Chapter 7 Late Birthday Present
"Okay, open."
Her green eyes opened to find a romantic dinner in front of her. There were two candles on the table, and a few more around the room, which gave off the dim light. The table had an elegant cloth on it, along with two plates.
His fingertips slid from the sides of her neck, past her shoulders, down her arms, to her hands. Goosebumps rose on her arms as they took each others hands.
"Erik, this is wonderful! I love it!" she said turning around to face him. He smiled and replied, "Just think of it as a late birthday present." She firmly planted her lips on his. When they pulled away, she said, "Thank you."
They finally got a good look at each other. April was wearing a beautiful dark red silk dress. The sleeves were draped gracefully on the sides of her upper arms. This showed off her bare shoulders and neck. Her chocolate brown hair was tied in an elegant bun with strands of loose curls hanging down. The dress didn't have a very modest neck line. A beautiful silver necklace almost slipped between her cleavage.
Erik, on the other hand, was wearing a handsome overcoat. Underneath it was a sexy white shirt exposing some of his chest. The collar had a couple of white ruffles. He was also wearing his black trousers. And we can't forget the usual white mask, of course.
His blue eyes looked at her curvy body. He actually expected her to be a stick, because she was a dancer. But boy was he wrong! Her bust was about twice the size of the other ballerinas.
"Erik, stop looking at me that way!" He finally snapped out of admiring her body. Taking her hand, they walked over to her chair. He pulled it out so she could sit down. Once she did, he walked over to his chair and sat. The candles on the table flickered. They started eating in silence. It was then broken by April.
"I've been wondering something." Erik looked up at her. "How old are you?" He stopped eating and looked as though he was in deep thought. Then he muttered, "Thirty." He almost looked embarrassed. Trying to reassure him, she said, "I don't care, age is just a number." He smiled at her, relieved.
When they finished eating, Erik walked over to her, held out his hand and said, "May I have this dance?"
Face flushing she said, "Erik, I feel silly!"
"Nonsense. I insist!" He practically picked her up out of the chair. She was laughing when she put her hand on his shoulder and he put his hand on her waist.
But a look from Erik and she stopped.
They were dancing to an unheard waltz. Her red heels and his black shoes moved in a one, two, three pattern. At first he had to keep looking at his feet, but then he got the hang of it. Naturally, April had it down right away, for she danced for a living.
He twirled her a few times. Then he did a dramatic dip, leaning her over. His face was accidentally right in front of her immodest neckline. Being embarrassed, he pulled her back up to him swiftly.
She noticed that his face had a light shade of pink on it. That was the first time she ever saw his face flush. Looking at him curiously, she asked, "Is something wrong?" Shaking his head, Erik said, "No, I'm just…a tad bit warm." They stopped dancing and he took of his overcoat.
April stared at his chest while he set his coat on the chair. When he looked at her again, she glanced away. She watched him, without smiling or frowning. He slowly walked towards her.
Her green eyes followed him until he was behind her. His warm hands clutched her arms. Then he started kissing her neck tenderly. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. First he began under her jaw then made his way to her shoulders. Then he switched sides, starting over.
She moaned softly, loving the feeling of his lips against her skin. Her arm reached back and she placed her hand on his neck. Then April turned around and they kissed each other. Their tongues slipped upon one another. Erik started walking, still kissing her. He walked her towards the wall and gently pinned her against it.
Then she started to tug at the bottom of his shirt. He was rather surprised by this, but he let her pull his shirt over his head. April's soft hands ran across his masculine chest, and then grasped his arms. When she was really getting into it, he pulled away from her.
"Are you sure you're ready?" he whispered.
"More than ever," she breathed back.
So he bent down and took the bottom of her dress, looking up at her making sure it was okay. She nodded and he brought it over her head. She was wearing a burgundy corset, and a black slip that made her real dress poofier.
They began kissing again. April lifted her leg around his waist, then she jumped up as she did the same with her other leg. To hold her up, Erik had to place his hands on her butt. The only time they stopped kissing was when they drew a breath.
He leaned her into the wall a bit more so he could move his hands to her back. Her head and shoulders were against the wall and he began to unlace her corset. He was kissing her neck at the same time. After a while, she whispered, "Erik?"
