See? Told you next Friday? :) Okay, thank you to everyone that shown their support for last chapter! You guys may recognize part of this chapter, so it isn't entirely new, but it is mostly new. I think you will all enjoy it and especially the ending ;) Hope you enjoy!
Review Replies:
A Fan: Thank you so much! :D I'm glad you are enjoying it a lot, and I think you will enjoy this chapter. Let's just say... she may probably do what you mentioned you would do in your review in this chapter ;) Hope you enjoy!
RedDeathLvr: Thank you so much :) Hope you like the coming new chapters, as well as this one! Enjoy!
Chapter XV: You are Not Alone
She was running. The crunch of the wood crackled under her heels and the wind howled past her ears. She stopped a moment to look up, the tall trees heightened so high, she could hardly see the greyish black sky above. She hunched over and touched the fabric on top of her knees while panting. She was out of shape, she never ran. She was graceful, and her mother had told her when she was younger, "Ragazze agire grazioso, i ragazzi si comportano come selvaggie correre all'impazzata metà del tempo." Girls act graceful, boys act like savages and run half the time. Though she doubted this highly before, she now believed her mother's words, running is a boy's doing, though running away is a more savage like thing to do.
When she removed her hands, she saw the blood blotches on the fabric from her hands.
There was blood on her hands.
She slowly held them up as she saw the red, fine blood that once pumped through someone's veins on her hands. She then looked down at herself to see that she was in a costume. A... a costume? Yes, a white and black gown that looked what a circus person would wear... practically anyway. What was going through her mind when she picked out this to wear?
Theresa slowly looked to her left to see a mirror dangling on a tree, her reflection looking back at her. Her eyes widened from what she was seeing and cautiously she moved toward the mirror. The black mask on her face was lopsided on her, and the blood on her face was dried up on her bottom lip to her chin. It came down to her neck and was lightly smudged onto the bodice of her dress. There were even splatters of blood on her mask, it seemed more fresh though.
Theresa locked eyes with her reflection and tilted her head to the side. What had happened to her? And then she yelped when she felt a large hand on her back and turned around only to gasp. But a gloved finger was placed on her lips as she was shushed, the gasp along with it. Theresa stared up at green eyes and the finger dropped from her mouth, a hand was extended out to her. "Theresa..." his voice was so melodic, so hypnotizing to her now. It was relief for her to hear it, now more than ever. Maybe he could shed some light on why she looked like this, what was happening right now. She looked down to his hand and looked back into his eyes. He instructed, "Take it."
She stared at him for a moment before looking down at her hands and her... her dress. Theresa staggered backward, her back hitting the bark of the tree where the mirror hanged. The mirror went away, she didn't hear it break as her back hit the tree, so she assumed it went away. Her breathing became rough. She stared down, her eyes locked upon the red suddenly bleeding into her dress. She didn't feel like she actually was in this sort of pain to bleed this much. Theresa tried to wipe it off as fast as she can. It wouldn't go away.
She imagined that there was water there to help her, any water that would help her make this blood wash away. But more only came the more she rubbed on it. Her ears were ringing, the ringing was so loud. Theresa went to grab the hand that was extended to her before, but she was only grabbing at thin air. The gloved hand disappear, along with Erik's hypnotic green eyes. Theresa parted her mouth in horror as she heard voices in her ear.
A particular voice was louder than all of them.
Theresa held her ears together to close them out, but it didn't work, they only became louder and that one voice, that single voice, was louder than all of them combined. "Stop it..." she whimpered. She couldn't take it any more! "Please... stop it." The more she said, 'stop it' the more she wanted it to stop! They weren't going to. Theresa groaned as the pressure just filled her eyes. She heard someone scowling, she heard someone loving and caring, she heard someone yell at her and call her names. A loud smack even filled her ears. Theresa closed her eyes tightly, but flashes of when she was a child until this very year in Paris came through.
