Hey all. Glad to be writing this chapter… things are going to start picking up. From the next chapter on, things will start being explained… things will make sense… and new questions will be raised… and some important things will be revealed. I'm so excited!
Thanks to EVERYONE who has reviewed! It's so satisfying to have reviewers… it makes the writing that much more fun!
CarolROI- I thought it was rather important that the audience realize the kind of people Raoul and Erik are, and I thought the relationship discussion would give a nice contrast. She woke up in the dream before he saw the scars because I didn't want her character to deal with that yet. And I wanted to save his reaction for a real revealing. Ha! Carla! Yay. Well, that would be telling! Heh. Well, if you've read Susan Kay's book, I have to say that Carla's character is not based on Carlotta, but on the Khanum. So… all will be revealed later… perhaps they were romantically involved! And… in terms of Christine…you may be right…THANKS FOR REVIEWING! Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I love your reviews!
Tink20- Yes, that fantasy feeling was exactly was I was going for with that chapter. Thanks! I love getting your reviews… makes me feel good about writing! Keep reading please! You are my faithful reader!
I'm glad you guys are curious about Carla… she's my favorite new character… she is so evil! But she won't really pop up until chapters 11 and 12.
Anyway… Pay attention a certain symbol that keeps repeating itself in this chapter. It was also mentioned in chapter eight. It's going to be quite important in the coming chapters.
Erik always watched. It wasn't that he wanted to watch. Most of the time he didn't. Most of the time they did things that he would be ashamed even attempting to explain to Sir. But he felt he had to watch. He felt he had to protect her. And, in the twisted workings of his mind, it was punishment.
His eyes followed her as she brushed her hair out in front of her vanity mirror. He knew that she expected the boy to arrive soon, and that they were going to go swimming. She pulled a swimsuit shrug over the top of her bathing suit, knotting it firmly in the front. She sighed, staring at her covered reflection, before jumping up to answer the ringing doorbell.
He took the back staircase and met her at the bottom, where she was opening the door and greeting the boy.
"Richard!" She giggled, pressing a kiss to his lips. He wrapped his arms around her slight figure, returning her kiss.
"How are you Christine?" Richard asked softly, making him cringe. What right had the boy to speak to Christine in such sickeningly sweet tones?
The girl sighed, pressing her full head of curls into Richard's chest.
"I'm getting better Richard. I… I've stopped dreaming of the fire."
"That's good, sweetheart." The boy cooed, kissing her on the top of her head. "You should put that all behind you. Thank God you weren't hurt in that wretched fire."
Christine made no reply, only hugged the boy tighter to her. He frowned. Was the boy so stupid? Or had Christine not told him? He felt a skinning feeling in his stomach as he watched the pair walk towards the swimming pool.
Rays of sunlight penetrated my room through the blinds that I had only half-closed the night before. I yawned, curling my arms above my head in a relaxing stretch. Shadow was still sleeping beside me, curled up to my side, snuggling. I smiled, scratching him behind the ears.
"Come on, sweetie." I stroked my hand through his silky, thick fur, admiring the smooth feeling on my fingertips. "Shadow…"
The dog's head popped up and I grinned at him, kissing him lightly on the top of the head. He barked happily, jumping off the side of my bed and running around the carpeted floor of my room. I laughed, pulling on a robe from the hook next to my bed, and stood up to chase him.
He didn't make it easy on my tired muscles. It was a full three minutes before I finally caught the black fur ball, laughing so hard my sides hurt. I hugged him to me, laughing in his fur.
"Oh, Shadow." He barked in response to his name. I pet his head. "What would I do without you Shadow?" He merely barked again and I sighed. "That's what I get for talking to a dog…"
He barked again, pushing his small head against the door of my closet.
"What, Shadow, you want to go in there?" He pawed at the door. "No. That's not a door for me to open."
