A/N: The good news is I'm making myself write now while I still have a bit of time during the holidays (before my summer break is over), but the bad news is I still don't know where this story is going and I have no plot ideas. Oh well, baby steps, I suppose!
Masked Man 2: Thank you! Erik's character is honestly my favourite to write, I feel like he's so faceted that it's fun revealing a specific side of him at certain instances. I hope the conversation with Meg doesn't disappoint, just in case you were expecting a major blow-out or something!
Tsuray: Love's not going to come so early, I'm afraid, hahaha. But yes a movie premiere! Christine's one lucky girl.
fruityfangirl: Thank you for reading and leaving me a review! (:
moonlightrose1991: Thank you for all your support as always (:
grandma paula: Thank you! I think I remember you leaving reviews on MLR as well, so welcome back! I'm actually a student studying business in university (: But I'm very, very flattered that you think my writing skills are good!
Skyila: No worries about it! I've been so busy too, I barely have time to surf the net. Still, it's great that you got some inspiration to write, I love those moments!
emeraldphan: Yeap, I decided to write Christine as less meek, since she's a modern 21st century girl and all (we don't take no crap from nobody, thank you! Haha)... I'm glad you like her character this way!
box5: hehehe (:
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Chapter 9
"Are you joking?" The blonde, petite girl who had been her friend for years stared at her, her mouth agape. "Christine Sangare, tell me you're joking."
"No," Christine admitted ruefully. "You know, Meg, for years I've been trying to get you to keep quiet… if I'd known all it would take would be something like this—"
"Don't joke around now!" Meg whacked Christine with a pillow. "What did you just tell me? You're going to a movie premiere? With who?"
"Erik Chanteur," Christine repeated patiently. "Meg, can I explain?"
"Erik Chanteur!" Meg cried shrilly, seemingly still at a loss for words. "Mr Chanteur, the mentor of our theatre club production! My mother's employer! Erik Chanteur!"
The blonde girl flopped back onto her bed, rubbing her face in disbelief. "Ok, speak. I need to know everything."
"Well, Mr Chanteur – or Erik, as I'm supposed to call him now—offered to give me lessons to get me ready for the first rehearsal, since he knew that I couldn't sing in front of a crowd."
Meg sat up sharply. "What, it's 'Erik' already?"
"Don't make it out to be more than it is, Meg." Christine frowned. "He told me that he dislikes it when people call him Mr Chanteur because it makes him feel old. I asked him to call me Christine, but he insists on 'Miss Sangare'. Anyway, we had some lessons, and I thought it would all be over after the first rehearsal, but he offered to continue with them, so I just accepted."
"I can't believe it's been about three weeks and you didn't say anything to me!" Meg stared at Christine accusingly. "I wondered where you kept disappearing to in the evenings."
Christine winced sheepishly. "Sorry, Meg… I didn't want to let anyone know, because it seemed like such a strange situation."
"It's only strange because you chose to keep it a secret," Meg huffed. "It makes it seem like you have something to hide—that's what makes it strange. But forget that! A movie premiere! I'm so envious I could kill you to take your place!"
"I have nothing to wear," Christine told her.
"I know, isn't that why you decided to tell me your little secret?" Meg fixed her with a gimlet glare. "I'm very disappointed in you, Christine Sangare, but I'll get you back another time. Now I've got to think about what you can wear."
Christine laughed and gave Meg a huge hug. "Thank you."
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A tap on the door caught Erik's attention, and he raised his head in time to see Nadir enter the room, carrying a bottle of red wine and two glasses. Erik raised his eyebrows.
"Any special occasion?"
"Just thought I'd have a drink with an old friend," Nadir said ruefully, sitting himself down on the sofa and uncorking the bottle. He poured a generous amount into each glass.
Erik smiled a half-smile, and walked over languidly, folding his long limbs onto the sofa beside Nadir, and accepting a glass of wine from him. "How was your day?"
Nadir snorted. "Being your manager is definitely not the easiest job. I had to keep telling Nathaniel that getting you to go for the premiere was about as good as it would ever get, but he kept insisting that you had to bring someone along. As of yet, we still have not reached a viable conclusion."
