That first week produced a comfortable routine. Erik began arriving half an hour later than Nadir so he didn't have to wait around quite as long. Christine would meet him by the elevator with a hello and a smile, and they were off. On Thursday, he had a coffee from the Starbucks downstairs. Christine eyed it enviously and briefly lamented about her hectic mornings which always deprived her of the caffeine fix she desperately needed. A casual conversation about coffee ensued, in which Erik discovered she always took hers with a generous amount of cream, four sugars, and a dash of nutmeg. In turn, Christine learned that Erik took his black.
On Friday, Erik met her with two coffees in hand, one of them made to her specifications, and thus another aspect of their routine was established.
At the end of the day, as Erik was waiting for Christine to finish up before walking her to her car, Gustave called him into his office. Erik was surprised when his nerves spiked for the briefest of moments. Then, deciding he had done nothing wrong, pushed the feeling aside.
Gustave did not beat around the bush.
"I have a question for you," he said as soon as Erik had entered and shut the door. The current ambience of his office was much different than what Erik remembered from his interview. On that day it had been well lit and airy, with the shades drawn up to let in the sun. Today, the shades were shut tight and the lights were dimmed. Erik wondered if Gustave orchestrated it that way intentionally, being a theatre man and all.
"Yes?"
"Do you have a conceal carry license?"
Erik raised an eyebrow. This was certainly unexpected. "Yes."
"Excellent."
Then, surprising Erik for the third time in less than five minutes, Gustave reached into his desk and produced a Glock 19 and a shoulder holster.
"Do you think you could become comfortable with this over the weekend?
Erik eyed the weapon for a moment, his lips pursed, then looked at Gustave. "I've used one before...though I'm sure some practice wouldn't hurt."
"Excellent," Gustave repeated. Then, more hesitantly, "I know this wasn't originally part of our arrangement, but...I worry." Erik didn't ask for any elaboration, but Gustave provided it anyway. "The last three men had knives. The police said they were amateurs, nothing more than thugs looking to make a quick buck. I fear that could change, and the more prominent our name becomes, the more serious the threat could be. Apparently the newly wealthy are favorite targets, since they tend to be unprepared..." he handed Erik the weapon with a solemn expression, "I do not intend to be caught so."
Erik accepted it carefully and slipped his jacket off in order to don the holster. He would familiarize himself with the gun later, but for now he had a feeling it was best to keep it out of Christine's sight. Gustave's next words confirmed his suspicion.
"And please, don't mention this to Christine. It was hard enough getting her to finally agree to a bodyguard. She has such a soft heart, and has a hard time accepting the violent reality of our world. I suspect she mostly sees your presence as a deterrent, and she wouldn't like the idea that you're truly prepared to harm someone on her behalf."
Erik nodded his understanding. Secretly, he disagreed with Gustave. Granted he had known Christine for barely a week, but she struck him as being very much in touch with reality. She may not have loved the fact that a bodyguard was necessary, but he got the impression that she fully understood what his job entailed. He wondered if Gustave was the one actually out of touch, still viewing his grown daughter as innocent and naive. He wouldn't complain though, especially if the threats were going to increase the way Mr. Daae suspected. It wouldn't do to be caught unawares.
Gustave also slipped a key card across the desk to him. "I got you a pass to the shooting range on East Grand. It's good for the month, if you need it longer just let me know."
Erik accepted it with a nod, knowing he would likely only need a few days to re-familiarize himself with this particular weapon. He finished slipping the gun into place and re-donning his jacket. And not a moment too soon, as just then there was a brief rap on the door, followed by the appearance of Christine.
"Ah, there you are Erik!" She stopped as she noticed her father's slightly startled expression and the way Erik quickly buttoned his jacket. "Am I interrupting?"
"No darling, not at all," Gustave quickly assured her. "I was just telling Erik what a fine job he's been doing, and how happy we are to have him with us."
She glanced between the two men suspiciously, not quite buying the story, as Erik wouldn't meet her eye. Not to mention her father had clearly set his office to "serious" lighting. Deciding not to push the issue however, she shrugged.
"Well I can certainly attest to that. If you're quite finished though, it is Friday, and I'm sure Erik would like to get home."
"Of course, of course," Gustave agreed, waving them off.
"So, big plans this weekend?" Christine asked as they rode the elevator down to the parking garage. She drove her own car to and from the office, only using the chauffeur as a way to get work done between all of her appointments every day.
"Nope," Erik answered. "You?"
