Hello! This chapter was created at around eleven at night, so I apologize for any errors in spelling or logic.
AGAIN - THANK YOU ALL OF MY REVIEWERS FOR YOUR POSITIVE COMMENTS ON MY STORY! I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU LIKE IT!
I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
Disclaimer: I take full credit for what me and my mind come up with – things such as characters, bits of exploding scenery, etc. – the rest I give due credit to Andrew Lloyd Webber, Gaston Leroux, and Susan Kay.
Angel and Phantom
I sat down on the cushions in front of the bay window in the living room, careful not to spill my hot chocolate. Looking out at the wildly flying snow I couldn't believe that it had been five months since the party. That whole night was slowly becoming a dreamlike memory.
A week after that enchanted evening the summer semester had ended bringing with it dashed together vacation plans by my crazy roommate. I chuckled as I remembered the small cottage by the sea about a two-hour drive away from our apartment that Meg and I had rented for a short but memorable week. And now I was almost halfway through my last year at Oppel University.
I managed to get very decent grades on all of the pre-winter break tests and now I was luxuriating in the pure laziness of the holiday. I grinned at my dim reflection in the glass and stretched over to snag a blanket off of the couch.
Snuggling down into the fluffy fabric and carefully dragging my mug with me I turned my attention back to the snow. I sat there for what seemed like forever, listening to the howling wind, before my thoughts turned towards the inevitable – Erik.
Even now, though I had almost convinced myself that he was an utter hallucination on my part, a phantom, I yearned for his touch, his presence. I had grilled Meg thoroughly for information about him. Apparently there was a mysterious owner of the company that was rarely, if ever, seen at the office.
He was a tycoon, and a rich one, at that. The yearly party was enough proof to dispel any theories of a ghost pulling the strings around the office. Still, Meg believed that only the higher-ups had ever had a face-to-face conversation with him.
I tried to ask her directions to the mansion where the party was held, but they were only written on the ticket and, in typical Meg fashion, she had already forgotten how she had gotten there in the first place.
I sighed despairingly and went to take a sip of my hot chocolate when suddenly the door banged open and Meg stumbled in carrying a mound of packages in her arms. She attempted to close the door with her foot, missed, and the topmost packages tumbled to the floor.
Setting down my cup, I scrambled over to help and within minutes we had all the various boxes and bags piled haphazardly on top of the couch. Plopping herself down on a chair, Meg swooned backwards dramatically and declared,
"It's so hard being Santa. All that shopping! It's enough to wear any girl out. Ugh!" She threw her arm over her head and peered at me from under her elbow. "You could have helped me, you know!"
I snorted and settled down in the seat next to her.
"Meg, I had some very important tests to study for and…" She cut me off and flapped her free hand at me,
"I know, I know! 'Studying is more important than shopping and there shalt not be a single argument on the matter'" She got up and began to rummage around in the packages. "I've learned my lesson – Christine is extremely scary in her 'study mode'. Next time you might throw something a lot bigger than a backpack at my head if I go near you during finals week."
She pulled something out of a box and placed it on the table. To my surprise and delight it was a mini fake tree complete with fiber-optic lighting and a star on top. Without stopping to admire her purchase, she dove into one of the largest bags and pulled out a box of ornaments, which she handed to me.
I got up, fished the plug out of the box, and turned it on. Then, as Meg proceeded to pull out what looked like an entire Christmas party from the mess on the couch, I started to decorate the tree.
Two hours and a half a dozen cups of hot chocolate later, we sat on the floor, too tired to move, and admired our handiwork. We had a tree, presents, mistletoe, and even stockings carefully tacked up on the wall.
"Meg…just tell me one thing, why…how in the hell…?" She giggled and poked me in the ribs.
"Because Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday, of course! Just think…shopping, gifts, getting drunk on eggnog and kissing random hot guys under the mistletoe! And don't forget the parties!" She rolled over, stood, and then offered me a hand.
Obliging, I let her tug me up and then we tiredly gathered up all of the boxes and leftover stuff and piled it into the coat closet at the foot of the stairs.
Exhausted, we headed off to bed. Just after I had crawled under the covers, Meg poked her head into the room and whispered,
"Christine, I almost forgot to ask you, would you come to work with me on Thursday? It's our last day before we take off for the holidays and I really want to show you off to my friends. They've all been wanting to meet you, so I figured…"
She trailed off as I stuck my hand out of the covers and gave her a thumbs-up. Closing the door quietly, I heard her pad down the hall and then flop into bed.
Drifting off under the warm blankets I smiled to myself and curled up, wishing Meg and myself good dreams.
By the time Thursday came around, Meg had picked out an entire outfit for me plus makeup, hair, and jewelry. I snorted as I looked at the aspen-worthy getup of designer looking jeans, cream knit sweater, boots, cap, and to top it all off a fluffy faux-fur vest complete with pom-pom zipper pull.