"Then you can rest your soul, Nadir, for I'm bringing someone," Erik said, swirling his wine in his glass and staring into the rich burgundy depths.
Nadir looked up sharply. "You're bringing someone? Who?"
"Christine," Erik replied. "And I don't wish to hear any warnings or advice, Nadir. Not this time."
"It's Christine now? Not Miss Sangare?" Nadir asked wryly. "How did this happen?"
"I told her to stop calling me Mr Chanteur, and she offered to let me call her Christine. I didn't, though." Erik shrugged. "She said she had never been to a movie premiere before, and I offered. She accepted, and that's the end of the story. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Ah," said Nadir finally, after a long moment of silence. "But as it is, I shall not say anything, Erik. I believe you have matured enough from that last time to make the same mistake again. And I do believe that Christine is very different from… her."
"Yes," said Erik, with a slight note of bitterness in his voice. "I believe it has been long enough since Mirelle. What a fool I must have been."
"Not a fool, Erik," Nadir said, smiling a little sadly, "just young and desperate to learn what love was. We are all guilty of that, and you're not infallible."
"Honestly, I don't know what I would do without you as my voice of reason," Erik said dryly, reaching over for the bottle and pouring them both another generous measure of wine. "To old friends, Nadir."
"To old friends," Nadir echoed as they clinked their glasses together.
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Christine stood gamely in her living room as Meg fussed over her, patting stray hairs into place and smoothing the fabric of her dress. It had taken a whole afternoon of work from Meg, but at last she had declared that Christine was ready to go for the premiere.
Christine had teased Meg that she sounded just like the fairy godmother from Cinderella. She half-expected Meg to suddenly wave a wand and shout "At last you shall go to the ball!" At that, Meg had good-naturedly hit her on the arm and told her to behave. Still, Christine was thankful for Meg's expertise—her own experience in makeup consisted of mascara, lipstick and the occasional eyeliner, and her wardrobe was pitiful at best, for she had always managed to make the excuse of not being in the mood to shop, or not having any occasion to shop, anyway.
Meg gave Christine a final once-over, then stepped back with an immensely satisfied look on her face. She grasped Christine's shoulders and marched her to the mirror that hung near the door.
"My finest piece of work yet," she declared dramatically. "Look at yourself, Christine Sangare!"
And so Christine looked.
Her brown hair was curled neatly in loose ringlets down her back, and Meg had dusted a shimmery pearlescent eyeshadow onto her lids. Her eyes were heavily rimmed in black, and a fresh pink highlighted her cheeks. Her lips glistened with a coat of peach gloss. She was clad in a high-necked black maxi that slowly graduated to a shimmery silver fabric nearing the hem, creating a lovely ombré effect. Meg had bought the dress when it was on mega-sale, but had never had the opportunity to wear it anywhere. She had insisted that Christine borrow it for the occasion. The look was complete with chunky black strappy heels and a black clutch that Meg had pushed into her hands.
"What do you think?" Meg asked triumphantly.
"I look… nice," Christine murmured. "Thank you, Meg. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without you."
"You would show up at the event in an old, boring dress, that's what," Meg chastised. "Christine Sangare, you have to let me take you shopping soon. There's nothing in that wardrobe of yours!"
Christine grinned. "Fine, we can do that. It'll be my payback for not telling you the secret sooner."
Meg's eyes lit up—there was nothing she loved more than having a life-sized Barbie doll in the form of Christine to makeover. "I'll hold you to that, girl, and don't you forget it."
Just then, they heard the sound of a car engine outside, and Meg hurried to open the front door. The nondescript, ubiquitous black SUV had stopped right outside Christine's gate, and the back door opened to reveal Erik Chanteur. He was dressed in a black suit tonight, with a crisp linen shirt and a slim black tie. His shoes had been polished to a shine, and he walked up her driveway with an air of easy confidence.
Meg whistled in Christine's ear. "He polishes up well."
Christine hushed Meg, chuckling at the girl's dramatic comments, though she had to agree with her. If Erik Chanteur had been vaguely attractive before, he was now looking rather dapper in his suit. In fact, Christine thought, he suddenly reminded her again of a large predatory cat, all debonair and sleek.
"Christine," he said in his deep musical voice, startling her. It was the first time he had called her that, after she had told him to.
