Chapter 5: Phantom of the Library

It had been two and a half weeks since Randall and I had broken up. Well, you didn't exactly break up, Christine. And who's fault is that? Completely all your own. That nagging voice inside my head was really getting to me. I had been thinking about Randall a lot over the past two weeks since our talk at Tealuxe.

I knew getting some space apart was the right decision, and I think he knew it too, but I couldn't get over how I had chickened out of breaking it off all together. Maybe I didn't because a part of me did not really want to end things completely. I mean, we had been together for such a long time, I hardly knew anything else. And even though I had been avoiding him a few weeks earlier, now I found myself missing him. But if you go back, things will just be the same as they were. He's hiding something from you. Can you be with someone who isn't honest?

It was a daily battle these two sides of my mind fought. And neither side was winning. I felt like I was in such a state of limbo. At least Randall had been true to his word-- he had given me space. Gone were the frantic everyday calls. I know I would have caved if he had just dug into me a little harder with guilt or had been looking for sympathy. But he stayed away. In fact, he had only called me once in the whole time, just a few days ago--

X X X

I was rehearsing late in the studio at Boston Ballet when my cell phone rang. I was just beginning to make sense of the sheet music all dancers were supposed to audition with. It was just a simple chorus section from the opera, but even simple was daunting for me. But learning to play it was half the battle to learning to sing it on my own.

My phone kept ringing, and I saw it was Randall calling. He hadn't called me or contacted me at all for the past two weeks, so I thought maybe something was wrong, and that maybe he was finally going to admit something was wrong. But I was mistaken.

"Hey, Christine."

"Randall, hi..." I trailed off uncertainly.

"Don't worry, nothing is wrong. I just called to say 'hi.'" Was that good or bad? both sides of my mind asked. For the moment, the anti-Randall side won out.

"Oh, well, hey. I'm sort of working on my audition stuff right now..." I said hesitantly, trying to give him a hint.

"Oh, yeah, right...the audition. When is it again?" At least he sounded somewhat interested, but that distracted edge to his voice was still disappointingly present.

"Next week. I'm getting so nervous, honestly! This singing is going to be the death of me. It will be a miracle if I get cast."

"Do you really think you won't?" he asked.

"Well... my dancing is the best it has ever been. Mrs. Giry says as far as that goes I'm perfect. It's really just a matter of the singing. Which... is kind of what I am working on right now..." Again with the hint.

"Oh, right. Yeah, well, I can let you go. Just wanted to check in. Good luck with the audition. You'll be great, I know it. Remember to let me know how it goes, regardless, okay?"

"I promise I'll let you know first thing," I told him.

"Great...well, take care of yourself... and... Well, be safe, okay, Christine? Just watch out for yourself. Be careful." And with that he hung up.

Be safe? Be careful? I couldn't figure out what that was supposed to mean...if it was supposed to mean anything! I had relayed the conversation to Meg when I got home that night. She figured it wasn't anything to over analyze.

"You know how he's so overprotective of you. He always has been. He just likes to think of himself as your knight-in-shinging-armor, or whatever. So, he's just not around right now and is probably worrying about you walking alone down the dark streets at night," Meg theorized.

"You're probably right. But it was such a creepy way to end a conversation! I mean, seriously...he didn't even really say goodbye."

Meg laughed. "Wouldn't you rather have a creepy conversation ender, than like have him breaking down in tears, begging you take him back?"

"I suppose," I smiled, but it still left me a bit uneasy.

X X X

I was still feeling uneasy as I recalled the conversation again in my mind four days after. I was at work, getting the library ready for close. I loved working until close because the library was so quiet at night and there generally weren't a lot of people around. There were always the 'regulars,' the people who were at the library every night this late. Generally it was mostly students studying and cramming in those last precious library hours. A few other people hung out late, doing research on this or that. And some who just came, started a good book, couldn't put it down and lost track of the time. I generally had to stop them to let them know the library was closing. I hated that part of the job, interrupting someone in the middle of a good book. But, it was a library and needed to close. Plus, it wasn't like they couldn't take the book home.

It was 8:30, and the library was closing in thirty minutes. In the last half hour or so of my job, I generally re-shelved books, cleaned up, and made sure things were in order for the start of the next day. It was certainly the quietest part of my job, and so the department heads I worked for never minded if I listened to some music on my iPod while finishing up.

I finished re-shelving all of the books in the open reserve shelves, and took stock of who was still around. I didn't see anyone, at first, so started to do some general area cleaning to make sure I hadn't missed anything. I picked up a missed book to re-shelve and started to mark some of the dance moves I had been working on as I moved through the aisles, thinking I was alone.

I turned the corner around one of the shelves, and my marking the moves had pretty much turned into full dancing. I had gotten swept up into the music and didn't even realize what I was doing. And of course, it was at that moment I looked out and noticed someone sitting at one of the research tables towards the back. Obviously staring straight at me, his book forgotten to my dancing.

I could feel my cheeks burning and knew they must be turning bright red. How embarrassing! Despite being a good dancer, I must have looked like an idiot dancing away through the stacks, holding a book in my hand. The face saving part of my mind told me to quickly turn and leave the scene of the crime. But I knew I had to tell this patron we were closing in ten minutes. So I gathered as much pride as I could and walked over to him, my cheeks still burning.

I had never noticed this man before, and I'm sure I would have remembered him. He was smartly dressed; his clothes made him appear quite wealthy. His skin was very pale, and he had amazingly long fingers and graceful looking hands. He had such an aura of commanding power, while being aloof at the same time, and although I had just encountered him and didn't know him at all, he seemed so out of place for a public library at nine o'clock at night.

However, what I immediately noticed was the gleaming white mask, and his dark, expressive eyes staring at me from behind it. The mask, although somewhat odd, wasn't off putting at all. It was as if it fit him perfectly, like without it he wouldn't be a whole person, wouldn't be the being that he was. There was something downright attractive about him overall and I couldn't help just staring at him because of it and felt that stupid girlish flutter in my stomach that can cause so much anguish. His gaze up close made me blush even more.

"Excuse me, sir. . . but we're about to close in ten minutes." He just continued to stare at me. "Uhh. . . . I'd be happy to re-shelve your book for you if your done. Unless you want to check it out. In which case, you can keep it," I said awkwardly. How dumb did I have to make myself sound after looking so stupid?

He kept looking right into my eyes, then said in one of the most beautiful and musical voices I had ever heard--

"Of course, Christine."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "How do you know... my name?"

He never broke his gaze with mine, but lifted that graceful hand with a casual gesture and pointed at my chest. . . . directly at my standard BPL employee name tag.

Hello, Christine? Stupid, of course he can read your name right there. He had me so flustered and acting like a 12 year old girl!

I laughed, embarrassed again and said, "Oh. . . yeah right, name tag. Of course."

He smirked at me as I blushed even redder. So much for good first impressions.

A/N: An update! I'm glad some of you like my "Erik" chapter formula. I like it too, although once he and Christine become more buddy-buddy... it probably won't be the same, because he'll be around more, obviously! But those chapters will then be from Christine's POV, as usual.

Thank you SO MUCH to my loyal reviewers, and to you other readers-- hello? Review:-) You can even tell me you hate it, whatever, just give some feedback. As always, my email is open.

Enjoy!