Christine walked past Erik and stopped near the table, looking at him nervously. He closed the door and turned toward her, hands on narrow hips and waited for her to speak. He felt dread pooling in his stomach at what she was about to say.
She sat down on the only easy chair in the room. She was anxious about this visit; it was a far cry from her last time here. Erik took a seat on the couch facing her, lacing his fingers together and silently cursing de Chagny for ever showing up.
"Um...Erik, I know R-Raoul had no business saying those things to you. He was rude and obnoxious."
She paused and took a deep breath. "But you had no right to attack him the way you did. You could have hurt him very badly." She put a hand up when he started to speak. "As it was, I had a hard time convincing him not to call the police." She was still shocked by his conduct, having never seen someone behave that way. So quick to react- so angry.
But her last words had surprised him and he looked at her hopefully. "Why did you even try?" he asked softly.
"Because...because I..." she stopped, agitated. She didn't have the answer to that one. Here was a man she knew practically nothing about, but she felt drawn to him despite his dubious behavior. If she had the good sense God gave a goose, she would leave him alone from now on.
But this wouldn't be the first time she thought with her heart instead of her head. "Please, Erik. Can you promise me that it won't happen again? Raoul thinks you're a danger to Mamma and me, and I'm not so sure he isn't right about that." And so you come charging up here, to do what? Test your theory? Really bright, Christine.
He felt inexplicably sad that she would think he could ever harm her. Erik got up from the couch and knelt in front of her, gently taking her hands. "I would never hurt you, Christine," he said quietly. "But I have to wonder at your friend. If he was so worried for your safety with me, why would he leave you alone for one single minute thinking I was a danger to you?"
Why indeed? she thought.
He rubbed his thumbs across the backs of her hands, marveling at how right they felt in his. "I am truly sorry that I lost my temper with your friend. For what it is worth, I will not do so again," he vowed.
Snapping the boy's neck still seemed like an excellent idea though, but it would upset her.
She stared at their joined hands, and finally looked up at him, suddenly wishing more than anything that she could see his face. Looking into his strange eyes, Christine noticed for the first time how deeply set they appeared in the sockets.
Odd.
He was watching her with an intensity that was causing butterflies in her stomach. Erik removed his hands from hers, and hesitantly cupped her face, tilting her chin up. Slowly he leaned toward her waiting for her to pull away.
But she didn't.
Her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted slightly, waiting. His nerves were thrumming along their endings; he felt balanced on the edge of a precipice; no soft landing this- Erik was completely lost in the moment. Aside from the sweet pull of music, his life had been a nightmare- he was awake for the very first time.
His miracle.
Unfortunately, she was much better off without him. But that didn't stop him from wanting a taste.
No...
He touched his mouth lightly to hers, brushing it softly, pulse racing madly from the exquisite touch and feel of her lips pressed to his, causing a frisson of pure delight. He pulled back, reluctant to break the contact, but afraid of her reaction.
Her hands which had ended up curled against his thin chest, slid up around his neck and pulled his head back to hers. This time his cool mouth met Christine's hungrily and he moaned, pulling her tighter against his body, his hands skimming over her back.
The kiss was unschooled, but his eagerness more than made up for his lack of finesse. He had been touch deprived for far too many years, and hands on him usually meant physical harm. Hers were wondrous and he wanted more- much more. In those few moments, he felt intense joy, an emotion virtually unknown to him. But it also gave him a feeling of unease. To become used to this bliss and then to lose it...
She threaded her fingers through his soft hair, liking the feel of his arms around her, clutching her close. Closer.
This was so damned wrong. She barely knew him, and wondered at her response. He felt her withdrawal before she actually began to pull away from him. Her lips had stopped moving on his. He could feel her emotions shutting down and knew morosely, she was regretting this temporary lapse in judgment.
Too fast, her inner voice whispered. Doubt rose up in her mind, directing her to pull away from him, and she tried shutting that voice out, preferring the heat growing in her lower belly. He was all too exciting to her inflamed senses, but perhaps that was a part of the attraction for her; a unique element arriving into her safe and normal life, adding a spark that hadn't been present before. Which was not a solid foundation to build a relationship on. Geez...I was bored on Monday so I let the nutty tenant in the attic apartment do a little lip-lock on me. Oh, by the way...he tried to strangle my ex-boyfriend. Eh...no biggie.
And yet, it was the strangest feeling to her; the sense that she had been waiting for just this man. In a very short time, he felt familiar and important to her well being. She mentally shook herself. You idiot! This isn't one of those sappy romances where everything works out in the end. He could be a psycho. Then what do you say as he's choking the life from you? OOPS! My bad. She started to pull away from him; her common sense kicking in at last, leaving a part of her protesting her withdrawal.
