In the Presence of an Angel (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 16- The Date

Chapter 16- The Date

Christine set her alarm for 6pm before she took a nap. Unlike that morning, however, she didn't wake up twenty minutes before it went off. In fact, when the alarm went off, she groaned miserably, very much unlike that morning. "Raoul," was her first spoken word, even before her eyes opened. She was already dreading the date.

Sitting on a recliner near the couch where Christine lay was her father. "Nope," he said sounding amused. "It's Dad." His daughter's eyes flew open, and she looked at him. He instantly noticed that she looked completely different from when he'd seen her at breakfast. Her curly brown hair was, quite frankly, a frizzy mess and her clothes were disheveled. The look on her face caused him to frown. "Are you all right, Christine?"

She nodded dejectedly, but it was a lie.

Her father could tell she wasn't telling the truth. Hmm.. Strange.. "Did everything go ok with Mr. Delozier?"

She nodded again.

Gary wondered if he should ask what went on with Erik. He really didn't know what they did every day. All he knew was that she worked for him and got paid. But, he needed to resist the urge to pry. If he was going to ask what she did at that mansion, now wasn't the time. Something was wrong with her, and he needed to get to the bottom of it. Jokingly -but really meaning every word-, he said, "You know I'm not going to stop bothering you until you tell me what's wrong. I want to see that beautiful smile of yours."

He wouldn't understand, Christine knew. She didn't even understand. The guilt hadn't left her system. During her nap, she'd had a nightmare.

It took place at Erik's mansion. She was walking to the front door and, as expected, the door opened without her having to ring the doorbell. This time, however, it was Nadir who had opened it. He was looking at her with a hateful expression.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?" she'd asked hesitantly.

"You should leave. He does not want to see you." His tone was cold, and his eyes were glaring.

She was shocked. "What? Why? What did I-"

He cut her off. "You lied to him!"

This was crazy… "I- I didn't lie to him. What are you talking about?"

Nadir shook his head and cursed under his breath. "I wish he had never met you," he spat. "You are killing him! But you are too young to realize that, aren't you?" Her confusion was his answer. "Just.. leave him alone." He moved to close the door.

"Wait!" she yelled at the last minute. "What happened? Please, just tell me what I did!"

Nadir crossed his arms against his chest. "Well, let's see," he began with sarcasm in his voice. "He didn't explain everything to me, but what I heard was enough. You must have done something to put him in the state he's in. He cares for you, and he thought you cared for him. When you left yesterday, you promised you would return. Don't you see? You broke his heart."

She gasped and whispered, "No…" Then, she asked, "How?"

"You left your music here yesterday, and he drove to your apartment to return it to you. That was when he saw you and your boyfriend. You are so selfish, Christine! Erik is different, and I have explained this to you before! He's obsessive and vulnerable." His hand moved to the door knob. "He was so happy. You made him so happy. Now that you have betrayed him, however, everything has changed. He's locked himself in his office. I was lucky to get him to say as much as he did."