She shook her head. "Me neither. I'm usually too tired to do anything, I just lay around the house for two days." She laughed at herself. Erik smiled. "Besides," she began, nudging his arm playfully, "I have to give my poor guardian some time off, I doubt he wants to spend every second following me around."
She laughed again, and Erik attempted to acknowledge her, but for some reason his brain had come to a full stop the moment she touched him. He mentally berated himself. Why was he acting like some hormonal teenager? Unable to function simply because a pretty girl touched his arm? It was utterly ridiculous.
The elevator came to a stop and Erik walked her to her car, the eerie yellow light of the garage casting long shadows on the concrete.
"This place has always creeped me out," she admitted as she pressed the remote to unlock her car, the lights on her black Chevy Malibu blinking in response. Erik was still surprised she didn't own something a bit fancier. "I'm glad I have you to protect me."
He knew without looking that she was giving him that blasted look again. Those big brown eyes and the little half smile, that was somehow friendly yet teasing at the same time. It was just one of her many little mannerisms that reminded him he was attracted to her, a fact he was fiercely trying to forget. He responded with a chuckle and refused to look at her.
Erik wasn't sure if he imagined it, or if she actually gave a little sigh of disappointment. Either way, he felt slightly guilty when she bid him goodnight.
The weekend seemed to last an awful long time. One visit to the shooting range and he was comfortable with his new weapon. Nadir came by for a drink and they talked about nothing in particular. He attempted to play piano but quickly lost interest. He cleaned his apartment for the first time in weeks.
Monday came at last and Erik dug an old bottle of cologne from the depths of his cabinet. He couldn't remember why he ever bought it in the first place. Fortunately it still smelled fine. He told himself he wore it to be more professional.
The next week churned by in delightfully uneventful days. Erik put a tight reign on his thoughts and was mostly successful in their control. Mostly. He knew it would only take time. He was not the sentimental type. A bit of mental berating here, some self loathing there, and his little issue would be taken care of. All he needed was time.
On Wednesday, they were on their way to meet with a young up-and-coming actor, who was hoping to get involved with the Daae's extensive network of opportunity. Erik was busy looking at a Google street view of the location the actor had selected, when Christine's ear piercing scream caused him to jump and drop his phone. He whirled around to face her in the back seat.
"What!? What's wrong!?"
Her face was pressed against the window and she was smiling. "The farmer's market!"
He turned back around to see the source of her elation. Broadmoor street had been closed off to make room for the countless rows of booths and tents that made up the City Farmer's Market. He turned back to her with a scowl
"Is that is!? I thought you were hurt!"
She ignored him and began tapping on her window. "James, please turn around!"
The driver slowly began hitting the brakes to obey her.
Erik eyed the large crowd gathered in the middle of the street. "I don't know...it seems pretty crowded. What if we came back later?"
Christine pouted. "I won't have time later. We were on track to be quite early, I have time now. I've wanted to go here forever, but I never have the chance!" She clasped her hands under her chin and gave him the best puppy eyes she could muster. "Pleeease Erik? I promise I'll be very good, I won't leave your side for a moment!"
Erik's jaw tightened and he turned back around, unable to look at her a moment longer. He swallowed hard, thoroughly startled at the affect she had on him.
"Fine," he grumbled, his voice betraying no hint of how flustered he was. "But you stay right by me, and if I feel like it's unsafe, we leave."
Christine squealed in delight. "Deal!"
He glanced at her in the rear view, his lip quirking up at the sight of her grinning ear to ear. Then in his peripheral he noticed James looking between them with a smirk. Erik frowned and cleared his throat, quickly turning away.
At first, it didn't seem too bad. It was crowded but not too crowded, he was able to keep Christine within reach, and everyone seemed friendly. Christine bounced between the booths like an excited puppy, ogling one handmade craft or homegrown vegetable after another. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her.
"You certainly grew up in the city, didn't you?" He teased after watching her nearly lose her mind over a live bunny.
She scoffed and placed a hand over her chest in mock offense. "I'll have you know, that my grandmother owns a farm upstate."
"Mhm. And how much time did you spend there?"
She turned to hide a smile. "Two...maybe three..."
He cocked his head and leaned forward. "Yes? Two or three what?"
"...days."
He let out a sharp laugh. "Days?"
"Well hey, how much time have you spent on a farm, mister?" She huffed, crossing her arms.
Erik suddenly looked away, now interested in the crates of apples in front of him. Christine imitated his scathing laugh. "See! You're a city slicker too, admit it!"