There were also images that she never even seen. Horrible images that one would want to hide from like a child would. She finally let go of her ears to look up in the sky, her eyes were still closed and she yelled out in the sky. Her yell was desperate enough to stop all the voices, but one.
"I never said the fun would ever be spoiled, my lady." Theresa's eyes snapped open.
Theresa gasped as she sat up in her bed. Sweat was collecting along her brow as she was breathing heavily, her chest going up and down. Theresa gulped before she took a look down herself. She was in her nightgown, her plain, white night gown that looked absolutely nothing like the white and black dress... or costume that she saw herself wearing. There was no blood on it either, what a relief. Theresa put a hand through her hair. She held her hands out in front of her, there was nothing on them, no red. No... blood... Thank God, that was even a bigger relief.
Theresa closed her eyes before she shifted herself so that her legs were dangling off her bed, her feet lightly touched the ground. She cradled her forehead in her hands as she shook her head in disbelief. That voice.
Theresa opened her eyes, they strained in the dark and it was still very late. She stood up slowly and took a match in her hand. Against its box, she moved the match against it, only to be greeted with just enough light. She lit the nearest candle to her so she could have just a bit of light to walk to her vanity.
She didn't sit down on its bench, she only went down on her knees to see herself in the mirror ignoring the vanity's bench. Theresa looked every aspect of normal. She pressed her hand on the mirror, then on her face. It was a dream. A dream that sounded and even looked too real. Theresa stood straight up slowly and took her robe off of the bench. She threw it on quickly before she went into the trunk in front of her bed. She gathered up random pieces of music and pressed them against her chest, straightening them out before going over to her candle. Sleep wouldn't just come to her tonight, she felt.
Theresa opened the door to go out in the hallway, immediately the breeze from it hit her like there was a window opened in front of her. She breathed in through her nose slowly before her barefoot made it to the cold floor. Theresa peered out, looking to her left and then to her right, there was not even a sound. She brought her heel down and then took several quiet steps to awkwardly close the door. She only had a few nights like this, the way to the practice room was somewhat blurry, she hadn't been there since the day before the auditions six days ago.
She gulped as her eyes scanned around her, her careful step was more than quiet when she stepped. The only thing that would give her away was the candle that she held.
She wasn't exactly going slow either.
Theresa eventually found herself at the practice room. A smile made it to her face and she held the music under her arm before opening the door. She shut it slowly and when she heard a slight click from the door, she rushed to the piano sitting against the wall peacefully and untouched. Theresa looked behind her shoulder, she needed to clear her head after that slight dream for before. The voice... though... it never left and it repeated the same words in her ear.
What did it mean? And she knew exactly who it was who had said the only coherent thing she heard in her dream... or nightmare. Henri's.
She hadn't even given him a thought or anything lately, not even a side glance. However she did avoid him like the black plague, maybe that was why...
Theresa shook her head, she didn't need to think about this. She shuffled through her music, looking for a piece that appealed to her. None. Theresa then went to the one at the bottom, there was no title on it. Theresa looked around herself before she placed it delicately on top of the piano's stand. Would he come if he heard her? Theresa hoped that he would... she wanted to talk to him, him above anyone else.
Slowly she placed her hands along the smooth keys, she actually remembered the melody from that night, but the only difference was he added several flourishes. His piece was romantic and gentle, even the harmony. Theresa started to hum it to herself as she continued to play, she smiled lightly at it. Theresa didn't even notice how loud she was playing it, she was completely ignoring the soft changes in dynamics.
She stopped though abruptly in the middle. Her hands slipping off the keys of the piano as she stared at the piece of music in front of her. Theresa didn't seem to understand why she stopped in the first place. Why would she stop playing something so beautiful right in the middle of it? Theresa flexed her fingers again and then pressed them together until she could hear her knuckles crack. She pursed her lips and looked to her right to see ink and a quill waiting there for her. She shuffled the pages to the first one and then took the quill out of its ink.
