ATTENTION HERE! Just thought that I'd let you all know that one day while I was skimming through some past chapters of mine, I noticed that there were a couple of paragraphs that never made it to this site! Soo, I had to add in a paragraph or so in chapter 6. . .And it was an important part too that was left out! So, please go back and re-read the very beginning of chapter 6. It might clear up a few things.
ANYWAYS, I'm soooooo sorry for the late update! A LOT of things have been going on for me; first off, I was at Disneyland for a week! 8D And second, I've been having to do a lot of work, which interferes with my writing time.
And OOOH MY GOODNESS, thank you so much for all of the reviews! I love you all so much for that, and I hope that this chapter will be. . .A treat. ;D
I named this chapter after a lyric from Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode.
I do not own the Phantom of the Opera or any music from Depeche Mode! Only my OC's!
Enjoy!
. . .
It was the most extraordinary feeling. There was an extreme force; extreme pressure that shrouded my body as though I had been sucked in, yanking my soul away from the fabric of reality. It was almost as though I had been shoved in by an inhumanly strong force, but to my astonishment, it didn't hurt at all. There was no pain; only a strong pressure that seized my body as though I was thirty feet under water, being swallowed up by darkness. Aside from the force that pressed on my body from every angle, I only felt fear. Tremendous horror, not knowing what was going to happen, but also fearing of death. I could not breathe – there was too much pressure against my lungs.
I went from suffocating to gasping once I broke free from the pressure, and I felt like I had been abruptly spat right out. It all only lasted for seconds, but it had still been enough to terrify me to no end. Shifting and tipping over, a small fear of falling, took over. Though before I could fall, I smacked into something, and felt a pair of arms fasten around my waist, protecting me from harm. Breathing heavily, I nearly became intoxicated from the thick scent of candle wax and roses that smothered my nose.
"Shh. . ." He hushed. "You're safe, it's alright, ma cherie." He cooed with a deep voice that secretly made me melt inside.
I struggled to straighten myself up without doing it ever so awkwardly. I had found myself knotting my fingers into his silky dark brown vest to support myself. Once I was standing, I took a moment to observe my surroundings, but not without noticing how incredibly close Erik's face was to mine. It was, of course, without any question, though.
His arms were still looped around my waist from practically catching me, and I had instinctually grabbed his vest to keep from slipping. My unintended action had only forced him to stoop down until we were eye to eye. I felt my face flush from the close proximity of our bodies, and I released my grip on his vest. Erik rose back to his full height, towering over me. I could've sworn that I had seen the exposed side of his face turn pink as he quietly cleared his throat, and tugged at the bottom of his vest, as if to straighten it out. I could've sworn that I saw him blush, but I couldn't be sure through my whirling mind.
I was in Erik's world. As I thought about it, many emotions mixed together as well as questions. Why did he bring me here?
"It's great to see you again, cherie." He said sweetly as he turned away from me. I watched after his form as he lifted something from a nearby table that I hadn't noticed until just now. Once he faced me, I could see that he had a beautiful brown violin tucked under his chin, as he drew out the bow with a focused expression drawn across his features.
I felt like I had been slapped in the face as I watched him play the violin. He was playing an all too familiar sorrowful violin melody; the same melody that I had heard during class. I probably stood there with a gaping mouth like a dumbstruck fool, but how could I not be in complete awe? He was the reason why I thought I was going insane.
"Y-You've been behind all of it?" I asked, sounding far more alarmed than I intended to. I thought that he would try to question or deny what I had accused him of doing, but his simple reply surprised me.
"Yes." I frowned at his nonchalant response, watching how he continued to play without any error or hesitation. The bow slowly and gracefully glided across the strings of the violin, creating smooth and gentle notes as he played. He played it with ease as though he had known it all of his life, and I was slightly jealous of his mad skills. His fingers swiftly and carefully moved over the violin, and it wasn't until then that I noticed that his eyes were shut. A music sheet didn't seem to be anywhere nearby; he played from memory.
"Why?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him. I realized that I was irritated by his lack of communication; after all, I was no mind reader. I needed to know why he did all of this; why he decided to bring me here today? Not to mention that I was irritated that this whole time I thought that I was insane even though it was all his doing; was he trying to terrify me that way?
Without opening his eyes, he continued to play as he answered. "I wanted you to remember me. I've been trying to give you clues; all of which you were oblivious to."
"What?"
"I was the one who kept moving the letters."
I stared at him in breathless awe. "You were responsible for that, too?"
"Yes."
"So I'm not insane?" At that moment, Erik's eyes lifted open and clashed against my own eyes. I must have looked horrified because as soon as he met my eyes, his head fell back and a laugh ruptured from him. I hadn't expected to see him laugh; it was very different. It actually sounded very nice, and oddly heartwarming.
"No, Clare, not at all. The only mad one here would be me, but not you." At this, he drew his violin away from his chin. "Aren't I insane for trying to get your attention by following you?" He asked as he leaned in until our noses were nearly touching.
My heart pounded and my face burned, though I felt my stiff body leaning away from him. "No. I would probably do the same thing if I desperately wanted someone to remember me." He leaned away from me as he stood back to his full height.
"Would you?" He retorted rather doubtfully.
"Yes." I whispered. As soon as I said it, his eyes changed with interest as he gazed at me, thirsty to hear more. "If I loved them, I would do anything to keep them in my life."