My personal stylist drifted in and squealed in delight,
"YOU ARE GOING TO LOOK SO CUTE IN THIS!"
"Meg, I'm not your own personal Barbie doll." I started tugging on the blouse and vest since I had already changed into the jeans. She grabbed the boots and cap and went downstairs to wait, but not before shooting off,
"Oh yes you are! I created you, fashionably speaking. YOU WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT ME! MUAHAHAHAHA!" I snorted again and followed her. Tugging the boots on as I stepped out the door, Meg tackled me from behind and shoved the cap onto my head. Giggling, she raced around me and got into the car.
I trailed after her and then we were off to the party.
Daniel's was located downtown in a large, modernized warehouse. As we walked through the doors, a few employees greeted Meg and then we were ushered into what looked like the main workspace. It was a big, open room sectioned off by cubicles and temporary walls. Tinsel garlands were draped everywhere and I could spy a few strategically placed bunches of mistletoe.
Meg led me over to the refreshment table where we both piled plates full of cookies, brownies, and whatever else was laid out. Just as I was heading for the punch bowl, around a dozen people encircled Meg and I and started exclaiming in delight,
"Oh, so you're Meg's friend!" and,
"The famed Christine! Meg just won't stop talking about you!"
I clung to Meg as she introduced me to all of the people at the company. After about forty faces and an hour later, we managed to escape down an isle way for a short breather. Shoving me into a cubicle and down into the swivel chair that was sitting in front of the desk, she drooped against the wall and blew her bangs out of her face tiredly.
Looking at Meg with pleading eyes, I pitifully whined,
"Can we go home now? Pleeease!" She glared at me and then straightened up, appearing to have caught a second wind. She crossed her arms and said,
"No! You are at a party and you will like it!" She tried to tug me up. "Now go and flirt with some of the guys from the art department! They're cute in a brooding, huggable sort of way. Just your type."
I remained in the chair, hurriedly trying to think of a way to get at least a few minutes more away from the chaos.
"Meg, can't you just let me sit here for a little while? I promise I'll go back to socializing. Just give me some time to catch my breath!" I clung to the chair for dear life as Meg eyed me and then, by some miracle, she took pity on me and left, saying,
"Three minutes, babe! And then…" She swiveled around and gave me her best Terminator impersonation, "I'LL BE BACK!"
Deflating with relief, I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes, determined to make the best of my hiatus from the party. A minute stretched by and then I heard someone shuffle by the cubicle over the noise of the people. Figuring that it was just an employee that had the same idea of escape as me, I remained were I was.
Seconds later I barely caught an awed whisper,
"Angel…"And then I was scooped up by someone and was carted out into the hallway. Opening my eyes in shock, I came face to face with none other than my mystery man himself, Erik. I froze, and he took the opportunity to start walking down the isle and towards the back of the building.
"Wha…how…?" I stammered and met his chilling gaze. He didn't answer, just strode towards a section of private offices, kicked open the door to one, tossed me onto a chair, and then shut and locked the entrance to the room behind him.
Turning around and facing me, he leaned against the door and stared at me. I stared back, completely in shock.
"Do you know how long I've…" He trailed off and was silent.
"You've what?" I whispered after a few seconds.
He met my eyes again and just like at the dance so many months ago I melted. Crossing the room in a few strides he knelt in front of me and took hold of my swaying shoulders.
"Are you alright?" He worriedly glanced over my body to check if something was wrong, but seeing nothing amiss, his gaze locked back on to mine.
"Yes. This seems to happen when I'm near you though…" I blushed and looked down, fingering one of the pom-poms on my vest. "I can't explain it, it's like you have some kind of…"
"Presence…" We both whispered at the same time.
My head snapped up and my nose nearly collided with his mouth. He had somehow managed to almost cover me with his body and his face was inches from mine. Because he was so close, I finally realized what I had missed before – the right side of his face was completely covered by what looked like a half replica of the mask he had been wearing at the masquerade.
I managed to get out,
"Mas…"
Before his lips found mine and any thoughts that my mind was trying to form shattered into bursts of emotion and feeling. One of his hands wound its way into my hair and the other wrapped around my waist and pressed me against his chest.
We both came up for air gasping and trembling. He caressed my face and then started to kiss it as I wove my fingers through his raven locks.
"Erik…" I gasped out as he tried to bite my ear. He stopped reluctantly and rested his head on my shoulder. Then he pleaded,
"What is your name? Please tell me, angel."
I rested my head on top of his and said,
"It's Christine."
"Christine…Christine…Christine…" He whispered my name over and over again as if it would disappear.
Suddenly, he leaned back and studied me.
"I had hoped that we would meet again. After that night…" He stared over my shoulder and asked hesitantly, "Why did you disappear? I came back and you were gone. I waited for you."
I blushed and grimaced,
"My friend Meg just popped up and started to drag me away. Before I knew it, we were outside and…" I trailed off and tried to meet his eyes.
