*EPOV*
When Bella turned her face to look at me, not wanting to get caught staring at her again, I turned my eyes back to the stage so quickly that she wouldn't have noticed the movement.
What could she be thinking? I wondered. Her reactions didn't seem to align with what was going on stage. Was she thinking about something else? She winced as if in pain, then shuddered and sighed. It was an agitated sound. Onstage, Christine was singing mournfully to her father's grave, torn between her love for Raoul and her enamorment with her tutor, the Angel of Music.
Bella's eyes looked far away. Her hand grew clammy, her blood pressure was slightly elevated, her cheeks flushed, and her heartbeat stuttered unevenly. And then her sweet scent changed almost imperceptibly. I inhaled deeply, letting the flames rip through me. For the love of all that was holy! Bella was aroused.
What are you thinking?! I growled in my own head, wishing she could read my mind. The desire that coursed through me was stronger than any other instinct in my body.
I thought back to the feeling of electricity that jolted through me when we had to sit in close proximity in a darkened classroom to watch a film about plant cell division. The intensity of that moment paled in comparison to the amperage that coursed through me now.
She turned to face me then, blushing and seductive as I'd ever seen her. What a dangerous creature she was. This time I didn't look away. I couldn't.
The performance was finally marching toward its conclusion. Christine was singing her part in Don Juan Triumphant when the monster suddenly appeared, replacing Piangi in the lead role.
Past the point of no return,
No backward glances.
The games we played til now
Are at an end.
The song was pure sex. Much to Raoul's great dismay, the Phantom and Christine sang to each other with the passion and the body language of lovers.
When will the blood begin to race?
The sleeping bud bursts into bloom?
When will the flames at last consume us?
Bella looked completely riveted now. Her eyes were wide and bright, her posture was rigid, and her fingernails were digging into my leg, or would be if my skin could be penetrated. I used my hand to smooth out her fingers as I'd heard broken fingernails can be quite painful.
Without warning, Christine once again ripped off the Phantom's mask, revealing his disfigured face to the audience's great horror. The monster furiously threw her over his shoulder and disappeared with her to his underground lair.
Madame Giry led Raoul to a winding staircase at the entrance to the Phantom's underground sanctum. When he finally navigated the maze of booby traps that led to a wedding-gown clad Christine at the bottom, the Phantom sprung a trap capturing Raoul and placed a hangman's noose around his neck.
The Phantom gave Christine an ultimatum: stay with him and spare Raoul's life, or refuse him and watch her fiance die.
Showing him compassion for the first time, Christine asked the Phantom what kind of life must he have had to make him into what he was. It was eerily similar to Bella's compassionate analysis that he was prone to brutality because of the cruelty he'd always been shown.
Reaching out to touch his face, Christine told the Phantom he wasn't alone and sweetly kissed him.
Realizing, at last, that he'd never win her love by force, the devastated Phantom set them both free. His last words to her were a profession of his love. The couple escaped from the lair just in time for the angry mob to descend, but by the time they found the den of the monster, all that was left of him was his mask and his music box, playing on its own, as if by magic.
The actors took their final bows to thunderous applause and a standing ovation. And after they finally cleared the stage, the curtain dropped and the house lights came back on.
Bella gathered her things and stepped out into the aisle. I was close behind her. The bottlenecked audience was slow to amble through the series of doors at the rear of the auditorium, but we eventually made it out into the chilly Seattle night air.
I slipped my suit jacket over Bella's shoulders before she could catch a chill, and with my hand on the small of her back, guided her to the valet booth. I smirked as the three young men manning the booth, remembering me as a generous tipper, raced to be first to retrieve the key fob to my Aston Martin.
Moments later, my favorite car came purring up to the curb. I opened the passenger door and extended my hand to help Bella inside, shutting the door carefully behind her.
Not one to disappoint, I slipped a bill in the hand of the eager valet, but not before glancing at the odometer to make sure my Vanquish hadn't been taken for a joyride. Satisfied, I slipped behind the wheel, revved it once, and then pulled out onto the road.
I cleared my throat, fracturing the silence. "Alright. We're alone now," I stated the obvious. "What were you going to ask me earlier?"
Bella threw her head back and laughed, clearly amused by my curiosity.
"You were just waiting for the first possible opportunity to remind me of that, weren't you?" she said through peels of laughter.
I smiled despite myself. "Obviously."
"It's nothing all that exciting. I was just wondering if the theater was a ruined experience for you because of your ability to read minds? That must be horrible for you in a crowded theater like that!" Bella's forehead creased in concern, the corners of her mouth turned down.
I smiled at her reassuringly.
"I had an enchanting time with you tonight, love," I brushed a kiss on the back of her hand. "Besides, I told you, I get a big kick out of watching you experience things for the first time. There could've been 20,000 people in that room, and I wouldn't have noticed any of them but you.
