Erik couldn't help himself. He watched Veronique as she slept. She slept so peacefully, even though she had just been through a great trial. Her chest rose and fell with each delicate breath, and he prayed with each breath that she would not remember this fateful night. His eyes began to shut, so he went over to his piano bench and rested for a while.
When he awoke in the morning, he glanced over at the bed and found it empty. He then looked to the other end of the bench and saw her laying there on the cold stone floor. He reached his gloved hand to her shoulders, and she awoke with the slightest touch of his fingers.
"What happened last night?" she asked groggily. Her eyes searched his face for answers he may not be giving verbally.
After many years of living in secret in the dungeons of the opera house, he had become a master at spinning lies. "You over-exerted yourself last night when we were singing. It caused you to faint, and I carried you to the bed."
"Oh, okay. Thank you for caring," she said gratefully. She gazed into his sea-green eyes and saw nothing but love and adoration in them. Veronique felt nothing but love and adoration for this gentle yet misunderstood man. He swept her into a passionate embrace and they shared yet another kiss. This time, the kiss went uninterrupted and it was stronger than ever before.
As they released each other from their passion and desire, Erik sighed with relief. "I'm just so glad that you are alright, my dear Veronique." However, only he knew the real reason he was relieved. His plan had succeeded and she remembered nothing of the night before.
"Erik? Why are your clothes wet?" She couldn't understand why they would be dripping and soggy.
His voice never faltered as he smoothly delivered his next lie. "I went for a little ride in my gondola earlier, and I fell into the lake by accident."
She giggled a little bit at his clumsiness, but she knew not to laugh at him. Her expression grew serious as she saw his mouth open to speak.
"Now, my dear Veronique, I have a question for you. You remained silent when you removed my mask last night. Are you not shocked nor apalled by this loathsome gargoyle who stands before you?" He asked this with all seriousness. He needed to know whether she truely loved him. He couldn't fall once more... Not like the last time...
She was surprised by his bluntness, but she answered him truthfully. "Erik, they do not bother me. I find them to be sort of cute," she said with a smirk. With those words, he took her by the hand and led her over to his swan bed.
That night, Veronique and Erik didn't sleep at all...