A/N: Hello, my loves! Wow, this chapter totally came to me in dream. I really hope you like it! This one is really long since it came to me so easily, but sadly I cannot promise this every time. So here is a treat to you all, because I love you so much!!! Enjoy, ya'll!
Chapter Three
It had been a long work day. The office was buzzing with news of a new team member for the Roster's building site. Right now the team was Erik, Megan, Jonathan, and Rick, the best architects in the United States for one of the largest companies in the world. Why did they need another? Their team was flawless. He was definitely stressed, but at least it was Friday.
When he got home, he sat in his kitchen looking out the window. There was Christine, cooking rosemary chicken for her dad and herself. She looked very skilled and her brow was crunched up in concentration. Erik loved the different faces she seemed to make doing certain things. Like yesterday she was trying to put jelly on her toast, but the jar wouldn't open. She had to squint her eyes with the effort of opening the lid. And this morning when she was doing her hair, she raised her eyebrows so that she could see the top of her head in the mirror…
Ring Ring
Erik jumped almost completely out of his chair and out of his beautiful day dream. It was the phone directly in front of him. He greeted his caller in a dark, bored voice, "Erik speaking."
"Erik! How wonderful to hear your voice again!" said a cheerful feminine voice.
"Who is this?" The woman sounded familiar, but he couldn't fit a face or a name.
"Oh, Erik! I should have known you would have forgotten me by now! It's Vicky, darling!" Brilliant. Just what he needed, Vicky Edgerton…
"Oh, yes, hello." Erik felt his hand tighten around the telephone to an almost breaking point.
"This is so out of the blue, but I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me some time next week, you know, just to catch up." The nerve of this woman!
"Actually, no, Vicky. You see, what you did was quite understandable, but still at the same time rather cruel. I really do not ever want to see you." He gritted through his teeth.
"But, Erik, I truly am sorry for what I did. I was young and very immature. Running away like that was something I will always regret. Truly." Did she really think him that stupid?
"No, I'm sorry, but no."
"Ahh, but you see, Erik, you have no choice but to see me sooner or later."
"What do you mean?" Erik asked cautiously.
"Recently, I have joined the Roster's team." What the hell. This was the new installment to a perfect team? A menacing, conniving snob?! Erik almost threw the phone across the room.
"You… you're the new addition to the team?" Erik fumed.
"Yes I am, and I would love to catch up and work out our differences."
"Over my dead body!" Erik yelled as he quickly hung up the phone. He knew he was acting like a child, but this was Vicky! Vicky Edgerton! How was he going to look her in the eye everyday knowing what she had seen? Knowing how she had reacted?
He was relieved in the fact that it was Friday. Friday was the day before Saturday… he started to sweat. Tomorrow was Saturday and he was going to a party. He desperately needed help; parties weren't something he usually did. Occasionally, there were the office party, but those were with people he had known since he was an intern there. Meeting new people was definitely a struggling aspect of his life.
Forgetting all of his Vicky problems Erik picked up the phone, and he hit the speed dial for his assistant, Edna. Before she could greet him in her usual sweet, southern tone, Erik interrupted her.
"Edna! I need you! Come quickly, as fast as you can to my house! I'm dying!" Then he hung up again. He wasn't sure why he needed Edna, but her presence always calmed him down.
About two minutes later, Edna's short, stout frame stormed through the front door carrying a huge First Aid kit and screamed for Erik, "ERIK!!! WHERE ARE YOU, DARLING?! MAKE A SOUND IF YOU CAN HEAR ME!"
"Edna, please help me!" Erik rushed to her side and bent down in agony.
Frantically, she tried to look around his body trying to find an injury. "Erik, Sweetheart, where are you hurt?!"
"What?" Now he was confused.
"You said you were dying over the phone!" Edna was now glaring at him.
"If I was physically dying, you would think I would call 911, not my assistant."
"Then why am I here, Erik?! You should be ashamed of yourself to scare an old lady like that!" Edna was a sweet woman of about fifty with red graying hair, and her accent was due to the fact that she was from South Carolina (A/N: that is my favorite state ever!!!!). Her southern heritage radiated the motherly vibe Erik had always craved.
"I'm sorry, Edna, truly, but I'm going to a party tomorrow." Edna just sat there and looked incredulously at him. He was making this sort of a fuss over a party?!
"Firstly, Erik, you go to parties all the time, this should be easy. Secondly, you are a 26 year old man! Most men your age would be ecstatic about a party. Even if it was making you nervous, I would think that even you had enough courage to last a party." Edna placed her hands on her hips waiting for a response.
"Edna, I don't know anyone there. It's a block party." That moment, Edna understood. Erik's biggest fear was meeting new people, and getting close to them was even scarier. The worst part was the fact that it was a block party. This would be a party of casual conversations, mostly about families and household living, both of which Erik lacked and secretly yearned for. Erik was still like a child in so many ways.
"Oh, Erik." Without speaking, Edna just hugged Erik around his waist, the only part of him she could reach. He hesitated at first but thankfully returned the comfort.
"What do I do at this sort of thing," Erik said breaking out of the hug.
"Well, usually, the first question they ask you is your name and what you do for a living."
"That should be easy." He started to calm down now. "Then what?"
"Then, the conversation leads itself from there."
"That's all? No real advise? I'm screwed!" Blood pressure rising.
