The Man Clad in Black (Phantom of the Opera)

A Dancing Lesson - Chapter 23

At your auditions, despite the fact that you were terrified out of your mind, you managed to snag a position as a dancer... however, you had only gotten into one number - and thankfully it was the one that Erik needed you to learn.

"Are you listening, [Y/N]?" you heard Madame Giry ask. As you snapped out of your train of thought (you had barely gotten any sleep, so it was only natural), you nodded slightly.

"Yes - my apologies, Madame," you said.

"Good," the woman said. Standing next to her was quite a tall and handsome young man, and you assumed was to be your partner.

"This is Antoine," Madame Giry said. "He will be your partner... keep in mind that he has been dancing for a while. He will be able to get you to where you need to be."

You nodded softly.

"Thank you, Madame." The woman only gave you a slight nod as she moved to introduce the other dancers to their partners, and you glanced up at the man who you had been paired up with.

"You're [Y/N], I presume?" he asked. His voice was a little timid, and it was clear that he was quite a bit shy.

You nodded.

"That I am," you said, offering your hand to him.

Politely, he took your hand and kissed it, then bowing his head slightly. You felt a little bad - he seemed to be so timid, and yet, it was clear that he simply wanted to be a gentleman.

"It's a pleasure."

Madame Giry clapped her hands at once, causing the both of your heads (and everyone else's) to whip right into her direction. She already looked ready for business.

"Everyone!" she called out. "Grab your partner - we're going to begin immediately."

As soon as everyone settled, the dance lessons began...

And goodness, was Antoine good. With each new movement that you would learn, he would catch on almost immediately, and according to Madame Giry, he would execute the move almost perfectly. She called the two of you out every once in a while.

"Now watch!" she would say. It always happened to be the same move that you were instructed to demonstrate - you would hold one another around the waist before he spun you into his arms, holding you from behind with the both of your hands on your stomach.

"That is how it should be done," Madame Giry would say...

However, when you talked to her once your first rehearsal was over, she seemed to think otherwise.

"You need to work on this song, [Y/N]," she said as she began to clean up. "You're lucky that you're paired up with such an experienced dancer... otherwise, I don't know how well you would do in this number."

Your heart dropped. You really wanted to point out that she had just praised the both of you for how well you had done, but nonetheless, you knew that you had to keep your mouth shut. It seemed as if she had become a lot more stern since you had left - and especially after your father died.

"I expect for you to meet up with Antoine at some point tomorrow," Madame Giry said, holding her cane firmly in her hands. "You still have potential... however, I'd still like to see you do much better."

You internally rolled your eyes.

"Yes, Madame," you said, forcing a small smile your way. The thing was that you didn't quite want to get any better - you personally didn't think that this was your passion.

"Now go," Madame Giry said. "I have work of my own to do."

You were so grateful to get out of that situation.

As you scurried back to your room, you found Meg waiting outside of your room, a small smile parting on her lips. She looked quite happy.

"[Y/N]! I never knew that you still danced!" she exclaimed, seemingly bursting with excitement. "I saw you - I think you impressed my mother!"

You chuckled and rolled your eyes.

"Not quite," you said with a snicker. "She pulled me aside afterward and told me to meet with Antoine again... She said something about wanting to see me do much better than what I'm doing right now." You leaned a little closer to Meg, smiling a little more. "And to be frank, I've barely kept up with my dancing since I'd left."

Meg gasped and giggled, swatting at you playfully.

"Oh, shut up!" she laughed. "I saw you dancing with your friend at the Masquerade... speaking of..."

Meg wrapped an arm around you, as if you two were the closest of friends (which you were - you just hadn't been able to speak with her lately), and rested her head against your temple.

"Are you two in love with one another?" she whispered, so softly that it seemed like she were asking you for a horrible, terrible secret.

You quickly shook her head.

"Meg, no!" you said with a laugh. "I just think of him as a friend - nothing more."

Meg gasped and clasped her hands together. It looked like it was the biggest lie she had ever heard in her life... But nonetheless, you stood your ground and repeated that you were nothing more than friends.

"But have you seen the way he looks at you?" she asked. "He's absolutely in love!"

You chuckled and shook your head, placing a hand on her shoulder as you looked her in the eye... Despite the fact that you knew he didn't love you, you were still absolutely in love with someone else. Speaking of...

"We're just friends, Meg," you smiled. "Now, if I might... I think I need to head of to bed - your mother made me stretch so much today that I'm almost certain that I'll rip in half before I make it under the covers." While that was half-true, you still needed to get to Erik.

Meg looked a little saddened by the fact that you had to head off so early, but nonetheless, she nodded understandingly.

"Alright," she said, giving you a soft smile. "I'll see you soon, I suppose."

You nodded quickly and wrapped her in a quick hug, muttering an "absolutely" before the two of you parted ways for the night.

As soon as you heard the door to her room close, however, you were quick to rush down into the catacombs to find Erik... this time, however, he seemed to be waiting for you.

"Erik!" you gasped. "Goodness, you frightened me!"

"My apologies," Erik said, although reaching his hand out for you to grab. "Come... I need to learn this dance as soon as possible."

As the two of you traveled down the catacombs, you couldn't help but worry about what was in store for you. You were in love with a man, you had to do a partner dance with him, and that number happened to be one of the most sensual that the Opera Populaire has ever done since you came...

You knew that this could only end in even more heartbreak.

A/N: Sorry for a bit of a shorter chapter, haha! But would you look at that? It's a double update!! Aren't you proud? Haha, anyway, this is where it begins to get good and it truly begins to spin off from the movie/musical... Anyway, vote, comment, and all of that good stuff! And I'll hopefully see you soon!