Christine sighed as the she listened to the clatter of horses hooves on the paved street. By her side sat Erik, her hand gently wrapped in his. She was apprehensive to break the silence for fear it would cause her to babble nonsensically just to fill the silence. The quiet was more dignified and profound in the darkness of the cab. The tension between them was palpable and far from negative. His cologne filled her nostrils with its rich musk. When she looked at him his regard of her was smoldering in his eyes and she had to shyly look away. Christine knew this was what she wanted from him, but she was overwhelmed by his intensity sometimes.
They heard the carriage wheels crackle over the gravel drive to the inn as they left the main road from town. Christine knew they would be back in a matter of moments. What then, she wondered? Say goodnight and separate to their rooms until morning? Or would the evening continue long into the night? Christine's heart flip flopped at the implications of that thought. She could see the lights on in a few rooms of the Inn, but she prayed the main room of the house would be empty of guests.
The carriage pulled to a stop just in front next to the garden. She could smell the flowers starting to bloom their early spring buds in the pale moonlight. Christine waited for Erik to step down and help her out of the cab, but he still sat motionless next to her. She could feel his hand still gently clutching hers with no sign he was letting go.
"Erik? Is anything the matter?" she asked after a few moments of silently sitting in the dark waiting for him to stand.
"Christine, did you have a good time this evening?" he asked, ignoring her question.
She looked into his eyes and answered, "Yes, of course I did. Dinner was marvelous and I still cannot believe you had the courage to dance with me in front of a room full of people."
Erik felt brave in the comfortable darkness inside the carriage; he could hardly see her face so he knew his was obscured even more. He turned on the seat lightly to clasp her other hand, holding both hers captive. "I think I surprised myself by doing that. You are changing things for me Christine; so many things I did not think possible to change." He paused to swallow the hard lump forming in his throat. "Christine," he paused again, "I…"
The drive chose that moment to clear his throat loudly.
Erik looked up in extreme annoyance. He could murder their driver for interrupting.
"Erik, what? You were saying?" Christine invited him to continue.
"I," he hesitated. "I think we should go inside and let this man seek his bed."
Christine exhaled the breath she held, disappointed he would not continue. Erik rose and stepped down, then helped her out of the carriage. He shot the driver a look of venom and daggers before leading Christine inside the Inn.
As Christine had suspected, it was late enough that the common room was empty and deserted of guests for the night. She could hear a few voices muffled behind closed doors down the hallway and the slight din of the serving staff working in the kitchen preparing the morning's bread. The hearth fire popped and sizzled with low flames that still desperately licked the last fuel in the wood. Aside from those sounds, all was very quiet. She realized the enormity of the fact that they were alone as the front door closed behind them with a soft click.
Erik stood silently with his back to the door as she turned to face him and wish him goodnight. His hand clenched the edge of his cloak tightly while the other gripped the brim of his hat at his side. Every muscle in his body was taunt and still except his eyes. They reflected the dim light from the fireplace embers, flames dancing in their darkness.
She swore he could hear her heart beating in her throat. She knew what he had wanted to say in the carriage. She could see it in his eyes. 'I love you too' she thought. He had once professed his feelings to her after he revealed himself to be a real man, not who she thought was her angel of music. Somehow, the meaning of those words had changed. Perhaps it was because she too felt it now. Perhaps she had never truly believed the depth of his admission.
He slowly stepped forward; just one step to close the distance between them. She could almost feel his breath on her face. With a trembling hand, he reached up to cup her cheek. His lips lowered toward hers ever so carefully, but just before they touched he paused and whispered, "May I kiss you?"
She did not answer with words as she tilted her head up to close the distance between their lips.
Erik's mind ceased all functional thought. Knowing he was kissing her was the only coherent cognition possible. Her lips were soft and pliable against his own. The shock of pleasure overwhelmed his senses to where he was frozen to the spot; only his lips and the hand gently cupping the face he kissed were capable of movement.
Christine forgot to breathe, forgot to move, and forgot everything else in the world but Erik's mouth gently pressed to her own. She did not know how, but somehow she brought her hands to rest on his chest and slid one up past his shoulder to rest on the back of his neck. So slight was the touching pressure of his lips. She had seen other couple's kiss in the dark hallways of the opera and knew this was by far the most chaste, but surely something so powerful could never compare to those lustful tangling of mouths and limbs. She could taste the sweetness of his mouth as his lips slightly parted.
It seemed an eternity for them both, but finally Erik withdrew his kiss from her. He stared deeply into her eyes before closing his own, squeezing out the tears that formed there and resting his masked forehead against her own. Christine shuddered a long needed breath, feeling her chest tighten against her corset. A low ache emanated from beneath her stomach that throbbed into wakening.
Erik shuddered a long ragged gasp for air as he realized the significance of what they just shared. Softly the tears fell against his mask, pooling against the leather and wetting his face beneath it. He felt so ashamed to fall apart in front of Christine. He wrapped his arms around Christine and held her close, trying to quell the tremors that overtook him.
"Oh Christine," he whispered into her hair. "Nobody has ever kissed me before." She could hardly make out the words as he buried his face against her and squeezed her tighter to him. "My sweet Angel, I love you so much," he cried softly.
She closed her eyes, swooning as she heard those words from his lips once again. Christine held him close, surprised to see him so completely undone by such a simple act. Did he not realize it was mutual?
"Erik, did you forget that I have never been kissed either? No kiss like this anyhow," she replied. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, torn between the need to comfort him and continue what he started with that kiss. After a small time, his tears ceased and he withdrew from her arms. He lifted his mask to wipe his face of the dampness. Christine stood by so he could compose himself once again.
