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The following morning, I awoke extra early with Erik. He seemed run down and completely exhausted, but we had a train to catch. After eating a quick breakfast, and gathering up the remainder of our things, we began our short journey to the train station. After unloading our bags onto the platform, Erik took Cesar to the station stable. I stood there in the doorway, watching him pet Cesar one last time…..not knowing when he would be returning again. Even when he came walking out of the stable, he continued to glance back at his beloved stallion. The train ride back to New York seemed even longer than the one going. Erik didn't seem to mind though, and he stayed completely silent for the most part. He would sleep during the day, and then when night approached he would wake and sit beside me, as Madeline and Gustave slept.
"Notice how the moon follows us." he replied one night, pointing to its fullness within the sky from the window.
I smiled, and nestled my head into his arm, watching the object follow along side our moving train. I could have stayed like this forever within his embrace….oh how I loved being up against him. After many days of sitting on the train, our stop finally came. As soon as I stepped off, the brisk air of winter was there to greet me. I thanked God that I had enough sense to wear my cloak. Once Gustave stepped off, Erik pulled his jacket from out of his bag, and slipped it on his small body.
"Button up." he instructed. "You'll catch a cold."
"Is it always this cold in the winter?" asked Madeline placing her hands under her arms.
"I guess." I answered.
"It's freezing, let's get out of here."
Our house was only a short walking distance away, and as we began our journey home, I could see Madeline's eyes widening at such sights of the pier. The rollercoaster was no longer running, the Wonder Wheel was no longer stopping and going, and the tilt a whirl was no longer spinning. The season had indeed come to an end, and workers were packing everything up for the winter. I knew in my mind that Erik was going to get to his side of the pier as soon as possible, to help pack up as well. Once we made it back to the house, Erik made a fire to warm it up, while I showed Madeline to the couch. I would have given her a spare bedroom if we had one, but sadly we didn't. It was only Gustave's room and ours.
"I'm sorry about the couch." I said, throwing a few blankets on it. "It's all we have."
She placed her bags down, beside it, and took a seat.
"I don't mind at all. I've slept in worse places than a couch. I wound up sleeping on a hard floor when I went to India. This will do."
After handing Gustave his bag, I told him to go unpack before walking into my room to do the same. I smiled when I realized Erik had already beat me to it. He was standing at the wardrobe closet, hanging up my dresses along with his shirts. I began to believe what Erik had told me was true. I believed he truly meant every word he said, when he told me things were going to be different. Over the next few days, I could already see things beginning to change. Each morning, Erik had to go to his amusement park and pack things up. I didn't want him going alone, so told Gustave to stay by his side. It eased my worries to know that Gustave was there to help him cross the street and be his ears. The last thing I needed was for him to get hurt, because he couldn't hear. I decided to go back to work as well, and found myself back baking pies with Esmeralda, who was ecstatic to see me. Madeline however stayed back at the house, cooking and cleaning….I actually didn't mind it at all. It made my life a lot easier to come home from work and have dinner on the table. I knew Erik mentioned that her staying with us was only temporary, but I actually wished he would reconsider.
Then came the day; the day I had dreaded for the past few months….my birthday. I remember laying in bed the night before it, thinking to myself about how awful it was going to be. When I heard the grandfather clock that was out in the hall begin to strike midnight, I knew I was officially twenty years old. I was twenty years old, and what did I have to show for it? Absolutely nothing….I wasn't married, and I wasn't even engaged…. I was born on the coldest day in December of 1851, and it was now December 2nd 1871.… I never had a real birthday, because I always lived in that horrible orphanage that was ran by Mr. Crawly. I always read about birthdays, but never really had one of my own….Then I began to think that perhaps having a birthday wouldn't be so bad after all….I just knew Erik probably had something special planned….he was always one for surprises. I fell asleep that night, dreaming about how wonderful my day was probably going to be….
When I awoke, I opened my eyes to see Erik standing in front of one of the mirrored walls. He was adjusting his cravat, preparing himself for another hard day's work of closing up his amusement park. I hoped it would be the last day because of how cold the weather was getting. I knew it wasn't healthy for him to be out in such cold temperatures. I got up, and approached him from behind, to wrap my arms around him, for a good morning kiss. When he turned to me, I had expected the first words from his mouth to be "Happy Birthday," but after a quick peck to the lips, he didn't say a word.