"Well at least I didn't lose my composure over a bunny," he retorted.
"And for that I pity you, since you clearly can't appreciate something adorable when you see it!"
She turned away smugly, deciding she had won their little argument. Erik, on the other hand, continued to look at her, halfway tempted to argue that he did indeed recognize when something adorable was in front of him. Then he chastised himself for entertaining such a thought.
After visiting a few more booths, Christine finally decided to buy a pound of fresh peaches. The friendly booth owner slipped them into a paper bag that was decorated with lace around the edges. She went back to where Erik was waiting just outside the booth, and opened the bag proudly to display her wares. He smiled and praised their apparent quality, though he knew absolutely nothing about produce.
They continued to walk for so long that Erik became suspicious if they were running late for her appointment. But, deciding he was her bodyguard and not her babysitter, he said nothing. She would let him know when they needed to leave. He hoped.
The farther they walked, the thicker the crowds became. Erik gradually began to feel claustrophobic, but ignored the feeling so he could focus on Christine. At one point someone managed to wriggle between them, forcing Christine several paces behind and out of Erik's sight. He whirled around and nudged back through the mass of people, none too gently. She smiled when he reached her, attempting to brush the occurrence off. Erik was having none of it however, and was at her side in an instant, instinctively wrapping an arm around her waist. He held her close as they weaved through the crowd, Erik now searching for a place they could exit.
Meanwhile, Christine's heart was positively pounding. She looked up at Erik to find his eyes focused and his mouth in a hard line, apparently oblivious to the affect he was having on her. His fingers gripped her firmly but gently, strength radiating from him in waves. And dear god, he smelled wonderful. How had she never noticed how wonderful he smelled? People pressed around them on all sides, forcing them closer together. Erik craned his neck to see farther above the countless heads.
He finally saw what he was looking for and pulled her to the side, into a much less busy aisle. He kept a hold of her for a few more paces as they endeavored to get clear of the congestion. Finally, he stopped and looked at her.
"Are you alright?" The concern was evident in his voice.
She attempted to laugh. She was flustered, but not for the reason he assumed. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you."
It was then that Erik realized he was still holding her. He looked down at his hand, protectively curled around her waist. He had half a second to think about how wonderful it felt there before he released her and took a small step back.
"Good. Good. I think it's time we get going though."
She reluctantly agreed, and they headed towards the parking lot, now a respectable distance apart.
Almost everyone else had left by the time Erik and Christine got back to the office. The last few stragglers bid them goodnight just as they stepped out of the elevator. Christine smiled and acknowledged each one of them by name. Erik wondered how she managed to keep track, given they had several dozen employees. Then he decided he shouldn't be surprised, given the level of care and dedication she gave to each aspect of her business.
"I promise I won't be long, just need to grab one thing," She promised as she headed for her office.
"No problem," Erik replied as he took up his familiar station by the elevator.
All the lights except for the one above him were off. He took a few moments to look around, realizing the whole place took on a different feel after 5pm. The sun had just barely began to set, bathing the office in a dim orange glow. The wall of windows opposite him threw the light at different angles, sending odd shadows across the floor. He peered down the hall towards what he could see of the cubicles. From here it almost reminded him of something out of horror movie.
His imagination spun the image of a dark and empty office, no light save for a lone flickering fluorescent. One person, all alone in the eerily sterile environment, quite similar to the one he now stood in. Everything deadly silent. Then, perhaps faint sounds would begin to echo from among the cubicles. Maybe an animalistic moan…or the heavy foot steps of a human enemy. Fear would begin to creep in. Everyone now and then the faintest vibration felt through the floor, or the barely perceptible movement of a cubicle wall, would hint at the threat that grew closer and closer. The quarry would be paralyzed, fear icing their limbs as they sat helplessly, simply awaiting the inevitable. The sounds would gradually grow louder and louder until-
"Found it!"
Erik's shoulders jerked as he hissed in a barely contained expletive. He turned to Christine, quickly arranging his features in a deadpan expression.
"Sorry! Did I scare you?" She asked, genuinely concerned.
Erik scowled. "No, of course not."
Her eyes narrowed and a devilish smile creeped over her lips, ever so slowly. "You sure? Cause uh…sure looked like I scared you."
"You…surprised me, is all. You walk very quietly."
"So I scared you."
"Surprised."
"Uh huh, sure," she said with an exaggerated wink.
Erik rolled his eyes. "Are you ready to go?"
