Chapter 24

Many months passed after that week Erik took care of me. We grew closer because of it and we fell even more in love. I suppose hard times help bond a couple if they get through successfully.

"Happy Birthday, Christine!" sang my father, "Blow out your candles and make a wish."

I looked directly at Erik. I knew what my wish was, but it already came true. As I closed my eyes, I wished that we would never be apart. When I blew out my candles, Erik and my father clapped loudly.

"Today is a very special birthday for you, Christine." said my father, "You are 15 now. Legally, a woman at heart." he said with a laugh.

I smiled at my dad's humor.

"Well, don't just sit here, open your presents!" said my father.

I ran over to the same table I had since I was just a little girl and pulled out many magnificent items. But the one that caught my eye was a black box. Immediately, I thought it was from Erik, but my father told me to open it. It must have been from him.

As I slowly opened the box, the shininess of a key flashed in my eyes. Once the box was completely open, a brand new beautiful gold key looked me in the eyes.

"What is this to? I'm too young to drive." I said with a smile.

"Perhaps, it is to a room..."

My father began to walk upstairs and I followed. As I had said earlier, my house was quite large. We had many empty rooms, just waiting for something to be done in them.

We walked down the hall past the entrance's to mine and Erik's rooms, but there was always a room in between them at the end of the hall that connected them both. But there was never anything done to it.

My father held the door handle, which had a large pink bow on it.

"May I have the key please, Christine?"

I gently took it from its box and gave it to my father as Erik watched intently.

As my father unlocked the door, he told me to cover my eyes. I laughed and did it willingly. Erik took my arm and led me in as my father opened the door. Then suddenly he uncovered my eyes and when I looked at what was around me, I would have never expected to have seen what I did. A music room...but my music room...and Erik's music room...so it was ours.

"I realized you both never had a proper place to practice music, so I thought the room that connected to both of yours would be adequate. You both are to share it.

My eyes scanned the room. A grand piano, a harp, violins, flutes; everything you could imagine! Music books and sheet music were neatly placed on bookshelves that filled an entire wall. Beautiful curtains and a chaise lounge chair in the middle of the room for resting. The carpet was made to look like musical notes and the walls were painted with decorations from musical instruments. It was a singers dream come true.

"Daddy...it's beautiful." I said breathless.

"Anything for my little girl."

I looked back at Erik and he placed a kiss on my forehead. I blushed brightly because my father had never seen us become intimate at all with each other, but he smiled.

After my father left us alone, Erik quickly went back to his room to get his gift for me. I sat on the lounge chair and waited until he came back and when he did, he had a large bag.

"Erik, what is this?" I said laughing.

"Every year I've only gotten you one thing. This year I felt compelled to get a little more." he said with a smile.

"Ok." I laughed.

He dug deep in the bag and pulled out a large box.

"Here, this one first."

As I opened it, it felt very heavy. Suddenly, the tape popped off the box and Styrofoam went everywhere. I laughed so hard I almost dropped Erik's present.

"Go ahead, look at it." he said

I looked down and there sat a beautiful snow globe.

"Oh Erik, it's beautiful."

"Listen to the song."

I turned the key on the bottom and suddenly it began to play "Away from You."

"The song I wrote for you!"

"Yes...it's my favorite now." Erik replied.

I looked at it more closely. Inside, there was a large castle with a girl and man inside. The man was holding out a single rose to the girl and she was blushing.

"It's so beautiful." I whispered.

Erik smiled as he dug into the bag.

"It's from the story we told each other when you were sick." he replied as he pulled out the next present.

As he handed it to me, it was a very small box. I opened it carefully and saw the most beautiful yellow sapphire bracelet I had ever seen. In between the gemstones were diamonds so it just looked exquisite. I put it on and miraculously it fit.

"Erik..." I said.

He smiled. He knew I thought he spent too much money. But Erik liked to have one of a kind things specially made for me. Rarely did I get a gift that came from a store.

Erik took another gift out from the box of treasures and handed it to me. As I began to open it, I blushed intensely as I finished. It was lingerie. But extremely classy and beautiful lingerie. White lace with ribbons which was my favorite of all things.

"That's for later..." Erik said with a smile.

I was still blushing.

"I love how you look when you are blushing. So innocent and yet so naughty." he said with a chuckle.

I smiled at him and he dug into the bag for the last gift. As he handed it to me, it looked like an invitation. As I read it, it said:

Christine Daae,

You are invited to a private Erik Destler violin concert tonight at 9pm. Please dress in what was provided.

I looked up at Erik.

"You should go get changed, it's almost 9pm." he said.

I kissed his cheek and ran to my room to slip on the wonderful present he had given me. When I got back, the lights were dimmed and he had a sign lying on the chaise lounge that said, "Reserved". I laughed and sat down. At first, he couldn't take his eyes off me, but then he began to speak.

"This is for you." he said.

He took the bow in one hand and drew it across the magnificent instrument so gracefully that shivers ran down my back. Through his music, he expressed love, anger, hurt, sorrow, pain, and finally, love, adoration, obsession, and romance. I watched him closely to see how he could possibly put so many recognizable emotions into a piece without words.

His instrument sang with beauty and his body moved with every bend his arm made. The tails on his tuxedo began thrashing about when he went fully into the music; giving it everything he had. Then as the music got slow again, he looked at me when it had finished.

"Every emotion was how my life has been. Before and after you." he said.

As he placed the violin down in its case, he came towards me and picked me up in his strong arms. When he placed me on his bed, he kissed my forehead gently.

"Tonight I want to do something we have never done."

"What could that be?" I asked.

"I want to fall asleep with you, in my bed, for the entire night. I want to wake up to your face. Then I want to make love to you in the morning."

I smiled and kissed his lips.

As he wrapped his arms around me and leaned me back, I rested my head against his bare chest.

"Happy Birthday my little angel." he whispered.

He kissed my forehead and turned out all the lights surrounding us as I began to fall into a sleep I had never experienced before. Utter tranquility and peace. Finally, after all the circumstances we had gone through, I was at peace, but only in the safety of Erik's arms.