Marie
Ah, yes... he does have
a fine ass. *throat-clearing* Anyway... is everybody ready so the
extraordinarily sad and pathetic almost-but-not-quite kiss scene? I was afraid so... you can put your hands
down now. You do realize that I can't
see you right? Just checking. Anyway, here goes...
"What is American Gothic?" I yelled at the TV. The teen player on repeated me and Alex awarded him with $400.
"Pop Music for $100"
"This pop star has had several hits this year including 'Uninvited' and 'Thank U'."
"Who is Alanis Morrisette?" I answered.
"What is this show again?" Erik asked, staring at the TV screen in confusion.
"Jeopardy." I answered him, trying to hear the answers. "A trivia show."
"Hmm...that sounds rather ominous... who is King Louis the Fifteenth?" he answered a question that had stumped the players on-screen.
"Very good!" I congratulated him when he was proved right.
"What is Mount Fuji?" Lisa yelled up from her Biology notes, which she was supposed to be studying.
"And now the Final Jeopardy question and it is a video... let's look. This photograph taken in 1879, shows this monument when it was only 150 feet tall. Good luck."
"My... that's phallic." Lisa grinned. "It's the Washington Monument, duh!"
"So not everyone knows all the grand phallic symbols of the US of A... give them a break!" I countered, tossing a page of her notes at her. "You... Study... Now."
Before relenting, she threw one of her favorite hand gestures at me and turned the CD player back on to Jekyll and Hyde, which was at a very cool song... the ever-popular Bring on the Men.
I decided now was as good a time as any to break into impromptu rehearsal. I burst into song and nearly made Erik fall off of the bed. With a little squeal of delight, Lisa sat next to him to watch. I hammed it up to the nines, directing most of it to Erik and earning a slight blush out of him. (I could only tell this because his ears turned red... that mask can be frustrating at times!)
Afterwards, Lisa screamed at the two of us to get lost so she could spamming study. (Yes, it is a spamming activity... obviously, you don't do it very often if you're busy reading this. Don't you have homework to do? French, English, Swahili, something? You mean you're actually going to read this scene? Oh god... well, here goes nothing. Cuz that's exactly what happened...)
Erik and I decided a walk was in order, after all I had been cooped up in the room since lunch in order to do a poster for my Astronomy class the next night. Poster finished I was now anxious to get outside, even if it was a little rainy and chilly for late April. Erik chivalrously agreed to escort me aimlessly around campus. Despite the rain, stars peeked from behind the clouds every so often and the full moon bravely cut through the mist to light up the woods behind the college.
The woods were still except for the pitter-pat of delinquent raindrops and the occasional chirp of a cricket or cicada. I began to hum one of the songs that Erik ad been teaching me during my voice lessons, All I Ask of You. As of yet, he'd never sung with me... he'd never sung for either of us at all. We'd referred to him as having "the voice" only from his speaking... singing was something entirely different. I imagined his singing voice would be quite capable of turning tempered steel (and women's legs) to jelly.
I was not wrong about this!
He sang the male's part softly at first, his hand tentatively seeking mine in a tender grip. Despite my mind's sudden pause for station identification, I managed to squeeze his hand as we walked. I also succeeded in remembering my part of the song and put my heart into it, stopping and turning him towards me so that we sang to each other.
I had been in love with the Phantom of the Opera for years, ever since a girl at Scout camp had introduced me to the story. After meeting him, I had fallen in love with suffering and gentle man underneath the mask and the legend. He could be the sweetest man, offering to help me with my science homework or judge my singing outside of lessons... he laughed at my many smart-ass jokes and submitted his own in return... yet, underneath his facade of having accepted and moved on from Christine's rejection, I could tell that it still bothered him immensely... he only refused to let anyone comfort him despite his desperate need for it. As I looked into his pale blue eyes, I was astounded by the pleading I saw there and was reminded of a lovely line from Jekyll and Hyde.