It was useless, trying to argue with a determined dog. I stared at the door to my closet for a long while, tuning out the sounds of Shadow's impatient barking. I hadn't been inside that closet since I locked it up six years ago. What would I find if I opened it once again? How much evil would I let out… and how much hope? There were so many memories in that closet, so many things that I was afraid to think about… so many demons of the past that I had wanted to put behind me. Was it worth the pain to finally confront those evil spirits? I nodded once to myself before standing up to retrieve the small key from the jewelry box on my dresser. Perhaps it was time.
The door handle squeaked when I turned it, and I winced. There was still time to go back and forget for a while longer… No, it has been far too long. I have to do this… There is no going back now. I pushed the door open to reveal the dusty, dark closet. I pulled the string that hung from the ceiling and the closet was illuminated. I sighed, falling to my knees at the sudden tears that came to my eyes. The first thing I saw was my father's violin case, sitting at the very front, its black leather faded from years of mistreatment. I pulled it gently out of the closet, cradling it in my arms. Its weight was slight, as it had always been. I wiped at stay tears that fell down my cheeks, closing the closet as I sat down before it, my hands gently working the latches at the side of the case.
It opened easily, revealing the damaged violin that lay inside. My tears fell harder this time, plopping gently onto Shadow's head. He was sniffing the injured violin with curiosity. I pulled it out of the case, stroking my fingers down the crack that ran down the middle of the instrument, ruining the beautiful wood and breaking all of the strings.
I remembered that day as clearly as I remembered my name. I could recall every wretched detail, every miserable action of that terrible day…
Richard and I had planned to go swimming. It was about two weeks after I had gotten out of the hospital, and I was just coming to terms with my burns. I had bought a turtleneck swim jacket- that was exceedingly hard to find- to go over my old bathing suits so they would sufficiently cover up anything ugly. Thus, fully covered, I had met Richard at the door. Maybe that was my first mistake, not telling him about the burns. Perhaps if he had known he could have prepared or… something else… anything else…
I smile entreatingly at him, leading him towards the pool in my backyard. The weather is warm for June, and I am glad to be outside with him. He is the only person I feel I can trust besides my father, now that I have my burns. He is the only who knows me well enough to see beyond the burns…
I stop next to a green lounge chair, dropping the two towels I collected for us onto the chair and smiling at him.
He grins. "I guess you want me to take off my shirt."
I shrug playfully. "You don't have to if you don't want to."
"I might want to." He says, hugging me around my middle. I giggle. "Only if you let me push you in."
Before I realize what is happening, he pushes me into the water. I scream before I hit the surface; going under for only a split second before I resurface, ready to kill.
"Richard!" I yell, but there is a smile on my face. "I'm going to get you for that."
"I hope you will, Christine." He says mischievously, shedding his shirt and slipping into the water. He swims out towards me, enfolding me into his arms.
"Don't try any of that!" I say, swimming away from him. "I'm still mad at you."
"Are you?" He asks. He raises his eyebrows before swimming towards me in slow, self-assured strokes. "Are you sure, Christine?" His mouth finds my neck and he kisses me gently. I laugh happily, feeling his hands coming to rest on my waist.
"There." He says, pulling away from me. "I knew you weren't angry."
I hit him on the arm before pulling him back to kiss his mouth. His hand travels towards my neck, caressing the part that he can feel. He pulls away, frowning.
"Why are you wearing this, Christine? You don't need to cover up… you are so beautiful…" His hands find the top of the fabric and begin to pull down, and I dip beneath him, swimming towards the other side of the pool. I feel stupid now, that I haven't told him what is under the jacket. After all, they are just burns. Richard will understand. I take a deep breath before turning around to see him swimming towards me.
"What is it, Christine?" He asks, his eyes narrowed in confusion.
I sigh, and force myself to look into his eyes… "Richard… something did happen to me in the fire."
He frowns. "What do you mean, Christine? You told me-"
"It's nothing life threatening." I cut him off, swallowing hard. "It's… a wound of a different nature."
