An Endless Love

It Can't be True

The day after her audition, Kristina stood in front of her mirror, assessing her appearance and decided that something was missing. After careful consideration, that something turned out to be a gold bangle a friend form school had given her years ago. Rummaging in her jewellery box, Kristina despaired of ever finding the piece of jewellery. She had last worn it when she went out with Roy. She must have left it at his home.

A quick glance at the clock assured her that Roy would still be at home. Kristina went running down the stairs and a short time later, she was pounding on the door of Roy's flat. She bounced nervously on the balls of her feet as she waited. The door finally opened.

"Hiya!" she said with a warm smile and she stepped toward him and placed a kiss on his cheek. Roy looked as if he had just stepped out of the shower; his hair was wet and he was only half-dressed. "Sorry to arrive without warning, I think I left my bangle here last week."

Roy stepped back to allow her to enter. She immediately went to the bowl on the coffee table where he kept anything she accidentally left and slipped the bangle on her wrist. After admiring it for a few moments, she stopped and frowned when she heard some banging in the kitchen.

"Is someone here?"

Roy looked in the direction of the kitchen and winced. The banging stopped.

"Roy!"

Kristina looked at him in horror. She clutched her stomach as nausea rolled through her. She shook her head as if doing so would somehow she wake her from her bad dream.

"Mietta?" she whispered to herself.

"Roy where do you keep the coffee? I can't find… Bloody hell," Mietta's voice trailed off when she saw Kristina. She stood a few steps behind Roy, her hair was a mess and her clothes were wrinkled. Ever since the three went out to lunch, something slowly began to develop between Mietta and Roy. She had tried to get him to end his relationship with Kristina but he had been reluctant to do so. Mietta never wanted Kristina to find out like this. She looked into Kristina's wild, injured eyes and hated what she had done.

"Kristi," she said sadly as she reached out to her friend.

Kristina looked between Mietta and Roy and fled. In the street, she looked along the street, fighting to catch her breath. She hailed a cab and ordered the driver to take her to the first place she could think of. Half Moon Street. The ride passed in a blur as she cried at Roy and Mietta's betrayal.

She unlocked the front door and ran up the stairs, blinded by tears. When she stumbled on one of the steps, she stopped to wipe at the tears before continuing up the rest of the flight. Gasping for breath, she paused at the top of the stairs.

"Erik! Erik!"

Eleanor appeared from the kitchen and was about to chastise Kristina for screaming so loudly while Erik was trying to sleep when she saw her face. Her stiff bearing softened as she placed a calming hand on Kristina's shoulder. "He is in his bedroom," she said, pointing to the ceiling.

Kristina ran up the next flight of stairs to the second floor and collided with Erik. She immediately threw her arms around him and sobbed into his shirt. Erik however, was a little slower reacting. After a minute of standing, too stunned to react, he tenderly wrapped his arms about Kristina's waist, terrified of breaking her, which only caused her to cry harder. He looked helplessly at Eleanor over the top of Kristina's head, who only shook her head. Erik could never recall comforting a crying woman; he had no idea what to do for her. In the end, he settled with awkwardly rubbing her back. When Kristina had calmed down enough to speak, she joined Erik and Eleanor at the breakfast table for a cup of strong tea.

"I went to Roy's. I left my bangle there and I wanted it back," Kristina explained, unaware that Erik bristled beside her. "I went to his home and got it." She began to cry again. "Roy and Mietta. Mietta! She was with him! Mietta!"

Erik and Eleanor deduced the situation and shared a silent conversation over the top of Kristina's bowed head. Erik reached out and ran his fingers through Kristina's hair. She seemed to calm at the contact.

"I will kill him."

Kristina paled and shook her head. Erik gently wiped at Kristina's tears with his handkerchief and smiled to himself when she leant into his hand. She reached up and covered his hand with her own, preventing him from moving away.

"That is not wise, Erik," Eleanor said calmly, wisely. "You must not do anything rash until you are calm."

Erik glared at Eleanor, but said nothing.

"Don't do anything to Mietta or Roy," Kristina pleaded as she grabbed Erik's other hand. "Please, Erik."

He looked at her in wonder. Her best friend and boyfriend had just betrayed her and yet she did not want revenge. He reached out and touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. She never ceased to amaze him.