"Did you layer yourself?" I questioned.
His eyes widened, and he pointed to his ear. I always felt horrible, when I forgot about his hearing. I apologized, but he didn't hear that either. I then placed my mouth to his ear, and repeated the question.
"Yes." he replied. "I'm wearing two shirts and I'm going to put on my vest."
We had been talking for two minutes, and he still didn't mention that it was my birthday at all. I thought about mentioning it to him, incase he forgot, but I didn't want to make him feel bad. After slipping on my dress, I pulled my long brown locks into a bun before walking out to the kitchen. Madeline had prepared breakfast, and was placing it down on the table by the time I arrived. Gustave greeted me with a smile, but he didn't say happy birthday to me either. I couldn't blame him for not knowing, he was only two, and his birthday would be in a few weeks.
"Good morning, mother."
I smiled.
"Morning, Gustave, are you ready to go help Mr. Erik again today?"
"Yes." he replied. "We're almost done. I think Mr. Erik told me yesterday that we just have to insu…insulip.."
Gustave might have been smart for his age, but sometimes he still had a hard time with big words.
"You mean insulate?" I questioned.
"Yea, that's the word."
Madeline placed a glass of juice down in front of me, and sighed.
"Well at least then I'll be able to have my grandson back. For the past week and a half he's been using him like the dog for a blind man."
"Madeline, be nice." I growled.
"What? It's true…."
"It was my idea. I don't need Erik getting hurt because he can't hear certain noises."
"Oh, what's the worse that could happen? Trip and fall in the road?"
"No." I snapped. "He could be crossing the street and a carriage could hit him. He could be packing up his rides and something could fall on him….if he can't hear falling objects and on coming carriages, he could get seriously hurt."
"But what's Gustave going to do? He's only a baby for god's sake."
I glanced at Gustave who was eating his toast, and nudged him.
"Tell grandmother what your job is."
"To be Mr. Erik's ears. To warn him if something falls, and if something is coming."
"And what happened a few days ago?" I asked.
"A piece of Mr. Erik's rollercoaster came crashing down onto the pier."
"And what happened?"
"One of his workers shouted for him to move, and he couldn't hear him."
"And?"
"And I heard him, so I pushed Mr. Erik out of the way before he could be hit."
I then turned to Madeline.
"You see…"
Madeline rolled her eyes.
"Yea, yea, I get it…."
Once Erik came walking out into the kitchen, Madeline handed him his medicine for the ringing in his ears. After quickly gulping it down, he threw on his cloak and handed Gustave his jacket. There was another thing that changed as well…..Erik no longer let me walk to work alone. This actually made me very happy….after everything that's happened to me, I hated the thought of having to walk to the bakery alone. Then at the end of every shift, he was always outside waiting for me, standing under the lamp light…..I just loved how different our lives were now. He then handed me my cloak, and helped me put it on, his boney fingers tying it around my pale neck. After saying goodbye to Madeline, who also probably had no clue that it was my birthday, we walked outside to begin our walk to the pier. Not only was it the coldest day so far, but there was snow falling from the sky.
"Mother, look, snow!" shouted Gustave, pointing to the grey colored sky.
"Maybe we'll be able to make snowmen if we get enough." I said.
"Oh, I hope we do get enough!"
As we walked on, Erik's gloved hand intertwined with mine. It was the little things he did that meant the most to me; even if he didn't acknowledge my birthday. Once we were at the doorway of the bakery, he turned me towards him and pressed his chest up against mine.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye until later." he said, his hand caressing my cold cheek.
His face then closed in towards mine, our icy lips crashing down on one another's for a quick peck.
"Eww…that's so gross." groaned Gustave from a short distance away.
Erik lifted his lips off mine, and smiled. I then placed my mouth at his ear and whispered softly into it.
"Be safe, I love you."
"As do I…"
And with that, I turned to go inside the warm bakery. Once inside, I placed my chocolate stained apron over my head and headed to the kitchen.