In his eyes, I can see
Where my heart longs to be
In his eyes, I see a gentle glow
And that's where I'll be safe, I know
We continued singing the love song, my mind a whirl with possibilities, most involving the kiss at the end. I could feel his hands shyly snake around my waist and drift up my back in a lightly caressing motion that also pulled me closer to him. My mind was numb, my voice running on auto-pilot as I lifted my face towards him, plainly giving him eager permission to kiss me.
He leaned forward, his mouth merely an inch away from mine. I closed my eyes and parted my lips slightly, my heart doing a million beats per minute in anticipation of this long-desired event.
“Marie…” he whispered, backing away suddenly.
“What?” I shook my head in confusion.
“I… we… can’t.” he managed, his breathing heavy.
“Erik… I want you to.” I insisted, knowing that he probably thought he had frightened me or something.
“But… my mask… my face…”
I understood his meaning. His mask had remained firmly in place since we’d met him. I was beginning to think he even slept with it on. Never once had he offered to show either Lisa or myself what lay beneath. To be fair, never once had either of us ever asked to be shown. We had decided early on never to pry into Erik’s affairs… well… his affairs beyond kidnapping him to the 20th century. To be nosy with Erik was also to invoke his definitive wrath, if the stories were to be believed.
I closed the gap between us, my hands on his shoulders. “Do you trust me, Erik?”
He glanced at me warily, as though I truly were the lion of my zodiac, poised to pounce on him with lightning speed. “Yes?” he sounded as though he weren’t sure that was the right answer.
“Do you really? Do you trust me enough to show me your face?” I asked gently, using one hand to stroke his hair lightly.
“I-“ he began. I quickly placed two fingers over his mouth, effectively silencing him.
“Don’t speak. Let’s just find out.” I whispered.
He nodded, fear closing his eyes in anxiety. With trembling fingers, I reached around to the back of his head, where the satin ribbons held his mask in place. As I lowered the leather covering, I refused to look away from his face. I was absolutely certain that it wouldn’t frighten me in the least. Now I wasn’t mistaken. Granted, the man was no oil painting (to quote his own words regarding Charles Garnier) but I knew that behind that face was a gentle, loving, compassionate, and intelligent man.
“Erik?” I coaxed him into opening his eyes. He stared at me for a second, perhaps wondering if I really had taken his mask. I smiled and placed said article in his hand, so that if he felt he needed it… he would have it.
“Marie… I-“
I silenced him again, although whether from impatience or fear of what he might say, I have yet to figure out. With my fingers still pressed against his lips, I slowly rose up on tiptoes to kiss him.
Bright lights shone us suddenly, startling us apart as effectively as two parents interrupting a supposed "study" session. I tried to tone down the light in my eyes with my hand as Erik backed away from me quickly, slipping on his mask pulling his cloak around him to blend in with the shadows out of old habit.
"Hey, Marie!" I heard a familiar voice call out jovially.
"Hi, Ed." I greeted the Public Safety officer through gritted teeth. "Since when did you work the night shift?"
"Oh, Jingles called out... his wife's having a baby or something." Ed shrugged, walking right past us on his rounds. "You two should get back... it's kinda late and you're not supposed to be back here. If you got hurt or something, no one would know where to find you."
"Sure thing, Ed... night." I waved him off, turning to Erik with pure frustration in my head (and elsewhere, but we won't discuss that!).
"We should do as the officer says." Erik said before I had a chance to resume anything. Without further reply, he took my hand and nearly dragged me out of the woods... not pleasantly either. He seemed angry, perhaps regretting his almost-liaison with me.
That had to be it, I figured, letting him pull me back to the room. He wasn't interested in me in the least... had only been seeking comfort to ease the pain of Christine's rejection. I had been stupid to think otherwise! I was 5'4", 180 pounds, acne-faced, and four-eyed. Yes, I had beautiful eyes and hair and an all-together not-unpleasant face and figure. But, as with the hero and heroine of Black Velvet, Erik worshipped things of utter beauty... not things of so-so beauty. Jenny was me, true… but a HIGHLY idealized me nonetheless. Despite my tirade against myself, I found that I still had to fight against tears.
The beast would do anything for love... but he meant to love a beauty, not an ugly duckling or a white cat.