"How do you mean? Christine, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Richard. Once I know I have your support, everything will be perfect." I give a little hysterical laugh, trying to keep myself under control. "Its nothing really…" I try to make myself believe it too… it is nothing… just a few burns is all…
"Christine, talk to me." He takes hold on of my shoulders. "What has happened?"
I shake my head; trying to suppress tears that make my throat so thick I cannot speak.
"Oh, Christine…" He kisses both of my cheeks before cradling my head to his chest, rocking me gently back and forth in the water. "Its fine. Everything is fine…" He lifts my head to kiss me and I press into him, needing to feel comforted. He kisses me gently at first, his hands wandering through my hair and up my back. His tongue enters my mouth and I don't even hear the rustle of fabric. I don't realize what he has done until I feel the wind cool against my chest, and I pull away from him sharply, attempting to cover myself. But it is too late. There burns are too large for me to hide, and he has already seen.
"My God…" He whispers, backing away from me, his face twisted with disgust. "Christine, what the hell happened to you?"
Tears spring to my eyes as I grope around for something to cover up with. "In the fire…" I whisper. "I was in the fire… I was burned."
"Burned!" He yells, quickly jumping out of the pool. "Christine burns don't look like that! That- that's disgusting! It's hideous! How can you even…!"
"Richard!" I cry after him, climbing out of the pool and grabbing a towel to cover myself. "It's just skin! It doesn't matter… Richard, it's still me!"
"No! Not the beautiful little Christine I used to know! You're… you're repulsive! That's nauseating Christine, I can't even look at you!"
"But their just burns! What does it matter what I look like?"
He turns to me, revulsion still etched on his face, and opens his mouth to speak.
Instead, I hear my father's voice coming from behind Richard.
"What is going on here?" He asks, his voice deep and authoritative.
"Your daughter!" Richard exclaims, "Your daughter is a monster!"
I gasp back my tears, hardly believing my ears. How could he be so cruel? How could he be so cruel? How could anyone be so cruel to another person because of they way they look?
My father watches Richard angrily, clutching his violin tightly. "My daughter is not a monster."
"She is! It's sickening!" He whirls to face me. "How could you lie to me, Christine, make me believe you were still beautiful?"
"It doesn't matter…" I whisper brokenly, disbelievingly, "It shouldn't matter…"
My father takes hold of Richard arms, swinging him around.
"Listen to me closely. My daughter is not a monster. If you cannot see that, then I suggest you get off of my property right now."
Richard yells a curse at him, launching himself at my father's slim figure and crushing the violin beneath the two of them. A scream escapes my lips and I rush forward to help, but my father has already pushed him off, and Richard takes off running, screaming obscenities back over his shoulder. I cry out and kneel next to my father who is brushing himself off.
"It's alright Christine." He says, whipping a tear from my cheek. "Everything is going to be alright."
I look at him pleadingly. "He thought I was disgusting. He said I was a monster. Papa! Why was he so cruel to me?"
"It doesn't matter Christine…"
"It does! He thought I was ugly… they are just burns! Why can't anyone understand? He called me hideous! I thought- I thought he loved me!" I cry into the soft fabric of my father's shirt and he pats me on the back, stroking my hair.
"No one will understand Christine." He whispers. "I don't even think I will understand fully. The only one who will ever understand is Erik…"
I pull away to look at him in the eye. "Will he, Papa?"
He nodded. "Erik will understand, sweetheart. He will understand… and everything will be alright."
I shake my head, tears still slipping down my cheeks as my gaze falls to his violin. "It won't Papa!" I cry, "It won't ever be alright!" I lift the broken violin so he can see it, the wrecked instrument so well representing the remainder of my heart.
Quiet tears streamed down my cheeks as I remembered that day. I put the violin gently back into its case, closing the top and putting it back into the closet. Locking the door, I returned the key to its spot on my dresser.
I wandered over towards by bed, and Shadow jumped into my lap as I wiped haphazardly at my tears. Richard had been the beginning. He had been the first to show me that I would never gain acceptance from people. He had been the first to tell me what I really was, a monster, a thing to mocked, perhaps even pitied. But not loved. No, he had certainly showed me that.
