I am back, my darlings! I apologize for the long wait. So much has been going on, and for awhile I didn't know where I wanted to take the story. But I have a good feeling of where this is headed now, and I think you're going to like it. :) Enjoy.
~M~
"Christine, you were wonderful!" Meg Giry exclaimed, hugging her best friend. "Your voice was so beautiful! God has truly blessed you with a wonderful gift."
Christine gave her friend a warm smile and a delighted laugh, her head and heart still thrumming from the excitement of her performance. She had just finished singing for the first time in front of an audience in the opera, and the rush she had experienced was unlike any other. At first she had been so frightened, and for a while she had let doubt set in her mind. But the thought of her beloved father watching her up above cleared her head and gave her the courage she needed. With a head held high she had stepped on stage, losing herself in her character and letting her voice ring to the heavens.
What she did not expect was the passionate response she received from the audience. They had adored her, and Christine could still hear the standing ovations and the demands for an encore even after she had left the stage. Carlotta of course was not amused, her evil eyes boring into the back of Christine's skull from across the room. But that was to be expected from an over-spoiled, snobbish diva that had been replaced. Christine was not going to let her ruin this moment, the moment where her greatest dreams had finally come true.
Christine was soon pulled out of her silent reverie with a tug on her sleeve from Meg, who was trying to escort her back to her dressing room. But that was proving to be difficult, considering backstage was pure pandemonium. It was bustling with people removing costumes, washing off makeup and gossiping about anything and everything that had happened during the performance. Christine could have sworn she heard her name mentioned a few times, which was quite surprising, considering that until recently she had just been a simple ballet rat whom no one had known. She stopped in her tracks and swept her gaze over to the other dancers in the corner and remembered sitting along with them, taking off ballet slippers and rubbing her aching feet. The thought ran an unpleasant shiver up her spine. Casting a glance at Meg, she allowed herself to be dragged onward to their destination.
Soon again, though, Christine stopped, receiving an annoyed sigh from her friend.
"What is it now, Christine?" Meg huffed, pointing towards the direction they were headed. "We need to get you out of your costume."
Christine did not acknowledge Meg, for her attention was focused a person standing a fair distance away from her. He was leaning against a wooden beam, deep into a conversation with Firmin and Andre, the opera house managers. He seemed to exude an air of confidence, which reminded her of…
"No, it couldn't be…" she said aloud, gently wrenching her arm out of Meg's grasp and walking towards the direction of the mysterious man.
"Christine? What are you talking about?" Meg asked, trailing after her friend.
Christine pushed through the crowd in her way, trying to get through. To her surprise, the man caught sight of her and started walking towards her, ending his conversation with the managers abruptly. He took a few steps before stopping in front of her, a toothy grin flashing across his features. The moment he placed her hand in his was when she finally remembered who he was.
"Raoul!" she exclaimed, giving him a look of genuine surprise.
Raoul gave a small chuckle. "Christine, it has been too long." He spoke without a shred of surprise, almost as if he had been waiting for her.
But Christine was at a loss for words. She had not seen Raoul since they were children when they played together at his father's lake house. She remembered it like it were yesterday, laughing along with his rebellious antics and listening to his stories. He would call her his Little Lotte... But that was years ago, and Raoul was anything but a child now.
Christine once again pulled herself out of her thoughts and opened her mouth to speak. "Indeed it has. We haven't seen each other since we were children! How has life treated you?"
"It has been good to me," he replied. "And it seems it has been fair to you as well." Raoul took in her appearance, boldly sweeping his gaze up and down her body. Christine felt an uncomfortable pang in her stomach when she noticed this, but ignored it.
"I would love to stay and converse, Raoul, but I'm afraid I must change out of my costume and get some sleep. It has been a long night, but it was wonderful to see you again," she said, turning to leave.
Raoul grasped her hand, quite hard, before she could step away.
"Wait!" he shouted. Then, clearing his throat, he collected himself and continued. "I mean, I would like to see you again. We have so much to catch up on, and I would love to reminisce about our childhood days together." He smiled, "Would you care to have lunch with me tomorrow?"
"Oh," Christine started. "Um… that would be wonderful."
"Great!" Raoul beamed. "I will arrive to pick you up at noon. Be ready." With a charming smile, he took her hand and kissed it. "Until then, Little Lotte." And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away with a slight arrogance in his step.
Christine jumped when Meg grabbed her arm, forgetting that she was there.
"Oh my goodness Christine, you have a date tomorrow!" Meg squealed.
Christine blinked. "A date? Oh, I don't think so. It's just two childhood friends catching up on each other's lives. Nothing more."
Meg rolled her eyes and continued walking towards Christine's dressing room. "Oh come on, Christine! Did you see how he smiled at you? And kissed your hand? You may not believe it is a date, but I am sure he does."
Christine was taken aback at this idea. She had never considered Raoul as anything more than a friend. But now that Meg had mentioned it, it seemed very possible that Raoul had wished to see her in that way. But how did she feel about this?
"Oh Meg, I am not sure. I don't know if I wish to see Raoul in this way."
"Just go out to lunch with him, and see how you feel afterwards," Meg assured her friend. "But just look at him! He's handsome, charming, and by the way he dresses, appears to have money. You never know, he just might sweep you off your feet," she finished with a giggle.
That's true, Christine thought, although this did nothing to help sway her thoughts of him. But she was going to take Meg's advice and see if her opinion changed after tomorrow. But for some reason, somewhere deep inside of her, she had a feeling it wasn't going to.
As always, I would love to see your reviews!
