Chapter 40
Erik's birthday was the first he had celebrated and it certainly lived up to expectations. I woke up on the Saturday morning and found him still sleeping. I decided not to wake him on his birthday and dressed, going downstairs to make sure that everything was ready.
Darren was already up, sat on the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of cereal. He smiled,
"Morning."
"Good morning. Got work?"
"Yeah, but only til 3. I've got a few small jobs today and then I'll try and get away early so I'm back in time for the Birthday Boy." He grinned. I laughed and opened the post, reading through the letters as Darren finished his breakfast.
"No one else up?" I asked.
"Nope. Nadir's snoring away and I haven't seen Meg at all." Darren replied, putting his bowl in the dishwasher. "What about Erik?"
"Still sleeping. Can you pick these up on your way home?" I asked, handing him a list. He scanned it and nodded.
"Sure. Don't let him open presents without me!"
"OK. Go, you're going to be late." I said, nudging him. He nodded and disappeared, saying good morning to Meg as she entered the kitchen, looking sleepy.
"Good morning. Coffee?" I said, gesturing at the pot. She poured some gratefully.
"Yes, please. What are you doing for breakfast?"
"Egg and toast. Want some?"
"Oh yeah." Meg said, settling at the table with the newspaper.
I cracked some eggs into a bowl, making sure to use more than enough for two. It was entirely likely that Erik and Nadir would come in, demanding eggs. I slipped bread into the toaster and poured the egg mixture into a pan, stirring it into scrambled eggs as I flicked on the radio.
Sure enough, Erik entered a few minutes later, hair damp form the shower. I kissed him.
"Happy Birthday!"
"Thank you. Eggs?" he said, looking rather hopeful. I grinned.
"Ten minutes. You could butter the toast while you're waiting." Shortly afterwards, just as we were sitting down, Nadir entered, yawning. He smiled.
"That looks good."
"Sit. Eat." I said, pouring myself some orange juice.
As we ate, Meg asked,
"So, are we doing presents now or with dinner?"
"Darren wants to be here, so we should do them later." I put in and Erik nodded.
"With dinner then."
"Oh, I got you a great present!" Meg grinned. Erik looked a little embarrassed.
"Meg, you really shouldn't have-"
"Hey, I love shopping. You're really doing me a favour. Going shopping was just what I needed." Meg laughed. I grinned.
"See, Erik? You getting old is good for everybody. Well… except you." he gave me a deadly look and I winced. "Shutting up now."
After breakfast, Nadir and Meg both found ways of getting out of the house. I suspected very much that they had pre-planned this, but I wasn't about to object. Recently Erik and I hadn't had much time alone, despite the fact that we were sharing a room again. I was usually so tired by the end of the day I was snoring within second of lying down, so it was nice to simply sit on the sofa with my head in his lap and talk, Erik running his hands through my hair. I closed my eyes.
"This is nice."
"Hmm." He agreed quietly. I looked up at him and smiled,
"So… is twenty-eight very different from twenty-seven?"
"Not so far. Let's see how the rest of the year goes." Erik smirked. I laughed and said,
"I bet it's a good one."
"You seem very certain."
"Well, once we're back at the Manor and you've healed properly, we can start writing music again. I know you're happiest when you're writing music."
"I feel very happy right now." He said quietly.
I smiled slightly and sat up to kiss him. After a few moments he whispered in my ear and I laughed.
"Really? Now?"
"If you don't want to…" he smirked and I shook my head.
"Don't be silly. Are you sure? Your ribs…"
"My ribs will survive." He growled, pulling me up.
But just as we got to the stairs there was a knock at the door. I ground my teeth.
"This had better be very important." I said, pulling the door open. It was Mrs Trellis, the elderly neighbour. I hastily got the irritated look off my face, as she looked a little shocked.
"Mrs Trellis, what can I do for you?"
"Oh, Christine dear, I was just wondering if I could borrow your food scales. Mine have stopped working and I've got company for dinner tonight."
"Oh, of course. Let me just go and dig them out." I said but Erik held up his hand.
"I'll fetch them." He disappeared into the kitchen and Mrs Trellis smiled brightly.
"I see you've got a few people staying with you."
"Yes, it's a full house at the moment."
"Your father's still in hospital?"
"Yes, but he should be out in a few months. We're very much just waiting until Erik and I can get back into our own home." I said, gesturing at the kitchen where Erik had disappeared. Mrs Trellis looked a little surprised.
"You and he are…"
"Yes. We've also got his brother staying with us, one of his friends and one of my friends. It's a little crazy at the moment." I smiled.