In the days and weeks after that day, Richard had spread the story throughout the school, so I was ridiculed wherever I went. I lost every single friend I had and even some of the teachers were repulsed by me. The only thing that kept my sane was my father and the music.
Since that day, I had been careful never to trust anyone with my true self. I knew that no matter how kind hearted they might seem, there was always a capacity for cruelty, and that was always the response I would evoke. I even started to hide it from my father. What was the point of subjecting him to such hideousness? He, the only one who stood by me?
Sometimes at night I would stand in front of my mirror, looking at the burns. It was a cruel sort of punishment for myself. I don't know why I did it… perhaps to remind myself that I was different, and that I would always remain so. To remind myself never to get too comfortable with people… because I was set apart and would always be apart…
There was one person I was beginning to feel might accept me… because of his understanding nature and his beauty… one angel who spoke to me through the notes of music that might be able to save me from hell. For some reason, I felt I could trust him. It was the scariest thing I'd ever felt. Why did I think he could be different from the rest of them?
Shadow barked loudly and Meg knocked on my door simultaneously. I jumped up, unlocking my door to see Meg holding the phone in her hands.
"Its Raoul." She said, and I frowned. In my reverie, I had not heard the phone ring.
"Thanks." I took the phone from her hands and closed the door again. I did not want to talk to Raoul. The events of last night had remained locked in the back of my mind and I didn't want to think about them. I just wanted it all to go away… Closing my eyes, I counted to ten before putting the phone to my ear.
"Hello, Raoul."
"Christine?" He sounded frenzied. "Christine! Are you all right? What's happened? Christine, I'm so sorry! Did I so something, say something?"
"Raoul."
"Was it about Flavia? You know I haven't spoken to her in months, Christine she means nothing to me! I-"
"Raoul."
He paused for a moment, as if surprised I was still there.
"Christine, I'm sorry."
I sighed, falling down against my pillows. How to explain it to him? He was so innocent; he hadn't even realized what he had done. He hadn't realized the kind of monster he was speaking to…
"I'd really rather not talk about it."
"But… Christine! If something is bothering you we should talk about it."
"Forget about it, Raoul." I said, "I shouldn't have taken it so seriously… I shouldn't have run off like that…"
"Taken what so seriously?"
"No, Raoul, really. Its better if we just forget about it…"
"About what? Christine, talk to me! What did I do?"
"Its just…" I picked at a loose thread on my covers. "All that stuff you said about marriage. Is that really how you feel?"
"Well… yeah."
"But… why?"
"That's what I've witnessed growing up."
"What do you mean?" I asked, somewhat distressed.
"I mean, my parents… I don't think they ever really loved each other. It was a profitable marriage. No one has ever shown me any different…"
"Raoul, I…" I trailed off. What could I say to him? I couldn't teach him how to love.
"If I offended you I'm sorry… Its what I grew up believing. And when you're a celebrity things are so distorted. Especially marriage."
Cursing him silently, I lowered the phone from my ear. I couldn't blame him for his cruel words the other night… he hadn't known any better! He had been pampered his whole life but had never known the simple joy of the love shared between my parents… It wasn't his fault he didn't understand.
I sighed.
"Raoul…"
"I never thought I'd be able to find a strong, lasting love. Even with Flavia I think we both knew that it wouldn't last…"
"Raoul, please. Let's not talk about it." So much discussion on love was bringing new tears to my eyes. I think I hated the word.
"But Christine, with you its different."
I swallowed. Please, please don't say it…
"With you, everything is brighter, everything is better. And it's so much simpler."
How could he understand simple if he'd never experienced it?
"Raoul, I think-"
"Really, Christine. You've shown so many new things… I never thought I could be so content… with you, it's just right."
I sat silently, holding the phone to my ear in a sort of paralyzed horror. Don't say it… don't say it…
"Christine, I did a lot of thinking last night after you left. And I think what I'm trying to say is that I-"
"Let's just forget it ever happened, okay?" I asked quickly. He was beginning to tread on dangerous ground.