"But in general, yes, live theater is something of a challenge when I can hear the thoughts of the actors, particularly when they make mistakes. Netflix was a real game-changer for me," I chuckled.
She giggled at my joke, but then grew quiet and thoughtful.
I stifled a groan at my insatiable desire to understand her mind, and my frequent impatience when it remained a mystery to me.
"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked quietly.
She didn't say anything right away, and I felt the anxiety grow in the hollow cavity of my chest.
"I guess I'm just a little surprised that you took me to this show. Specifically, I mean. You can't deny the parallels between the Phantom and Christine..and you and me. And it's not a happy ending..."
"Not for Phantom, no, I suppose not. But Christine and Raoul get to live happily ever after. She was meant to be with Raoul," I pointed out gently.
Bella huffed. "Raoul was the safe choice. The boring choice. Which is fine, I guess, if you want an average, mundane life," she shrugged, unimpressed.
"You can't seriously think that the deranged serial killer was the better choice!" I pressed, a little more intensely than I meant to. I knew her self-preservation instincts were non-existent, but this was ridiculous.
"I don't think killing people is an irredeemable offense. Intent matters. A lot," Bella challenged, staring out the passenger window as we flew past the other cars on the interstate.
"Are we still talking about the Phantom?" I asked, confused.
"I don't know. Are we?" She jutted out her chin and looked me square in the eyes. "Kinda feels you're doing your whole 'Pave the way for Jake' thing," she said using air quotes. "But I don't understand why. You can rattle it all you want but that door is staying shut," Bella crossed her arms over her chest resolutely.
I rushed to deny it, but unsure of the truth, the words faltered.
"I just want you to make the right choice," I said at last, my voice an agonized whisper.
"Edward, for the last time, there never was a choice. It's always been you. And...if you hadn't left, it always would have been you," Bella replied in a hardened voice.
"I will never deserve your forgiveness, but I'll never stop trying to earn it," I said, hanging my head miserably.
"Edward, if you value my sanity," she borrowed my line in a half-shout, "you will stop apologizing! You're forgiven. Just stop trying to convince me to make another choice! Our wedding is days away. Are you trying to make me anxious that you're going to jilt me at the altar?"
I swerved across all four lanes of the highway, narrowly making the next exit.
"Edward! What are you-" Bella shrieked, white-knuckling the handle on the inside of the door. But before she could get the words out, I pulled into an empty parking lot and threw the car into park, lurching to a stop. She was looking out her window now, unsure of our surroundings, but I couldn't have this conversation with her if I couldn't see her face.
I tucked a finger under her chin and gently nudged her to look at me.
"Is that something you worry about, Bella?" I asked with a horror-struck expression but didn't let her answer.
"Never. I would never do that to you. I have been waiting a hundred years to marry you, Bella. Never doubt that! In fact, this is the only instance in which my feet will ever be warmer than yours," I placed my hand on her knee and shook it slightly.
The corner of Bella's mouth curled into a small smile, but her eyes were clouded with uncertainty.
"Then why are you always trying to convince me that I don't belong with you?" Bella threw her hands up in exasperation, her eyes were glossy with the pain she worked hard to hide.
"Bella, I can't bear the very idea of being parted from you ever again. There's no part of me that wants that. But there is a part of me that knows that however much I may want you, and need you, and can't exist without you...that you deserve so much more than a soulless halflife of never-ending night. And I would never forgive myself if I kept you from exploring that other option. That's what I mean when I say I need you to be sure."
"Well consider it explored and rejected. See?" She held up her wrist with the bracelet she always wore. My mother's diamond heart sparkled in the dim, yellow light of the poorly lit parking lot, but the wolf charm was missing. My eyes widened in recognition.
"I took it off when I ended things with him," Bella explained with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
"That's what I mean when I say I'm sure. And I'm ready...to be your wife, your partner, your mate. All of it. 'Anywhere you go, let me go, too'," she quoted softly, but with unmistakable sincerity.
I found myself lost in the deep pools of her eyes, wanting to drown in their warmth.
"That reminds me," I said, patting the breast pocket of my jacket. I pulled out the small box and handed it to her.
"What's this?" She looked up at me, her brow knit together as she accepted the small, white, paper box.
"I thought you might like a souvenir. My options were limited," I smiled ruefully. "It's a bit kitschy, but I thought it was apropos."
Inside the box lay a necklace with a small silver oval plate that read "That's All I Ask of You," in an elegant script. The delicate sterling chain was adorned with charms in the shape of a heart, a red rose, a music note, and an angel.
She gasped in surprise. "It's perfect," she breathed, fingering the small charms, then clutched the box to her chest. "Thank you, Edward. I love it." Bella leaned across the center console and threw her arms around my neck, crushing her lips against mine. I kissed her with as much passion as I dared, before pulling away with a contented sigh.
"No, you're perfect, Bella. Though, I'm glad you like the necklace."