"We should probably go to bed," Christine said.
Erik heard those words from her mouth and got the wrong idea. "No, Christine, not like this."
Christine was confused then realized a second too late what she had said. She blurted, "No, that isn't what I meant!" she laughed nervously. "What I meant to say was that we should retire to our rooms."
Erik, embarrassed that he thought she would initiate such a thing, immediately apologized, "I am so sorry Christine. I would never suggest… I know you were not insinuating…" he couldn't finish.
Christine smiled, took his hand and said, "I know that. It was my mistake for saying it." She grasped his hands once again and said, "Well, goodnight then, Erik."
"Goodnight Christine," he replied. He didn't move to leave. Neither did she.
"Would it be too forward to ask for a goodnight kiss?" Christine said shyly.
Erik did not have to be asked twice. He leaned in quickly, letting his strong hands pull her in tightly as he once again kissed her, this time his lips a little more forceful and hungry. Their first kiss had been a timid exploration. This kiss was the starting promise of things to come. Christine held him close, pulling the fabric of his cloak towards her as her lips moved softly on his. She experimentally parted her lips slightly and carefully flicked her tongue out. Erik's sharp intake of breath was her reward. He daringly mimicked her movement, tasting her lips experimentally. Their tongues passed briefly and sent shockwaves of pleasure through them both. He kissed her a long while, reveling in the feeling and taste of her and the unexpected gratification of their shared experience.
After a few more moments they broke apart, Christine's eyes were wide in amazement. Her lips were swollen and wet and her cheeks were flush. He beamed at her in the dim light never thinking he could know such great satisfaction in making this young creature react to him in such a way. He parted from her, and said, "I suppose we should both get some sleep."
She gave him an odd smirk and said, "I believe you are right."
He turned to go down the hall to his room, but she held onto his hand. He looked at her in bewilderment, then looked at her hand holding onto his. She grinned at him oddly, then started to walk towards the stairs, never letting go of his fingertips. The angel in him screamed at his feet to stop; to not follow. But the devil in him got the better of him and followed her up the stairs. She opened the door to her room and the dim light of a single lantern shone within. As she started to enter, he stopped at the door and whispered, "Christine, as much as I could dream for this, it isn't proper." He cursed his better judgment for making such a call, but he would not take what was not properly his.
She turned to face him and said quietly, "You suggested we get some sleep, and I am not implying anything but." She sheepishly added, "Its nothing we haven't already done together this week, and I am not ready to end my night with you, however tired I may be."
He swallowed the thickness in his throat and the butterflies in his stomach once again took flight as he followed her into her room and closed the door behind them. Christine walked over to the dressing table and turned the lantern down very low.
Erik's throat felt very dry as he croaked out, "Should I remain clothed as I am?" He could scarcely believe he had needed to ever ask such a question. It struck him as absurdly funny and he almost laughed out loud save for the nervousness he felt.
Christine replied, "Just be comfortable, please."
Erik exhaled loudly and started to remove his cloak and jacket. He opted to leave his mask, shirt, and trousers on. As he was removing the boots from his feet, Christine stepped behind a dressing curtain in the corner. He sat on the edge of the bed, hardly able to trust he was really here. He waited for Christine to emerge, but after a moment or two it dawned on him, "Christine, do you need help?"
Christine laughed slightly, "Yes please. Do not ask me why I thought I could remove this thing myself."
Erik's feet almost refused to work to carry him across the room. Christine stepped out for him to help her and turned around to face the wall. "Just undo the top few buttons and I think I can get it from there."
Erik stepped towards her, his hands felt like cold dead weights at his side. This was the second time he had helped her undress this week but not even closely under the same circumstances. The first time it had been out of sheer necessity. This time he knew it was because he had been invited to the room of the woman he loved with the prospect of sharing her bed, no matter how innocently.
His hands shook as he undid the buttons, slowly popping them through the buttonholes one by one. They trailed down her back, refusing to stop at the requested few she had mentioned. Christine felt his hands continue down her spine until they reached her waist and stopped. She knew she should have stopped him and was tempting fate but at the moment she hardly cared. She felt his warm hands slid up her back and just under the edge of her dress at her shoulders. He gently pushed it forward so it fell down her arms. She crossed her arms over her breasts to catch the garment from falling any further. As much as she wished to stand there, she knew she was playing with fire and was dangerously close to burning herself.
She murmured, "Thank you," then slipped off behind the curtain once again to finish removing the dress and hang it over the edge.
When she emerged, she was only wearing a robe over her delicate chemise. She had managed to remove her corset by herself after much debating over whether to leave it on or not. Erik was waiting at the edge of the bed for her. She crossed the room and blew out the lantern leaving them in total darkness. Erik could hear her bare feet pad across the wooden floor and rugs. He could just make out her shape in the dim moonlight that peeked its way through the half opened curtains.
Erik lay down on the bed on top of the coverlet. If he was going to share a bed and not be so terribly tempted he was better off putting as many barriers between them as possible. He held the blanket open for Christine to crawl underneath beside him. She carefully lay down next to him, surprised to find he was not beneath the blankets as well. She was too nervous to argue and was secretly glad for the restraint Erik showed. What he must think of her, she wondered? She curled onto her side with her back to Erik and felt him settle down close to her, tucking the blanket all around her tiny form. Erik rested his arm around her shoulders and curled up tenderly behind her, cupping her body with his own. She sighed feeling the weight and warmth of his body next to hers in the comfort of her soft bed. This is what she had wished for.
"Goodnight, Erik," she said softly.
"Good morning Christine," Erik replied into her ear.
With that they fell blissfully asleep snuggled close to one another in the early hours of the new day.