Theresa wrote on the top of it in the most perfect cursive that she could muster, L'amore in una rosa. She took the quill back and smiled gently to herself as she put the quill back in its place. He was right. The name would come to her if she played it. She tilted her head up and took the music off the stand on the top of the piano. She held her robe tighter against her chest and then pressed the music to it as she got up and moved around the bench. She went to the door and opened it quietly, but closed it loudly. Not really caring what sort of noise she was going to make.
She wanted to be noticed. By him especially. She skimmed her hand on the wall as she walked through the shadows of the hallway. Unlike her step before, her step was more rushed. Theresa's hand searched for any sort of depression, any way to get her through to the start of the labyrinth other than the one in her room. She knew there were plenty of other ways, other pathways she could take.
She had to go see him. Even if she had to venture into the tunnels alone, she would do it. She didn't care if she got hurt, Theresa felt as though that this was something that she had to do. When Theresa felt a depression, she gathered up her skirts and clutched the music tighter against her robe. She felt for a doorknob so she could let herself through, but when her hand pressed against the door fully, she heard the wall suddenly move back.
Theresa yelped as she stumbled through almost dropping the music in her hands as she hit against it. But immediately, Theresa straightened up and moved though the small opening that was left for her. Theresa saw a torch already lit up, like the torch was waiting for her to grab. Theresa gulped to herself and had the urge to turn around and leave, but she was not going to do that. She pushed the wall back to its place from behind and gathered her skirts tighter. No matter how she wanted to move though, she was frozen in her place, staring blankly forward. Theresa shook her head.
She dropped her skirts and grabbed the off the wall. She lit the long path that she had to walk through, cob webs were spun at the columns that held other torches and she even saw a mouse looking at her with wide eyes. Maybe she wasn't the only that was in here before. A torch lit now must mean that it was just lit. She turned her head slightly at the way she just came in... did he leave out of here before?
Theresa didn't have time to question, frankly. Instead of pondering whether or not Erik had used this tunnel before her, she pressed on ahead, looking forward and carefully walking through to not step in anything. The tunnels were for some reason cold and damp, when outside she knew that it was warm and dry since it was July. Theresa used the light to guide her, and here and there she caught herself looking down at her feet.
She had no idea where she was going, or maybe what she was doing. Now she understood why Erik didn't want her going through these alone, their dangerous if you didn't know where you re going. Her hand skimmed the walls of the tunnel to help her see where to turn and whether or not the wall would dip down indicating steps. Maybe Erik did use this before, she didn't come up to any of his traps yet. With this realization, Theresa calmed down a bit, ceasing being cautious with her step and paying less attention to where she stepped.
Halfway through she began humming Erik's song to herself. Speaking of his music, it was currently scrapping against the wall of the tunnel as her hand that held it skimmed. She slowly dropped that hand reluctantly so now the light was her only guide.
Just then, her foot stepped on something that definitely was not supposed to be there. Theresa gasped loudly and both the music and the torch dropped as Theresa fell through the floor of the tunnel. Theresa fell on the top of a cold hard ground, the torch still aflame and the music falling right beside her. She quickly grabbed the music seeing the fire from the torch and scrambled on the top of her feet, scooping the torch's handle tightly in her hand. Theresa suddenly felt her chest compressing together, she began to breathe heavily as a sweat started to begin on the top of her forehead.
Her eyes scanned quickly around her, it looked like an empty room to her. Nothing was really in sight and the fire on the torch dulled from before. "Erik!" She screamed loudly, her voice trembling slight from fear. She didn't know if she would be heard though. But she did hear something. Theresa's eyes slowly widened as she slowly turned her head to where she heard something beginning to move forward. She kept her eyes there before she heard on the other side the same noise of something distinctly moving toward her. Theresa felt her breathing get more laboured as she moved her eyes upward to the hole that she fell through.
"Erik!" She called for him even more loudly before frantically looking around herself. The walls in this room below were beginning to close in on her, trapping her even more. Theresa searched for a way to get out of this room, looking for some sort of door that would take her away from here. "Erik!" She yelled even more loudly. "Please, help me!"