He just kept staring off behind me with an almost painful look in his eyes. Puzzled, I stood and he brought his attention back to me. Rising from his position on the floor he towered over me and I gazed up at him.
"What do we do now?" He frowned, momentarily puzzled at my words, and then bent his head down and kissed me again. This time I wasn't sitting and almost collapsed from the emotion. He scooped me up and sat down on the edge of the desk, settling me onto his lap.
"You're going to have to stop doing that." He chuckled. "I can't carry you around every time I kiss you."
I looked at him wide eyed.
"There's going to be a next time?" He smirked and purred,
"You're mine now and I'm not letting you go." He tightened his hold on me and then shot up. Twirling me around the room, he laughed when I protested and then gracefully set me down.
I tugged him over to the chair and made him sit. Taking a position against the desk, I quietly studied him. He was gorgeous, from what I could see. Toned and tall with delicately sculpted facial features that would make a male model burst with envy. The only thing was the mask. It must hide some kind of deformity. Or else it was a fashion statement.
He noticed where I was looking and shifted uncomfortably in the chair. Deformity – definitely. Putting my curiosity to the side, I smiled, raised my eyebrow and repeated my earlier question,
"What do we do now?" He thought for a minute and then opened his mouth to reply, but before he could utter a single word someone pounded heavily on the door. Narrowing his eyes at the plank of wood, he growled out,
"What?"
A man shouted desperately through the door,
"Erik, we have a situation at one of the offices in England."
When he didn't reply the man pounded on the door again.
"Erik, I'm begging you! You're the only one that can fix this! It'll cost us millions!"
Erik shot up and faced me.
"Please stay here. This will only take a minute." He took my hand and kissed it with a flourish then he strode to the door, unlocked it, and slipped out into the hallway, closing it quietly behind him.
I sank down into the chair and stared at the floor in a daze. I had just found him again and now he was gone. True, he would be back, but what should I do? Frankly, the way I reacted to him scared me. It felt so…primal…so simple…like we just were and it made sense.
Was it love?
I shook my head in confusion and then leaned back in the chair. I stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours until, faintly, I could hear my name being called. Curious, I got up and stuck my head out the door. I could see Meg's blond locks bobbing up and down a few cubicles away.
"Meg?" I half shouted. She heard me and came running. As she rounded a corner and came into view, I could see that her mascara was smudged all over her face and she was holding her cell phone in her hands as if it were a dangerous animal.
"Oh my God. What's wrong?" I rushed over to her and she threw herself at me.
"WHERE WERE YOU? God, how could you just disappear like that!" She hit my arm agitatedly and continued, "You were gone from the cubicle and then I tried your cell and you wouldn't answer and…" I shook her off of me and demanded calmly,
"Meg, what happened?" She looked at me with devastated eyes,
"R…Raoul…he's dead!"
"WHAT!" I practically screeched.
"He got into an accident. On his bike. Wasn't wearing his helmet and crashed on the freeway." Meg choked out a few more details about my older cousin, Raoul's, high-speed collision and then fell silent.
Beyond shocked, I took her by the hand and started to weave through the maze of cubicles.
"Meg, do you know how to get out of here?" I looked back at her and she pointed to the left.
"First left, then right, another right, and then out the emergency door." I followed her instructions until we finally emerged out into the parking lot. Putting her in the passenger's seat, I drove home.
Settling travel arrangements with my family, Meg and I flew out to California on the day before Christmas. Shoving Erik out of my mind completely, I was surrounded by my grieving relatives and friends.
Raoul, sweet, kind, and caring, was one of my favorite cousins and my child hood friend and constant companion. I watched as on Christmas day he was buried in a little cemetery high on a bluff by the ocean. After the ceremony I walked down a narrow, rocky path to the beach.
He loved the beach. I smiled sadly as I remembered an incident long ago when we were both playing in the sand near my parent's vacation home. I had just gotten a brilliant red scarf from my father and I was completely in love with it. Ignoring my mother's warning of taking it outside on such a windy day, I settled myself on the sand to watch the surf while Raoul dug around looking for hermit crabs.
Much to my dismay the wind whipped my scarf right off of my neck minutes after I had sat down. Hearing my agonized cry, Raoul bounded into the water and gallantly rescued my scarf, presenting it to me dripping and cold, but intact, nonetheless.
From that day forward he was my idol. I followed him around everywhere he went and, instead of trying to shoo me off, he welcomed me along.
A few days after Meg and I had gotten home I finally recalled what had happened at the Christmas party. I felt awful for just leaving Erik there. That was the second time that I saw him and I still knew only his name and a few rumors.
Curling up in bed I vowed that I would find him and we would finally talk. Or at least swap phone numbers. I shifted onto my stomach and snorted into my pillow. Hopefully we'd have enough time to do that.
As I drifted off to sleep I thought to myself,
Well, Christine, third time's the charm. Hopefully you'll find this dream man, this phantom, again.