Mrs Trellis smiled weakly as Erik reappeared. He passed her the scales and with a charming smile said,
"It was a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh! And you. I'll see you soon." Mrs Trellis blushed, turning down the front path. I shut the door and grinned at Erik. He raised an eyebrow and took my hand.
"Now. Where were we?"
When Nadir got home at three in the afternoon, Erik and I were in the back garden. It was a beautiful day, more like summer than spring and we were lazily discussing books. A little while later, Meg and Darren returned, talking cheerfully. Darren and I went into the kitchen to start dinner, whilst Erik and Nadir went off to talk and Meg went check her emails.
As I sliced meat into a pot, I noticed that Darren was whistling. I peered at him.
"Why are you so happy?"
"Good day. Can you pass the potatoes?" I handed him a pan of them and said suspiciously,
"What's going on? I haven't seen you this happy since… well, ever."
"I had a good day, that's all. Do you want these mashed or boiled?"
"Mashed. Use the butter. What made your day so good?"
"Everything. How much butter?"
I gave him an irritated look at his obvious attempts to avoid the conversation. But I wasn't giving up that easily. Besides, I had my suspicions.
"What did you do after work?"
"I picked up the shopping, like you asked."
"And you bumped into Meg?"
"Yeah, at the supermarket. Does this need milk?"
"Yes, just a splash. So Meg helped you with the shopping."
"Yes, she's a very helpful person." Darren said absently, mashing the potatoes energetically. I looked at him with a smirk.
"Yes, she is. I wonder if she remembered to pick up the birthday cake."
Darren froze and I stared at him.
"OK, where were you that gives you a good enough reason to forget Erik's birthday cake?"
"Well… we went for coffee and… crap." He said. I groaned and shouted, "Meg, get in here!"
She hurried in, looking worried.
"What's with the yelling?"
"You forgot the cake!"
"What? No, I-" she suddenly gasped and her eyes widened. "Oh my god!"
"OK, not that I'm not entirely delighted you two went on a date, but did you have to do it today?" I said, ripping my apron off and hunting for the keys to my bike. Meg looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"Christine, I'm so sorry!"
"Forget. Cut that meat up, add the sauce and just keep stirring every few minutes on a low heat. Darren, get those potatoes done and stick the vegetables in the microwave." I said, grabbing my keys and running out.
Thankfully, the baker was still open. I burst through the doors, wheezing and scaring a couple of elderly women. The man behind the counter stared at me.
"Can I help you?"
"Birthday cake… Christine Daae…" I spluttered, having run halfway there. The man smiled.
"Got it right here. You're pushing it for time though, we close in ten minutes."
"I made the foolish mistake of trusting my best friend to come and pick it up. She decided she'd rather go for coffee on a spur of the moment date than pick up my boyfriend's birthday cake." I said, handing over the money. The man laughed.
"Well, enjoy the cake and wish a happy birthday to your boyfriend."
"I will, thank you so much!" I said, seizing the cake and running out again.
By the time I got home, Dad and Samantha had arrived. I fell through the front door, clutching the cake box and stared at them.
"Oh. Hey guys."
"Are you alright?" Dad asked worriedly. I nodded.
"Yeah, just having a panic attack." I put the cake in the kitchen and then hugged him. "How are you feeling?"
"Quite well. And you?"
"I'm fine. A little out of breath because somebody forgot to go and pick the cake up." I said, pulling a face at Meg. She pulled one back and I smiled.
"OK, I'm going to get dinner going. Meg, can you and Darren set the table? Or would you rather go for coffee first?"
They both flushed slightly as Erik, Nadir, Dad and Samantha all stared at them. I laughed and went into the kitchen. Erik followed me to fetch drinks and kissed me.
"You know, you really should sit down and relax." He told me. I smiled.
"If you want dinner tonight, then that's not possible. You go and relax." I pushed him towards the living room with a tray of drinks and then turned to the oven.
We sat down to dinner twenty-five minutes later, and if you'll excuse the boasting, the food was pretty damn good. Everybody tucked in, laughing and talking cheerfully. Glasses were refilled, plates piled high with food and by the time we had finished, none of us could move.
"Urgh, I've definitely overeaten." Meg moaned, rubbing her stomach. I smiled.
"Who's washing up?"
The answer was several glares and more than few groans. I grinned and Nadir said,
"Why don't we do presents first? Give us a chance to recover."
"Well, that's good too." We all moved into the living room and Erik stared in at the pile of presents.
"You didn't have to… I mean…" he said, flustered. I smiled and leant my head on his shoulder.
"Hey, it's not your birthday everyday. Just enjoy it."
