"Roxana!"Christine cried delightedly as she came into her sitting room to find her friend waiting for her with Jamie. "Where is Erik?" She asked as Raoul came into the room, reading some papers.
"Roxana!" He said grinning as he hugged her quickly and excused himself.
"Oh…you don't look so good." Christine said, gently guiding her by the arm onto the back porch. It was a lovely warm spring day and it would be a shame to spend it inside.
"Can I get you two anything?" Therese asked her and she nodded.
"Actually some lemonade would be wonderful thank you!" She said, always sure to show gratitude.
"Well, I didn't sleep well last night." Roxana confessed.
"Oh…nightmare?" Christine asked and Roxana thought a moment.
"Sort of…I guess unexpected would be the best word for it. I had a…well…" She stopped unsure of how to explain this to innocent Christine. "I had an erotic dream about…oh God." She said and Christine gasped.
"About Erik?" She asked and Roxana nodded completely horrified.
"I can't even look at him now! All I see is him naked! And I've never seen him naked!" She groaned. "I ran out on him at breakfast, saying Jamie and I were going to the park. This is bad." She looked up to the sound of Christine stifling her laughs.
"It's the most absurd thing I have ever heard! I couldn't even picture it!" She giggled.
"Neither could I until all of a sudden he's whispering for me to touch him, then I say his name and his regular moody self wakes me up."
"Maybe…you should just tell him." Christine offered.
"Maybe not." Roxana said as Jamie examined anything he could find. "James." She said, as he looked at her innocently. "Don't you look at me that way James Sebastian Westcliff." He went back to playing with his ball.
"Look, I don't mean to put my nose in your business…but you two keep your feelings all bottled up inside. One day it's going to erupt. Trust me. He's not good with feelings, but he's trying. He really is…and he finally realized he doesn't love me that way any longer." She said and Roxana's jaw dropped.
"Since when?" She asked and Christine smirked.
"When I kissed him and proved it to him…oh don't look at me like that! He then proceeded to tell me he was ready to move on and give you the husband you deserve or something like that."
"Wait…so you kissed Erik and that made him realize he had feelings for me?" She asked and Christine shrugged.
"I don't know…he kept talking about making you happy and such…" Roxana made a noise of irritation.
"He's insane." She muttered and Christine nodded.
"Don't I know it." She said, yawning. Raoul came out with the lemonade and sat beside his wife.
"Thirsty dear?" He asked as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Among other things, mainly I am exhausted." She said and he grinned, knowing why.
"Sorry love…" He said sheepishly and she elbowed him in the ribs.
"Roxana! What the hell is the matter with you?" Erik's voice came from the doorway. She closed her eyes as if awaiting a blow.
"I know…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just, run out like that." She said looking at the safest thing to look at. His feet. He picked up Jamie, who was trying to eat a flower petal.
"Are you going to the ball?" Raoul asked them as they both looked at him.
"Well…we hadn't really…" Roxana began.
"Yes." Erik finished for her as she looked at him in surprise.
"We are?" She asked and he nodded, his face serious.
"And we are going to pretend to be the happiest damned couple on the face of this earth if it kills us, because Westcliff isn't getting near you." He said. She bit the inside of her cheek, standing up.
Christine smirked to herself.
"Hope you sleep well tonight Roxana!" She called as Roxana glared at her.
"I hope you do too…maybe actually try to sleep!" She said and winked at her with a grin before walking out, with Erik's hand on her arm. Erik turned to give Christine a suspicious look but she just shrugged. He looked at Raoul, who had the expression of a little child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. He swallowed a chuckle and pushed his wife ahead of him gently.
"Oh Roxana?" He asked, as he helped her into their carriage.
"What?" She asked grumpily. He grinned.
"Will you teach me how to dance?"
"Uh...dance?" She asked, settling with Jamie on her lap. He nodded.
"It's been a long time." He admitted. She sighed. Yes just what I need...to be closer to him to forget about my dirty little dreams...She thought sarcastically but waved her hand.
"Of course Erik." She said, feeling defeated. She might as well just face it and get it all over with. He smiled and they rode the rest of the way in silence. Twenty minutes later they were situated in their salon with Jamie playing with his toys on the sofa.
"Alright. Start with your hand on my...my...waist." She gulp and he nodded, easily placing his hand there. He's touching me...touching me...her mind taunted her. She shook her head furiously.
"Are you alright?" He asked, eyeing her and she nodded quickly.