There was no response. Theresa couldn't believe how naïve she was for even coming to see him without him leading her. How stupid could she be? He warned her that she shouldn't wonder by herself in these tunnels. Why didn't she listen? Now, she could actually die down here because she didn't listen. For some reason, Theresa could see him not coming at all even if he heard her. He was so cross with her the last time they saw each other, so upset, that she doubted that he would come. She didn't react the best way at first toward him... she would admit that and she was sorry for that.
Theresa had stopped calling for him and braced herself for whatever it was that was coming for her. She tried to grip to reality, she tried to steer away from negative thoughts. If the Phantom wasn't going to help her right now, because he couldn't hear her or because he didn't care for her, she was going to get out of here herself. Theresa took a deep breath through her nose to try and calm herself. The walls closing in on her were moving slowly, as if they wanted her to get out from between them.
She tried to think like Erik. She knew that there would be traps that he would put in so people would steer away from his lair, but she also knew that there was always a way out of the trap. Theresa quickly strode forward, not daring to look at the walls that were closing in on her. She was taking a chance, a brave chance, a foolish chance. How could she even go through with it? Theresa's face went hard with determination as she quickly ran to the end of the room,
She looked for something along the wall, an edge that could bring her out. Theresa desperately dropped both the torch and the music as she ran her hands over the wall, searching for a depression or a crack in the wall that would be the beginning of the door. "Come on!" She shouted tearfully, her eyes were beginning to well up with water as she began to feel more panicked. Theresa felt her face twist as she began to bang on the wall. The banging repeated as she continued growing more and more frustrated. The walls that were moving were coming quickly together now.
With one final punch of her fist, Theresa let out a strangled yell, "No! Let me out, please!" Theresa knew that there wasn't anyone there. She knew that these were going to be her last moments. Tears streamed down her face as she felt herself facing defeat. Her head fell forward as she closed her eyes tightly enough as if wishing that this would just end right now. She let out a loud sob as her fist weakly now banged again on the door, towards the side of it.
This was obviously not the way out. Theresa didn't pay mind to the walls any more as she allowed her hand out of its fist to touch the door with her palm. She opened her mouth as she continued to cry out like a little girl again. Her cheeks were soaking wet and around her closed eyes her skin was swollen and red. "Erik..." She whispered while her body shook. She pressed her palm against the wall even hard, her olive skin turning white as she did this. "I cannot stay here, I cannot." She murmured, sniffling as she pressed her lips together. Another sob was trying to force itself out, but she tried to hold it in, her body shaking as she did so.
"Theresa!" Theresa parted her mouth as her eyes flew open. She stood there at first frozen in her place before she slowly turned around to see Erik gritting his teeth. The dim lighting the torch gave off showed his menacing figure right now, how his fists were balled and how his features were crinkled at her in anger. It didn't stop her heart though from racing rapidly. The walls were continuing to close in on them, but Erik didn't budge just yet. Theresa didn't say a word to him as he began to finally stride toward her, his long strides toward her almost made him seem not real to her.
Was this real? Or was she just imagining him? Theresa quickly bent down to swipe the music she brought with her on the ground before rising up to face Erik again. It was real. Because when Erik took her free wrist tightly in his hand, she could feel his anger that was coursing through him on the top of her skin. Without a word, Erik dragged her forward and his pace became a lot quicker as he took her to the other side of the room. Theresa absently stumbled over her feet as Erik tugged her along, her eyes were on the back of his head almost mesmerized by him right now.
The walls continued to close in on them, but she knew now that she was going to be fine because now Erik came for her. He pushed on the wall toward the top, as if it was a certain button, and just by his simple and light touch, the door showed itself. By the edge of it, Erik pried it open with his other hand with a grunt. The wall/door opened then for them and Erik dragged Theresa through it.
