Well, this took a lot longer to finish than I had originally intended. Thank you all who've stuck around and have been patient with this story! I'll take all the feedback I can get and I'm working on two other stories now! Enjoy this final chapter of The Longer I Live!
Chapter 19: I'm Here
When Nadir, Meg, and Erik finally reached their floor, they couldn't keep Erik contained. He wandered around their entire apartment and began grabbing things he didn't understand. He mostly remained in the kitchen where all the appliances were, taking apart their toaster to see how it worked. Nadir sat with him while Meg couldn't watch as he destroyed their home with his curiosity.
Erik asked Nadir countless questions about what the objects around him did, their history, and how they worked. It only took so many inquisitions that Nadir didn't know the answer before he got up and left Erik to do his work. This was how Erik could get a grasp on reality, considering he was numb to what just occurred to him and he wanted Christine by his side. It was a terrifying world outside those walls, and he worried about her being alone in this strange place. Yet his hands worked at the speed of his reeling mind and he made easy work of the toaster and then off to destroy the blender.
It was two long hours of questions and loud bangs of kitchen appliances going to their grave, then an hour-long argument of how Erik wasn't allowed to take apart their refrigerator or oven. Yet all activities ceased when they heard the front door open and shut.
"Christine," Erik breathed out and dropped whatever he was deconstructing.
He slowly stepped out of the kitchen and stared at her. She just stood there, frozen, anxious if he knew who she really was or if it had all been a cruel joke.
"Thank god you're home! Take him! We lost so many damn appliances in only three hours!" Nadir called as Meg dragged him off to their room.
Nadir's interruption wasn't enough to faze the two who just stared at one another, tension growing. Christine approached him slowly and his eyes trailed over her body. Her clothes were what set off his desire. She was wearing a simple pair of skinny jeans, a tank top, and a jacket. She looked ravishing and scandalous to him in her day-to-day wear.
Before he could speak, she held up her hand to silence any words that hung on his lips and extinguished the space between them. Without hesitation, she pressed her lips to his. It was a short, passionate kiss that stole his breath away.
"I had to get that out of the way now," she murmured when she pulled away, inches from his lips still. "Been waiting to do that for a long time."
Erik couldn't produce any words, for the first time in his life it seemed. He couldn't keep his eyes from wandering over her, from her lips all the way down to her legs that were all on display for him so perfectly.
"Oh yes," she chuckled and looked down at herself. "You're probably not used to all of this."
"It's… It looks lovely," he coughed. "This is what you normally wear?"
"I mean, it depends on the weather I suppose, but yes," she said a bit smugly, "Usually this."
"I feel as though I have gone mad…"
"Everything will come back to you in time, but until then, just focus on now. Focus on me." Her hands traced over his face, feeling the rubbery-feel of the prosthetic. "First, we should take this off."
"Take what off?" He frowned at her.
"Come with me," she sighed, a sympathetic smile on her lips. "There's a lot to explain… I'd like to get as much out of the way tonight."
She took his hand and led him to the bathroom. Before he could start questioning the running water, shower, and toilet, Christine started to wash his face. She got some water and makeup remover, beginning to gently remove the fake skin that clung to his cheek and lip. To Erik, whose face had never been touched so lovingly, let alone been cleaned by another person, was in bliss. There was something so intimate about the moment that neither could describe.
Erik, content as he was, failed to notice what she was actually trying to accomplish. What finally caught his attention was when she removed the hairpiece that hid his jet-black hair and cool air refreshed his scalp. When he was all cleaned up, she smiled meekly, but still had anxiety creeping in her mind as to how he would react. Whereas, in horror, Erik examined at the pieces of fake skin that she'd removed.
Her hands lifted slowly in defense, trying to keep the peace. "Please don't freak out! They aren't real and I've got a lot of explaining to do, I promise I will. So… Let's just take this slow, okay?"
Erik could only nod. His breath came in shallow spurts, his eyes never leaving the discarded "skin" on the sink. Christine took his hands and brought them up to his face. He could feel the stubble of his five o'clock shadow and the smoothness of his cheekbones. His eyes widened at the feeling.
"You see… There were many advancements of medicine and surgeries in the present. When you were young, your parents paid to have your face fixed so you could live a normal life," she murmured and brushed his hair back sweetly. "Are you ready to see it?"
Ready? He'd been ready his whole life for this and stood up to look at himself in the bathroom mirror.
"Welcome to the present, my Erik," she said behind him.
He was shaking and tried to understand why the face that once haunted his existence, was now gone. It was all so much to take in, but Christine's hand grabbing his was a comfort.
"How…?" he tried to ask, but words failed him. How could this be happening and not be a dream? Erik squeezed the gentle hand that held his own and reveled in how real it felt.
"I have a theory…" Christine started without missing a beat. "Due to a poor ending to our first lives, we've been given a second chance. You especially were given a better life."
"A second chance?" He takes a deep breath and tried to stay calm. "A-and what Nadir and Meg told of the year…?"
"2016," she affirmed softly and kept touching him in order to keep him anchored to her calm demeanor. "If it is any consolation in the slightest bit… I love you and I've waited a long time to see you again. I had myself convinced that you would never return."
