"L' Ange de la Musique"
Chapter 3
'Where my heart lies….'
Christine stirred in her sleep without opening her eyes. Her body now felt light and fresh. Surely the fever had subsided.
She felt the pillows under her head. They were heavenly soft, and very comfortable.
She inhaled the sweet, male fragrance that emanated from them. She sighed.
Then, something clicked in her mind. A name. A name came back to her. A name that roamed the corners of her mind. A name that made her feel secure and protected.
Erik…
"Erik…" The name brushed past her lips in a soft whisper.
"Yes?" she heard someone say. Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself on a swan bed with crimson covers and matching pillows. She searched for the source of the voice. That voice. That sweet, strong voice. Her Angel!
Her eyes searched the room and fell on a figure sitting on an armchair in the far corner of the room.
He looked back at her with concern in his eyes, his face half hidden in the shadows.
He had a book in his hands.
Apparently, he had stayed there to look out for her, in case she felt uncomfortable at any moment, and to check on her fever.
"Erik…?" Christine whispered again.
Christine lifted herself from the pillow, looking curiously at him.
Erik nodded his head and stood up. He walked towards her and kneeled beside her.
Christine stared at him, not believing her eyes. She had thought everything had been a dream. No. A nightmare. A nightmare that then turned into a dream when she saw his beautiful, deep, turquoise eyes.
He reached out and placed his right hand on her temple. He felt her temperature. Normal.
"Do you feel better?" he asked anyways. He slid his hand to her flushed cheek.
She nodded, smiling at him. She lifted her hand, and placed it above Erik's.
"Yes, thank you…" She said, resisting the urge to jump into his arms as she had done before. Oh, how she had missed him. His voice, his touch, his eyes, everything about him!
He nodded and smiled at her. She blushed a bit and smiled back.
"I…" she started with a quivering voice, "I would like to thank you…" she turned her gaze to the floor, "For…for what you did the-the other night-…" she finished.
"Any...time..." was all that he managed to say, almost blushing himself, but managing to hide it. He had his Angel here, and that was all that mattered.
He stood up and looked down at her.
Christine returned her gaze to him, and stared deep into his eyes. Her eyes suddenly became glassy, tears threatening to fall at any moment.
"Erik…" She said, her lower lip quivering, " I…I'm so sorry…."
"For what?" Erik asked, cocking his head, without a clue of what she was talking about.
"Please… please forgive me…" She said, as the tears started to flow down her cheeks. She drew her hands to her eyes to prevent Erik from seeing her tears. But he had seen.
This broke Erik's heart and he sat on the bed beside her. He gently wrapped his arms around her and pushed her to him.
"Shhh…." He whispered soothingly in her ear. She rested her head against his chest, her tears moistening his white shirt.
"What do you want me to forgive you for?" He asked.
"I…I shouldn't have left you!" she said strongly, yet, her voice breaking.
Erik's eyes widened in realization, and then he dropped his gaze. He remained quiet, failing to find the words he was searching for. Why would she ask forgiveness from her decision?
After all, who would ever love a monster like him? A bloody murderer, an animal, as the mob had called him.
In his opinion, she had made the right choice, even if this thought broke Erik's heart into a million pieces.
"I…I didn't mean to, Erik!" She said, shivering slightly as she cried. "I was so confused! Afraid…" she finished in a slight whisper.
He didn't blame her of being afraid of him. Everyone was. About the confused part, he was clueless. She had seemed downright determined in her decision when she gave him back his ring. And yet, she had confessed she was confused?
"I went with Raoul…but..." she said, " I didn't love him… I never truly did."
Erik's heart gave a tiny lurch of unwilling joy.
"W-who I really loved…" she said, her voice trembling. "Was you…"
Erik's heart gave a huge leap when she pronounced those words. She loved him?
"All along… Every time… I loved you. I never stopped in doing so…" she said, "And I found out too late who my heart really belonged to."
She then looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "It belonged…to you…and it still does, and it'll always will."
Erik looked down at her; he looked close to tears himself. He couldn't believe what she was saying. He couldn't believe that she loved him, and that she had never stopped loving him.
