Erik was sitting on his bed, holding his mask, crying. I had found him after asking Madame Giry where he could have gone. She was the only one who knew him that good. I made a few steps towards him. He heard my steps and turned around. His mask fell from him hands and he got up, with a look of salvation into his eyes. He touched my face with a shaking hand, explored it, as if he wasn't sure I was real.

"My Christine…" he whispered.

I pressed his palm on my face with my hand. I didn't mean to, but I started crying. He did what he was always doing when I was upset. He raised his arms protectively around my body, holding his cape in his right fist. I buried my face in my hands and cried.

"Poor Erik… Being as dead as they think you to be… buried in your solitude… and I… I am getting married tomorrow… I only came to say goodbye" I managed to say among my sobbing.

His hands softly grabbed my wrists and pulled my hands on his chest.

"My Christine… my Angel" he said and, for the first time, he bent and kissed me.

Now it was darker than before. Some candles had blown out. Some others were still burning, but their flame was fragile, weak. I couldn't see him, but I could feel him. His movements were surprisingly soft, his kiss was full, and his hands on my back like feathers. Even though I've never done it before, some superior power pushed my hands on his shirt's buttons. He broke the kiss and pulled a bit back, like he was afraid. To comfort him, I kissed his lips and unbuttoned his shirt. He stepped back. I could nearly see nothing, but his white shirt was glowing in the dark. He raised his arms.

"Now you see me, my Angel. Now see the monster I am. And yet, you go on. Why, Christine, why? Do you want to embarrass me before you marry your pure Raoul, your perfect Raoul?" he said

I walked towards him and slipped the cloth down his shoulders, without talking. He let it fall. He was quietly sobbing.

"Why, Christine, why?" he whispered again.

I led his hands from my shoulders to the chords of my dress. I showed to his fingers how to untie them. He was shaking, but I caressed his hands all the way down to my waist. I lowered it and pulled it off, remaining with my underwear. He was still crying when I touched his forehead with mine.

"Because I love you" I answered.

I heard his gasp. He couldn't believe it, maybe he thought I was mocking him.

"Erik, I love you" I said again, so that he would make sure I meant it. I kissed him again and embraced his shoulders, pulling him towards the bed. He sat and I sat in the gap between his legs. I let him kiss my neck. He stopped where he found my pulse and sucked the skin there for a couple of moments. I bent my head to the opposite direction. I wanted to feel every tiny movement of his lips on my skin, his tongue and his teeth playing with my complexion. He made a sudden move and I found myself under his body. I took my corset and rest underwear off and I looked for his belt. I felt him kneeling and taking off his pants.

"What am I doing?" I thought to myself. But before I could regret it, I felt his lips on my neck and my body suppressed my mind. I felt him lowering his hips and I wrapped my arms around him. I was frightened. What of it hurt? What if I hurt him? What if…?

But his lips and his touch were reassuring and I wasn't scared anymore. And he seemed to be sure, confident. Maybe it was the darkness that was hiding his face, maybe it was because I was unable to react under his touch. Either way, I was surrendered. I felt him touching me low, between my legs. I buried my face on his shoulder and he moved.

I screamed.

He stopped and waited. I realized my fingernails were planted in his back. I was shaking under his body, but, second by second, the pain drew back. I let him go and he continued moving inside of me, in a soft and low pace. My screams soon turned into moaning. He was whispering things in my ear. I think they were lyrics from his songs. They were beautiful. Something started growing in my belly, something like an urge, like my guts were entangling and were forming a bow. I hanged myself on him, leaning back my head and moaning loudly. He was now going a little bit faster. And then, unexpectedly, I felt something weird. It felt like my guts released the bow, my heart begun beating like a tambourine, and reality seemed… unreal. I screamed his name while reaching me zenith. He moaned loudly and I felt him finishing. He stayed there, still, forming a bow with his body over me, trying to catch his breath. I placed my palms on his face.

"It's… it's you after all… I couldn't see before… now I do… you're beautiful" I gasped. He fell on my left and kissed my neck.

He made love to me two more times that night. In the end, I could only roost in his arms and fall asleep while he was singing to me.

The morning sun hit my eyes. I opened them. I whispered his name, but got nothing in respond. Silly me, if he was awake, he would have been composing. I turned around to kiss him, but found his pillow empty. I got up. My clothes were tidily placed on his organ. His clothes and his mask were gone. And then I remembered. Sometime, in my sleep, I had heard him whispering "Goodbye". But I thought it was a dream, nothing more. I had decided, the moment I was closing my eyes last night, that I would swear him love forever. But he had left me. I dressed up quietly. My wedding was in three hours. I had to return.