"R-Return? Where have I been?"
He leaned against the wall, feeling overwhelmed, he didn't have good coloring anymore.
"You only just now remembered the past… Who I really am and who you really are," Christine explained dutifully. She didn't want to crowd him, but she couldn't keep herself from him. "J-just… Just stay calm. I won't let anything happen to you."
It was usually Erik who was the protective one, but Christine, who was no longer shy and blossomed into the woman he never got to see, had proudly confessed her love and wouldn't leave his side. It was all too much though.
"I... I need to sit down."
Erik turned back and went to the bedroom and sat down on their shared bed, placing his face in his hands. Christine paused at the door when he'd left the bathroom.
Bravely, she went up to him and grabbed his wrists gently. She pulled his hands away from his face and tilted his head up so he'd gaze upon her. She leaned down and kissed him deeply, passionately, as she had done in the basement. She swiped her tongue across his bottom lip and ran her hands through his slicked back hair.
"Do not be afraid, my Erik, I belong to you in this life and I hope… I have been hoping that after all that pain I put you through, after all that heartache, and years of waiting… That you still love me too," she whispered shakily.
"Nothing in this world could change my love for you…" Erik breathed out intensely, which made Christine's body nearly go slack with relief and she kissed him again. He returned her kiss softly, but his mind was still so overwhelmed.
"I love you," she repeated, as she brought her lips away only for a second, and sat on his lap.
"Christine," he said in a way that made her pause her kisses. "Y-you say I did not know who you were previously? Did you not know who I was for a time?"
To this inquiry, she nodded once. Her fingers played along his face.
"Indeed, for a time, but it didn't really matter then since we were already together. When I returned to Sweden, I remembered everything that occurred in the past and the significance of our teenage relationship. When I returned to the United States, I found you again at our college and we… Reconnected."
"You… Remembered who I was and all that I'd done to you, yet you still had me fall in love with you once more?" It was an inconceivable thought to him.
"Well," she laughed softly, endearingly, "Wouldn't you do the same for me?"
This caught him off guard. She really loved him… How very inconceivable indeed. Erik closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers.
"How… very perfect fate was to me in this life."
The words were odd on his tongue but tasted sweet. His hands couldn't resist and slid down her sides. She was so close and so very willing. Christine smirked and pulled back slightly, which made his caresses stop in fear. She knew how he longed for her and how he desired her more than anything.
"Will you make love to me, Erik?" she asked softly. Normally, Christine would just take what she wanted, but in this case, she especially wanted to see his reaction to her words.
"W-What?" His eyes widened and he seemed fearful even thinking about it.
His reaction was what she'd expected, but she asked him again, rephrasing it a bit: "Do you want to make love to me, Erik?"
"I-I want to say yes, Christine… However, w-we aren't married. I don't want to ruin your innocence, I would feel nothing but shame."
"It's nothing we haven't done before…" she whispered in his ear. "Many times."
"W-What? No… No, we have not." He paused a moment and took a deep breath. "A-at least not to my recollection."
"Times have changed, my darling," she chuckled. "Marriage isn't really a requirement anymore."
"I would never disgrace you like that…" he mumbled.
"I wouldn't call it a disgrace," she said, wrinkling her nose. "More like an act of physical love, which is the most passionate thing you can do in your life because you're doing it with the man whom you are meant to be with."
Christine gestured then to the large bed they were sat upon and again to the room around them. "This is our bed and our room that we share. It may not be the marriage bed that you'd want, but it's still ours."
Then it suddenly dawned on Erik, "If we are so in love and close, then why are we not married? I would insist we be married!"
She laughed in delight and kissed him again. "God, I've missed you."
Such a sentiment warmed Erik's heart and rushed the blood to his ears.
"Though normally, you wouldn't disagree with having sex." She laughed again and got up from his lap. "At least, change out of those clothes and into something more comfortable."
She went to their closet and got out his sweatpants and a black t-shirt.
"What is this?" Erik stated in disgust to the garments.
The past Erik was always a stickler for clothes, which Christine knew all too well. She just rolled her eyes and slipped the cloak over his head and began unbuttoning his shirt. She knew the only way to gain ground with Erik was with action; he was too stubborn to listen.
"Christine, this is hardly appropriate!" he cried out in surprise.
They both could hear giggles from Meg and Nadir's room, who were surely eavesdropping.
"I assure you, Erik, it's nothing I haven't seen before," Christine chuckled and slipped his jacket and shirt off.
Instead of seeing scars from being lashed and the body of a harsh life, Erik saw that he was smooth and muscular when Christine got him bare-chested. The sight was very shocking to Erik. He wasn't sickly thin like he used to be. He went over to a full-body mirror and looked at himself.
"We truly have been given a second chance…"
"I wouldn't lie to you," Christine assured and handed him the shirt.
Her hand grazed his chest, but she didn't push it. However, the touch caused him to shudder all the same, and he stared down at her once more. Had they really done this before? She looked so… willing. However, he couldn't bring himself to share her bed. There was too much conflict in his mind and if he woke up from this dream without her beside him, he would surely go mad. So, he took the shirt from her and slipped it over his head. He was impressed by how comfortable the material was.