"When I first heard you, I had fallen in love with your voice." She said, giving him a weak smile, "And when you first came for me...when I first I saw you…I just fell deeper in love with you. I couldn't help it." She gave a weak chuckle.
Erik just stared at her incredulously, digesting every word slowly; savoring it.
"I had my doubts," she stated, drying her tears with the back of her hand, "But I finally discovered where my heart lied. It lies with you, Erik. And only you." She finished, looking deep into his eyes, waiting for a reply.
But he just stared at her, dumbfounded. The words started to dawn on him slowly. He gaped at her.
"Y-you…. love me?" was all he managed to say.
Christine placed her hand on his left cheek and smiled. "Yes, Erik. I love you. More than anything. Forgive me for not realizing earlier."
Christine saw his lower lip quiver.
"B-but…" he stuttered. He instantly drove his hand over his mask and looked away.
Christine understood and felt compassion for him.
She cupped his chin in her hand and turned his head towards her again.
She reached out with her left hand and removed the mask in a swift movement. Erik flinched and tried to back away as fast as he could in alarm. She quickly took his hand to prevent him from going away any further.
Seeing that he couldn't evade her, Erik immediately clapped his right hand on the scarred side of his face, in an attempt to hide it, and looked down.
Christine's grasp on his wrist softened and she let go.
She reached out for his face and took it in her hands. She slowly took his right hand and lowered it, revealing his deformed face.
Erik looked miserably at her. Why did she have to do that again? Wasn't the pain enough?
She caressed his right side gently without any hesitation. He flinched slightly at her touch.
She looked straight into his eyes and smiled at him.
"This haunted face…" she sang softly, "Holds no horror for me now…"
She then leaned forward and gave him a tender kiss in his scarred cheek.
A wave of warmth flooded Erik's entire body. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, enjoying the moment.
Christine then broke the kiss and looked back at him with a smile.
"It's not this…" she said, placing her hand on his right cheek again, "what matters… It's this," she then placed her hand in his chest, above his heart. "What truly means to me."
She then rested her head on Erik's chest, wrapping her arms around him.
Erik just remained quiet, quite contrary to his mind, which was buzzing with questions and unknown voices.
He just wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her warmly.
Just then, Christine felt something warm slide down her cheek. It was a tear. But it was not one of her tears. It was…his?
She looked up and met Erik's glassy eyes. Soft tears trickled silently down his cheeks.
Christine broke the embrace and straightened herself, facing him.
"Erik…?" she said, "Why do you cry?"
Honestly, she didn't expect him to cry, being the strong man he was. But now, she had seen him break that serious barrier that surrounded his person, expressing this freedom of that barrier with warm, silent tears. Maybe she said something she shouldn't have said?
"D-Did I say something wrong?" she asked, hesitantly.
Erik gave a soft chuckle and smiled at her.
"The tears I shed," he started, "are not those of sadness, but those of …happiness…"
It was true. Erik's soul was bursting with happiness at what Christine had told him. He hadn't felt that happiness since she left. The tiny spark of hope that lingered in his heart, burst into full blaze in an instant. Christine gave him a smile, and brushed away his tears with her thumb.
They watched at each other, with love in their eyes. But, just then, Erik noticed something he hadn't noticed since Christine had woken up.
He drove his hand to her neck and caressed the wound upon it. That bastard. How dare he mistreat his Angel? This sweet creature of heaven. He couldn't forget how frail she had looked when he found her in the dressing room; Crying, drenched in water, freezing cold. It had squeezed his heart so hard that he had thought it would stop beating.
Christine realized this too and placed her hand above his.
"Erik…" she said, tears threatening to fall again, "I don't want to go back…"
Erik was taken aback. But he regained his composure.
"You can stay all the time you like, " he said, "and you can leave whenever…you wish to…" he said this last bit with a tone of sadness in his voice.
"But I don't want to leave!" she said, alarmed, "I want to stay with you! I don't want to leave you again!"
Erik looked deep into her chestnut eyes. She was saying the truth.
"Besides… " She started, "If I go back… I don't know what Raoul is capable of." She started crying silently again, looking away.