"Happy Birthday, Lauralye." were the first words out of Esmeralda's mouth. At least someone remembered that it was my birthday.
"Thanks." I said, beginning to roll some dough.
"So where is the boss taking you tonight?" she asked.
"Nowhere….I don't even think he knows it's my birthday."
"He's your lover is he not?" she questioned. "I sure hoped that little trip worked out your problems."
"It did." I said. "But he doesn't seem to know that it's my birthday. I can't blame him, he's sick."
"That is true. I could take you out for dinner if that would mean anything."
I smiled.
"That's really nice of you, but I enjoy spending my nights with Erik; birthday or no birthday."
"That's very kind of you. That is true love…"
As I baked pies with Esmeralda, I glanced out the window, and watched as Erik and his workers finished packing up the amusement park as the snow fell. By the early afternoon, the snow was beginning to lay, making everything covered in a white dusting. Because of the snow, business was slow, and when I heard the bells attached to the door chime, I walked out to the counter. I had never expected to see Erik and Gustave standing there….
"Mother, we took a break." replied Gustave, removing his snow covered jacket.
"Well, go look around." I said. "Pick out a cookie or something."
Once Gustave was down the isle, I approached Erik, and kissed his cold lips. When I placed my hand on his shoulder, I noticed that it was soaking wet.
"Erik, you're soaked. Come in the kitchen and dry off."
I pulled him into the kitchen, and removed his cloak and began unbuttoning his shirt.
"Is this really appropriate?" he questioned.
Esmeralda laughed.
"It's better to be dried off then to die of pneumonia."
Erik was wearing two shirts, but only his first one was soaked. After taking it off, I hung his cloak and shirt over the oven to dry. I then handed him a cup of freshly brewed hot chocolate.
"Thank you." he replied.
After taking a sip, he smiled and placed the cup aside.
"That's very good."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and leaned into his ear.
"Good, it should warm you right up."
"A symphony I wrote, is being practiced tonight at the opera house. Would you like to go hear it?"
I guess a night of hearing something Erik wrote, was better than nothing at all.
I kissed him on the lips, and nodded.
"Ok, I'll be waiting for you at seven." he answered.
Gustave then came into the kitchen carrying a chocolate chip cookie.
"These are very good." he replied.
Erik handed him his half empty cup of hot chocolate, and told him to drink it. Once Gustave finished eating and drinking, Erik took his now dry clothes, and put them on. He then kissed me once more, and thanked me for the hot chocolate. For the remainder of the day, I baked and watched Erik work from the window. When night fell, the snow was already piling up….it was sure to be a hefty storm. After locking up, I turned to see Erik standing under the lamp light of the pier. The snow was still falling, and I could see his breath escaping from under his cloak. I ran to him, and his arms embraced me.
"You're right on time." he said, glaring at his silver pocket watch.
"Where's Gustave?" I asked, pressing my lips to his cold ear.
"With Madeline…"
His arm then interlocked with mine, as we started our journey to the opera house. Once we were there, I could hear the sound of the orchestra playing from a far distance. Once inside, Erik led me up to his private box, where we could stand and watch the orchestra play. They were no longer playing, and listening to the conductor, coaching them about the piece they were about to play. The auditorium was empty, except for us and the orchestra. When the dark symphony began to play, my mind recorded its beauty and wonder into my brain. There were cellos, trombones, violins, and a piano all meshing together to create one dark, mysterious melody.
"Do you like it, my love?" he questioned. "Tell me how much you like it….I cannot hear it."
"You can't?" I questioned, leaning into his ear.
"I feel the vibrations, and hear a low muffled sound, but no, I cannot hear it."
"It scares me…it sounds as if something is chasing after me."
"No, no….that's not what it's about…it's about love."
"Love?" I questioned.
"Yes, love…the cellos represent the man, and the violins represent his frustration."
"How?"
"The story to my song, is going to go well in the opera I wrote. Imagine a man trying to reach his loved one, but a storm comes and prevents him from getting to her. The violins go on and on, representing the man's frustration. He tries over and over again to reach her in the storm, but still he cannot. This is how it is every day…."
"It's beautiful…."
"It's dedicated to you."
