Huhh... Was I fast enough?

Chapter twelve

Everything worked out brilliantly between Erik and Christine. They soon learnt to trust each other and a very deep relationship developed between them. Christine was extremely happy and she didn't miss her former husband at all. Erik was all she needed. He was charming and always a gentleman towards her although he didn't lose his seductive character. And Christine was thankful for that. Erik was also glowing from happiness. He felt that finally he found a girl who could be his savior and who could bring joy to his life again. There wasn't a moment when he didn't think about her and Christine's mind was full of thoughts of Erik too. They had lunch together every day and when Erik wasn't busy with the upcoming opera they had dinner too. Under unusual circumstances when they somehow couldn't meet they talked on the phone for hours and there wasn't a day when Erik didn't send a little something as a present for his beloved.

"Chris, there's a letter for you" Meg yelled closing the front door and going to the kitchen where Christine was making dinner.

"Please, open it for me, I'm in the middle of chicken-stuffing."

"Okay, so…" Meg started opening the big envelope. "Oh…"

"What's that?"

"It's about the divorce."

"Wow, Raoul finally signed the papers? What a surprise! And when will be the negotiation?" Christine asked happily.

"Err… It's not that simple…" Meg stammered.

"Why? What's in that damned letter?" Christine started to be nervous.

"Umm… It seems that Raoul doesn't want to accept the divorce so he passed in an instance to delay the negotiation. My God!" Meg cried reading along the letter. "He wants you to go to marriage counseling to repair your marriage. And he denied that he cheated on you!"

By this time Christine left the chicken as it was and snatched the letter from Meg's hand and read it herself.

"Oh my…" she whispered. "I can't believe he still thinks that I can forgive him and behave like nothing has happened!" This time she shouted then collapsed on a chair.

"What are you going to do?" Meg inquired.

"Well, I'm sure that I won't go to this counseling. I guess I'll just continue to be with Erik, maybe this will be enough proof for Raoul that I don't love him anymore and finally he'll sign the divorce. And you know what?" she asked rumpling the letter. "I won't let him crack my mood up! Let's finish this chicken!"

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Erik was having a very difficult time. There was very little time left before the grand opening of the new opera and things didn't go well at all. They had to re-hire Carlotta again since they couldn't find another soprano and of course she was worse than anytime before. But it wasn't just her who flustered Erik. It seemed that the whole production was doomed. The stage set wasn't finished, the chorus couldn't sing the different phrases, the ballet dancers were just wobbling on the stage and the orchestra repeatedly played false notes.

"Am I the only one who wants this performance to be perfect?" Erik shouted at the crew. "Pray tell me, what do you think? That everything will be good without practicing? That the notes will find their place on their own and the dances will just appear on the stage from nowhere?"

The members just looked at the floor desperately trying to avoid another argument with their director. Even the always cocky Carlotta stood silently in the far corner of the stage.

"Would somebody please answer me?" Erik bellowed.

"Erik, calm down, this will lead nowhere" Nadir said trying to quiet his friend down.

"Calm down?" Erik yelled at Nadir. "How could I calm down when I should put this damned opera together in less than a month and everybody's just having fun here instead of practicing?"

"Erik, they'll work it out, don't worry."

"Oh, will they? Then I think I'm in no use here. So do what you want, from now on it's none of my business!" Erik shouted storming out of the door.

All was silent in the auditorium. Nobody thought that Erik would just walk, or rather run out of the building and leave them to do what they wanted. They really tried to be good but Erik wanted everything to be perfect. And it was a very hard task.

"Now what?" Carlotta asked walking to the center of the stage and looking at Nadir.

"You better start to rehearse. Perhaps Erik will come back then."

Erik sat into his car and dialed Christine's number on his cell. He didn't have to wait for long before she answered it.

"Hi baby, how are rehearsals going?"

Hearing Christine's voice was the most wonderful thing during Erik's day. Certainly after Carlotta's croaking it was obvious. And he couldn't wait to be with her.

"Honey, don't even ask, it was disastrous so I came away. Are you busy or can we meet?"

"Well you can come over, Meg has gone to a party."

"Okay, I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Are you hungry? I can put something together. Or I can order a pizza."

"A pizza would be really good. Yeah and a beer."

"I'll take care of everything just come."

"Have I already told you that you're an angel?" Erik asked using his sexiest voice.

"Umm… I think you mentioned it sometime" Christine chuckled.

"Well then, I say it again."

"O-o, be careful because I'll believe it."

"Just believe. You really are my angel."

Christine laughed as she hung up then went to the kitchen to check on the contents of the fridge. Luckily they had beer because she and Meg loved it. So the only thing she had to do was to call up the pizza-bar and order an enormous one.

Erik and their food arrived at the same time so after kissing each other for long minutes they plopped down on the sofa in the living room and ate the whole pizza along with at least six bottles of beer.

"Hehe, we're just like an old couple eating and drinking beer" Christine chuckled.

"Well, perhaps you're old but I'm definitely not" Erik stated.

"Oh you silly!" Christine cried hitting Erik with a pillow. "Sometimes your egoism is beyond comprehension."

"But you love me anyways, don't you?" Erik purred leaning towards Christine.

"Of course" she smiled before their lips met. This time their kiss was slow and gentle, they were really like an old couple.

"I like this" Christine said after a while. They were still on the sofa lazily laying in each other's arms.

"I like it too. We could be like this every day."

"I'd love it but you're always rehearsing. And surely Meg wouldn't appreciate if you appeared here in the middle of the night" Christine chuckled.

"That's not what I mean" Erik said.

"Then what?" Christine asked curiously moving into a sitting position and picking up a bottle to drink some.

"I just thought that…" Erik started a bit shyly "that you should consider moving in with me."

Christine almost choked and ended in a fit of coughing.

"Huh…" she said after collecting herself. "Don't you think it's a bit early for that?"

"Christine" Erik started taking a hold on her hands. "I know that we haven't been together just for only a month but my feelings for you are deep and strong. You don't have to answer right now just please, think about it."

"Okay, I promise I will" Christine said still shocked.

"I'd better go now, sleep well Honey" Erik said standing up and kissing Christine on the top of her head.

Even when he drove away Christine was still sitting on the sofa trying to figure out what to do. Of course in spite of she never told Erik how she felt she loved him. And she had a feeling that Erik felt the same for her. But would that be a wise idea to just move into his flat? She was thinking about it all night long and she was still awake when Meg arrived home around five in the morning. But finally she fell asleep and dreamt about Erik and her future. Maybe a common flat wasn't a bad idea after all.

Hi everybody!

I'm already writing the nest chapter so hopefully I'll update again this week:))

Review and Erik will move into your flat. Don't and you'll get punjabbed!