"Erik… I'm afraid…" she said, looking back at him. "I'm afraid of him; Of what he can do to me." Her voice quivered.
Erik just embraced her tightly, resting his head on hers.
"Shhhh…Don't worry, Christine…" he said, "I won't let him come near you again. He won't lay a hand on you. You can count on me."
She smiled, her tears falling freely into his shirt. She gave in to his embrace, enveloped in his warmth. She breathed in the sweet fragrance that emanated from him. She didn't want the embrace to end. She wanted to stay in his arms forever. Feeling protected…. feeling…loved.
"Angel of Music…" she began to sing softly, "guard and guardian, grant to me your glory."
She wrapped her arms around him.
"Angel of Music, my protector, Come to me strange angel…" she ended in a whisper.
"I am your Angel of Music…" he followed.
"Thank you, Erik…" Christine said, "For being my Angel…"
To which Erik simply said, "I'll protect you, no matter what. You can lean on me always."
"Thank you, Erik…" Christine said, tightening her embrace.
Some moments later, Christine stood up, stretching her limbs and sighing, satisfied. Erik placed his mask back on.
Christine then noticed that she still had the dark blue dress she wore the other night. Erik noticed it too.
"I took the liberty of bringing some of your garments from your dressing room while you slept." Erik said, signaling the dark, mahogany closet in one of the corners.
"Thank you, Erik! That was so kind of you!" she said gleefully. Then, she winced and grabbed one of her wounded wrists.
"Are you all right?" Erik asked, concerned.
"Yes… It's just, they're stinging a bit." She said, now rubbing her other wrist.
Erik nodded rather seriously and approached the bureau that lied beside the bed. He opened one of the drawers and took out some rolls of bandages.
He then walked to Christine. He beckoned her to sit down on the bed. She did as told and sat down.
Erik kneeled in front of her and took one of her wrists gently, treating it like if it were a crystal ornament that might break if treated harshly.
He then unrolled the bandage and began wrapping it around Christine's wrist, careful no to hurt her. He finished with one of the wrists and started with the other.
All the time, Christine watched him intently. She noticed that he was very fine looking indeed. She felt her cheeks blush and she shook it away.
"There we go…" Erik said, "That should ease the stinging. Now, on with this one. " He pointed to the wound on her neck.
He stood up to get more bandages. Christine looked down to her wrists. They were perfectly bandaged, and they didn't sting anymore. He is a perfect doctor as well, she thought.
Erik returned with larger bandages and sat beside her on the bed.
"I need you to turn your head to me." He said. Christine did as told, turned her head, and met his beautiful eyes. They were so enchanting. You could easily sink in those bottomless pools of turquoise beauty, giving up to his hypnotizing gaze, wishing to remain there, never leave them.
A sharp pain in her neck brought her back to reality, though. She winced.
"I'm s-sorry!" Erik said immediately, stopping his bandaging of her neck "Please forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you…"
"It's all right, Erik, "Christine said reassuringly, "Don't worry… I'm fine, it was just a little pain."
She smiled at him tenderly. Erik then resumed his bandaging, but he did it slower and did it much more carefully.
Her skin was so soft, so warm. With just touching her, Erik felt like in heaven. And when she touched him, he just wanted to remain there, in her hands, forever. And her voice, oh, her voice. Her voice just sent countless waves of warmth through his body, making his heart pump madly against his chest. He loved her with every fiber of his being. He'd do anything for her even die for her!
Erik finished bandaging her neck. They looked at each other for some moments. Both of them felt their cheeks flush slightly. Christine turned her gaze to the floor.
"T-Thank you…" she said, smiling at him.
"I…er.. You're welcome…" He said. He couldn't help his stammering. She always made him speechless.
Finally, Erik broke the silence that had invaded in the room.
"Y-you should change your dress. " he said, "I'll wait outside."
And before Christine could say anything, Erik stood up, turned on his heels and exited the room, closing the door behind him.
Christine just stared at the door a few moments before standing up and strolling to the closet. She stopped midway when she caught a glimpse of a familiar object on the bureau. A Music Box.