"Isn't that considered selfish?" He chuckled rather darkly, raising his visible eyebrow. Though he rendered out a quiet laugh, it looked forced, and sounded bitter.
"Not always. It just means that I love them. Everyone is selfish when it comes to the ones we love. Our emotions are dominant, are they not? It is always hard to let go. But people aren't selfish until they refuse to let go."
A smirk tugged at his lips. "I cannot argue with you on that." Slowly, as though in defeat, he gently sat his violin aside before he sank to the bench next to the organ, heavily resting his elbows upon his knees.
I found myself anxiously twisting the end of my sleeve, suddenly very uncomfortable. Seeing Erik depressed greatly affected me, making my heart sink. Whatever feelings I had once strongly felt for him, still lingered deep in my heart; waited to be ignited. I knew it was there, especially since I had an overwhelming urge to comfort him. I still cared for him. Seeing him heartbroken reached a whole new level of agony. It made me feel so terribly helpless.
I hadn't realized that I had sat beside him until he turned his gaze, and was face to face with me. I suddenly felt awkward to have abruptly sat beside him, and I sheepishly tried to think of an excuse. I was shocked to see how close he was. Our noses were nearly touching again, and a long stretch of silence and stillness dawned on us. I racked my brain for something to say as he slowly inched closer, and his warm breath grazed my face as he gently closed his eyes.
"H-How did you move the letter?" My attempt to speak was weak, and barely came out as a whisper. Though whether I had whispered it, or shouted it, it made Erik hesitate. My words had practically grazed his lips; his luscious, very luscious looking lips. A huge part of me was bewildered by the side of me that deeply longed for him in such a way. I questioned myself why I was so hesitant about kissing him if I was so attracted to him.
It's because you don't know him well enough. My mind said.
I knew him well enough once. I shot back. Well enough to love him. I want to find that love again. I know it's here. . .
"Clare. . ." He moaned painfully. I knew from that moment that Erik was not ready to respond to my now neglected question. Something else was fixated in his mind, and I could hear it in his voice. "Please," He whispered as the tip of his fingers found my jaw. "If you just give me the chance, I would be more than willing to try something that may help kindle your damagedmemory." His breath grazed my face, and a shiver ran down my spine. I searched for something to do or say, but I came back empty handed.
His sudden passion and longing for my touch smothered my conscience, and left me feeling small and timid, yet very curious and bewitched by him. The proximity of our faces left me voiceless. I could find nothing else to say except for his name, which came out softer than a whisper.
"Please, Clare. . .Let me. . .Let me kiss you." He breathed out, pressing his warm forehead against mine. "Please just let me kiss you again."
I thought for sure that he would be able to hear my heart that pounded in my chest, but I remained frozen. The logical side of me should have stopped him, but deep down, I somehow knew that my heart still belonged to him. If I dare say so, I labeled this overwhelming feeling as love, for it was the same strong admiration that had been described in the letters; a feeling that I hadn't felt before.
He very softly nuzzled his nose against mine, and I remained still as I allowed my eyes to slip shut. I realized that I was giving in, and I waited, practically giving him the invitation to kiss me. My heart trusted him, but my mind was nervous and wary. Though my heart decided anyways, for my mind was caught in a foggy trance. Taking advantage of my silent acceptance, Erik leaned in closer.
His fingers slid up my jaw and onto my cheeks until he was fully caressing my face in both of his hands. It was then that he enclosed his mouth over mine, gently taking hold of my top lip. As soon as he had closed the space between us, I felt as though I were melting in pure bliss. It was almost relieving, yet immensely alluring all at once. My breath had hitched in my throat, but just then I shakily released it through my nose, as I moved to kiss him back.
A rapturous sensation swelled in my heart, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I desirously drew Erik's bottom lip in-between my own and took in the feeling of how surprisingly warm and soft he felt. The sensation was so easily intoxicating, that it would be difficult not to lose grasp of control and self restraint, to prevent a simple kiss from building into something more. He was delicious.
Erik held me in the kiss for a long time before he parted his lips from mine, only to move to my bottom lip. In that substitution, I latched onto his top lip. I practically swooned as he gently began to suck with his mouth. How could such a simple action make me want to melt? He made my heart feel light, and my eyes remained closed from pleasure.
The kiss was not fierce, but instead very tender and compassionate. I could feel the love he had felt for me this whole time, and in the kiss, I felt my heart reaching out for the lost love, yearning for more. It was as though another side of me that I didn't know existed emerged; another side of me that had hidden at the bottom of my heart had reached out at the intimacy that had suddenly been awakened between Erik and I. I endured the compelling weight of the truth – of the love I had once felt. In that sweet and luscious kiss, I knew that the letters were true.
Erik and I had had something that had been lost. Though at that moment, I was willing to search for it, and to submerge into Erik's world and drown in it, if that was what it took to remember. I wasn't willing to let go of this precious thing that had somehow crossed and tangled into our two worlds. I would not let go of Erik; even if that made me selfish.
. . .
Yay, fluff! Don't you just love the fluff? That's ALL what this chapter was. xD Quite honestly, I NEVER originally planned a kiss scene for this chapter. It sorta just happened. . .BUT, I was tired of having these two keeping away from each other. Poor, poor Erik just needed some kisses!
But, now that Clare is trusting Erik again, and falling in love all over again, what do you think is going to happen next? Share what you think through reviews! Thanks for reading!
