I don't own any of the characters from The Phantom of the Opera, but I'm quite happy to own the plot. Some words will be written differently than American English, being Canadian, I'll use Canadian English. The college and the program are real. The inn isn't, so it belongs to me, as do the owners and their guests! Ghana is a West African country; check it out on Wikipedia. Hiplife is a kind of Ghanaian rap; listen to the music even though it's in one of the languages spoken in that country. It's very good. I've created the small town where Erik lived and the school where he studied too. In this chapter we'll learn more about James, Erik's driver. The Asantehene is the Ashanti's paramount chief and perhaps the most revered individual in the central part of the country. The Ashantis are a culturally and politically dominant tribe in the country; Twi is their language.
WARNING! There's one four-letter word at the end of the chapter.
Authoress: MJ MOD
Betas: Operacynic
Great job, ladies!
Thanks to all my reviewers and remember; I love reviews, accept even anonymous ones and answer to all.
A/N I'm compiling a list of possible Betas for when my primaries aren't available, so if you're still interested, drop me a word. This story is rated Teen and it won't go up, however it doesn't mean that when this one is over I won't be writing a story with an M rating. Also, gasp; my other stories might be E/OW! LOL
Some critics have come to my ears. It seems there have been complaints about the way this story is going, some people have PM'd Tory about it. If you have problems, PM me and send me suggestions or ideas, I'll be happy to read them and maybe I'll even use them.
Note to Tory's reviewers who are stirring up trouble and trying to hurt me. Be happy, you won and thanks for courage and honesty. She's rewriting the story so your poor little sensibilities won't be offended by my version.
Beta Note: TC: E/OW! Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!
Xela: It's our first time beta-ing and we're really happy that MJ MOD is letting us do this!
The Science of Love
Chapter 10Erik was very happy. Never in his life had had he anyone or anything to cuddle with him or to cuddle to. He liked the feeling of Christine's warm body next to him, the trust she showed in him. He glanced at her and chucked softly. She had fallen asleep! It was very endearing and charming. He wished they could stay this way all night long but they were in the inn's living room and not in his home, sadly. What's more is that she was using his arm as a pillow, and it was getting numb. He really wished he didn't have to awaken her. "Christine, wake up. You fell asleep and you really should go to bed. Come on, I'll help you up", he whispered softly in her ear.
"Mmmm?" she mumbled. She finally awoke with a start. Oh my God! How embarrassing! She had fallen asleep on the sofa and she was sure she had drooled on Erik. What a way to end a first date, sheesh! She looked at Erik who seemed amused. "I'm sorry, Erik. I had no idea I was so tired."
"It made me happy Christine that you trusted me enough to feel comfortable sleeping beside me. I never had anyone do that before. Not even a pet."
Christine hugged him. "I never had anyone to snuggle to either Erik," she yawned.
Erik helped her up. "Come, I'll help you up the stairs to your room."
She stumbled slightly while on the stairs but Erik caught her just in time. She squeezed his hand in thanks. They stopped in front of her door and before they went their separate ways, Christine caught Erik by the sleeve, kissed him passionately, smiled and closed her door leaving a bewildered and very happy Erik go to his own room.
Christine washed up a little, changed into her nightclothes and slipped under the covers. She fell asleep instantly and began to have the strangest dream she ever remembered having. She was on a stage, wearing a strange costume, something that looked to be taken from a Lawrence of Arabia's silent movie. She was singing opera. It was an old building, very classical looking, with boxes high in the air. She finished singing 'Think of Me Fondly' from Hannibal; she was almost faint from nerves. She glanced up to Box 5, where she saw a shadow. She shuddered from fear and excitement. It was he, The Phantom of the Opera! Her dream stopped there and the rest of the night continued as usual.
Erik cleaned himself up slightly, put on his pyjamas and slipped under the covers. He fell asleep and immediately began to dream. He was in an ancient building, in a box. He was wearing very formal evening clothes. There was something different with his face; he was wearing a mask. Before his wondering got any farther, he saw Christine on the stage. She was wearing a slave girl costume and singing an Aria from some Opera. He felt very proud of his student; she was showing up his work to the world. He was worried for her; she looked near fainting. Before he could go to her side he glanced into the public and saw red. How dared he show his face here, in the Phantom's Opera! This slave of fashion! Erik's dream stopped and the rest of the night was uneventful.