Theresa held the music close to her chest as Erik pushed her to the side when they were on the other side of the door. Theresa still didn't say anything, not making any other sound. She just stood there just as before, her eyes focused on him as he closed the door they went through. Theresa's eyes moved from the top of his black hair to the shoes that he wore. He was here. The Phantom of the Opera. Erik. He was here with her... and Theresa could have never been happier. Theresa could have smiled at him when the door closed, she could have kissed him or hugged him... or do something other than stand there in silence, but Erik didn't even turn to look at her.
He didn't even acknowledge her presence as he stood there, breathing heavily as his gloved hands were both pressed onto the door he just closed. Theresa felt the moisture nervously gather in her mouth, she gulped whatever she could before she dared herself to take a step forward. The tears that were streaming down her cheeks dried and she felt her hand actually shaking as she went to go to touch his shoulder. She didn't know if it was from fear, or just because of her shock that he actually came, but it subsided once she laid it there.
She felt Erik wince from her touch like she had hurt him when she laid her hand there, but he didn't move away from her. Instead he slowly turned his head toward her. Theresa shifted to her right to get a better look at his face, to see it fully. She expected the same angry look to be on it, but to her surprise, when his green eyes found her hazel eyes, his face went soft. Although, she could see that the rest of his body was very much tense.
She waited for him to say something to her, to respond to her in any sort of way. She didn't want to do anything without hearing his melodic voice that she had missed. It didn't take long for her to hear it, and the pain around her wrist that she felt before when he grabbed happened again. Erik took her hand off of him, the soft look slipping out of his eyes and being replaced with a look of pure fury. His gloved hand enclosed her wrist tightly within his hand, startling Theresa for a moment. She seethed through her teeth as Erik moved her a step back away from him.
"You insolent, stupid girl," Erik growled to her through his teeth. Theresa could hear the hatred slipping through his tone. "Do you know what could have just happened? Do you know what you just did?" He asked her angrily, shaking her wrist and forcing her more backward. Theresa didn't say a word. Instead she looked up at Erik with her hazel eyes and kept her mouth pursed. "I told you to never come down here, to never wander around these tunnels without me, and yet you do so! What was going through your head, Theresa? What?"
His grip grew tighter around her wrist, Theresa could feel his anger as she tried to thrash it out. "Let go of me." She told him calmly, twisting and turning her wrist to get it out of his hold.
He ignored, increasing his grip on her as she tried to get it out. He shouted at her, Theresa through the darkness could have sworn that she saw a vein actually pop out on the unmasked side of his face. "You could have died! Do you not understand that, girl? Are you too foolish to understand that?"
She grunted when she tried to take her wrist out of his hold again. Theresa felt herself gather all of her strength and actually growing angry as well for how he was speaking to her. She snapped out of that daze she found herself in moments ago upon seeing him for the first time in weeks. Theresa finally thrashed her arm out of Erik's hold, her wrist throbbed because of where he gripped her. "Yes, I do understand what I did, and yes I do know that it was foolish of me, Erik." She said to him in a low, cold tone as her other hand went to rub her wrist to soothe the throbbing. "But I had to see you and you weren't around to take me, so I took matters in my own hands. It was a mistake."
Though she kept her tone low and steady, Theresa felt herself shaking. It wasn't from fear, nor was it from anger. In fact, the reason for this shaking was unknown to her. She rubbed her wrist while her arm did its best to keep the music close to her chest. Theresa found herself glaring at him when he began to narrow her eyes back at her. He didn't make a reply. "Thank you for saving me," Theresa said to him shortly.
"You're welcome, Signora." Erik replied to her, equally short and almost in a growling sort of way. Theresa pressed her lips together, looking him up and down. She debated on what she should say to him next, not really sure. When she began to think to herself, her hazel eyes landed on the gold chain that hid underneath his black cloak. She caught a glimpse of it and her face almost fell, however, she didn't say a word of acknowledgement about it. Erik inquired to her, "You said you had to see me?"