She approached it and looked intently at it. Yes, she remembered that Music box. The music box with the shape of a barrel organ with a figure of a Monkey in Persian robes playing the cymbals attached to it.
Nostalgia invaded her and she took the box in her hands. She turned it on and the box began to play.
The monkey beat the cymbals in rhythm as the song started. The music filled the room
"Masquerade, paper faces on parade, masquerade…." Christine sang softly along with the music, ", hide your face so the world will never find you…"
The music then started to die away as the monkey stopped playing its cymbals.
Christine placed the box back in place and headed to the closet once again. She sighed as the old memories of her opera days came back to her.
She reached the closet and opened it. She gaped. The closet was full of beautiful dresses, including some she had never seen. Surely Erik had bought them for her. How sweet of him! Christine thought.
She looked through the dresses. She stopped at one in particular. She took it out and admired it.
It was a long, elegant dress made of black satin. The cleavage sparkled with tiny, shining diamonds running along the edge. It was a half-sleeved dress. In the sleeves hung extra black cloth that fell elegantly at the sides of the dress. The sleeves were also decorated with diamonds in the edge. Diamond also decorated the end of the dress. In short, the dress was beautiful, breathtaking.
She changed her dress and put on the black dress. It fit perfectly. The cloth in her sleeves hung elegantly down her lower arms, their diamonds gleaming in the candlelight.
She gave a turn and the dress fluttered gracefully behind her. She smiled and made her way to the door.
She opened the door slowly, and found Erik drinking some wine from his glass calmly, standing by his organ.
He turned to her. Then, his eyes suddenly widened and he spit the wine he had been drinking, coughing. He put the cup down and hastily cleaned his mouth with his sleeve. He gaped at her, eyes wide.
Christine cocked her head, "What?"
"Y..you…" Erik stuttered, "Y-you…"
"I what?" Christine asked.
"You look… F-fabulous!" Erik said. "I knew it would look gorgeous on you, but I didn't know it would look so magnificent!"
Christine blushed and smiled at him.
"Thank you for the dress!" she said happily.
"You're welcome…" Erik said, blushing himself.
Erik then walked towards Christine and stopped in front of her. He then bowed, took her hand in his, and kissed it softly.
"Christine," he said, "Will you give me the pleasure of singing with me once again?" he looked up at her with pleading eyes.
"I'd love to, Maestro…" she said, smiling at him.
She took some air and began to sing intensely:
In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came.
That voice which calls to me, and speaks my name!
And do I dream again, for now I find,
The Phantom of the Opera is there! Inside my mind!
Her voice, oh how he had missed her angelic voice! His soul soared as her voice reverberated through the room. He then began singing his part:
Sing once again with me, our strange duet!
My power over you grows stronger yet!
And though you turn from me, to glance behind!
The Phantom of the Opera is there! Inside your mind!
His voice, so manly, so strong! Her heart leaped with joy at the sound of his singing voice!
She continued:
Those who had seen your face, draw back in fear!
I am the mask you wear-
And Erik cut off-
It's me they hear!
And they sang together, their powerful duo vibrating strongly on the lair's walls:
My/Your spirit and your/my voice in one combined!
The Phantom of the Opera is there! Inside your/my mind!
And Erik continued alone:
In all your fantasies you always knew
That man and mystery-
And Christine continued-
Were both in you!
And both resumed their duo-
And in this labyrinth
Where night is blind!
The Phantom of the Opera is there/here!
Inside your/my mind!
And Christine finished alone-
Is there…the Phantom of the Opera!
"Is there…." She ended in a whisper that was barely audible.
"The Phantom of the Opera…" he followed, ending too, in a whisper.
The looked at each other for a moment, smiling merrily.
Suddenly, Christine wrapped her arms around him, embracing him.
"Oh, I missed you so much!" she said, between sobs.
"I missed you too! You don't have an idea of how much!" Erik said, hugging her back happily.
"Erik," she said, whispering, "I never want to leave you again. Never. I want to stay! With you at my side always! To guard me and to guide me!"