Christine woke up feeling refreshed. She looked at the clock on the bed stand and gasped. Ten o'clock! She doesn't sleep so late usually, although, the day before had been very tiring. She opened the drapes to get a look outside. It was still snowing and very windy. She couldn't even see what was under the window. She showered and dressed to go see how Erik was.
Erik had been up for about an hour, he had washed up and was waiting for Christine to wake up and knock on his door. He was eager to tell her about his dream. He had toyed with the idea of going to her room but he had quickly dismissed the idea when he'd remembered how tired she'd been. When he heard her calling him softly through his door he hurried to open it up.
"Good morning, Erik. Have you been up for a long time now?" She kissed him.
"Good morning, Christine. Yes, I awoke around eight this morning. I had the strangest dream last night." He had just discovered he loved Christine's good morning kisses.
"I'm famished. What about you?" Christine asked.
Erik looked embarrassed. "I'm hungry too but I really don't want to eat in the living room." I don't need the women and children running out of the room screaming.
"Don't worry about it, Erik. We could eat in my bedroom and tell each other about last night's dreams."
Erik thought about it for a few seconds and accepted. It would give him the exclusive pleasure of her company for a few hours longer. "Alright. I'd love a cheese omelette if possible, with white bread and a glass of milk, please."
Christine smiled at the memory of Erik's breakfast at his home last time and went down to the kitchen to get their breakfasts. The owners were still hard at work but smiled cheerfully at her. She asked if she could prepare her order explaining she loved to cook and had took some cooking classes on a whim. They were pleasantly surprised and happily acceded to her request. She cooked Erik's omelette and her pancakes. She realized she was hungrier than she'd originally thought. Maybe it was all that nice country air that was causing her to feel as if she was starving. She put their plates on trays and Curtis called on Chancy to help her with the burden.
Chancy eagerly took one of them hoping she could at least get a glance of Erik and maybe go into his bedroom.
Christine laughed to herself when they stopped in front of her bedroom and she saw Chancy sulking. She had her put the tray on one bed stand and put the other on the small table beside the bed. She then thanked Chancy and told her she didn't need her anymore. The girl went slowly out of Christine's bedroom all the while trying to see if Erik's door was open. When Christine saw that Chancy had gone downstairs, she went to his door and called him to breakfast.
Erik got out in a hurry, bumping into a dresser in his haste. They sat on her bed and began to eat in silence. She had remembered the way he liked his bread cut. It seemed like such a small thing but to him it felt very domestic, as if Christine was his wife. The omelette was wonderful, he enquired whether if she had made it herself. He beamed when she answered yes. He then thought the omelette was even tastier than before.
Christine was eating French pancakes with cream on them, fresh fruits and lots of coffee. She was certain she wouldn't survive without her daily dose of caffeine.
After taking off the edge of their appetites, they began to tell each other about their dreams. In the retelling, it felt as if it was the same scene but seen from two different points of views. They thought it strange but funny. Erik leered at Christine when he told her about the revealing costume she had been wearing; she laughed, and when she told him he had looked incredibly sexy in his formal clothes; he blushed.
There was a radio in the bedroom, and Erik turned it on to listen to the weather forecast, although by looking outside they could see it was still snowy and windy. The forecaster announced a slight amelioration, a few inches of snow at the most but still high winds. The Department of Transportation strongly discouraged people to drive or go outside, unless in the event of an emergency, as the roads weren't cleared yet and sometimes the wind caused whiteout. They looked at each other and decided to stay at the inn at lest until the roads were cleared.
Erik called Marie and reassured her they wouldn't attempt to drive home yet. Meg came on the phone and demanded to talk to Christine. Erik shook his head at Meg's demand and gave the phone to Christine. He got back to his room to give them a little privacy for 'girl talk'.
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James was a dark-skinned man from Ghana; he had met Erik while they were in high school. Erik was the nerd, always rejected because of his brains and his face, which had then been riddled with not only the scar. What's more, he was younger than all of them. James was the first dark man the people in this small town had ever seen face-to-face. Even worse for these small-minded persons, he was a pure-blooded African. James's parents were members of the Ghana's president diplomatic party.
