Yay Reviews! Okay, I know that this is getting old but I love yo hread your feedback it's so much fun! It helps me become a better writer! Chapter Ten:

Repercussions

Christine walked down the corridors with a pen in her mouth, and her arms cluttered with books. She had to get to class early in order to get one of the seats in the front to hear her teacher.

Repercussions

Professor Stine was known for his mumbling that was why many students got there as early as they could. He also locked the door once class started.

She could feel her cell phone vibrating in her messenger bag. It had to have been the twentieth time that morning. She had been too busy to answer the phone.

Christine had almost made it when Dustin wrapped an arm over her shoulders. "Christine! Nice to see you, how are you?"

She tried to greet him but only got as far as mumbling.

Dustin took the pen. "Better?"

"Dustin, good morning. Good-bye, I have to get to class."

Dustin grabbed her shoulder. "Not so fast, Chris."

"Christine," she corrected.

"You didn't call me last night," Dustin said. "I was worried. Where's my ring?"

"I'll give it to you later, look, I got a ride home, okay, bye."

Dustin stepped in front of her. "So, how was the date?"

Christine sighed. "It wasn't a date. It was just dinner."

Dustin laughed. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Christine. That was what my ex said, and look at how I turned out."

Christine stopped walking, knowing that he would follow her into class and that the professor wouldn't like it. "What is it, Dustin?"

He smiled. "I want to know how it turned out."

Christine rolled her chocolate brown eyes. "We had dinner, we talked, he took me home. That's it."

He put a magazine on her books. "That's not what it says here." Christine almost dropped her books. "Oh, my God."

"You are so lucky no one reads this tabloid."

Christine handed him the books and looked at the magazine. Erik and her were on the front cover. It was when she was getting into the car. At least the picture only showed half of her face. The people that had never known her wouldn't recognize her, only the people she knew could tell it was her. Erik didn't look like he was smiling or anything. In fact, he looked very, very surprised.

"Be glad that no one can recognize you."

Christine nodded. "Yeah, very glad."

"Was it that guy that spilled coffee on you?"

Christine nodded again, glancing over the article for her name.

"Damn," Dustin said. "I should go to Starbucks and spill coffee all over me, too."

Christine mock laughed. "Very funny." She let out a long sigh. "Unidentified woman, not my name."

"I didn't know it was Erik Destler."

"What?"

"That your date was Erik Destler."

"It wasn't a date," Christine said through gritted teeth.

"Then you could still give him my number."

Christine shook her head. "This is perfect, as if my life wasn't twisted enough." Christine looked at one of the pictures. There was a circle around one of her fingers on her left hand. It was closed around a ring. There was an arrow that said. "Did Erik propose? Details inside!"

Christine walked to the wall and banged her head against it. "This is so bloody perfect."

Dustin nodded. "I know. Now everyone will think you're engaged to a rock star. Oh, the horror."

"Shut up," Christine told him.

"At least no one you know has seen it, like Raoul."

Christine froze. "Oh, shit. Raoul! What if he thinks me and Erik are engaged!" Thinking quickly, she reached into Dustin's pockets.

"Whoa!" Dustin said smiling. "I didn't know gay guys were your thing!"

"Dustin, give me the keys to your father's car."

He reached into his pockets and took them out. "What about Stine's class?"

"Screw Stine's class." Christine took off to the parking lot with her messenger bag. Upon finding the Chevy, she put the key in and unlocked it. Turning the engine over, she lurched out of the parking lot. She was determined to not let Raoul see the magazine.

Once she was downtown, she recognized the building instantly. It was one of those skyscrapers that Christine always thought of as an eyesore. At least it had an underground parking lot.

She parked the car and walked to the elevator where it took her straight to the top.

Raoul ran the Los Angeles branch of the company. Philippe ran the one in New York. New York was the first one made and since Philippe was the most experienced, he was the one that traveled the world.

It had been the way that Raoul's father had wanted it. Raoul's father was now retired and only looked over things from time to time. Christine had only met him once, but she knew where Raoul got his good looks from.

Since Raoul was the boss of the building, he got the office at the top of it. He was lucky to have all of it before he even finished college. But it was also a fact that Raoul's father, instead of telling Raoul and Philippe bedtime stories, he would talk to them about the business they would inherit someday.

