The rest of the dinner party was tense. Erik knew it was his fault but he really couldn't be bothered to give a shit. The more he dwelled on the scene, the angrier he'd become. At first be was just annoyed by the gall of that insolent boy. But some of that annoyance had transferred to his little mouse of a wife.
Christine should've fucking known better. Even if she couldn't stand him, she had no right to be giggling like that in the arms of another man. Not for any reason.
The only person he could've even remotely excused her being like that with was Gustave. Even then, he would've still at least questioned it.
Because that wasn't normal for people who were related, either. He didn't think so at least. Perhaps he was wrong. His parents had never given two singular shits about him.
So it was entirely possible for him to be wrong about such a thing. But he chose not to dwell on it. There was no need to open old wounds for something so stupid and hypothetical.
He kept a close eye on Raoul after he returned to the party. It was nice to know that the pink wasn't completely gone from his cheeks. Let that serve as a reminder to Piangi should he get tired of Carlotta's continued whining and fits.
He wasn't worried about anyone questioning what happened because there were plenty of lies that could be told.
If Raoul knew what was good for him, he'd use any of them. Snitching would only make his situation so much worse.
Thankfully, no one asked about it and Raoul simply took the empty chair without a complaint. He nodded once as if to praise him. The boy deserved it for once. He was being good for him.
He blocked out everything else from the dinner party, only grunting when he was directly addressed. It wasn't often but it happened. Usually it was Piangi or Nadir that spoke to him.
Meg and Gustave were monopolizing the rest of Christine's time. Oddly enough, he was glad about this. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd respond if she were to talk to him now.
When it came time for everyone to leave, Raoul seemed insistent upon pushing his luck because he helped Christine do the dishes and put everything away. Of course, his little bride would be too kind to deny such a 'sweet' offer.
Erik let this one slide. It wasn't as if it was directly hurting anything. It was just something he'd prefer that the man didn't do it. He remained in the doorway, watching the two of them with his arms crossed over his chest.
Clearly they both needed supervision when alone together and he was more than happy to provide it. At least for tonight. Maybe de Chagny could prove himself before they were alone next time.
When they finished with the dishes,
Christine leaned up to kiss her friend's cheek. He didn't think too much for this because it was clearly a goodbye.
Raoul, however, embraced Christine and pulled her flush against his chest. One of his hands even rested a little too low for comfort on her back.
What really pushed his buttons was the fact that Raoul had made contact with him over her shoulder. He was smirking. He was so clearly proud of himself. That was fine. He wanted to keep this going?
There was no reason to deny him.
He'd just show him why doing this was a bad idea some other time. Preferably while Christine wasn't around to see it.
It was hard enough to convince the woman to like him, let alone forgive him. He would prefer that his first apology to her wasn't something overly major. Even he knew that he'd need some practice beforehand.
Neither apologies or words came easy to him. Perhaps they never would but he was fine with that. So long as he found a way to make her understand him.
Christine had no idea that she could be as anxious as she was right now. Erik had been rather... off all night.
She'd hoped that he would've gotten over his issue after having a conversation with Raoul outside.
Clearly he hadn't. The hug had just made it worse. She knew that without looking at her husband. Which is why she didn't return the hug.
Raoul looked disappointed as he pulled back and it made her feel guilty. But before she could apologize, he was turning on heel. He didn't even look back at her once as
Now that they were alone, her anxiety heightened further. The last thing she wanted was to fall apart on him. Especially when things were already so rocky between them to begin with.
Erik approached her and she found herself backing into the sink. He stopped short, glaring down at her.
"You are truly a mystery, little mouse. You know that? I know you don't particularly like me but I am your husband. You need to respect that." He sneered, his lips pulling into a snarl.
Despite her efforts to remain strong, she immediately burst into tears. It was all too much. She was overwhelmed in more ways than one. Her hands shook as she tried to wipe her tears away.
"I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me! I just- I just missed him! He's my best friend." Christine blurted, her heart pounding within her chest. It was almost painful.
In the back of her mind, she knew that she must look pathetic. But she couldn't bring herself to care. She just wanted this situation to be over already.
She was afraid. Perhaps not because of him but because she didn't know what to expect of him.
She yelped as she was suddenly pulled into him. She held her breath for a few moments, unsure of what to expect. She allowed herself to relax when he simply wrapped his arms around her. There was a squeeze that followed as if he was trying to apologize to her in some way.
It shouldn't be enough. She should demand a proper apology for distressing her to this point. But she didn't. All she cared about was the fact that he was the only thing holding her together at the moment. Even if it was his fault in the first place.
She fisted her tiny hands the material of his shirt and buried her face against his shoulder. She focused on calming herself.
Besides, Christine wasn't entirely sure he'd meant to frighten her. It was just how it seemed at the moment.