"Erik, for Christ's sake, pull yourself together! You are a grown man so start acting like one!" She added a punch on the arm for emphasis.
"O.K." He grumbled dejectedly.
"Now, let's pick out your outfit!" Edna's favorite part. She sprinted as fast as her body could carry her to Erik's closet. When Erik had reached his bedroom, his clothes for the party had already been laid out.
"O.K., well I best be going now, my children are coming home for the weekend. Have fun, Erik!" She squeezed his exposed cheek on the way out.
Party time.
Ding dong.
Erik's heart was going about a mile a minute as he rang the doorbell. Edna picked out and outfit that was very casual for the party: Long sleeve navy sweater with some gray pants. He had loosely slicked his hair out of his face and chose to wear a flesh colored mask to blend in more efficiently.
Suddenly, the door opened.
"Hello! My name's George Darly." George Darly, obviously the host of the party, and Christine's father, held his hand toward Erik.
Erik immediately took it in his firm grip and replied, "Erik Desmond. I live next door."
"Oh, so you're the one who designed this house. Come in, come in!" With his hand still in Erik's George pulled him in and shut the door.
"It's so great to finally meet the infamous architect! Come, you must meet my daughter." Christine…
"Christine! Over here, honey! There's someone I want you to meet." Erik saw Christine from across the room. She was talking to a group of adults and was starting to look bored. Turning around, she walked toward them, and Erik had to steady himself against the wall to keep his normal composure. She was dressed in a red sundress and her curls were held up in a loose, but elegant bun with a few stubborn strands falling against the back of her neck. Her makeup was light, yet she had enough on to accent her stunning green eyes.
"Hi, Erik! Dad, we met yesterday when I delivered the invitations." Erik didn't realize she had reached them until she said his name.
"Hello," Erik said in a low voice.
"Did you know that he designed our house, Chrissy?" George asked his daughter.
"No, I didn't, but thank you for doing it. I love my room." She graced them a beautiful smile.
"Your welcome." Talk, man, talk!
Christine took in the site of her neighbor: navy blue sweater, nice fitting pants, and his hair was swept back. All in all, she would give him a twenty out of ten. She thought the mask was mysterious and interesting. He could melt her with the right kind of look.
Erik and Christine held eye contact for what seemed like forever.
Suddenly, a guy about Christine's age walked up to the circle.
"Ralf! Erik, this strapping young man is Ralf Crain. He lives down the block." George said enthusiastically.
When Erik shook his hand, he could help but feel something strange about the boy. He looked normal enough with his athletic build, average height, and flawless face. Maybe it was the smoldering looks he was giving Christine. Yes, that was it.
"Nice to meet you," Erik said darkly.
Oh, God, Ralf! Christine gave Ralf a disgusted look from where she stood. For as long as they had moved into the house, he had tried to win Christine over. At the beginning, she was really attracted to Ralf, until he pulled a fast one on her. That was the turning point of her so called 'attraction'.
"So Christine, how's the musical audition going?" Ralf asked trying to keep conversation.
"Oh, well, it starts at the end of the month," she answered half heartedly. "Dad, that reminds me, I really need a voice coach, I'm starting to slip."
"I can help." Erik didn't know what came out of his mouth until the circle stared at him incredulously.
"Excuse me?" Ralf was steaming.
"Well, I can train your voice, Christine. I have experience in music." Christine loved the sound of her name on his tongue. Was he really willing to give lessons to a seventeen year old? Honestly, you would think that someone with his kind of status would be too busy or something. She certainly wouldn't mind seeing him every day…
"You would do that?" She asked in an ecstatic voice.
"Of course." Erik swallowed.
"Oh my goodness! It would mean the world to me! I won't take up too much of your time, maybe twice a week for an hour."
"That's hardly enough time to train. I will need at least 2 hours everyday." He was starting to get excited now. Then he remembered work. It's only 2 hours a day. How much harm could it do?
"You are way too nice! There has to be a catch. How much do you charge?" She eyed him skeptically.
"No charge," Erik said with a smirk.
George's and Ralf's jaws dropped.
"I can't do that to you! Just eating away at your time like that!" Saint Erik was Christine's new name for him.
"Nonsense! I absolutely love music and training will only make me happier. Trust me, I should be paying you." I would like to pay her for something else, too… Shut up, you monster! Erik really needed to keep his thoughts under control.
"You have got to be kidding me! I cannot thank you enough! I really need this training." After her thanks, she stepped up to Erik and gave him a grateful hug.
Dear Lord Almighty! Did clothes ever fit his body as well as she did? Erik didn't think so. It was as if every one of her curves fit into his hard body like a puzzle. Training was going to be harder than he thought.
"My pleasure." And pleasure it definitely was. Erik tried not to let his groan escape his lips. She was most definitely a temptation sent by God and Erik just rubbed it in his own face with music lessons.
Breaking away from the hug, Christine asked, "When do you want me?"
Every hour of the day, he thought.
"7 to 9 would be fine."
"O.K., it's a date! I'll come over at 7."
Erik counted down the minutes.
A/N: Ok please review, because this one so far is my favorite personally, and I want to know how ya'll feel. Any who, review and I will love you forever!!!
Erik: I will too!!
Christine: Again with the infidelity!
Erik: Like I told you before, Christine, I love you, but the reviewers are just far more important. They create inspiration for the writer. Therefore without the reviews, there is no story, henceforth, no Erik or Christine.