"Yes, I did." Theresa tried not to soften her face a little bit after he asked her that. She thought that he would have yelled or shouted at her with hate and anger again, but he didn't. She took a deep breath before she held out his music to him. Erik broke his eye contact with her to look down at it with his brow furrowing. "I found the title. It only took one sitting." Erik slowly reached out his hand to grab it out of her hand. Theresa noticed a look of shock take over his face as he took it from her.
She wasn't even sure if that was what she saw, but she heard the shock in his voice, "You played this?" He sounded almost shocked that she played it before. Theresa nodded her head to him slowly, not sure how she should feel with him being shocked over that. "But why would... I never thought..."
"You never thought what?" Theresa prompted to him, tilting her head and looking at him confused. He stared down at his music, holding it with both of his hands and looking down at it. His green eyes reading over each and every note before they finally fell on the title written on the top. Theresa suddenly came to realize it. "You thought that I wouldn't keep to my promise? Because of what happened...?"
"You were told to stay away from me," Erik stated to her as if it was explanation enough for her. Theresa narrowed her eyes at him now confused as her eyebrow crinkled. "I heard you and Madame Giry talking." It was as if Erik had just read her mind, answering her unspoken question. Did he hear everything of that talk she had with Madame Giry two weeks ago? She wanted to ask him that but she was afraid of hearing the answer.
She gulped silently before she gained the courage to ask him, "How much did you hear of our talk?"
"Every word, which is why I thought that you really would stay away from me." Erik said to her, slowly looking up at her. Theresa could have sworn that with the little light that they had in this hallway she could see sadness within his eyes. Theresa felt her eyes once again begin to water as she shook her head no. She noticed how Erik inwardly swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "Theresa—."
"Erik, did you really hear every word of that conversation I had with Madame Giry?" Theresa asked him slowly, taking a step toward him and eyeing him puzzled. Because if Erik really had heard her and Madame Giry's conversation he would've heard Theresa wanting to actually speak with him right after. Erik now looked at her confused. Theresa half-expected him to scowl at her, but he didn't at all. He was waiting for her to continue, keeping silent. "Erik, it may have scared me a little," not a little, a lot, her mind corrected, "but I've met you and I've talked to you before I even heard all of what she told me. You aren't that man any more, it's—."
Erik suddenly felt his blood boil inside of him as he took several steps forward. "You don't know me. I am a—!"
"You're not!" Theresa cut him off loudly and fisted her hands as she took a small step, looking up at him. Erik gritted his teeth. Never had he encountered a woman so irritating, so frustrating as her. "You're every bit a man, no matter what anyone says! You are a man who made mistakes, who is lonely! You feel things. A monster doesn't feel things."
"You don't know me." Erik repeated to her. The nerve of her! She didn't have any right to say that, she never met him enough times to state that. What gave her the right? The woman boggled him, she really did. There were so many things about her that were admiring, yes, but there were many things that he couldn't get straight. Her nerve being one of them, and the fact that she was so frustrating. Theresa was also naïve and foolish for being such a smart girl.
Theresa shook her head in disbelief, "You don't know yourself. I probably know you better than you know yourself, Erik."
"You don't." Erik said to her in almost a low growl, a warning growl as he moved his head forward toward her. An odd look came across his face as he noticed Theresa not taking a step back, or even flinching back to get away from him. Their faces were so close, so close that if Theresa moved only a quarter of an inch forward she would bump noses with him. He added to her, "And you will never know me like that, mademoiselle. I could murder you right now, I've done it before, and I could do it again."
"Then why don't you?" Theresa asked him not phased. She never even broke eye contact with him as he brought a hand to touch an exposed part of her neck. "You could have done it this whole time and plenty of times before, and yet you haven't. I don't believe you, Erik." Theresa was still shaking as Erik touched her. His simple gloved touch caused her to shiver, but he didn't feel it. Erik looked as if he was fighting with himself. Theresa's eyes went from the top of his head to his pale lips before she looked at his green eyes once again. She said to him slowly, "Erik, I know you're not like that any more. You wouldn't have let me go the very first time that I was in your lair and, maybe, you always were gentle, but... very lonely."