They'd wanted him to go to school in a small city because they felt it was safer than New York itself and feared their son, who was often into mischief, would be drafted into a gang. He was a sports fanatic and an excellent drummer. At fifteen he was already over six feet, so he was drafted onto the football team. Even though the townspeople were happy their school was winning the championship finally and thanks to James; they never really accepted him. Parents were looking at him as if he would suddenly turn 'savage' and kidnap one of their daughters. Of course, being teens, the girls dared each other to go out with the 'African' and his monstrous friend.
At first, James and Erik were flattered the popular girls wanted to go out with them, even though it caused trouble with the other boys. Erik wanted so much to be part of the gang, even though he was rather young to be dating. Then James accidentally heard the girls laughing between themselves about their dares and he learned what they really thought of Erik and himself. He was especially devastated for his friend. He debated with himself for a while but in the end decided to tell him the truth. They confronted the girls and broke up with them. He was able to shrug it off to stupidity and prejudices but Erik had really thought himself in love with Wanda. He took it very hard and retreated even more in his studies.
After high school, they went their separate ways. Erik went to college, and James went back to Ghana, but they stayed in contact throughout the years. He went to college too and studied music at university. He had a successful career as a hiplife musician, but a part of him missed Erik. He always felt he owed him his music. James' parents wanted him to become an Asantehene like his maternal grandfather before him but politics never interested James very much. Erik was the one who encouraged him to follow his dreams, much to his parents' disgust. They didn't like Erik's 'influence' on their son but never succeeded in breaking up their friendship. After a few years as a musician in Ghana, James looked up Erik and learning he needed a driver offered his services. Even if it annoyed Erik, James felt it was proper and respectful of him to call Erik 'sir' when he was working.
He was lounging in the living room, feeling a little bored. He had no one to talk to. Suddenly he heard a soft voice talking to him in Twi, the language of his tribe. He raised his head, happily surprised to meet a countrywoman. They got to talk, and he discovered she was in fact a distant cousin on his father's side; she was a direct descendant of Yaa Asantewaa, a revered figure in their country's resistance to British Colonialism in 1896. She even was named after her ancestor. She had come to the States having heard about the inn from friends who had come here the previous winter and had highly recommended the place. She had always wanted to see a true snowstorm and was served beyond her wildest dreams. She adored winter sports and she was sorry she couldn't go out because of the weather.
Yaa knew of James, having seen him on television many times and had all his albums; she even had gone to many of his shows. She was one of his greatest fans and had felt saddened he had left the country to go to the United States, although she understood the debt he felt he owed Erik. In the computer age he still recorded albums that were instants hits in Ghana and were even gaining some acceptance in New York's hippest clubs. Contrary to James, Yaa was very much interested in politics, she even dreamed of being the Minister of Education to encourage more of her countrymen and countrywomen to become the teachers who were sorely needed back home. James felt he had met the woman of his life.
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Christine was telling Meg about her dream, and she couldn't stop laughing at the image of Erik in sexy formal wear and a mask. She finally managed to gasp a few words about her role in Christine's dream. She snorted with laughter when Christine told her she was a dancer in the ballet, and she had been wearing a very skimpy slave girl costume also. Meg wasn't a fan of ballet, except for Nutcracker, but even then she could barely tolerate it. She thought the idea of Christine falling asleep in Erik's arms and drooling on him hilarious.
"So my friend, how do you like my brother up to now?" Enquired Meg.
Christine informed her "I like him very much, Meg. He's a good man, very interesting and such a fine gentleman. It also doesn't hurt that he's sexy," she giggled.
Marie was listening to their conversation on the extension and made a 'thumbs up' sign to Meg and signalled her to try to get some more information from Christine.
Christine then told Meg about the breakfast she had prepared for Erik and herself and that she had even cut his toast the way he liked it. She was very proud she had remembered about it.
Meg rolled her eyes and they finished their conversation.
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Meg cheered and her mother joined her. They were so happy that their plan seemed to be working. Erik and Christine were a match made in Heaven. They belonged together. The trick was to have them come to this realization on their own, without seeming to interfere. They were both very proud and had had difficult lives; if they knew someone had interfered in their love life it would be enough to split them apart. It was a very delicate operation but Marie was sure Meg was up to it.
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Christine went back to get Erik. It was early in the afternoon and she wanted to take a walk with him. Due to the weather they would stay near the building. They put on their borrowed clothes and had barely got out before they were buffeted by the winds. They kept on the small path, which despite having been swept was filling up again with snow.