I looked up at him, my eyes staring at him in amazement. He was so beautiful in everyway….his heart was pure, and I loved him so much. Yes, he had forgotten about my birthday, but this was just as good. When the song ended, he took me by the hand, and led me up the stairs.
"Come." he replied. "I want to show you something."
Where was he taking me now? He was leading me up the stairs, towards the attic bedroom Gustave and I had stayed in a few months back. Why were we going there? When we reached the door, he opened it, and what was inside caused my jaw to drop. There inside the room, were beautiful lit candles, with freshly cut roses, both red and white spread among the floor. There was a phonograph playing soft, slow music, and over by the bow window there was a table set for two…..what was going on? Then, from behind me, I felt two hands hook something to my neck. When it dropped, it was small and cold… I glanced down, and picked the object up in my fingers. It was a beautiful, silver, heart shaped locket, with a breathtaking blue zircon diamond in its center. What was this for? God it was so beautiful…. Then I felt his lips touch my ear from behind, and whisper the most beautiful words I had ever heard…
"Happy Birthday, my love…."
He then placed a small kiss on the side of my neck, and I turned to face him, my eyes full of tears.
His happiness seemed to slip away, as he placed his hand on my cheek to wipe away the tears.
"Oh god, forgive me….I'm so sorry. I wasn't sure if doing this would make you upset….forgive me.."
Oh god, he thought my tears were tears of sorrow….before Erik could even continue wiping the tears away from my eyes, I jumped into his arms, and embraced him in a passionate kiss. As we kissed, I heard a soft moan escape his lips….oh, and what a wonderful sound it was.
"You're not upset?" he asked after a few moments.
I placed my lips at his ear, and laughed.
"God Erik, why would I be upset? You've given me something so wonderful…I thought you forgot about my birthday."
"Forget about it? How on earth could I forget something as special as that?"
"Because you didn't say anything about it to me all day."
"Because I thought you'd be upset about it…..I know you've been uneasy about turning twenty the past few weeks….I thought you'd like it better to just let this day pass. I couldn't though. I couldn't just let this special day pass you by without a single thing being done to celebrate it. I had an even harder time keeping Gustave quiet about it….he's been wanting to burst out the words all day."
"And what did you do to keep him so quiet?"
I heard Erik laugh.
"I told him next season, I'd let him have his own little magic show at Phantasma."
I laughed, and let Erik go to remove my cloak. He did the same, and removed his mask, laying it on the bed.
"That feels better." he said, approaching the table to pour us each a glass of wine. Afterwards, he pulled my chair over beside his.
"It might be better if you're sat right beside me tonight. At least that way, we can have an actual conversation that I can hear."
I agreed, and took a seat beside him.
"So you like the necklace I suppose." he began.
"Oh yes, I love it very much. It's so beautiful Erik…"
"Did you open it?"
I had no clue I could open it….and once again found my fingers holding it, and prying the heart open. Inside, there was a message engraved into it.
"My angel, my everything.. I can only live wholly with you, or not at all.."
God it was so beautiful…..
"Erik…"
He cut me off by placing his hand at my cheek.
"I mean every word…."
Oh why did everything he did have to be so beautiful….I glanced out the huge window in front of us, and smiled at the falling snow. This night was the best one I ever had, and first real birthday I ever celebrated. He made me dinner, a wonderful delicious dinner….I had experienced such a wonderful evening and I was completely satisfied….and then after he took my plate away, he told me to close my eyes….why? A few moments later he told me to open them, and there in front of me, was a cupcake with a lit candle atop of it.
"Oh Erik….you didn't have to…"
He placed a finger to my lip to shush me.
"I don't have to do anything….but I do, because I love you."
As the candle continued to burn, I kissed him on the lips, thankful to have him in my life.
"Well then, close your eyes and make a wish, so you can blow out the candle."
"A wish?" I questioned.
"Yes, a wish….I've never had a real birthday, but I know what one is supposed to do before they blow out the candle."
I closed my eyes as Erik told me to do, and thought about what to wish for….. I had everything I ever wanted. I had a wonderful birthday, a loving boyfriend, a child who loved me very much, friends, and most of all, I had love….what else was there to wish for. As I sat there, eyes closed, and thinking about what to wish for, I heard Erik's soft voice speak to me.
