The astonishment by this point had give way to outright awe. He was sitting there with a look on his face somewhere between "beaten puppy" and that of a teenage boy who has just been dumped.
Sitting down next to him I asked: " What will it take for you to realize that, yes, I do know what I am talking about and that I do not go back on promises not mad in fear or on the spur of the moment?'
" How could you choose me over that handsome young man? I just don't understand why you think I am worth your time."
" It doesn't matter what is on the outside, it is the inside I want. I don't want a superficial, demanding, jealous young twit. I chose you because you are a gentle man, gentlemanly enough not to watch while I think I am alone changing in my dressing room. Because you pour your heart and soul and being into every thing you do, not just what you say when presenting your false fiancée' with the most expensive gaudily jeweled ring you could buy. You truly care when I feel weak and don't fuss and bother while I am trying to rest and recuperate. You have a beautiful soul, Erik. Just because you don't have a face to match is no reason to deny yourself of a woman's love. I am not afraid or disgusted by your appearance, just a little saddened that the creator did not feel fit to give you the face of an angel. You are an angel, Erik. My angel and I love you."
And with that I kissed him, what may well have been the first real kiss he had ever been given. I did it not to calm my own fears, though it did, but rather to reassure him and punctuate my feelings. Obviously he was very inexperienced as his arms were flailing about and finally came to roost around my waist as my hands were firmly attached to his lapels pulling him in.
At this point I feel it appropriate to tell you, the reader, exactly what his face looks like. First of all, he does have a nose, albeit it is sunken in and misshapen. No one but Andrew Lloyd Webber has seemed to figure out that Leroux did not actually see Erik's face, only heard about it through many years of gossip and rumor. Anyway, his skin was so pale and translucent that one could almost see the muscle underneath. His eyes were a slightly clouded shade of aqua green ringed with black around the outside of the iris and silver rays surrounding the pupil. He has full lips, not grossly misshapen or nonexistent, contrary to popular belief. High cheekbones and a gaunt sharp jaw line accentuated the "look of a day old corpse." His hair was a deep shade of auburn, more chocolate colored than roan, cut in a stylish, rather dashing look. It was silky, with just a hint of curl that made it wavy. Also going against the stories, he was no older than mid to late thirties and was rather good looking despite his pallor and warped nose.