The walls protected them against the worst of the wind. They halted there, holding hands and looking at the snow falling in packets from the sky. They stayed there for about an hour before deciding it was time to go back inside as they were beginning to lose all feeling in their legs. They both were happy to be with someone in whose company they felt comfortable enough to be able to stand the silence. She looked at the clock in the living room and gasped when she saw it was almost noon. She turned to Erik and asked him if he was hungry, his stomach growling in answer. They both laughed and went upstairs to clean up a little before lunch.
Erik told Christine he'd eat whatever was served, even a horse.
She winked at him and told him she'd see what she could do. Christine filled two trays with home cured ham, small roasted potatoes, a salad and homemade peach preserves for dessert. This time it was Anna who helped Christine out with the trays as Chancy was helping her father out in the kitchen. Christine smirked at the idea of the sullen teen being caught up and unable to get a look at Erik. They ate their fill and when Erik saw what was for dessert he teased Christine about it. She shoved a spoonful of peaches in his mouth for answer. It worked; he was so busy savouring the dessert, he didn't make any more comment. Christine laughed to herself, remembering her mother telling her as a kid 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' So true, even for a gifted scientist, she mused. A man is man after all.
They felt they needed some exercise to be able to digest their meal. The Belays suggested snowshoes and lent them with the boots and some basic instructions on how to use them. It was a lot harder to use snowshoes than Christine had thought at first. She kept falling on her face and Erik was laughing so hard he couldn't walk. What made her a little angry was that he didn't have any difficulties with his snowshoes. He attempted to give her statistics and the scientific way to walk with it but Christine didn't understood most of it and she stubbornly wanted to learn by herself. After a few hours of walking in the deep snow and, in Christine's case at least, falling, they were tired and went inside. Erik had never realized until now how much fun winter sports could be.
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James and Yaa, being avid sports fan, went cross-country skiing. The weather was terrible, so they didn't go as far as they would have liked and not as long, either. Still, it gave them a bonding moment, and they had some of the exercise they felt they needed after the inn's generous meal. They went back to the inn, and Yaa offered to help James seep the snow from the car, which he readily accepted.
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It was already dinnertime. Erik couldn't believe how fast time went by with his Christine; yes, she was now officially 'his'. And he wanted to do everything in his power to make her realize it, to make her happy. For her, he'd have dinner in the inn's living room, like any normal man would.
When he announced his intention to Christine, she was moved at how far he'd go for her, even as she assured him it wasn't necessary.
Since he kept insisting, she suggested a compromise. She'd go help the owner's prepare the meals, and he'd help her bring them up to her room.
He instantly agreed to her idea.
Christine went into the kitchen and saw the Belays were already hard at work preparing dinner. They happily accepted her help. The meal was soon ready and Erik, who had been standing in the kitchen looking out of place, happily prepared the trays and climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She looked around to see where Chancy was; she was busy setting the table and looking downright unhappy about it, which made Christine very happy.
The dinner was homemade vegetable soup, hearty and thick. There was also homemade bread, fresh from the oven and still warm with butter spread on it. It melted in the mouth. It was so heavenly. For dessert, there was ice cream with fruit jam on it. Christine's had peaches jam and for Erik, she had put on raspberries. She couldn't believe how much she was eating at the inn. At home, she'd have coffee in the morning, followed by a sandwich on the run at lunch and a reheated slice of pizza in the evening. All of it drowned with a few gallons of coffee and for dessert, on the days she allowed herself the indulgence, it was only a chocolate tablet.
Erik had discovered he loved looking at Christine when she was eating. He felt she was much too thin and needed some filling up. Although he wasn't sure he could tell her this as he remembered Meg's reaction the one time he had dared approach the subject. He helped Christine in bringing the plates down to the kitchen, feeling very domesticated and happy about it. He wondered if it was something a husband did to help his wife. He would very much like to help Christine in this way if she was his wife. Hmm, wife. That word had a nice ring to it. Maybe, in the near future, if they were still dating and if she wanted to and loved him as he was beginning to love her and if she wanted to… Maybe she could be his wife and he'd be her husband. For the first time in his life he felt confident a woman could be interested in him that way.
He had very much liked their afternoon in the snow so he suggested another outing to Christine, to which she agreed with enthusiasm.
They dressed warmly as it was rather cold outside with it being nighttimes and windy. Christine suddenly threw herself on her back in the snow and began to make large movements with her arm and legs.
