Chapter 15

The Operius Halloween party was a huge event. They threw big parties like this every year to show off their newest sound systems. They held the parties on the first floor in a huge empty room with a raised platform to one side that they used for company-wide presentations or meetings. They always hired an up-and-coming DJ and invited a ton of corporate bigshots. The party was scheduled to start at seven that night and all employees were encouraged to come. They were also strongly encouraged to dress up elaborately.

Christie was running a bit late, but she arrived at seven thirty. She was wearing her princess costume and she had her hair half pulled back and half down her back. She had tried to do her make-up delicate looking with pinks and soft golds. She heard the music as soon as she got to the front doors, she showed her invite to the guy at the door and he let her in. She walked down the hall towards the party. The dance floor was packed with people all in bright, colorful costumes. Christie stood near the doors and looked around for the people she knew. Ms. Gary was dressed in a shiny silk kimono. Mr. Andrews was a rooster and his date was a hen. Mr. Farmer was dressed as a Ram and his date was matching as a sheep. Peter was a genie and Carla was a peacock. Tatiana and Sylvia were dressed as belly dancers and had amassed a crowd of young men around them.

Christie chuckled to herself and got a cup of punch and started looking for Meg. She saw her almost immediately dancing with a cute pirate. She smiled to herself, feeling a happy rush from all the energy in the room. She looked up towards the DJ, who was dressed all in gold; she thought he might be some type of award. Halfway through the song, a guy dressed up as a zombie asked her to dance. She accepted and he was a pretty good dancer. After the song ended, Meg found her.

"Guess who's here!" She said and nodded her head toward a back corner as she adjusted her angel wings.

Ralph was leaning against the wall with a dejected look upon his face. He was dressed as a kind of old-fashioned soldier. Christie felt sorry for him but she wasn't about to go over there. She and Meg got asked to dance the next few songs, and then they went to the bathroom to check their makeup. When they got back, they danced with a few more characters; the pirate couldn't get enough of Meg and wouldn't leave her side, not that Meg was complaining. A little while later, Meg turned to Christie.

"That guy keeps looking over here, do you recognize him?" Christie looked to where Meg was pointing and saw a tall man wearing a full-face skull mask and a fancy red cloak. He was looking over at them but suddenly turned and disappeared into the crowd. Christie blinked.

"I'm not sure…" She didn't think that Erik would ever go to a party like this, but she couldn't think of anyone else it could be. "I need some air; I'll be back in a minute." She said to Meg, who nodded and turned back to the pirate; who had introduced herself to Christie as Alison.

Christie walked out of the warm, packed dance area into the hallway. There were a few people here and there, but most people not dancing had gone to the lobby to sit on the couches there. Christie walked the opposite way, past the elevators and turned down the hall that she and Erik had run down, what seemed like a lifetime ago. Here the music had dulled to a light thumping. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt a flood of emotion as she remembered how safe she had felt when they were together. She opened the first door she came to; it was an empty conference room. There was a long, polished, wooden table running down the center of the room. She pulled out one of the chairs and sat down, laying her head on her hands, trying to clear her mind of the sharp pain of Erik's absence in her life.

She had been there only a few moments when the door opened behind her. She gasped in surprise and stood up, turning around. Joe was standing in the doorway, framed in light, but his face in shadow. He stepped towards her and she leaned away against the edge of the table.

"So… You think you're a perfect princess, do you? Do you know how long I've worked here?! How much effort I put into my job?! Now I have nothing, because some new girl decides to act all high and mighty." He said menacingly. Christie gulped.

"Joe, I didnt…" She began falteringly before he cut her off.

"I lost everything because of you." He muttered and advanced towards Christie.

"What are you doing?" She asked, horrified at his change in demeanor. When he reached her, he shoved her back onto the table. She pushed at his hands, but he grabbed her wrists and held them tightly. "Let go of me!" She said angrily, struggling against him. Suddenly, he was off of her. She quickly sat up.

