Lisa
Oh, and just to let
everyone know…Marie did turn a few heads that night (you should have seen the
way the guy at the concession stand was looking at her! (and he was cute too) Anyhow…
Marie was right about one thing…if I wasn’t at work, it was a safe bet I was over at Erik’s. We had been working on his cooking and it was time for his first solo meal (something like a first solo flight…but not quite as dramatic. First meals don’t usually involve big explosions and death…but with Erik, the king of drama, you never could tell) On the night before the fateful venture into cooking Erik was in the kitchen looking over his supplies and I was checking my email on his PC.
I saw it again…another email from mom (a little insight, me and ma don’t get along). “Might as well open it Lisa…” I muttered, pointing the mouse at the offending email.
A few minutes later it was all I could do not to stave in Erik’s monitor with my bare foot. I pushed the chair away from the desk and stood up. Now Erik had never seen me in this state…the state I’m in after getting a less than cordial email from mom. I’ll tell you now, it isn’t pretty. I was pacing up and down the room talking to myself when Erik walked in. I knew it wasn’t exactly pleasant to watch me pace and listen to me rant under my breath…but once I’m on a roll.
Anyway…my basic litany went something like… “How dare she…that arrogant…it’s not an inherent right, everyone has to earn it …” and other fun mutterings.
I could see Erik out of the corner of my eye, he was standing in the doorway with a confused expression. I was about to apologize for ignoring him when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
I was more than faintly surprised when Erik spun me around (being as he had just been on the other side of the room) and closed his mouth over mine. His hands ran up and down my spine making me shiver pleasantly. I could feel the heat of his body radiating through my clothes. It didn’t take me long to get over my shock and respond to his embrace. My hands found their way around his waist and I pulled him closer. When the kiss ended and he pulled back it was still a moment before I was capable of coherent speech. It didn’t help that Erik was exploring my neck with his lips.
“What…was…that for?” I managed.
I was almost disappointed when he stopped his assault to answer me. “That was to quiet you and stop your pacing…now what is troubling you?”
“My ranting bothering you?” I tried to sidestep his question…I don’t like admitting the effect my mother has on me.
“Yes…now what put you in such a state?”
He was persistent…he’s always persistent. “I got an email from mom.” I admitted. “It wasn’t exactly a nice one either.”
“I do not see why you allow her to upset you…she is over three thousand miles away, she no longer has any hold on you.”
I lowered my eyes…I knew he was right, but that didn’t make me any less angry. “Well, today she actually wrote that parents don’t have to earn the trust of their children…she thinks it’s a condition of being a parent, the child should just trust you. I think everyone earns the trust of others, and—“
Erik cut me off with another kiss. More passionate this time…if that were possible.
“Gee, if I keep ranting
will you do that again?” I quipped when
he pulled back.
“I can do it when you aren’t ranting as well.” He smiled back at me.
“Cool…I guess I’m done ranting now…so what do you want to do tonight?”
He bent to my neck again. “Well…I was thinking we could finish planning tomorrow’s meal, and then whatever you wish to do.” He said softly between kisses.
I closed my eyes, taking a
moment to savor the feel of his lips trailing my neck. “Ok,
dinner first then…um, Erik?”
“Hmmm?”
I moved back a bit so I could see his face. “This will be a lot easier if you were not distracting me.”
He gave me his best sad puppy look. “Am I bothering you?”
“Of course not…I just think it would be easier to help you plan dinner if I could think straight. Perhaps we should go sit down.” I suggested.
“But I like it here.” He tightened his arms around me.
“So do I, but trust me, sitting can be good too.” I stood up on my toes and gave him a light kiss as incentive. “Besides, I have a devil of a time reaching you when we’re standing.”
“Sitting it is then.” He led me over to the couch.
We sat a little distance apart. “So what do you have planned?”
“What would you like?” He asked, taking my hand in his.
“You mean I have to choose what you make for your first meal?” I tried to concentrate on the task before me…difficult when the Phantom of the Opera has his lips pressed to your hand.
“Yes.”
“Chicken?” I offered, trying to think of something that wasn’t too challenging for his first attempt. “It’s pretty simple and just about any side you can think of will go with it.”
“Very well, but what type of chicken, baked, fried, jerked?”
“No jerking chicken please…I don’t need to think about chickens that way!” I exclaimed with a laugh. “It’s your choice, your dinner, just try to keep the chicken and the side dishes in the same theme.”
His eyes locked with mine, my hand still encased in his. “What would you like for dessert?” His voice was low and suggestive. (What could be referred to as the ‘Music of the Night’ voice)
Now, that innuendo didn’t go over my head…so I had the decency to blush before I replied. “Hmm…well, I’m rather partial to cheesecake.” I lied. My actual thought being, ‘Oh, you’d do nicely for dessert.’
He nodded and pulled me closer so that our bodies touched and my face was bare inches from his. “Cheesecake then.”
I looked down, suddenly shy. “Well, we’re done planning dinner then…what do you want to do now?”
Erik used one of his long fingers to tilt my chin so that I was looking him in the eye. “Nothing you are not ready for.”
If I had been standing my legs would have melted at that statement. We had been getting more intimate over the past week and a half…going a little further each time. But we always stopped short of the final act…as if it were some invisible line to cross that neither of us were ready for. Now Erik seemed to be saying that he was ready whenever I was. At that moment I couldn’t think of a single reason why not…of course that could have been because I can’t think coherently when Erik’s body is pressed against mine.
“I can’t think of anything…” I trailed off, pulling him closer and pressing my lips to his. My arms twined around his neck as his sought my waist. He returned my kiss eagerly, one hand sliding tentatively under my rather large t-shirt. I could feel the path his fingers traced on my skin as if it were branded there. Following his example I employed myself with unbuttoning his shirt. I was working at the fifth button down when the clock in the living room chimed 8:00.
“Oh shit!” I pulled back abruptly.
“What is wrong?” Asked a very confused Phantom.
“I was supposed to call my dad half an hour ago! He’s been trying to get a hold of me all week so we could get my shot record worked out at school…those idiots lost the paperwork, again.” I explained as I rose from the couch.
Erik followed me to the door. “Until tomorrow then?” He asked with a twinge of disappointment in his tone.
“Indeed.” I agreed, pulling him down to my level for another kiss, slow and gentle this time. “Tomorrow.”
After calling my father and cursing the existence of clocks everywhere I got ready for bed. The more I thought about it, the more I was grateful for being interrupted…not that I didn’t want him…I did. But to do that…without ever having told him I loved him…it didn’t seem right. Like every phic where the Phantom must show his face to his love before they can progress, I felt I needed to put my feelings for him into words before we could go further.
That and while I loved him…20 is not a great age to get pregnant… birth control would be another issue. I fell asleep wondering how exactly one brings up the subject of condoms with a guy from the 1880’s.