"I especially enjoy how that shirt outlines your muscles," Christine complimented and tossed him the sweatpants. "I take it, you don't want me to help with the trousers too?" she teased playfully.
This made him hesitate a moment, which got Christine's attention.
"Erik?" that gentle probing of her voice again.
He damn near lost his resolve. "Y-you say we've done this before? You've seen me before?"
"I have," she affirmed once more.
It almost made her blush to think about how innocent this all was. It was indeed Erik's first time, in all technically, but it made her feel new to all of this again too.
"I hope that doesn't make you uncomfortable to think about."
"U-Uncomfortable? It's just very… surreal." He paused again and then met her eyes with a very serious look. "What you did in the opera house…"
Christine giggled, "It was our school's theater, but go on."
"Wh-what you did t-to me there… You've done that before?"
"Hmm? Oh!" she stifled a laugh and nodded. "Oh yes, I've done that before."
"To other men?"
Christine smirked at his jealousy and shook her head. The smugness she maintained made Erik's desire and ego grow.
"There are a great many things I don't understand right now, Christine, but honestly I don't give a damn now it seems," he said, his voice low. "I fear that if I wake up from this dream, I'll go quite mad… But I want to enjoy this. To enjoy you."
She approached him slowly, it nearly frightened him to death, but he stood his ground. He'd meant what he said and simply watched her in tension.
"Explanations can wait," she began slowly, placing a hand on his straining shoulder to relax him. "Questions can wait, and the world can wait. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
Her voice was so powerful, it reminded him of the first time he'd heard her sing. His breath grew harsher as she continued speaking.
"I know you. I know your wants, your dreams, your fears. I know how to make you smile and how to make you feel loved, Erik. I've known you for almost my whole life and I assure you, there is nothing I know how to do better than to make you feel pleasure." Her hands trailed down his chest. "You were my first love, the only man I've made love to, and I have your desires imprinted on me. You were quite hard to resist in the theater, I probably shouldn't have pushed so hard then, but I don't care. I love you and I want you."
Erik groaned and grabbed her suddenly, kissing her with fervor. He tangled his fingers in her hair and held her close. He moved his lips with such passion that Christine could hardly keep up. His tongue explored her mouth and, without thinking, he'd led her backward until the backs of her knees hit the bed, causing them to tumble down.
She started laughing then, with Erik on top of her. He was worried she was mocking him, that he'd make the situation awkward, but he realized it didn't feel awkward. She must've been telling him the truth, for this moment felt more natural than anything Erik had done in his life. It was more natural than making music, more natural than breathing. He started chuckling too due to her infectious giggles and when all the laughter died down, they stared at each other.
Christine reached her hand up and cupped his cheek. Her eyes glittered with amusement still, but there was so much more there. There was so much love. It made him close his eyes and lean into her touch.
"If I didn't look like this… Would you still love me?"
Without miss a beat, Christine answered. "I loved you then and I love you now."
That was good enough for Erik and he leaned down, kissing her gently this time. He wanted to take his time, he told himself that he had to in case the dream was to end too soon. His lips trailed across her jaw and to her neck. He did everything he'd imagine he would do, but he only skimmed the surface. He kissed her cheeks, over her eyelids, and her nose.
It made her smile at how sweet and innocent he was being. Erik of all people was acting almost afraid to touch her. Christine wasn't afraid though. She guided his hands down her body, crossing over her breasts and down to the rim of her shirt. She slipped out of her jacket and Erik hooked his hands underneath her shirt. He made a small noise in his throat when she helped him lift it up over her head.
"What?" she giggled.
"I just… There are a lot fewer layers and-" he cleared his throat, embarrassed. "I like it better."
"Mm... Me too," Christine murmured. "Less time to get to where we need to." She touched his chest and smiled cheekily up at him. "May I take this off?"
Erik swallowed hard and nodded once. He helped her get it off and when she touched his bare chest again, he groaned this time. He saw the sound make her shiver before she leaned in to kiss his neck. He crushed her body to his, this was everything he could've ever imagined or wanted.
Together, they shared more love than any two people could ever hope to share in one lifetime. They consummated that love and Erik knew at once that this dream, this new life, was worth all the pain and hatred he held in his past life. He was grateful to whoever gave him back his Christine, and she sent thankful prayers for receiving her angel of music, finally.
After many days of explanations, lovemaking, and, of course, their usual classes, Erik got ahold of his new life. He found balance with the memories of each of his pasts from both of his lives. He understood so much more because of that too. He saw clearly through the memories of him and Christine together.
When she told him their love story, he could see their first kiss clearly in his head, just as he could recall their final kiss in their first life together. There were still a few things to sort out, like his incessant desire to marry her, Nadir's annoying affection for him, along with his confusing relationship with Meg, but one thing was for certain to Erik: If this was going to be his second life, his second chance, he wasn't going to waste a single moment of it. He vowed that every waking moment, every breath he took, was going to be for his Christine.
Love was what brought them back and love what was they both were going to live for. For the longer each of them lived, their love for each other grew.
