Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of updates, and for this extremely short and uneventful chapter. I have writer's block at the moment, and this is all I could put into words today.

I sat in the bed Erik had set up for me in his lair. As we grew closer, I began to spend more and more time with him. I spent most nights in the bed he had set up for me in the lair, and when I wasn't rehearsing or performing, I was with Erik.

I'm not really sure how I would describe our relationship. We were definitely friends. We'd been best friends since I was a child and he comforted me for the first time when I was mourning over my dead father. But the feelings I had when I was with him were something I had never felt before, even when I was with Raoul.

Yes, I'll admit, I did find him attractive. Behind the mask he was a monster, but with the white mask covering the right half of his face, he was mysteriously handsome. His personality was perfect, and something about him was so fascinating. You just wanted to learn more about him.

Erik and I were very close, there was no denying it. But were we more than friends? Sometimes I wished we were. Other times, I came to my senses and knew nothing but a strong friendship would ever be between us.

"Would you like something to eat, Christine?" Erik said, entering the room with a knock. Hearing his question snapped me out of my thoughts. I smiled to myself, wondering how Erik seemed to always be able to read my mind.

"How'd you know I was awake?" I asked, standing up.

"It's a sixth sense," He said with a wink.

I laughed, and followed Erik out of the room. When we reached the table, he pulled out a chair for me, and then took the one opposite it for himself. He had already set out breakfast for us to eat together.

He smoothed back his wig before talking. "Christine, I'm worried about you," I opened my mouth to protest, but he held his hand up implying that he wanted to finish. "You'd rather spend your time in a cellar with a masked man than in the sunlight with girls your own age. Wouldn't you agree that's just a little bit odd?"

I was about to disagree, but it dawned on me that it was a little weird. I didn't even know how old Erik was, but he had to be at least fifteen years older than me. True, it was a strange situation, but didn't Erik know how much I loved it? I cherished every moment with him, and it didn't matter to me whether it was normal or not.

"Erik, I don't care. A minute with you is worth more than an hour with other girls. I love our time together."

"I love it more than anything in the world, Christine," Erik replied, "but I will not let it ruin any of your relationships. I already ruined your relationship with Raoul, and it won't happen again."

"You didn't ruin anything!" I said, becoming angry at how he blamed himself. "Obviously, we weren't meant to be. I was depressed when it happened, and I'll admit I'm still not completely over it. But I'm getting better every day, especially with your help. I'm better off without him, anyways."

Erik shook his head. "Now, Christine. Don't go saying things like that. All I am suggesting is that you spend less time with me and more with your friends. You'll still be able to come down here with me, and I will always be available to talk. Just not as often."

I was becoming annoyed. Why was he so insistent upon this? "Okay, Erik," I sighed. "Whatever you say."

The rest of the meal was uneventful, and after it was over, Erik insisted I go back into the 'real world'. He helped me into the boat as usual, and began to row back towards shore. When I finally arrived in my dressing room, I felt empty without him.