.
"But he told me that on the night we go to his bar," he began as Clarisse looked back up at him, "if you still want to go that is, he will give her the night off so that she's not there when we are. So it wouldn't be awkward for you, for us."
"Can I think about it? As I'm really not sure now," Clarisse asked.
"Of course, we won't go anywhere you don't want to go," he said and, sensing she was somewhat calmer now, put his hand up onto the top of her back. "Are you mad?" He asked after a moment's silence.
"No I'm not mad, I'm just shocked," Clarisse said as she shook her head while looking down. "Especially with you saying her name in your sleep."
"I know, and I can't apologise enough for saying what I did," Joseph said and began to slowly smooth his hand back and forth across the top of her back as she looked back up at him. "The only thing I can think of as to why I said her name was because I had texted her right before falling asleep."
"I know, I realise that now, and I know that you are genuinely sorry, and I believe you," Clarisse nodded as she studied his face. "And as hard as it is for me to hear, all this happened before we got together, I was married to someone else and therefore have absolutely no right to say anything about what happened in your past, about your past flings and relationships. Including what happened between you and Esmée. I still just wish, deep down, that it had been with me. That's all."
"I know, I do too," Joseph said softly as she looked across the kitchen and out of the floor-to-ceiling window for a long, agonising moment. "I know it's been a lot for you to take in tonight."
"You can say that again," Clarisse said, agreeing with him as she looked back at him and leant closer to rest her head on his shoulder with a sigh.
"I hope that we can work past this, Clarisse, my love," Joseph said softly, his arm wrapping lovingly around her shoulders. "Because you know that you are the only woman for me, right? You have been for so, so many years. I just made a few mistakes along the way, especially with Esmée. But had we had the chance to be together long ago, I would have been with you right from the start. You know that."
"I know, and the same goes for me too," Clarisse said and took a deep breath before continuing. "Talking of Esmée, I need to tell you something. She wrote to me."
"I know, well I didn't know in what way you had heard from her, just that you had," Joseph said softly and watched as she lifted her head, from where it had been resting on his shoulder, and looked up at him. "What did she say?"
"I don't know, I haven't read the letter. I didn't want to yet," she said with a small shake of her head. "I wanted us to enjoy our honeymoon first, then I was going to deal with it when we got home."
"I've ruined our honeymoon with this, haven't I?" Joseph said sadly and shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Clarisse, I really am."
"No, you haven't ruined it," Clarisse said softly and looked into his eyes. "It was just a mistake, one we have talked about and sorted."
"Yes, we have," Joseph nodded, "and moving forward from this, no more secrets between us. Okay?"
"No more secrets," Clarisse nodded in agreement before resting her head back on her husband's shoulder and closing her eyes as he wrapped his arm back around her shoulders.
"Esmée was one of my biggest mistakes, you know that right? I still feel so much regret over it, so much so that I still wish to this day that I could turn back the clock ten years, back to the day it happened, I would never have had a drink with her that night and I would certainly never had slept with her either," he said.
"Esmée, are you awake?" Clarisse called out with a smile as she knocked on, and opened, the guest suite door and slowly entered the semi-dark room. "I have cleared my morning so that we can spend some time together before you go home tomorrow," she added as she closed the door up behind her and began making her way over to the sleeping form in the bed. "Esmée?"
"Clarisse?" Esmée exclaimed in surprise as she appeared in her robe in the bathroom doorway.
"Esmée?" Clarisse exclaimed just as equally surprised, as she looked over at her. "If you're there, then who is.." she said, slowly turning her head to look back at the bed.
"Oh no," Esmée replied quietly and covered her eyes for the briefest of moments as Clarisse looked back over at her. "Please don't be mad. You're gonna be mad at me, aren't you?" She said, lowering her hands from her face and looking back at Clarisse.
"Yes I am mad at you, you are a guest here, Esmée," Clarisse said as she folded her arms. "You can't just bring random men back for a night of passion. It's a security risk. Actually, how did you even get past security with him?"
"I didn't, I mean.." Esmée said, hesitating, and shook her head. "He's not just some random guy I met in a bar, Clarisse."
"What do you mean? Who is it?" Clarisse asked as she glanced over at the bed before looking back at her. "Is it actually one of the security guys?"