"Sure am, as soon as I give you this!" She held out a small black box with both hands. When he hesitated, looking at her in confusion, she nudged it forward with a nod.
Erik cocked his head as he accepted it. "What's this?"
Christine smiled brightly. "It's a belated happy week-iversary."
"Week-iversary?" He asked with a chuckle.
"Yup! You've been with the company one whole week! We celebrate week-iversary's, month-iversary's, six month-iversay's, and of course year-iversaries."
Erik snorted and looked her in the eye, his eyebrows raised in question. Christine stared back at him for a solid five seconds until she realized.
Her hands flew to her forehead. "ANNIVERSARIES! Oh my god, anniversaries!"
Erik laughed, hard. He laughed the loudest and the longest he had in a very long time. Christine covered her eyes as her face went red.
"I went to college, I swear," she defended weakly as Erik wiped a tear from his eye. Through the haze of embarrassment, she just barely registered that his laugh sounded almost as delightful as his voice.
It took him several moments to catch his breath. "I hope you realize I'll never let that go."
Christine rolled her eyes and tried unsuccessfully to force her smile away. "Anyway," she snapped, eager to change the subject, "I should have given this to you Monday but I kept forgetting. So, happy belated week-iversary."
Erik fought away his remaining chuckles and gave her a humoring smile as he opened the box. Inside was a jet black fountain pen, with his name inscribed on the clip in silver. His expression changed to one of interest as he took it out and rolled it between his fingers, admiring the weight.
"Thank you.." He said, surprised to find he genuinely meant it. "Quite a nice gift for only a week."
She smiled, pleased with his reaction. "Most people get cute little desk toys. But since you don't really work at a desk, and Nadir assured me that you do not own anything cute, I thought this would be the next best thing."
He nodded with a smile. Then frowned slightly when he felt his jaw hurt. He wondered why for a moment, and then realized it must be because he had laughed and smiled more in the past week, than he had in a very long time. Then he wondered if that would qualify for worker's compensation.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm beat," Christine said as she raised her arms in a stretch and began making her way toward the elevator. Erik did not look at the way the action stretched her shirt tight over her form. He did not. Well, maybe on accident. He tucked his gift into his pocket and followed her, pressing the down button
"Oh, by the way," she turned to him as they waited. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in any of those overtime hours next weekend? Have any plans?" The doors opened and they stepped inside, Christine pressing the button for the garage.
Erik almost laughed. Him? Have plans? With what, people?
"No I do not."
"Well, if you're up for it, my best friend is flying in for a visit. She wants to explore the city, and dad is going to be out of town, but he insists we shouldn't go out alone."
"He would be right."
"It wouldn't be all work, really. I would hate for you to not enjoy your weekend. You can just hang out with us as a friend, who's paid…and also punches any men who annoy us."
This time he did laugh. His jaw protested. "Sounds like a lovely time."
The elevator reached the parking garage and the doors opened with a ding.
"Great! Still figuring out all the details, but I'll text you when we know for sure what we're doing."
Erik nodded and they bid each other goodnight as they headed for their cars, Christine to her Malibu and Erik to his BMW. He continued to keep an eye on her until she was safely inside with the doors locked. He had learned yesterday that she chose such an average car because she didn't like to flaunt her wealth. It was still something to get used to, and having grown up rather poor, it wasn't in her nature to buy expensive things just because she could. "Not yet, anyway," she had said, "Maybe in a few years I'll be a Cruella De Vil type, with those flowing fur coats and a fake rich accent." He had laughed at that.
They each pulled out to leave, Erik behind her. There was a traffic light directly across from the exit and she stopped when it turned red. He had gotten into the habit of looking at her rearview whenever he came up behind her. She was always making some funny face, maybe talking on the phone, or listening to music. It was an entertaining little touch to end his workday with.
Tonight, however, he found her eyes staring right back at him. Surprisingly, his first instinct was to continue staring. Her gaze instantly trapped him, like a moth to a flame. He half expected her to make a funny face or roll her eyes at him. Instead, she simply looked. It felt odd, yet at the same time wonderful. It didn't occur to him to actually think about it, or consider whether or not it meant anything. The distance between them and the mirror that carried their exchange seemed to lift away any weight that may have otherwise existed. Outside of this bubble of metal and glass, such a thing would surely not occur. But inside, private and protected, they felt no awkwardness. No need for excuses. Free to simply…look. And look they did, for several long seconds.
When the light turned green, Christine didn't notice.
Erik smirked and honked at her.