"But, Christine, I'm trying to tell you, I-"
"Let's have a redo, okay?" I suggested faintly. I couldn't hear the words come out of his mouth. "Tonight? Say… eight?"
I could hear him hesitate. "Christine…"
I closed my eyes. I couldn't let him say it… how would I respond when I knew I didn't feel the same way? It would be one more lie on top of my ever-growing pile.
"I really just want to forget all of that, okay? I'm sorry for what happened. Let's just move on. I'd be happy to see you tonight."
"Of course." He finally said graciously. I could hear the upper-class breeding kicking in. "I'd be delighted."
"So… eight."
"Yes." He voice was flat, and I suppressed a sigh. I knew I had hurt him.
"Raoul…" I'm sorry…
"I'll pick you up at your house, alright?" I could hear I distinct attempt to sound cheery, and it made my heart hurt. He such a nice guy… why couldn't I learn to love him?
"Yeah. I'll see you soon."
"Right. Goobye, Christine."
I hung up the phone and stared at my ceiling. The answer to the question was simple. Raoul thought he liked me because he hadn't seen me. He reminded me too much of Richard. When I had first begun dating Richard, he too had been straightforward and eager. Until he had seen the burns.
Later that day I had to show up for a meeting with Nadir and Mr. Deslter at the construction site. Meg had wanted to tag along, but I sent her back to the office instead. I had been keeping her in the dark about my activities lately, and I wanted to put some space between us.
The meeting was our first on the actual building site. We were to discuss final preparations for the commencement of building. To house our meetings we had set up a little trailer under an oak tree near the edge of the site.
I trekked across the expansive land, marveling at the apparent wealth of our client. To the left there was a magnificent view of the crystal clear river the flowed into the ocean. The house would stand tall and beautiful, with balconies and columns and huge glass atriums… I approached the white trailer and knocked on the little door. Nadir appeared before me.
"Hello Christine." He attempted a thin, closemouthed smile, and I figured that all was still not well between him and Mr. Destler.
"Hello." I followed him inside and took a seat at the table where Mr. Destler was quietly drawing sketches.
"Is everyone doing okay?" I asked politely, attempting to ease the tension in the air.
"Quite." Nadir said. He cleared his throat and Mr. Destler gazed up at me. I met his eyes calmly, sending a short message of thanks for last night. He gave no indication that he had understood me and simply returned to his work.
I sighed, and turned to Nadir.
"Mr. Kahn, I recently spoke to the head of the department, Mr. Blake. He signed all of your papers and said that he returned them via fax a few days ago."
He rubbed his forehead. "Right. I'm sorry, I forgot about them… I'll have to ask Darius if he saw them come through…"
I nodded. "Once you check over those I think we'll be ready to start, correct?"
I didn't get an answer. There was an edgy silence in the room and I shifted in my chair, my gaze falling back upon Mr. Destler. He seemed to be sketching the dining room, which struck me as odd, because all the sketching was finished.
As if he sensed my eyes, he looked up at me with an unreadable expression before setting his pencil down and sliding the papers underneath his briefcase.
"I think it may be a couple of days before that is possible, Miss Daae."
His voice was like honey and I savored it for a few moments before his words registered.
"Why is that?"
Again, I didn't get an answer, and I frowned, more than a little irked. It was too early in the morning for him to be cryptic.
"Well?" I addressed both of them, "what have we got here?"
Mr. Destler almost sneered as he answered me. "What we've got, Miss Daae, is one irritating client, and one even more irritated architect."
"Really?" I asked in surprise. "What has Mr. Silver done, specifically?" I watched his golden eyes blaze.
"He decided that he didn't like the design for four of the rooms. Says they're not lavish enough." His hand grasped the side of the table tightly. "That insufferable man does not understand the meaning of true and simple beauty."
"So you're going to redraw them?" I asked carefully.