"And I will be more than willing to comply!" Erik replied.
Christine looked up at him and managed to give him a quick kiss in his chin.
Erik blushed and looked down at her. He responded by giving her an affectionate kiss on her forehead.
3 days had passed. Christine was so happy of being with her Angel again. And Erik couldn't have been more pleased.
He was always so kind with her, always either asking her if she needed anything or if she felt uncomfortable.
Every morning, Christine was woken up by Erik's melodious music coming from his organ.
He was so talented, and his music was so perfect.
He had been working on a new song. He had not slept for the past 3 days, trying to get the sound he quite wanted in the song. Every time he failed, he gave a frustrated grunt.
But he didn't give up. He kept trying, playing the song countless times, trying to make it flawless.
His face had lost a bit of its color due to the lack of sleep, and he had bags in his eyes.
This deeply concerned Christine, and she approached him.
"Erik…" she said softly to him, " You've been working on that song for 3 days in a row without sleep. Shouldn't you rest?"
"I can't!" Erik said, "Not until I get it right!"
"But Erik… You're growing so weak. You must sleep! It'll do you good! Believe me! Maybe when you wake up you'll find the note you're missing!" she said gleefully.
"I'm fine, Christine! Honest!" he retorted, "Besides, I can't sleep. Nothing makes me sleep."
Christine stared at him.
"What are you? Some kind of zombie?" she said playfully.
Erik smiled and chuckled.
"Until my mind is at ease, I'll be able to sleep soundly. Till then, I'll continue working."
Christine pouted.
"But you're so tense! You need rest!"
"I'm not tense."
"Yes you are…"
"No, I'm not…"
"Yes…"
"No..."
"Yes!"
"No…"
Christine suddenly poked his back and he twitched. He was tense.
"See?" she said in a matter-of-factly tone. "You need to relax. Rest a bit. Free your tensions."
"I won't be able to free my tensions until I get the song done!" he said desperately.
"I know of something that will make you relax!" she said as an idea drifted into her mind.
"And what can that be?" he asked, not really paying much attention.
"A massage…" she said simply.
"A…massage?"
"Yes! It's very effective. It'll make you relax and fall asleep." She said.
He chuckled.
"You can't expect for a simple massage to be able to make me sleep after all I've tried." He said, proudly.
"Oh, really?" she said, defiantly.
"Yes..." he said.
"Well, we'll see about that…"
"Are you threatening me?" he asked playfully.
"Kind of. I'll make you sleep, you'll see!" she said triumphantly.
"I want to see you try."
"Have it your way then."
Christine rolled up her sleeves and approached Erik. Erik straightened himself in the bench, waiting for Christine.
"Ready for a good sleep?" she said.
"Try me…"
She smirked. She then started her massage.
She placed her hands gently on his shoulders, rubbing them slowly, up and down, squeezing them gently.
"Not working." he said in a singsong voice.
"It's this shirt you wear!" she said. She then slipped the top of his white shirt past his shoulder blades, down his arms, leaving his shoulders and upper back bare.
"That's better…" And she resumed her massaging.
She rubbed his shoulders softly in a circular pattern. He sure was tense. So tense. She rubbed a bit harder, but not enough to hurt him. Not that he would feel it anyways.
She then felt his shoulders give in, and they fell limply. She heard a sigh escape Erik's mouth.
He closed his eyes and leaned back, resting his head on Christine's chest.
"Do you like it?" she asked with a gentle smile, looking down at his relaxed face.
"It's heaven…" he said simply, without opening his eyes.
Christine smiled, and proceeded with massaging the sides of his neck. He gave another sigh of satisfaction.
"Now, will you get to bed and rest?"
"Nuh-uh…" he said playfully.
"I'll give you a better massage if you do so." She said teasingly.
"What? It can't get better than this!" he said incredulously.
"Yes it can!"
"I don't believe you…"
"It'll even make you doze."
"I don't think so…"
"Want to try?"
"Bring it on…"
Erik stood up and faced at her. He smiled.
"Should we go to the room then?" he asked.
"Let's get going." She smiled back.
The both entered the room together, the room dimly lit by the candles.