"You are frustrating me." Erik said to her with his eyes cold and hard. His tone sounded almost threatening, but Theresa could hear it trembling. She still didn't step away from him or make it look like she was frightened by that statement.
Theresa ignored his statement, surprising herself by what she said next. "You are not alone, Erik." The words confused Erik and they were familiar too him, all too familiar. But he didn't know what she meant by that. Those words toward him were only used one other time, one other time, and that was when Christine made her choice to save the man that she truly loved. Those words were once used in fear. But now... he didn't understand what they were being used for. Theresa didn't give him time to think, for not even a second later, Erik felt her hand caress his smooth cheek, her other hand going to his neck. Theresa closed the proximity between them, softly placing her lips on top of his, closing her eyes.
Erik's eyes were wide and his hand that was on top of her neck fell and stiffened. The music in his other hand fell out and onto the floor, scattering. He looked down pointedly to see that this was really happening. Theresa moved her lips slowly to try and make Erik's lips more loose. Her lips were soft and smooth against his. Erik felt something tingling along his mouth as he began to kiss her back, his eyes closing. Soon his hand went into her hair to push it back, his other resting on the top of her neck. He could have sworn that he actually felt Theresa's lips pull up into a smile.
Their kiss ended far too soon for him. Theresa parted his mouth, her beautiful, small mouth, away from his. Erik slowly opened his eyes to see Theresa put a hand over her mouth, staring up at him almost astonished. She didn't even... she didn't even realize that she was going to do that. Erik was puzzled by her at that moment. "I'm... I'm sorry," she apologized to him. "I didn't mean to do that." She touched her lips for a moment before dropping her hand while her cheek began to burn almost a bright red. Erik now felt awkward standing before her.
He straightened himself before he cleared his throat, watching Theresa bend down to pick up the music off of the floor. Theresa gathered the music, thanking for the small moment she had away from his eyes before standing straight up. She went to hand him the music. Erik slowly took it out of his hands and though he felt awkward right now, he managed to have a smooth tone when speaking to her, "Thank you. I think I should lead you to your room... now."
Theresa avoided eye contact with him for a moment, "Yes, that... that would be nice. Auditions for everyone are tomorrow morning, I have to be up bright and early."
"I thought your role was secured," Erik said to her, brushing off the kiss she gave him immediately and brushing off the small argument they had before it. In fact, he almost had forgotten what led them to that moment. Theresa still didn't look up at him as she nodded her head, confirming that. Erik watched her hands nervously fiddle in front of the skirt of her nightgown, did she do that a lot when she would feel nervous or awkward?
"It is, but they want me to sit in and watch, so I must. They want my opinions during auditions." Theresa told him, she frankly didn't understand why she was needed there if she didn't have to try out. But as long as the managers commanded her presence, she was to be there. Theresa though would have Jean to have as company, which was good for her. She could talk to him. "Not that I really want to do it," Theresa muttered under her breath.
"Well, thank you... for the song, I mean." Erik said to her after a moment.
Theresa sniggered to herself before nodding her head, still not looking at Erik directly. "No, thank you. You saved me from my death." Erik nodded his head rather awkwardly still before grabbing one of her hands that she was fiddling with in his hand. He gripped it firmly, but didn't start moving yet. Theresa finally looked up at him to see that he was waiting for her to pay attention. The warning was in his eyes, speaking to her.
It said, 'Don't ever do that again' but Theresa wasn't sure if he meant the going through the labyrinth alone, or the kiss. Maybe he meant both. Then with that one final look Erik carefully stepped in front of her, tucking his music underneath his cape and leading her back to her room.
Hey everyone... so yeah. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter will be out next Friday on March 8th! Hope to see you there! Don't forget to drop a review and to like my Facebook page for sneak peeks of next chapter! :)
Love,
Tiana xoxo