"Yes," He said, calmly enough to frighten me, "if it will suit the Monsieur." His tone was not playful, and I knew enough not to push him. Instead, I turned to Nadir.
"Was there anything else that needs to be done?"
"Well," Nadir answered, "I wanted to show you the site, Christine. There are some things you ought to see before we officially begin construction."
"All right." I stood. "Before I leave, Mr. Destler, have we covered everything in terms of our meeting?"
"I believe so." He answered curtly.
I nodded, and Nadir took me by the arm.
"Come. There was some concern surrounding the porch overlooking the river…"
He began steering me outside, but my gaze lingered on Mr. Destler's form. "Will you be alright on your own, Mr. Deslter?"
"Oh yes." His voice was icy steel and it made me shiver. "If you happen to see our beloved client, tell him to keep away from this trailer. And if he doesn't heed your warning, you might suggest that he keeps his hand at the level of his eyes."
My eyes narrowed in confusion, but Nadir half- pushed me out of the door and closed the door tightly behind us. He began walking quickly and I had to run to catch up with him.
"What was that?"
"Oh dear…" Nadir's only answer was his pale skin.
"What did he mean, his hand at the level of his eyes?"
"None of your concern…" He said shortly. Under his breath, I heard him muttering. "Oh, but this is bad. Mr. Silver shouldn't have angered him so…"
I kept silent, allowing the subject to drift away as Nadir led me to the center of the field where workmen were drawing premature lines for the foundation of the building. I met with one of Nadir's associates, Mr. Fitzsimmons, and the three of us discussed the problems with the marshland right by the river where Mr. Silver had wanted to build a sunroom. We also discussed plans for building an outdoor pool house and an indoor pool in the back of the house. Mr. Silver met us halfway through the conversation, and asked for Mr. Destler. Nadir simply said that he was inaccessible at the moment. Eventually Mr. Fitzsimmons had to leave, and Nadir and I began to walk back to the trailer.
"Do you think he is still angry?" I asked quietly. It may have been an inappropriate question, but when he was angry, Mr. Destler was a scary person to be around.
Nadir shrugged. "Perhaps you can calm him down, Christine."
I remained quiet as I followed Nadir. His words seemed off. Did he know about my music lessons and the other, tender side of the angel?
His cell phone rang and I heard a soft groan.
I arched an eyebrow. "Your sister-in-law?"
Nadirs paled again, and flipped open his cell phone. After a quick hello, he began speaking rapidly in another language. I stood surprised, my eyes wide as my ears took in the unfamiliar language. He made a farewell gesture to me and quickly hurried in the other direction, speaking frantically into his phone.
I sighed, pushing open the door to the trailer. Mr. Destler's eyes met mine, a stormy swirl of gold on brown.
He was drawing sketches again, and I went to sit down beside him.
"Which room are you drawing?"
"Second bedroom." He muttered, filling in the yinyang at the bottom of the page. My gaze fluttered over all of the other papers strewn across the table, and I noticed that they all had yinyangs at the bottom where the architect's name should have been. Then his cell phone rang and I nearly groaned with him. I didn't know her, but Carla was beginning to bother me.
My eyes almost popped out of the sockets when he too began speaking in the foreign language. He nodded a few times, pinching the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he carefully returned all of the yinyang signed designs back into his briefcase. There was a moment when he paused, and his gaze locked on mine for a second in which my heart did not beat, and then he gave the other line a curt answer and shut the phone closed.
Briefcase in tow, he started towards the door. Without turning, he spoke. "I will not be available for lessons for the remainder of the week, Miss Daae. I have unfinished business I need to attend to."
My stomach dropped and my heart beat painfully inside my chest. Won't be available? But you are my angel… I stood quickly, my feet bringing me to stand next to him. I searched his face.
"But…" Please don't leave me… not after everything you've done for me.
"I'm sorry." He said, quietly.
I gazed up at him, trying to suppress tears. I knew it wasn't fair of me. He obviously had a life outside of my lessons… but I liked to think that the time I spent with him in that music room was exclusively for me. I liked to think that when he was my angel, he was only my angel. 'I'm sorry' seemed like such an inadequate excuse.