The waiting to find out if she got the part on West End, combined with the saga with Roy and Mietta made the week one of the longest in Kristina's life. Her sister also decided to remember that she had a younger sister and left a message on her phone; inviting her to the birthday party she was throwing later in the week. Kristina could think of no other way to make her week worse than it already was. She had considered pulling out of the show so that she could avoid Mietta but knew that Erik would never approve of such an idea. He was such a stickler that he would not allow her to get out of something she had already committed herself to. She had to content herself with the knowledge that in only a week it would be over.

"It is such a lovely night why don't we take your lesson out to terrace?" Erik suggested as he looked out the windows at the balmy, starry night.

At Kristina's surprised nod, Erik threw open the French doors and led her outside to the terrace. The flares that lined the perimeter highlighted the potted plants. If it weren't for the flames, she would not have been able to see anything. She sank down onto the chair and accepted the music Erik handed to her. She watched entranced as he lit the assortment of candles in the centre of the table.

"You will sing a cappella. I would like to be out here with you and I'm afraid that I don't want my piano outside."

Kristina smiled and began her singing lesson. She had not had an alfresco singing lesson before and she found the whole idea very appealing. She could pretend that the she was standing beneath a spotlight on a West End stage and all of the stars were actually audience members. Her voice carried further than it ever had, reaching out to all the stars.

Erik looked at her in amazement. Here in his natural darkness, Kristina was blossoming. He thought that the darkness had only ever been his friend, but it seemed that Kristina was befriending it and was taking advantage of the magic the night held. The moonlight turned her skin into ivory silk. Her hair glistened and her blue eyes sparkled.

When the time came for Kristina to rest, Erik called Eleanor and then turned his attention for the first time in an hour from Kristina to the night sky. A few moments later, Eleanor arrived with a tray with a jug of juice and two glasses.

"Thank you, Eleanor," Kristina beamed at the other woman when Erik failed to pull his attention away from the night sky and thank her.

He continued to stare up at the night sky, marvelling at the beauty of the moon and the stars. Ever since he became a vampire, and his senses were heightened, Erik had never overcome amazement of the little things, especially the night sky. It was the only time of the day that he felt at peace.

Kristina pushed the glass of juice across the table towards Erik. When he did not pull his attention away from the sky, she reached out and touched his hand. With a slight jerk, Erik looked up and accepted the glass Kristina handed to him. He sipped the juice, tasting nothing.

"This was such a lovely idea," Kristina said on a sigh as she tilted her head back, exposing her neck and looked up at the stars. She had never taken the time to gaze at the stars; she never had time to do it with the theatre.

Erik nodded in agreement. "I never tire of looking at the stars and moon. There's a certain peace that you can only experience at night. It is a short time to relax and think about anything that needs to be considered. It is also the perfect time to talk to a companion without the interruptions of daily life."

Accepting the opening that Erik had given her, Kristina gathered her courage to ask Erik about her audition. "Do you think I will get the role, Erik? I think my voice cracked slightly on that high E; that isn't a good thing."

"I know that you will get that role, Kristina. I have every faith in your abilities. And, ma moitié, if you do not get that role, there are plenty more in West End for you. We will continue until you are on a West End stage. And when you are at West End, we will continue together to make you the greatest performer ever to grace West End and Broadway!"

Kristina smiled at Erik, pleased that she had such a wonderful teacher supporting her. If she did not have Erik, she was certain that she would be wandering aimlessly through amateur theatre. If the theatre rejected her, she was not sure that she would have the courage to continue on to audition after audition. It was an unbelievable relief to know that Erik would not abandon her.

"Have you spoken to your friend?" Erik asked after a lull in the conversation. "I think it would be good for you – and your voice – to talk to her." He had noticed that the passion was slightly lacking from her singing and was relieved that she had auditioned before her friends deceived her.

Kristina looked up from her nails, which she had been studying. Tears filled her eyes at the mention of Mietta. She shook her head and tried to stop the flow of tears. But she could not control them. The tears fell down her cheeks.

Annoyed at the callous way he had questioned Kristina about such a sensitive topic, Erik moved to the seat beside her and lovingly wiped at the tears with his handkerchief. The tears began to flow faster as she continued to cry at a rate faster than Erik could wipe. Giving up his attempts, Erik wrapped his arm around Kristina's shoulders and pulled her against his body. She nestled her face into the place where his neck met his shoulder. He pressed a few calming kisses against her temple and waited for her to relax.

"I'm sorry, Erik," she said, embarrassed as she tried to push out of his embrace.

They sat outside, under the stars talking. Erik was so wrapped up with his conversation with Kristina that for the first time in his life, he forgot all about his music.