I know, I KNOW. I haven't updated in over a year, but real life took it's grasp on me and has made me older and wiser... Or at least it's given me time to consider things of the individual perspective and hopefully widen my view to not just see the small scheme but also the large... Eh, anyway, um... I did something that may seem ooc in this, but you have to keep in mind that this is a modern version, and I have known people to be that spontaneous...
Erik sat, eyes shut, with his head on his steering wheel as he listened to the banter of Christine with some girl on the phone, the other end loud enough at the moment he could make out every word.
"I'll be there in ten minutes, Christine,"
"You're positive that you've gotten everything?"
"Yes! For the third time, I have the dresses, shoes, and makeup! Now will you tell me what occasion we're dressing up for?"
"No, no, no, I want you to see for yourself, just trust me, you're going to love me for it,"
Erik heard what sounded like forced laughter, "That's debatable at the moment; I almost had a date with Jeremy!"
"Who's Jeremy?"
There was a sudden click from the other end, followed by a dial tone.
Christine put her phone away and rolled her eyes. She rubbed her forehead and turned to Erik, "Okay, let's go."
Nadir sat nervously across the table from Celine, thankful that the table blocked her view of his twitching foot, his courage all but with him at the moment. He had discarded his smoking jacket in his car and was now in a dark forest green suit that complimented his eyes and skin tone. Glancing at her for a fraction of a second, he picked up his wine glass and took a sip of the light amber liquid while turning to look at the city below. The restaurant they were in was at the top story of what was a popular hotel resort, and was at the moment filled with a group of harp players. He had given his own small gift of a harp to her already and she had thanked him kindly, offering to play for him soon if he would like. He was nervous and hesitant to accept, but the gentle, serene look in her eyes won him over.
Now he felt like all the foolish love sick boys he saw during the school year, falling over every little thing they said and having a difficult time to hold their own when a girl was sitting so close to them-- Damn whatever perfume she's wearing! He thought abruptly, the alluring scent working on his senses and making his scientific mind want to further explore how such a small odor could work on his thoughts so, although, he felt his expedition might air on the physical more than the mental at the current moment…
It was in the haze of his pondering that he heard his name distantly.
"Nadir? Nadir, Are you all right?"
His head snapped up, "Hmm?"
Celine's eyes were on him intently, "You've hardly eaten anything and said even less, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, I…" He swallowed, "I was just thinking about the upcoming year with my students,"
"Oh, what are they usually like?" she asked curiously.
"Idiots. All of them,"
She laughed, "They can't all be that bad,"
"This year I have the pleasure of a student who in the past has set three fires in chemistry, gotten himself and his girlfriend stuck in the music room until they were found the next day, and he's an arrogant little runt because his father makes numerous donations,"
"Oh… I'm so sorry,"
"So am I,"
"Well, tell me about something a little more enjoyable, hmm? You still have tonight to have a little fun, no need to think of students while I'm around,"
Her hand stretched out and was placed over his own that had been laying on the table. Nadir's eyes met hers and he practically felt his heart stopping. He swallowed once again, "I suppose there are better things to discuss…"
Standing at the entrance of the restaurant, Erik waited on the two young women who were currently changing in the bathroom. He was staring at an awful piece of art that he supposed some considered tasteful. It was in pastel colours with dainty flowers, but it had no feeling to it, just an amateur look of someone who was paid to paint just a 'pretty' picture.
"Ahem."
He turned around at the throat clearing to Christine, now dressed up in an attire that more suited her surroundings.
"Meg recently bought it for me, how do I look?"
She was in a dark green, shimmering dress. His eyes trailed down her body, from the just ruffled neckline to the flaring of the bottom that stopped below her knees down to her black heels, and his mind swam in her glory.
"You look…"
Beautiful.
Gorgeous.
Lovely.
"…very nice."
She smiled at him prettily, "Thank you,"
The young blonde soon followed, dressed in a more modern but still delicate light blue dress, also with black heels, but the addition of a dark blue shawl finished the ensemble.
"Now will you please tell me what we're doing here, Christine?"
"Oh, I just thought that you might like to see how mum's date is going," she said in a sing-song voice.
"Mum- her date—they're here???"
Erik finally chimed in, "Just in there," he pointed, "We have a booth where we should be hidden but close enough to see what happens,"
"Err… Please excuse my asking, but this really only just occurred to me… Why are you here?"
"It would seem that this date of your mother's is also the date of my closest friend,"
"Ah, well then…" she turned to Christine, "Let's snoop!"
Two minutes later they were sat comfortably down in their booth, and had already received their drinks. Erik sat looking over a menu while Christine and Meg used theirs as shields while peeking over their seat.
"I can't see them," Meg huffed.
"They're right there,"
"Where?"
"There,"
Meg huffed again, "Still not seeing them,"
Christine grabbed Meg's head and turned it sharply to the right.
"Ohhh…" she leaned back in her seat a moment with a look of contemplation, "He looks… old,"
Erik nearly snorted in his glass as Christine thumped her best friend on the head. "That's mum's boyfriend and all you can comment on is his age?"
"He's… foreign looking?" she offered weakly.
Christine muttered under her breath and put her head down on her folded arms. She peeked back up and smirked, "Better old and foreign than Mr. Creton,"
Meg shivered, "Don't even start about him,"
"Creton?" Erik asked curiously.