"Why?" I asked faintly, trying to catch his eye. He seemed uncomfortable, and wouldn't look at me.
"Carla…" He didn't finish the sentence, and there was a moment when we stared at each other before he tipped his hat to me. "Good day, Miss Daae." And then he was out the door.
"Wait!" I called after him, standing at the threshold of the open door, but he was running across the field, and I leaned back against the door.
Who was this Carla who was stealing my angel away from me?
I got back from the meeting around the leisurely hour of four o'clock, so I had time to spare before my date with Raoul. I sat with Shadow on the couch, flipping through the channels we got through our cable connection. When Meg's grandfather clocks stroke five, I leaned forlornly against shadow's fur, wishing I were just opening the door to the music room.
I sighed. If he couldn't teach me, it didn't mean I was going to neglect my music. I climbed the stairs towards my room and reopened the closet with my father's music. Sifting through sheets of music, I found an old lullaby my father had written. I pulled it out, and locked the closet.
I got a drink of water, went through my warm up exercises, and began to sing.
I had gotten through three of my father's songs by the time Meg got home from the office, at seven thirty. I put away all of the music and told Meg about my date with Raoul. She smiled.
"Do you need help with an outfit, Chrissie?"
I nodded, also smiling, while inside I felt guilty for leaving her out the past few weeks. Everything had been so hectic; I hardly had time to explain it to her.
She helped me into a beige sweater and a jean skirt with a pair of her brown leather boots, and did my makeup. I was just putting half my hair back into a clip when the doorbell rang and Meg shouted up to me.
I grabbed a small purse from my closet and went down stairs to meet Raoul. He smiled faintly when he saw me, taking my hands in his.
"Good evening Christine, you look beautiful." I smiled at him, waving at Meg before exiting the house.
"What have you planned for us?" I asked as I slid into his passenger seat.
"You'll see, Christine," He said with a sly smile, looking out the back of the car as he maneuvered out of the driveway. "I just hope you like Chinese."
The restaurant was a buffet, and after we had gotten our food, Raoul and I found ourselves in a tense silence, much like the one in the car.
I swallowed a mouthful of white rice and took a sip of water before looking up at him. He was smiling at me, and I quickly shoved another forkful of food into my mouth to avoid speaking.
"I'm glad you like the food Christine." He said. "I know a lot of good Chinese restaurants I can take you to."
I closed my eyes against the cheerful note in his voice. Sometimes it made me feel guilty that I didn't enjoy his company nearly as much as he enjoyed mine. I nodded and he stretched his hands out in front of him.
The waiter retrieved his plate and I sighed, setting down my fork and looking up at him seriously.
"Raoul, I'm sorry about everything that happened. I'm a hard person to be around…" On many different levels.
He offered me a gracious smile. "It's okay Christine. I know I said some ill-considered things. Maybe you're right, and we should just forget about it."
I sighed, hearing the slight edge in his voice. I had been so cold to him.
"Do you have any cousins?" I asked arbitrarily, trying to change the subject.
A surprised looked entered his eyes before he answered. "Yes, I have three. One lives in California, her name is Francesca. She's going to UCLA with my sister. One lives in New York with my Aunt and Uncle. He's only two. His name is Robert. And then my other cousin, Suzanne, lives in Europe. She actually married into the nobility, so she's a duchess now…"
"Your cousin Robert." I said, "He's two?"
"Yeah."
"Are you good with him?"
"Yeah. I love being around him. Whenever I visit I try to take him with me everywhere. He's a really great kid."
"That's great." I said encouragingly.
"What about you, Christine, are you good with kids?"
"Well actually," I couldn't keep a smile off my face. "When I lived in New Hampshire, I used to volunteer at the ice skating rink to help teach the little kid classes. There were these twins, Alexandra and Samantha Hepurn. They must have been the two most adorable girls I've ever seen. They would follow me around the rink and wouldn't listen to the teacher. They'd only listen to me. They were so great, and the parents invited me to come to dinner with them once. I was really great with them."