"Lay face down on the bed." She ordered him. "Oh, and take your shirt off."
He stared at her for some minutes before shrugging and doing as she said.
He took off his shirt, showing his strong, bare chest. Christine beamed at him and blushed, but she turned away before Erik saw.
"L-lay face down on the bed now…" she said nervously.
Erik looked at her for some moments, wondering what was wrong with her. He then shrugged and laid face down on the swan bed, his back exposed. He rested his chin on his folded arms.
Christine cleared her throat and approached him. She kneeled on the bed beside him.
"Now...relax, let your tensions float away…" she said soothingly.
"I will remind you, though, that I will not succumb to slumber."
"Time will tell…" she said defiantly.
"You will not succeed,…" he said jokingly.
"We will see about that…" she said, grinning.
She then placed her hands above his back. She felt the warmth radiating from his body.
She began rubbing his back softly in an up-and-down motion, relaxing all his muscles.
Erik gave a sigh of delight.
"You have a gift there, Christine," Erik whispered. "Your hands are those of an Angel; with a miraculous touch…"
She responded by rubbing his shoulders and the crook of his neck, slowly massaging his skin.
Erik shivered in delight. He closed his eyes and gave in to Christine's soft hands.
A few minutes passed and Erik grew less and less tense. His muscles relaxed one by one, slowly softening. Occasional sighs escaped his lips every once in a while.
She smiled.
"You're getting sleepy…"
"Mmmm…No... I'm not…" he said drowsily.
Christine giggled.
"Yes you are… You're falling asleep…"
"Mmmmm…." was his answer before his mind drifted into sleep and his eye lids fell heavily.
Christine stood up slowly, careful not to wake him up. She saw him inhale and exhale as he slept. His face looked so peaceful; so charming.
She smiled.
"Sleep, my Angel." She whispered, as she leaned down and gave him a soft kiss on his left cheek.
Erik stirred in his sleep and a smile played on his lips.
Next day, Erik woke up fully recovered. His mind was fresh and his body strong and rested. He felt like new. Christine was right. That massage did help.
Christine…. Christine! Where was she?
He put on his white shirt and darted out of the room in search for her.
"Christine?" he whispered, looking all around him. The heat was suffocating. Sweat dripped down his forehead and down his mask.
Suddenly, he heard water flowing, moving. He heard splashes. He walked to the shore and looked down at the lake. He stared as he spotted something drifting through the lake.
Christine swam happily through the water, her cerulean nightgown fluttering behind her in a ghostly way.
She caught a glimpse of him and waved her hand, swimming towards him.
"Good morning!" she said merrily, "Did you sleep well?"
"Uh...Yes, I slept well. Thank you for the massage." He said, beaming at her.
"You're welcome!" she said, beaming back.
"Why don't you come down here?" she said all of a sudden, "The water is lovely! And it's really hot today!"
"I-I don't like to swim."
"Don't be so childish!" she retorted.
"I don't like water!"
"You're not a cat! Come on! Jump in!"
"I can pretend to be one."
"Come now!"
"No, I wont!"
She thought hard, searching for an excuse to make Erik dive in. She had an idea.
"If I'm not much mistaken, yesterday you fell asleep with my massage, when you clearly said you wouldn't." she said in a matter-of-factly tone, "But I won, so you have to do something for me."
She smirked at him.
He gaped, "What? We never agreed on that…" he said, pointing a finger at her accusingly.
"It was a competition, I won, you lost. You give me something now." She said simply.
He sighed.
"And what is it that you want from me?"
"Come down here with me!" she said.
He frowned at her.
"I'm not diving into the lake!"
"You have to!"
"No I don't."
"Come swim with me, you coward!"
He gave a sigh and leaned forward.
He then whispered to her.
"I'm not entering the water, and nothing you say or do will change my mind…"
She smirked.
"You sure?"
"Huh?"
Erik's eyes widened as Christine lunged forward and took hold of the scruff of his shirt. She quickly sank back down into the water, dragging Erik with her.
Erik gave a cry of surprise before splashing into the water.