"That's why I said you're going to be mad at me," Esmée said as she walked over to her. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean for it to happen, especially since I know how you feel... but you need to know, we were drunk and it just happened."
"Esmée, you're not... making," Clarisse said and shook her head slowly, heartbreakingly, as the penny dropped. "Is that who I think it is?" She asked and looked over to the bed. Her heart pounding in her chest. Unable to quite believe this was happening.
"I am so so sorry," Esmée said and shook her head as she watched her walk slowly over to the bed, to the side this person she had spent the night with, was lying on. "I know how you feel about one another, and I know it was wrong and…"
"Oh my god, Joseph," Clarisse exclaimed loudly and put her hands up, framing her face in them, as she took a step or two backwards in complete and utter shock.
Opening his eyes at hearing her voice, Joseph gasped, "Clarisse," he exclaimed and quickly sat up on the bed, trying to keep as much of him covered as he possibly could, "it isn't what it looks like."
"You slept together? I think it's everything it looks like," Clarisse whispered and lowered her hands from her face as she backed away from the bed, from him. The man she truly loved. "This can't be happening," she said and put a hand up onto her forehead while turning to walk away. "I need to um… I need to go."
"Clarisse... Your Majesty, wait, I can explain," Joseph exclaimed, going to jump from the bed but stopped when he remembered he wasn't wearing any clothes.
"No," Clarisse snapped in frustration and lowered her hand as she stopped and turned back to him, looking at him a moment, "no!" She repeated, more angrier this time, and turned to continue walking towards the door, where once she reached it she stopped and once again turned back to him. "And as for explaining, there's no need. Esmée here has already filled me in on what happened. You were drunk and it just happened," she said, fighting back her tears with a shrug.
"Clarisse," Esmée said softly as she took a few steps closer to her, but stopped when she put both of her hands up to stop her.
"You were the only person I fully trusted, I confided in you over how I felt about him, Esmée, and you betrayed me," Clarisse said sadly and shook her head.
"You told her how you feel?" Joseph asked in surprise as Clarisse looked over at him still sitting on the bed with the bedsheets covering his bottom half.
"How did I betray you? I didn't tell him that I knew you loved him, I kept that a secret," Esmée said as both Clarisse and Joseph, knowing that his question to Clarisse would now go unanswered, looked back at her.
"You betrayed me by going behind my back and sleeping with the man I truly love, even after you told me just days ago that he wasn't your type," Clarisse replied as Joseph looked back at her. "And you, you're just as bad," she said, looking at Joseph, "you still slept with her knowing how I feel about you. Anyone else fine, but her?"
"You aren't in a relationship with him, Clarisse, you are married to someone else, so by rights Joseph can see, or sleep, with anyone he likes," Esmée replied, as Joseph rested his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands.
"I think you should leave," Clarisse said and folded her arms as she stared across the room at her.
"Very well, if that's what you want then I will pack and leave this afternoon," Esmée nodded.
"See that you do," Clarisse said and turned her head to look momentarily at Joseph still sitting on the bed before shaking her head and turning back to the door to leave.
"For what it's worth, Clarisse, I am sorry," Esmée said and watched as Clarisse stopped and turned her head back to her.
"Sorry you got caught more like," Clarisse said soberly and continued out the door. Stepping outside, she closed the door behind her and pressed a hand to her stomach while taking a couple of deep breaths. Trying desperately to compose herself, when all she really wanted to do was scream and shout out her frustration, the hurt she felt, before finally walking away.
"I know you regret it, you told me later that day," Clarisse nodded and lifted her head from his shoulder once again and looked up at him. "Everyone makes mistakes Joseph, hell I have even made a few myself over the years, but it doesn't mean we have to pay for them for the rest of our lives. We have to learn from them and move on."
"That is so true," Joseph nodded. "I can still see your face though when you found me in her bed the next morning. And I think I always will." He said sadly. "I'm sorry I hurt you that day, and I know I did because you spent the day locked away in your office avoiding me."
"Do you blame me for avoiding you? I was hurt that you, the man that I loved, and longed to be with, had slept with my younger sister. Of all people." Clarisse said as she looked into his eyes.