6: Two hearts?
"You won´t believe what I heard today!", Christine told Raoul, who had picked her up from the opera in a terrible state. She had been sobbing so hard that even Carlotta had reluctantly offered her a handkerchief. Well, it had fallen to the floor first, but still ...
Raoul looked at her suspiciously. Hopefully it was nothing about him secretly using her face cream. Or about the true reason why he was not allowed to enter the chorus girls´ dressing room. Or about Carlotta and him in the broom cupboard. At the mere thought he broke out in a sweat. A tremendously boring performance and lots of wine were a dangerous combination.
"Hey! You´re not listening to me!", Christine complained, nudging him in the ribs. He blinked nervously. "Sorry, love! What is it you were saying?" "Erik and Meg are a couple.", she muttered miserably. "How nice!", Raoul commented automatically. "Nice?", Christine repeated. "Honestly, you´re as sensitive as a log! Do you have any idea what this means to me?" "What? Do they want you to be a bridesmaid at their wedding?" He chuckled. "Can you image that: the Phantom in his lovely Red Death outfit and Meg in her best tutu?"
Christine threw a pillow at his head. "Sometimes you´re incredibly childish." "Oh, and Little Lotte wants to do what the adults do?" Longingly Raoul reached for her, but she jumped out of the bed and turned around to leave. "Where are you going?", he asked disappointedly. One night in which they could have been certain of being alone, and now…!
"To the kitchen!", she replied. "Till you´re able to think with your head again!" "Could you bring some of the hazelnut biscuits with you when you return?" Christine growled. "Men!"
…………………………………………………………………………………………………...
If Christine had known how next day´s singing lesson would be, she´d have preferred drowning in Erik´s lake. At least that wouldn´t have been as painful as watching Meg and him flirting. "Oh Erik, I love the way you play the piano." "And I love the way you sing to it." "I love the way the mask underlines the beauty of your face." "And I love the way the pink of your dress brings out the blond of your hair." "But most of all I love you, Erik." "I love you , too, Meg." Christine almost had to vomit, but neither of them seemed to notice.
She felt very superfluous, mainly because Meg sat on Erik´s lap while he played. "Two lovers, united for eternity. Two hearts, beating in the rhythm of love.", the two at the piano sang passionately. "Hey, you missed your line!", Meg called over her shoulder. Christine sighed and started: "One girl, alone for eternity. One heart, broken to pieces.". Erik and Meg grinned at her and began to kiss. Seeing that the girl practically fled from the room.
They broke apart at once. Meg wiped her mouth. "Kissing you isn´t exactly a pleasure, Erik." He only smiled. "Having to sing your song isn´t exactly a pleasure either. ´Two hearts, beating in the rhythm of love´?" He shuddered. "But you couldn´t come up with something simple and expressive! I mean", she picked up a sheet, " ´When will the blood begin to race, the sleeping bud burst into bloom?´ - Nobody can understand what that is about!"
The arising argument was interrupted by Christine´s return. She looked very determined. "Erik, can I talk to you for a moment?", she asked. "Of course. We´re finished anyway. Meg, my love, you may go." The girl winked at Erik and left. She would keep her fingers crossed.