Christine broke through the water, taking a long breath. She then floated in the spot, waiting for Erik.
He broke trough the water slowly, with a deep frown in his face. His hair fell down his forehead, dripping. He spit a bit of water as he removed his wet hair from his eyes.
Christine burst out laughing. She clapped her hands to her mouth, trying to stifle the laughs.
"You find this funny?" he asked, mocking a tone of seriousness.
She tried to stop the laughing but she couldn't. "Yes!" she said between laughs.
Erik smiled mischievously.
"I'll give you something to laugh for!" he said as he lunged at her, sending big waves through the water.
She swam out of his reach, laughing.
"You'll have to catch me first!" she cried.
"Very well then!" he screamed.
He swam swiftly at her, trying to get hold of her. She dodged him again and swam away from him.
Seeing that his attempts were useless, Erik took a deep breath and sank into the water.
Christine whirled around at the lack of sound.
She looked around. Erik was nowhere to be seen. Her smile disappeared from her face as she searched the lake.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, something broke through the water behind her, and before she could react, Erik had burst out of the water and wrapped his hands around her, preventing her from escaping.
Christine giggled as Erik laughed in her ear.
"Gotcha!" he exclaimed triumphantly.
"Now, I will give you something to laugh for!" he said.
He instantly began tickling the sides of her chest madly, causing her to laugh loudly.
"No! Stop it!" she said between laughs. But he didn't stop. He tickled her nonstop, until she gasped out for breath. He gave it a rest to let Christine regain air.
Erik turned her slowly around, her dress flowing with the water.
He wrapped his hands around her waist as she gazed at him, a smile playing on her lips as she panted.
"You…are…evil,…" she said jokingly, between gasps. She wrapped her arms around his neck
"Yes, I'm a mean little person." He said, chuckling.
She giggled and looked right into his eyes.
She admired his face, his beautiful blue-green eyes gleaming with happiness, his cheek flushed from the effort he had done of swimming, his hair tangled with water dripping from the bangs. Water slid gracefully down his white, porcelain mask.
Her smile faltered.
"Erik…" she said silently.
"Yes?" he asked quietly.
"Can I steal from you a kiss?" she asked simply.
Erik was taken off guard.
"W-What?" he inquired.
"I asked if I could steal from you one of these…" she left her sentence incomplete, for she had leaned forward and had kissed him passionately in the lips.
Erik's eyes grew wide. He staggered a bit. But responded to the kiss.
After a few seconds, they broke the kiss, each staring into the other's eyes.
"I…uh…" Erik stammered, "F-from now on. Y-you can steal... all you want." He smiled sheepishly.
She laughed at this.
"Very well…"
She leaned forward again, and they locked their lips in a passionate kiss, wanting never to break off, wanting to remain in one another's arms for a long time.
Feri- 3rd chapter done! Finally got over with it! I spent 1 week and a half in thinking what to write for the 3rd chapter. It was not that bad in my opinion. (Blushes) ooooh…fluffiness.
Erik- I quite liked this chapter.
Feri- Why am I not surprised? (smirks)
Erik- (blushes)
Feri- Anyways. I would like to tell you, my fellow readers, that I might not update in some time. I start bimonthly exams next week and they're gonna be like hell ;;
Erik- WHAT? What do you mean you won't update in a long time? (some random rant)
Feri- Oh, chill out. ¬¬ (shoves a Snicker chocolate up his mouth)
Erik- Fwat the..?- (munches on chocolate) Hey…this is really good!
Feri- glad you liked it…(hugs)
Erik- yum… yum yum… you got more?
Feri- Er…yes… wait a second. (Takes another bar out of her pocket) Here ya go.
Erik- Thank you! (Rips off the wrapper and eats chocolate)
Feri- Er…anyways… Please excuse my grammar errors. As I have stated before, English is my second language, so I'm not good enough at it, but I like to write my stories in English.
Anyways. Please Review! If you leave reviews I'll feel more bound to update faster!
Erik- If you don't review, a disaster beyond your imagination will occur!
Feri- Don't be so dramatic… ¬¬
Erik- Sorry…
Feri- Review!