Raoul had told her that on more than one occasion.

Once on the top floor, she saw Mary was behind her desk as always. It was as if she lived behind that desk.

When she saw her, the brunette smiled. "Christine, how are you?"

Mary was a middle-aged woman with two children. Christine often talked to her when she had to wait for Raoul after a meeting. That was before, when they had first moved there when work hadn't had consumed him like it did now.

"Good," Christine said as she approached her desk. "Uh, do you know if Raoul is in?"

Mary nodded. "He is but he's in a meeting. If you want you can wait for him in his office, I'll let him know you're here."

Christine nodded, this wasn't the first time she had to do this. "Sure, thanks."

Christine passed many offices and meeting rooms to reach Raoul's. His was a corner office that had a breathtaking view of downtown. If she looked hard enough she could see the Chinese Theater.

The office was about the size of her kitchen and living room combined, if not bigger. It had a small bar that held liquor for Raoul's visitors, two long black leather couches and Raoul's very large oak desk. In front of the desk, there was a leather chair for private meetings or interviews. The shelves on the wall were littered with pictures from his childhood and a lot from recent times.

There were some from his graduation, Christine's graduation, prom and Raoul's twentieth birthday.

Christine was in every picture.

Christine looked over the papers on his desk, trying to see if he had indeed picked up the magazine. There were only papers from work, nothing more.

Upon seeing this, Christine sat on one of the leather couches and waited. She didn't need to wait too long, ten minutes later, Raoul walked in, taking off his coat followed by a woman with a notepad.

The woman was tall, a little taller than Christine. She had a short skirt on showing off her movie star like legs. She was gorgeous and she looked so professional in her suit dress.

"Tell Frank that the tennis game will have to wait," Raoul told the girl. The girl had to be as old as Raoul himself. "Tell him to reschedule for next week. That will be the only time I'll be able to make it."

The girl nodded. "Don't forget that you have another conference call with your brother in ten minutes."

Christine stood when he walked in, he didn't seem to notice that she was there. But the woman certainly did.

She turned her blond head towards her and asked, "Can I help you?"

Christine looked at her smugly, hating the attitude she was giving her.

"Christine?"

Christine turned to Raoul. "Hey, Raoul."

"What are you doing here?" He asked approaching her.

"Uh, well, you see, um-" Christine turned to the woman. "Who's she?"

"Christine, meet Bridgett, she's my assistant."

Christine tried to smile. "I didn't know you had an assistant."

"I hired her last Monday." It seemed that that was all he needed to say. "Bridgett, just call Frank, please?"

Bridgett nodded and eyed Christine carefully as she left. When she closed the door, Christine looked at Raoul incredulously. "Can you believe her?"

Raoul shook his head in disapproval as he looked over some papers on his desk and sat down. "What is it Christine?"

That was it. It was harsh and cruel, he had never spoken to her like that. There was no kiss to greet her, no warm smile. Nothing.

Christine bit her bottom lip. "I wanted to see you."

"You're lying."

Christine looked at him aghast. "What?"

Raoul looked up from his papers. "When you lie, you bite your bottom lip and twirl a strand of hair around your finger."

Christine closed her eyes and put her hand down. "Okay, so maybe I wanted to talk to you, is that a crime?"

Raoul sighed and stood, walking to the small bar. As he poured scotch in a glass, he turned to her. "We 'talked' on Friday." He put the scotch away and began to drink. "You decided that you wanted a break from me."

Christine shut her eyes and inwardly scolded herself.

"You wanted space," Raoul said approaching her. "I'm giving it to you."

Christine looked at him compassionately. "Can you blame a girl for missing her boyfriend? Even if the boyfriend doesn't pay any attention to her or when he does it's talking about work-"

"Why are you really here, Daaé?" He sighed as if he were tired of her somehow.

"I told you," Christine said to him, hoping he wouldn't see past the lies. "I wanted to talk to you."

He smiled. "Really?"

Christine smiled. "Yeah, really."

Raoul walked around his desk until he was sitting in his large chair again. "What about?"

"The weather? Work?" Christine asked, hopeful.