"Hmmmm?" he managed to say.
"Can I see your face?"
He stopped unlacing her, and pulled away. She sat on the floor, looking up at him. He placed his hand over his mask. Sighing, he turned away.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I can't do it." he replied sitting in the chair.
She slowly got up and walked over to him. She ran her fingertips across his bare back. Leaning towards him, she whispered into his ear, "I love you." Her lips were touching his ear while she said that. He looked up at her sadly.
"I know you do, and I love you too. It's just that…" April watched him struggle for the right words to say. Feeling pity for him, and knowing that she never should have asked that dreadful question, she placed her hand on his bare cheek.
"I know," she said quietly.
Then she got up and walked over to her dress to pick it up. Surprisingly, his hands slowly caressed her neck and shoulders. Again, goose bumps rose on her arms. As she turned around he lightly kissed her on the lips.
"Thank you for understanding," he said kindly.
He retied her corset and she put on her dress and he did the same with his shirt. When April was leaving he said to her, "I love you." She turned around and said, "I love you." Then she slipped into the pitch black hallway yet again. He could hear her heels' clicking slowly fade away.
It was half past nine when she reached her room. When she was next to her bed, she collapsed on it. Heaving a sigh, she finally got up and changed. The time had to be at least eleven o'clock by the time she finally fell asleep. She tossed and turned for quite some time.
The next morning, most of the girls were still questioning her about to nights ago. Not able to take it any more she finally told them, "Okay! Shut up so I don't have to repeat this!" More girls gathered around her quietly.
"He tried to do…something…" There were scattered questions of 'what?' After sighing, she closed her eyes. Opening them back up she said, "He tried to rape me." Gasps came out of every single girl's mouth. "Really? What happened?" one girl asked loudly. A couple others told her to be quiet.
"I'd rather not say," April told them uncertainly. Groans of disappointment came from the group of ballerinas.
Meg was right in front. "He didn't, did he?" she asked softly.
"Oh, thank goodness, no," she told her.
"How'd you get him to stop?" Little Jammes had said, but she couldn't see her.
A smile had appeared on April's face. The girls scooted closer. "Somebody saved me," she said. "WHO!" the entire group cried. "Erik," she said simply, like everyone knew. But nobody did, which was exactly why she said that. Pairs of girls looked at each other quizzically.
Her smile had now turned into a satisfied smirk. Now they couldn't say that she didn't tell them. April enjoyed rehearsal that day. Her dancing had improved greatly ever since she came to the Opera House.
After practice, however, Madame Giry walked over to her. She looked serious, yet very curious. "You said that a man named Erik saved you?"
"Yes," April replied unsurely.
"Do you know his last name?"
After thinking for a moment she said, "No."
After some silence between them, she remembered what Meg had told her. "My mother saved him from those horrid gypsies. She hid him from everyone and he stayed in the cellars of the Opera House."
She looked up. "I think, Erik is who you think he is," she said to Madame Giry.
"And do you know who he used to be?" April nodded. "Just as long as you know," she said. "He has seemed a bit more, how should I put it, upbeat."
"Wait, you see him, you talk to him?" she asked suddenly.
"Yes. I invite him over to have supper with us at times. Meg, the poor dear, is always so terrified that she barely eats!"
April stared at the woman like what she was saying was unbelievable. "So, Erik talks with you?"
"Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. Before you came, he was always so depressed. He declined most of my requests for him to dine with us. But ever since you arrived Erik has returned to his normal self, and more."
She smiled, embarrassed. "That's good to know, but why didn't he tell me?" she thought.
"Well," Madame Giry sighed. "I'd better go now. I'll leave you alone." After she left Erik came out of his box. April stood on the stage with her arms crossed. He had always told her he never made any contact with any one in the Opera House. He walked towards her with a guilty look on his face. She was pursing her lips when he stood in front of her.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked harshly.
Pardon the Silence: thanks for all the reviews!
Vicangel: thanks, glad you like it!
StarletOfTheForest: lol, thank you much!
keep on sending in those reviews! and I'll keep on updating chapters!