Raoul grinned. "I love kids."
"So do I."
He leaned back against his chair. "Did you ever think about having kids?"
I felt a faint blush paint my cheeks. "Perhaps."
"How many would you want?"
"Oh, I don't know…" I said softly, "two I think."
"Why two?"
I lowered my eyes to my plate and pushed the food around. "One to look like me, and one to resemble…"
"The father?" I looked up at him and his gaze was strong and sure.
"What about you?" I asked.
"Three. Or maybe more. I don't know, I really like kids. I'd like to have a lot."
I swallowed, standing up and making the excuse that I wanted more food from the buffet. The way he was looking at me was making me uncomfortable. As if he thought… my mind couldn't even begin to go there.
I returned to the table and he engaged me in small talk, as though he sensed my discomfort. In that way we talked away the night, joking and chatting about everything and nothing. When he led me back to his car, I smiled at him.
"What was it like to have siblings?"
"Marvelous. Always having someone to rely on."
I nodded as he pushed on the gas pedal.
"Your sister Penny, how old were you when she was born?"
"Almost six."
"So do you remember a lot from when she was a baby?"
"Oh yeah." He snorted. "She used to cry all the time. I promised myself I would never get a baby girl, but in reality, any kind of child would be okay by me."
"Would you adopt?"
"Definitely. If my wife couldn't conceive or… I don't marry… I'll definitely adopt."
I nodded and sat silently for the rest of the car ride. The trees and quaint little houses passed by in a smear of gray and black and bright lights until we reached the familiar blue house with the concrete steps.
I smiled at Raoul when he opened my door.
"Thanks for the night. I'm glad we put everything behind us."
"Yeah." He offered me his hand and led me up the stairs to my door. "I want to forget our fights because I love being with you so much…"
I looked away from him, but his hand grasped my chin and tilted it up to look into his eyes.
"Christine, I… I've fallen-"
In a desperate and quick motion, I pressed onto my toes and kissed him. I still couldn't let him say it.
He pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing me back. He pulled his mouth off of mine and instead hugged me, his hand playing with my loose curls.
"Oh Christine… I-"
"I need to go." I whispered quickly. He nodded against me before pulling away.
"Work early tomorrow morning?" He asked smiling, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. I nodded.
"Well, I suppose I can't take you away from work." I shook my head and he chuckled, kissing my cheek.
"I'll call you tomorrow and we can make plans, alright? I had a great time tonight."
"Me too."
He smiled and kissed me once more before retreating down the steps. I sighed and waved him off as he drove away. I turned towards the door and went through my purse to find my keys.
I cursed softly as they fell to the ground and knelt to pick them up. A small gasped of surprise left my lips. Lying next to the fallen keys was a scarlet red rose tied with a black ribbon.
I lifted the delicate flower into my hands and inhaled the heavenly scent. Only one angel could have sent such a divine gift… My fingers grazed paper and I opened my eyes to see a card lined the same black ribbon, with a yinyang engraved in the center.
I opened it, and in the same beautiful calligraphy as the last rose, there was a message:
"To my Mona Lisa
-Your Angel of Music."
Yay. I'm very, very, completely, absolutely, from the bottom of my heart sorry I didn't update sooner. I had more finals… they didn't end until Wednesday! Anyway. I am planning on getting chapter eleven up TOMORROW for all of you faithful readers! (And chapter 12 if I finish it but I highly doubt that) Because- and, my dear, dear readers, I say this with a heavy heart- I am leaving for three weeks and therefore will be away from a computer, and will not be able to update.
So… read and enjoy the next two chapters… I love you guys! I loved writing this chapter.. I hope you guys like it and thought it was a sufficient update:)
When I get back I will try my hardest to write quickly!
Yay! Read, Review and ENJOY!
By the way, I hope you guys all caught the all important symbol!
IceCliff