Christine's eyes twinkled, "He was this guy that helped run the tickets at Meg's old dance school. Bald and pot bellied and either didn't know or care that scratching in public was offensive to some,"
"And he always patted me on the head like some five year old." Meg whined.
"So this Creton took an interest in your mother?"
Meg laughed briskly, "Not just an interest, he nearly proposed to her! But, thankfully, a little accident made him change his mind,"
"Accident?" Erik's interest was piqued.
"I was spinning around, didn't see him and- Christine Daaé, you stop laughing about it! I did NOT break his foot!"
Christine buried her face into her arms and was, at the moment, shaking all over from trying to conceal her fit of giggles. When she came up for air with a gasp she exclaimed, "I know, but the way mum practically tore him to pieces for swearing at you! I honestly thought she might kill him if he hadn't gotten away fast enough,"
"She is a tough woman, then?" Erik asked.
Meg shook her head slowly and seriously, "You don't play with my mother."
"Then this will be interesting, Nadir can be quite hot-headed, but he is also easily flustered,"
"Mmm… Chrissy, I think I'm going to go,"
Christine looked suspicious, "Why…?"
"Well, after I hung up with you, I sort of got a call… for another date…"
Christine smirked and put her hand to her head, closing her eyes, "No, wait, don't tell me. I'm seeing a young man, his name starts with a J… I see a… a Jeremy!"
"Actually, it's a Mark, but he's expecting me in…" she looked at her watch, "Twenty minutes. So… you have fun, tell me everything that they do, all right?"
"All right… And be sure to be back by curfew,"
"I don't have a curfew!"
"Sure you do, it's Be-back-before-Christine-goes-to-sleep-otherwise-I- don't-hear-the-juicy-details-curfew,"
"Ohh… but… fine. I'll be back around midnight,"
"Good, now you get going."
"Bye, Christine. Oh, bye to you too, Mister Destler."
"Mademoiselle." Erik tipped his head.
The girls embraced and Meg took her leave from her seat, but what she didn't realize was that though the circular booth was a rather good cover from being seen, her mother had noticed the blue flash moving from the seat and was now looking with a keen eye at the other feminine head sitting down. She recognized that blue dress, and she knew those brown curls…
She held her hand up to interrupt Nadir as he talked to her enthusiastically about his childhood and his native home, "I…I think I see someone I know. I'll be just a moment."
Celine Giry rose from the table and started a beeline in the direction of the woman and apparent male company. If she were correct in her assumptions those two girls would suffer for their prying in her affairs.
Christine gasped at seeing the older woman practically charging across the room and her eyes bulged as she panicked, "Oh, crud! Mum's coming over here!"
Before Erik had a chance to question why that frightened Christine she grabbed him and crashed her lips on his. He stiffened as hard as ice, but could feel himself melting while his eyes widened in shock and her mouth moved over his. Shockwaves crashed down on his entire body and out of what he could only guess as natural human instinct he shut his eyes and wrapped his arm around her, hiding their actions from the world with his body. Somewhere in the back of his mind there was a question of whether this was reality, or perhaps if he had died and found some type of utopia, but he ignored those bothersome thoughts as he delighted in the taste on his lips.
Celine stopped before she was too close as it was obvious what the couple was doing. She could now see that the man was an older gentleman, and be it Christine or not, she wasn't about to make a scene upon verbally attacking what could very well be just a couple sharing a moment of passion. She stopped and turned back around and walked back to her seat with Nadir, who seemed confused at her annoyed face.
"Is something the matter?"
"No… I just thought I saw my daughter's best friend watching us,"
Nadir's heart rate sped up immediately. Erik wouldn't be here, not out in so much public…
"I don't think it was her though, just someone who looked like her, as the girl was in a rather fervent kiss with her company,"
A laugh almost broke from Nadir. Now he knew it wasn't Erik.
"It probably was just someone who looked like her, no need to worry,"
"No, I suppose not… Now, you were telling me about your schooling as child?"
"Yes, well, as I was saying, we were very poor and had to struggle to keep ends up…."
Erik blinked in confusion as Christine pulled back slowly from him, looking over his shoulder. She smiled lightly and giggled, followed by a gasp and a hand clamping to her mouth, "I'm so sorry I did that! If she had found us spying it wouldn't have been pleasant, believe me. I… I hope you don't mind that I did that…" she trailed off and blushed, looking away a moment before shyly meeting his eyes.
What the hell was that about? A little voice exclaimed in her head.
Erik swallowed, his breathing a little forced, "It's… quite all right. No harm done,"
"I just- oh… Well, you know, desperate times-"
"Desperate measures," he finished the phrase.
He watched intently as she seemed to fumble for the right words, "I… I need to use the restroom. I'll… be right back," and taking a quick peek to make sure the older Giry was again enthralled with her date, she dashed out of the booth and headed to the ladies room.
Raising his hand to the left side of his face, Erik released a shuddering breath and allowed some of the chaos of his mind to release, lowering his head. It was strange to him that he wasn't surprised to feel the pricking of tears at his eyes, and a sob almost escaped his throat. Christine had no idea what she had just done, what heat she had brought to his cold heart... and body.
Shaky fingers met his lips, the sensation of her still on them.
His first kiss…