With great reluctance, Erik pulled away from her mouth, already mourning the loss of it. She was fast becoming a drug to him, and one that all too soon he would not be able to live without. For an infinitesimal moment, so quick that it barely registered in his brain, he refused to let her go, wanting more of her warmth and softness- he'd been cold for so long.
He leaned forward until his forehead was touching hers, willing his breathing to slow down. He stood up on shaky legs and moved away, clenching his fists to keep from pulling her into his arms once more. "I… apologize for that. It will not happen again," and raked a trembling hand through his hair.
Christine wasn't sure if that's what she wanted to hear from him. He had seemed just as eager as she had, even more so. She had enjoyed kissing him, but it would be better to put this behind them. At least for now. Forgetting it, well, that would be a completely different matter. What she needed was to get a handle on her feelings for him; as of right now, they didn't make a whole lot of sense.
"I should go." She pushed to her feet, and without looking at him, walked to the door and wished him a hasty goodbye.
He stood there unable to move, wanting her back with all of his being, and wondering if his first kiss would be his last. But he had kissed her! And she didn't pull away. Christine had responded to him. To him! She deserved much better than a freak and a killer; many who had met death from his hands had called him a monster with their last breaths.
And he was...
It would be the worst hell in the world for him to walk away from her when this was over.
Christine went downstairs in a daze, passing one of their tenants on the stairs, barely acknowledging her greeting. She made straight for her bedroom, and shutting the door, lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She reached up and touched a finger to lips that had been thoroughly kissed.
What were they doing?
She puzzled over it. Their acquaintance had been brief, but Christine felt closer to him in a shorter period of time, than to people she'd known for years. She was still having trouble coming to grips with her response to him; there was much to admire in the man, aside from his appearance, that is, but so much of his life was unknown to her. He had a hair-trigger temper- that much she knew, watching in horror as he went for her friend's throat. The next time someone angered him, he might not stop until it was too late.
What if it was her?
So why when he was near her, did she feel more alive? Turning her back on him didn't seem like an option at the moment- the pull toward him was becoming far too strong. All this, and she had yet to see his true face. And although she would try to forget what had just occurred between them, she knew that was impossible.
What next?
In the morning, Christine dragged herself to work; having slept poorly, she knew the day would be a long one. The store wasn't terribly busy though, so around lunchtime, she made coffee for herself and Meg, pouring them each a cup. Leaning a hip on the counter, she observed her friend over the rim of her mug.
"Meg- " she began hesitantly. "Uh, do you believe a person can fall in love with someone and not know them well at all?" She took a sip of coffee and looked out the window at Baltimore St., bars of sunlight shifting over the road, the day already promising to be a warm one. Meg was straightening a shelf of paperback books near the door and turned to look at her.
She shrugged. "Sure, I guess so. I think people can fall in love at first sight." She grinned knowingly at Christine. "Make that a big yeah, especially if he's a hunk. Why?"
Christine shook her head. "No reason. Just asking."
Meg gave her friend a questioning look. "Oh. So are you planning on falling in love anytime soon? Or just looking for a likely candidate?" She laughed when her friend gave her a dirty look.
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm not so hard up I have to go hunting for a man." Christine sniffed. "Someday he'll come along and drop right into my lap. I won't have to do a thing." She dusted her hands together. "Poof! And there he is."
Meg grinned. "Uh huh. Right off that man tree in your back yard. Right beside the one with all the money hanging from its branches. Well as soon as you get yours, move aside and let me have my turn."
Christine snorted in disgust. "Just listen to us! Not exactly career oriented, are we?"
She changed the subject and proceeded to tell Meg about the masquerade ball on July 2nd, and they discussed costumes. Around one, business picked up and remained fairly constant for the rest of the afternoon. Six o'clock finally arrived and she left for the day; she had opened the store that morning at nine, Meg was staying until closing.
Erik, across the street, watched her leave. He was well hidden in the shadows between buildings; he hadn't meant to be here, but found he couldn't help himself. It was Friday, and tonight he would meet with Moncharmin. It made him uneasy having his thoughts scattered this way when he needed to keep his wits about him. Andre played two games and the highest bidder won.
In this particular case, it was Erik and his employers, or so he was led to believe.
Still...
Of course, Erik himself at times had been tempted to sell out to whoever paid the highest, but decided at some point, even he needed some honor. He watched Christine get in her car and pull out of the lot. He leaned back against the brick wall and closed his eyes. He felt her mouth on his again and savored the memory of it, knowing when he was gone from here, he would bring that particular moment out of hiding and remember it over and over. His will power would be taxed to the limit leaving her alone.
After all, when had he ever been this close to Heaven? It was not going to be easy staying away from her, Erik thought tiredly.