Raoul smiled and started opening a drawer. "How about current events?" As he said that, he pulled out a magazine and threw it on the desk so that the cover would face her.

There in full color was the same picture on the cover of Dustin's tabloid. Christine and Erik getting in the car. Erik's jacket draped over her shoulders, almost past her thighs.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Christine looked at the magazine in horror, sinking down on the leather chair. She put her face in her hands, almost crying.

He spoke with dead calm, and only anger on some parts. "Imagine my surprise when I saw it on my way to work this morning. 'Erik Destler and Mystery Woman Out on s. "I can explain."

"Explain?" Raoul said almost laughing. "Christine, if pictures are worth a thousand words then the magazine has said more than a mouthful on your part."

She put her hands under her, determined that she wouldn't let him see her cry. "Raoul, please, let me explain."

"I don't know if it's the fact that you're out with a rock star or the fact that you break up with me one day and get engaged the other that annoys me."

"Raoul," she said pleading silently. "He didn't-"

"He looks so familiar, Christine, can you explain why?"

Raoul didn't wait for her to answer. "He looks like that man that almost killed me."

Christine looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "Raoul, it's not what you think."

Raoul looked on the verge of hysteria. "Oh no? Then you can explain why you were out with a guy not even three days after we broke up. And why the hell he looks like that maniac. The maniac you said would never ever come after you again."

"Raoul, it was just dinner," she said softly. "He wanted to talk to me."

"So it is him?" Raoul put the empty glass on the desk and started pacing back and forth a hand over his mouth. He spoke so sarcastically that Christine thought that he would do something bad. "Oh my, my, my. Did he find out that we broke up and that –"

"We didn't break up," Christine told him.

"Oh," Raoul said understanding. "Okay, so while we were still together you went out with that man?"

"Raoul-"

"And that ring, did it magically appear out of nowhere too?"

"Raoul, if you would just let me talk-"

Raoul sighed. "Look, Christine. I don't know what it is with you. You wanted space, I gave it to you. You wanted me to leave you alone, I did. Next thing I know, you're out with this man, doing God knows what with a ring on your finger."

Christine stood with anger. "Raoul, don't even! You won't let me explain myself! You're blowing this way out of proportion!"

"Oh, yeah?" Raoul said crossing his arms and stopping. "Explain it, then."

Christine took a deep breath. "He just wanted to have dinner. He wanted to explain everything. He isn't after me-"

"Bullshit."

Christine sighed. "I thought the same thing-"

Raoul sighed and took her trembling hands in his. "Christine. I'm not doing this for me. I didn't want him to ever come after you. You swore to me he wouldn't come for you."

"I thought he wouldn't-"

"You've been lying to me then."

Christine gasped silently. "Raoul, I couldn't lie to you-"

He sighed. "Christine. If this is how our relationship is going to be for the rest of our lives, one constant fight after another, then maybe we should-"

"No," Christine said forcefully. "Raoul, please don't."

He placed his hand on her cheek and stroked it gently. "Little Lotte, I told you once that all I wanted was your happiness. It's obviously not with me-"

Christine shook her head. "No, Raoul, that's not true. I am happy with you! I am!"

He let her go and wiped her tears. "Christine, you'll be happy seeing other people. I know it. High school romances never last, you know that. Even after what we went through together. I'm sorry."

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks. "Raoul, please."

He kissed her forehead and held her in a powerful hug. "I love you, Little Lotte."

Christine looked at him and saw that his eyes were full of tears also. He didn't want this at all.

She hugged him too. "I love you too, Raoul."

He sighed. "Maybe now you'll be happy."

Christine left the office with despair. Before she went into the elevator, she looked at him in his office one final time.

That was a pretty long chapter! (ducks fromflaming pitchforks from R/C shippers)
PhantomoftheBandroom- What I meant was the part that Christine says that she doesn't like music from now. That's how I feel. I enjoy music from before and listening to my CD's better than the one that's on the radio (than again, the music in Puerto Rico is Raggaeton, I'm not quite fond of that music)
Original Cliche- Do you mean the one by Beethoven?
I think that's it...excuse me while I go hide from the R/C shippers. (runs frantically)