Christine, my flower...

Chapter 15

I had my arms around her. I was still in a daze, I couldn't believe what had just happened. I pulled her closer feeling the soft warm skin of her back on my chest. My head was resting in the curve of her neck. I had my mask back on, I hoped it wasn't pinching her. My breathing was steady and relaxed. The shaking and nervous sweating had stopped. I was here, with my Christine. Nothing else mattered. I leaned over to kiss her cheek. I felt her cheeks raise in a smile and she turned to kiss me.I pulled her closer and kissed her with everything I had.

"Christine, I know that you know this. But I love you with my whole heart. With every fibre of my being."

She smiled as I cooed to her and tucked her head into my chest.

"I know Erik. You are everything to me, the love of my life. My Erik. You are the first thing on my mind when I wake and the last thing I think of before I sleep."

She purred. Had she just called me her Erik? I smiled at the thought. She reached for my mask I stiffened a bit, but I let her pull it off. She put it on the bed next to her and threw her arms around me, kissing me passionately. She nipped at my lips and caressed my deformed face. I stiffened further. Christine pulled away and looked at me in confusion.

"Erik? Why do you grow stiff when I do this?"

She raised her hand to my face and caressed the ugly side of it. Ever so gently she ran her fingertips across my forehead all the way down to my chin.

"Because...

Because?

Christine, how could you love me? This? This?"

I questioned her as I motioned to my face and my head.

"Why wouldn't you want to be with a man who's face was as beautiful as yours?"

I looked at her, ashamed of what I was. There were tears in my eyes. I held then back, hopefully she couldn't see. I wanted Christine more than anything, but she deserved better than me.

"Erik, I love you your soul is the most beautiful thing. It is what I love. If you were handsome, but your soul was not I would not love you. Would you love me if I had an ugly soul Erik?"

Was this a test? I was afraid to answer.

"But your soul isn't ugly Christine.

If it was Erik?

I guess not..."

She smiled and kissed my face. Her soft lips caressed the twisted and gnarled skin that I usually covered longer and gentler than she usually kissed any other part of me. My face grew flush as she did this. As she pulled away a thought came into mind.

"Christine, I wondered if you still wanted to hear my newest piece?"

I figured, that if she could be with this beast, so intimately I could show her something I was nervous to show her.

"Of course Erik."

She gave me my mask back and bit her lip. I took it from her and let her go, we couldn't wander about the place nude. We gathered our clothes and started to dress. As I was dressing I turned to her and she turned at me. We blushed as we looked at each other. When she was done dressing I guided her to my desk where the music score laid. I sat her in it, picked up the score and glided towards the organ. As I sat I propped the music up and turned back to Christine with a smile on my face. I turned back and begun playing the sweet tune I had written about her.