Chapter Three: The Lovers Are Reunited



Satine was trying to figure out ways to pass time with Richard. There was the usual small talk - the play, the weather. But she wasn't in love with him. She never had been, and now she could not keep her mind off Christian.

But he hated her. How could she ever win him back? Marie and Harold could often see the pain behind her eyes, and would counsel her about it, most of the time with conflicting views.

Harold would usually offer something like, "You've got the better future with Richard, chickpea. You and Christian have grown too far apart."

While Marie would always say, "No, dearie, it is obvious to all that you and Christian are meant for each other."

For her birthday, Richard bought Satine a beautiful diamond necklace. It truly was lovely, and she did not wish to hurt Richard, but it brought back to many memories. When he presented it to her she left abruptly, saying she needed a walk. That walk led her straight to Christian's apartment, where she sat outside below, going over things in her mind.

Suddenly, there was a voice, almost a whisper, behind her. "You're out at an odd hour."

Satine managed to turn her head slightly towards Christian. "I needed some time out of the house."

"Away from Richard?" he asked not looking at her.

Satine sighed. Actually, this conversation was good compared to most of the others they had shared. "Christian, listen, about him - "

"No, Satine. I don't want to hear it."

She quickly grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her. "Christian, I love you and I want you back."

He lowered his eyes and slowly shook his head. "It won't work. We won't work."

Satine's started to sing softly to him,

"I am still enchanted by the light you brought to me, I listen through your ears, through your eyes I can see…"

He met her eyes. "Stop it, Satine. It's over. We were over five years ago. I've considered you dead since then."

She just smiled at him. "I think I've been dying a little each day since you came back into my life." When she got no response, she continued singing:

"Oh love, look at you now, you've got yourself stuck in a moment, and you can't get out of it…"

This time he was firm. "No. I don't know what to believe, or If I can trust you, Satine."

He pulled her close, into a soft embrace. Satine was crying silently into his neck when he said, "Where love is for the highest bidder, there can be no trust. Without trust, there is no love…a lesson I learned once, from an old friend."

"No Christian," she sobbed into his shoulder.

Christian let go of her and slowly walked away. "Goodbye, Satine," he whispered, with tears in his eyes.

~
Over the next few moths, the entire company of "Spectacular, Spectacular" was in a state of complete chaos. As opening night approached, everything had to be perfected. Many of the dancers still didn't have the choreography right, and Cal could not sing parts of certain songs in key, mostly because he didn't care. Evan was going crazy, constantly running to everyone and giving them orders. Satine seemed to be the only one who knew what she was doing. However, Evan still found things to yell at her about.

"No! Sara, you're supposed to be much farther downstage there! Alright, fine. Dancers break for notes. The rest of you be back in twenty minutes! No later!"

Satine ran off stage to go meet Marie, who came to visit her everyday. "Any word yet?" she asked, out of breath.

"No, love. You know, I don't think you should get your hopes up. It's been almost half a year now - "

"No, Marie! I will not lose all hope just like that! I have to see him again, he's all I've got."

"Well, you've got Richard. You two are to be married in a month, so - "

"I haven't got Richard, Marie!" she said suddenly. "In the past few months, we've become distant from each other. I really don't want to hurt him, he's a very nice man, but I think he knows my heart is elsewhere. I can't help feeling that I'm just terrible at love."

Marie tried to calm her, but Satine cut her off. She needed to be alone. What with opening night and the wedding, there was a lot on her mind. But more importantly, she was finding it harder and harder to live without Christian. Six months ago he had mysteriously taken a train out of London and she had not seen him since. Everyday she asked if he had written to her. Everyday she was disappointed.

"Our memories, they can be inviting, but some are altogether mighty frightening."

Satine feared that Christian had left without ever knowing she truly loved him. A part of her also feared that he did not her in return, and she had broken the spirit of what used to be an enthusiastic, love-sick poet. He had seemed almost scared of her. She was never sure if what she saw in his face was anger or fear.

"As we die, both you and I, with my head in my hands, I sit and cry…"

Satine's musings were interrupted when Evan screamed, "Cast, places for the 'Will the lovers be meeting in the sitar player's humble abode' scene! I mean NOW! Miss Sara, come on!"

Satine felt exhausted as she headed towards the stage. In the back of her mind, she wished Christian would be there to see her opening night. Would he have been proud?

"It's all ending, I gotta stop pretending who we are, you and me, I can see us dying…are we?"


A/N I know, I know very short.