Erik looked at her bewildered. What was she doing?
She laughed at his expression and explained she was making snow angels. She told him how it was done and managed to convince him to try. After making a few angels they stopped to look at their handiwork.
Erik was boasting his angels were more angelic looking than hers; she retorted it was only because he had longer legs and arms. He snorted at her answer and she retaliated by throwing him a snowball that she had been making while he was judging her snow angels. He looked surprised and when he realized what she was doing he created his own snowballs and they had a snowball fight. He never had had one before and he saw how much fun it was with someone you cared about. They stood there for few moments looking at the stars.
"How beautiful the sky is in the country! You can see the stars much clearer than in the city," Christine said while gazing upward.
Erik answered while looking at her, "I didn't see any stars in the sky tonight, the most heavenly body is standing right next to me."
She smiled and squeezed his hand softly. He had such a way with words, how romantic to be compared to a star in the heavens.
Finally it was time to go inside. Again Erik had the Belays serving two hot chocolate mugs with marshmallows, but this time he went upstairs with it. They sat in companionable silence, sipping their chocolates. When it was finished, Christine took the lead in kissing Erik. This time she was the initiator. It was a very passionate kiss; she even used her tongue! Erik was shocked but very eager to try it again, which they did. When it was over, they both were panting. Christine's eyes were glazed as Erik licked his lips and said, "Oh, Christine. You taste like chocolate."
She sighed happily at his words and went downstairs to bring back their cups. She went to her room and prepared for the night, while dreaming of Erik. She woke up at nine, surprised again at how late she'd slept and hurried to look through the window. At last, the snow had stopped falling and the wind had died down. She gasped at how beautiful the scenery was outside. Erik knocked at her door and asked softly is she was awake. She bade him to enter.
"Look, Erik," she exclaimed. "It's so beautiful, the sun is shining and the snow is so white it's blinding."
Erik looked at her, "You are so beautiful that you give the sun a reason to shine."
Christine kissed him again passionately. She loved his words; they were so sweet. She was sure she was falling in love with him. She reluctantly stopped and they went to get their breakfast.
That morning they ate homemade toasted bread with jam. Christine tried the raspberry one and Erik, the peaches. They then cleaned up and went downstairs, so Erik could pay for their stay and the clothes they were taking with them. They didn't want to go home wearing the clothes they had on when they came in.
Christine saw James outside saying goodbye to a beautiful woman and exchanging e-mail addresses. She was happy that he seemed to have found someone to talk to at the inn, seeing as most of the guests were families with children and therefore they had nothing in common. The car was swept and everything was ready for their departure. She felt a pinch at leaving; they had had such a nice time.
She went to the counter to say her goodbyes to the Belays. They were such a nice couple. Too bad about their daughter, though. That one had to be put under watch. Speak of the devil, Christine thought, as she saw Chancy hurrying up to have one last try at Erik. Fat chance, Christine thought. Erik belongs to me!
Chancy happened on Erik as he was turning around to take Christine's hand and she saw his scars. As she recoiled in disgust, Christine got furious. Thank God Erik hadn't seen the little bitch's reaction. She asked Erik to wait for her an instant as she had something to do.
She cornered Chancy and told her in no uncertain terms what she thought of her behaviour towards Erik and how cruel she had been with her reaction to his face. She added Erik was a fine man that any 'woman', and she enunciated the word 'woman', in her right mind would be proud to call her own. The twit stayed there with her mouth wide-open, looking ridiculous. Christine was incensed and horrified; she kept thinking about the way some people reacted to Erik. He was a wonderful human being, and no one deserved to receive such treatment only because of the way they looked. Chancy looked bewildered at Christine; she couldn't see what that woman found in the creep. She felt ugly people should be barred from going out in public, or at the very least, wear a mask. She went to give her thoughts to Christine but one glance at her rage-filled eyes made her shut her mouth up.
Erik was waiting for her in the lobby and talking with Yaa. Christine went to him, took his hand in hers, exchanged greetings with James's friend and they went home together.
He felt Christine deserved to be loved and romanced. Although he had no idea how to go about it, he felt sure he'd find a way. He'd just use the scientific approach to the problem and apply his considerable intellect to the project. He'd research the Internet, the local bookstores and libraries. Surely he'd find good sources there on how to romance a woman. Surely, he'd know what women want.