Meg passed him a wrapped gift and he opened calmly. I hadn't expected him to rip it open, and he didn't, unfolding the paper carefully. Inside was a CD of classical music, clearly from Mr Reyer's shop. Erik smiled his thanks to Meg.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. You are not the easiest guy to buy for." Meg told him with a grin.
Darren's present was next, a set of classic books. Erik flicked through them, obviously pleased. Nadir's gift made us all laugh and Erik raised both eyebrows when he unwrapped the large box to reveal a crate of Jaffa Cakes.
"How very… thoughtful." He said wryly. Nadir simply grinned.
Dad's gift was a surprise to everyone. A new and rather impressive looking watch. He looked slightly embarrassed.
"I really can't take the credit for it. Samantha picked it out."
"Thank you both." Erik said, putting the watch in and admiring it. I smiled. He was clearly enjoying himself and I was glad. He deserved a good birthday. Samantha's gift was a bottle of wine.
"Very unoriginal." She said dismissively but Erik shook his head.
"It's excellent, thank you."
"My turn." I said, bringing out a bag. It had taken me forever to think of a good present and I watched nervously as he unwrapped the present. He finished unfolding the paper and gazed down at the framed photograph.
It was one Meg had taken at the Masquerade Ball. She'd found it a couple of days ago and given it to me. I had instantly taken it out to get it framed. It was Erik and I in front of the Town Hall in the snow, me in my pink dress and Erik in his scarlet and black outfit. I was smiling slightly at the camera and Erik looked solemn but happy at the same time, his hand clasping mine gently. Snowflakes were falling softly around us from the dark sky above and the warm glow of the light from the hall illuminated us both. The frame was a plain silver one, with the inscription Our Masquerade above the picture and To Erik with all of my love, Christine inscribed along the bottom edge.
I chewed my nail nervously as I waited for Erik's reaction. He stared down at the picture and then put it down in his lap, turned to me, cupped my face with both hands and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him as he buried his face in my hair. For several moments we stayed like that until we pulled apart. I was almost nervous to look at Dad but he simply smiled and said,
"I say we open that bottle of wine and get the cake before I have to get back to the hospital."
"An excellent idea." Nadir agreed. Everyone else found excuses to get up, leaving Erik and I alone. I smiled at him.
"You like it then?"
"Of course I do." He replied gently. I hugged him again.
"Thank god. Meg's right, you know. You're not easy to buy for."
He laughed at that and kissed me again. A moment later we pulled apart as the others entered, the birthday cake lit with twenty-eight candles. Erik looked a little irritated that they'd insisted on putting exactly twenty-eight, but didn't comment. He managed to blow them all out and when I told him to make a wish he lifted an eyebrow.
"I already have." He told me. "And no, I'm not going to tell you what it was."
I pulled a face but decided not to comment.
After everything had been cleared away and Samantha and Dad had left, Nadir stretched.
"I'm going to bed. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted."
"Yeah, I'm heading that way as well." Darren admitted. Meg nodded and they all disappeared to their various sleeping quarters, leaving us sat on the sofa. I looked up at Erik.
"OK. So how was your first proper birthday?"
He looked down at me and then pulled me to him.
"It was perfect. Thank you."
"Thank the others as well."
"I will do. But you deserve it most." He said and kissed me. I kissed him back and said,
"Do you want to go to bed?"
"Not yet." He said. I nodded, understanding. But within a few minutes I had drifted off to sleep.
It was about an hour later when I woke up. We were still on the sofa, I was sat on one end and Erik had laid down, his head resting in my lap. I smiled and stroked his hair gently.
"Happy Birthday Erik." I whispered, before closing my eyes and allowing sleep to drift over me once more.
A/N: A nice dose of fluff after a few not-so-nice chapters. I personally think that Erik is extra huggable in this chapter. Or maybe that's just me! And everyone was so eager for Darren and Meg to get together, I thought, well OK. I had been planning to just sort of leave them and have them together right at the last minute, but what the heck! And, I can now confirm, this story will be carrying on to Chapter 45. If I can bear to let go. Which I really should, because I don't want to drag it out
Another question someone asked: Why is Erik's deformity on the left side? There is one simple reason for this… I messed up. I didn't have the soundtrack when I started writing, so I looked a picture of the cover. You can check this yourself on the DVD cover! Erik's mask is on the other side, so I just used that. Well, it's like that on my cover, I don't know about other peoples. Anyway by the time I figured out it was on the wrong side, I was already so far into the story I didn't want to go back and mess around with it all, so I just left it. Heh.
Anyway, thank you to everyone who has voted for me on the competition! You guys are the best, I love you!
Lotsa luv 'n' huggles
Katie