Joe was being pinned against the wall by his neck. He was starting to gag and clawing at the hands that held him up. Christie saw the dark hair and red cloak and recognized Erik. She jumped off the table and ran up to them. "Put him down!" She said, pulling on Erik's arm. His grip didn't loosen and Joe was turning purple. Despite Joes size, Erik had lifted his feet completely off the ground. "Erik, please…" Christie said frantically; more afraid that Erik would kill him than out of concern for Joe. Erik glanced down at Christie through his mask, turned back to Joe and dropped him. Joe crumpled to the floor and Erik turned away, running his hand through his hair anxiously. Joe stood up, clutching his throat; he cast a terrified glance at Erik and ran out. Christie turned to Erik and he was glaring at her from under his mask.

"I knew that filth was not to be trusted!" He growled. Even though his voice was strained and angry, Christie delighted in the sound of it. "Imagine me thinking that handsome idiot would be able to take care of you better than I could!" He was livid and Christie was so happy to see him that she didn't even care that he was shouting at her. "What are you smiling at?! Do you know what he almost did to you?! I should go find him." He said and stepped towards the door. Christie stepped in front of him and put her hands on his chest.

"Wait." She whispered. He stopped and glanced down at her gloved hands. He lifted his own hand and softly touched her cheek. "I missed you." She said softly, looking at his chest.

"Then why did you pick Ralph, over me?" He asked, suddenly vulnerable. Christie looked up in surprise.

"What?"

"I know my face is monstrous, but…" He asked, hurt filling his voice.

"I only went out with him because you told me that you didn't want to ever talk to me again!" she responded.

"I saw you leave with him… before that, you don't have to pretend it didn't happen." He said, suddenly morose. He stepped away from her and walked out. She chased him down the hall, her gown flowing behind her. He saw her following him and he ducked back into the party. She finally caught him in the middle of the dance floor, which was considerably emptier as people had begun to leave.

"I only shared a cab with him; we were meeting everyone else for dinner. It wasn't a date!" She had to shout to be heard above the music. He turned back towards her, still suspicious. "The reason I broke up with him is because I'm still in love with you!" She shouted just as the song ended, causing everyone around them to turn and stare. Her face turned red and she looked around embarrassed. She saw Meg and Alison looking over curiously. Erik glanced around nervously. He was uncomfortable being the object of everyone's attention so suddenly even if he was wearing a mask.

"You… you what?" He finally asked, looking down at her. Christie's blush darkened and she reached around her back to tug on the end of her hair.

"Umm… I love you…" she said more quietly and glanced up at him to see his reaction. Everyone was staring at them now, even the DJ, who hadn't put on another song, to better hear them. Erik shook his head in disbelief.

"You don't love me. Someone like you couldn't possibly love someone like me." He gestured to his mask. Christie stepped up to him and smiled. She quickly reached up and pulled his mask off in one swift motion, exposing his face. The people close enough to have a good view gasped and stepped back. Erik looked mortified. Christie placed her hands gently on his shoulders and pulled him down a few inches. She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him, really kissed him, right there, in front of everyone. He froze in shock at first, but melted at her softness. He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up easily. She wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, clinging to him. They pulled away at the same time and she buried her face in his shoulder. He spun her around laughing happily, and then set her down. Then something surprising happened, someone started clapping. The sound grew until the entire crowd was smiling and clapping. Christie looked around and blushed again. Erik never looked away from her, his eyes a little wet, and the most genuine smile that she had ever seen from him, on his face. Christie smiled tentatively back up at him. He took her hand and they ran together out into the hall, everyone clapping and cheering around them.

When they had put a little distance between them and the party, Erik stopped and bent down to kiss her, and boy did he kiss her. When they pulled apart, he smiled and touched her hair softly.

"I love you too. I always have… You're the most important thing to me." He added. Christie looked into his adoring blue, blue eyes and pulled him the rest of the way down the hall towards the door that led outside.

"Come on… I'll let you walk me home."