"Sure, sure...I just thought I saw...a bug." She said and he raised his eyebrow.
"A bug." He repeated and she sighed.
"Do you want to learn or what?" She replied embarrassed. He chuckled.
"Yes...sorry." He said and she took his other hand and positioned them. Slowly, she directed him how to step and soon, she realized he already knew how.
"I think you're fooling me Erik Destler." She said, stopping breathlessly after they whirled about effortlessly.
"What makes you think that?" He asked, with a smirk and she looked at him.
"You're a damn expert on dancing!" She said and he shrugged.
"Or I am a fast learner." He offered and she glared at him. "Alright, alright...I just wanted to see you have some fun for once Roxana! You never just let yourself enjoy things." He said and she raised her eyebrows.
"What's to enjoy." He brought his hand over his eyes.
"Oh love...you sound just like me." He said and she stepped back as if he'd burned her.
"What?" He asked, confused. She shook her head, looking down. He whirled her back around by her shoulders.
"You called me love, what did you mean by it?" She asked as if she were questioning him in a trial. He frowned.
"I didn't call you love..." He said, trying to remember. Sometimes things just slipped.
"Yes! Yes you did...you said 'Oh love...' You did!" She said and he sat her down.
"Roxana...calm down. It's a term of endearment. I wasn't asking you to pledge yourself to me! I think you're blowing this out of proportion!" He said, silently berating himself. She caught a hold of herself and put her hands over her face.
"Oh God...you're right. I'm sorry." She said. "Look I don't want to frighten you..." She said and he suddenly straightened.
"Oh God...that's not a good way to start a sentence Roxana." He said, sitting in one of the chairs. She laughed nervously.
"I know...it's just. I had a dream about...well, you last night." She said and he shrugged.
"So...you live with me...it's natural to dream about people you're around..." He began but she shook her head.
"No...Erik. It was a different kind of dream." She said, feeling the heat rushing to her cheeks.
"Like...a nightmare?" He asked, still lost and she became frustrated.
"No! It wasn't like that!" She said and he still stared at her in utter confusion.
"Well, what then?" He asked her and she felt the sudden need to pull all of her hair out.
"I had a dream that we were making love!" She finally cried. His mouth dropped but he remained calm.
"I...um...oh." He said dumbly, looking at Jamie who was watching them in fascination.
"Yes." She said uncomfortably. He cleared his throat, standing.
"Well...tea?" He asked, nearly sprinting from the room before she could answer. Roxana growled and hit herself in the head.
"Idiot." She muttered to herself as Jamie giggled.
"Id-ee-ot." He mimicked and she looked at him, a smile coming to her lips. She picked him up and tickled him, sending him into a fit of sweet giggles.
"Oh you are so bright my little James!" She laughed, kissing his black hair. Erik watched her from the hallway, holding their tea with trembling hands. She'd dreamed of making love...with him? It was the most ludicrous thing he'd ever heard. So why was he so shaken?
"Here." He said, setting down the tea and sipping his. She did the same with hers.
"Look, forget I said anything. I just wanted you to know I wasn't mad at you or anything...it's just...I'm crazy. But, I swear my dream meant nothing and you have nothing to worry about." She said and he nodded, grumbling,
"Well, that's a relief." They both focused on their tea until Jamie climbed down from the couch and toddled to Erik's knee.
"James." He said calmly as the little boy pouted to be picked up. Erik nodded and lifted him to sit on his lap. Instantly his curious little hands went for the mask he so loved to inspect. Erik took it off and let him hold it, running his fingers over the smooth leather. The little boy looked back up at him delighted and said,
"Papa!" Roxana's hand clapped over her mouth and Erik's eyes widened in horror. He rubbed his head with his hand and closed his eyes for a moment. This was going to be a long day...
"Are you sure about this boy Meg?" Madame Giry asked her daughter as she helped her try on the gown she'd bought for the ball this weekend. Meg sighed.
"Mother! Of course! He's the loveliest person I've ever met. So sweet...and so handsome...like a real prince." She said, smiling and Antoinette had to smile at how happy her daughter was.
"Just be careful my Meg...I beg you..." She said, smoothing the long blonde hair flowing down her daughter's back.
"Maman! I know what I am doing!" She said and Antoinette nodded.
"Don't rush into anything, that's all I ask." She said and Meg sighed.
"I won't." As she stared at her reflection, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of standing beside Andrew at a ball as Lady Westcliff.
Okay...the ball is next. It will get better I swear!