"Erik," she said, smiling nervously. He held out his arm and she took it.
"Good evening, Meg," he said, nodding at her. Meg beamed cheerily.
"Hello to you, too." She said, ushering them out the door. "I'll be waiting here when you get back, Christine. Have a good time!"
Erik guided Christine carefully down the driveway, and opened the car door for her. She climbed in as gracefully as she could while wearing a long dress.
"Hello, Christine," Nadir said from the front seat.
"Oh! Hello!" Christine smiled at the man. "Are you coming with us?"
"I'm just the driver for today," Nadir winked at her. "Though I thought that I would have to be Erik's date if he couldn't find anyone to go to the premiere with!"
"I would rather have gone alone than with you," Erik muttered, getting into the car.
Christine laughed, though Nadir shrugged it off amiably. "Can't imagine the scandal it would create if he turned up with me, anyway. The great Erik Chanteur, turning up with a man as his date?"
"However," he said on a more serious note, looking at Erik through the reflection in the rear-view mirror, "please do try not to be rude to any more reporters, Erik."
Erik made a very disgruntled noise. "I wasn't rude to that hag."
"Nevertheless," Nadir said sternly. "Christine, please do make sure he's a perfect gentleman all evening. I shall give you leave to hit him if he does not behave."
His eyes were twinkling as he said that, and Christine could not help but laugh despite how nervous she felt. She glanced cautiously at Erik, and saw that his face was relaxed and calm despite his sarcastic tone. There was a strange camaraderie in the way the two men talked; they seemed much more familiar with each other than she had expected them to be, for Nadir was only his manager, after all.
"It seems a bit silly to ask this," she said suddenly, "but I don't even know which movie premiere we are going to."
"The Girl in the White Dress," Erik said. "I'm sure you've heard of it before."
"What?" Christine screeched before she could stop herself. "That movie?"
"Is there something wrong?" Erik asked, bemused. "Do you not like to watch romance?"
"Yes—I mean no—" Christine spluttered. "Yes, I like to watch romance, and no there's nothing wrong. But… That movie! It's been hyped up for the past, what, three months? Everyone's been waiting for it to be released! Nathaniel Griffin! Tess de Lecie! Everyone loves them. Oh man, Meg will have a fit."
The corner of Erik's mouth tipped up slightly at her exuberant rambling. "Then it's a good thing I asked you along for this, isn't it?"
"Yes," she told him solemnly. "Without you, I might not die happy after all. But after tonight… I think I just might be able to."
At that, Erik laughed.
It was a delightful sound, all rich and throaty, and warm. Christine did not think she had heard him laugh before, but in that instance she decided that she would have to make him laugh more often, for hearing it felt wonderful.
"Nathaniel's an old friend of mine," he said conversationally. "I agreed to compose the soundtrack for this movie because he asked it as a favour of me."
"Oh," said Christine, for she could not imagine the cold Erik Chanteur agreeing to do a favour for anybody, much less the large favour of composing an entire soundtrack.
"Erik's soft at heart," Nadir said, grinning at Christine's response. "Nathaniel fed him a long speech about how acting in the movie would be that much more amazing for him if Erik could compose the songs that would be played in the movie, and Erik fell for it hook, line and sinker."
"You're the one who helped him in convincing me," Erik snapped irritably. "I was practically dragged to the meeting to sign the contract."
Christine silently watched the two of them bicker, a little confused by their conversation, but enjoying hearing the two of them talk anyway. It was not often that Erik Chanteur spoke more than a few short sentences, and now she revelled in the moment, allowing his smooth voice to flow over her like silk.
"Ah, now we have left Christine out of the conversation," Nadir said apologetically, suddenly catching her gaze in the windscreen mirror.
"Oh, no," Christine said hurriedly. "I enjoyed hearing you two speak… wait… that came out wrong."
She flushed red even as Erik chuckled, but thankfully neither he nor Nadir pursued the matter. The rest of the journey was passed in an amicable silence, with Nadir making the occasional comment and Erik replying with his usual caustic remarks.
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A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Happy Vesak Day to all who celebrate it! As usual, please read/follow/fav/leave a review to let me know what you think! xx hazel