"Seems as though you're having a hard time deciding what to wish for."
I then felt his hand place itself over my left.
"Let me help you decide."
I sat there, keeping my eyes closed, still thinking about what to wish for.
"Go ahead and blow out the candle."
I leaned my head close to his ear.
"But I haven't even made my wish yet."
"Your wish shall be granted after you blow out the candle….which I suggest you do soon, before the wax melts into the chocolate."
I giggled slightly, before doing as Erik asked. I took one big breath, and in that breath I blew towards the candle. Only as I did this, I felt something small and cold slip onto my left ring finger. When I opened my eyes and looked down, there was a beautiful single diamond ring staring me in the face….oh it was so beautiful. I loved silver, how did he know it was my favorite? The diamond was pink and surrounded by smaller white diamonds….He was now on one knee, his hand embracing mine.
"Lauralye, I know this is such a horrible thing to bring up on your birthday, but I could no longer hold back for a second attempt at this. I swore to myself to do it right this time…..last time I brought it up in the most despicable of ways….anyway…Lauralye, I find it in my heart that I can only live fully with you, or not at all. When we kiss my heart leaps, when we make love, my body quivers, when I'm with you, my coldness is warmed. It would be a great honor to me, if you would become my bride. If you say no, I won't hurt you….it's up to you, because it is your life….I only hope I can make you as happy as you make me….so will you marry me?"
When I first saw the ring, I thought he was only trying to force me to marry him, but he wasn't….He was giving me a choice, he was asking me to be his wife, and not making me…his speech was beautiful, and truthful….Erik was changed….he was everything I ever wanted in a man, and this time I wasn't screwing this up for anything. As I sat there pondering about all this, I could feel his cold hands beginning to sweat…..and I knew he was nervous about me saying no. I had my answer, and I wasn't giving this up for anything in the world. I threw myself into his arms, and exclaimed "Yes" over and over again into his ear. His grip on my back tightened and lightened over and over again, and I could feel hot tears pouring into my neck.
We stumbled back onto the bed, and my lips found his…..I kissed him so hard, that he pulled away. I glanced up at him, to see tears falling down his face.
"Erik…."
His hand rested against my cheek, and laughed, as the tears of joy continued to fall on me.
"You've just made me the happiest man to ever walk the earth……"
I crawled into his lap, and rested my mouth against his ear.
"And you've made me the happiest woman…."
His tears turned into a joyful sob, and he pressed himself harder against me.
"Oh my love, tell me what you want….tell me. This wedding is up to you….what ever you want, you'll get."
I never really wanted a huge wedding. I always imagined something small with a few friends……but then again, how was Erik to marry me wearing a mask?…..then it occurred to me….a masquerade wedding! Oh how wonderful and fun that would be. Everyone would be wearing a costume, never sending off any reason for Erik to remove his mask and passing himself to be a normal human being.
"A masquerade wedding." I sighed into his ears. "on New Year's eve…"
"Why?" he cried. "You don't have to settle with that, just because I wear a mask. You said yes to my proposal, and that's enough….if you wanted to marry me maskless, I would…"
"No Erik…" I said. "I want a masquerade wedding….in the opera house…this is what I want."
His lips crashed up against mine once more, and we moaned together in such passion.
"God, I love you…" he cried. "so much…..you're….oh…everything."
"And so are you…." I groaned.
I wasn't sure how long we kissed, but we fell asleep together in each other's arms. We didn't undress each other, and we didn't make love….we just kissed until we fell asleep in each other's embrace….and god, how wonderful it was. This had been the best birthday ever, one that I would never forget. To this day, I still remember how wonderful my birthday was. Every birthday after this one was special in its own way, but never as special as my twentieth. And on that night, just before I fell asleep, I heard Erik sigh out the simple, yet soft words of…
"Happy…birthday my love…"
And oh what a wonderful birthday it was….
So, I wanted to do a happy chapter for once….I've been wanting to write this one for a while. Hope to have another one up soon….next one is gonna have a lot of stuff happening in it….so enjoy, and let me know what ya think. I haven't had to many reviews the last couple chapters….is anyone still reading this? I hope so. Thanks Guys!