Drabbles again
Again, here are two random snippets from a story that I never finished, (nor organized), pertaining to a modern take on the "phantom of the opera" story.
Christine gripped her cell phone tightly as she walked down the sidewalk, her small heels of her shoes clicking quietly against the wet pavement. She moved the purse that was carelessly thrown over her shoulder slightly, and nervously began to fiddle with the buttons on her white pea-coat. She opened her mouth to speak, but had to stop as she coughed harshly.
"You okay?"
"Wha? Yes- sorry..." She cleared her throat gently, before sighing and cutting her friend off before any questions could be asked.
"I feel like such a terrible person, Megan.."
"Christine," Megan sighed quietly into the phone, "Are you sure you did the right thing?"
"..No-...well...maybe." Christine heard the ambivalent tone in her voice, and paused for a moment beneath a bright street light. "I've never had to break up with anybody before...Raoul was my only-"
"I know, Christine. That's why I still can't believe you actually left him...didn't you love him?"
Christine hesitated for a moment, before her eyelids lowered slightly at the question. "Raoul and I grew up together...he was a part of my family, and I was apart of his. I'll always love him, Meg.."
"So...um-"
"-but I don't think I'm in love with him." Christine bit her lip, before looking up vacantly towards the tall buildings around her. "Loving and caring for somebody is very different from being in love with them."
"How do you know the difference if you've only been with Raoul?" Christine felt a slight twitch inside her stomach. Meg just made a very good point.
"Maybe that is my problem..."
Meg was silent for a moment, and before she could breath out another word, Christine fumbled with a mass of her own. "I don't know, Meg. I don't know what I'm doing anymore...all I know is that we were having problems. I know nearly all of them were my fault, but that doesn't make them any less...real. I always felt like I was suffocating when I was around him-" Christine closed her eyes tightly for a moment, and when she continued on, her voice was at a bare tremble. "It's not fair to him, Meg...he deserves so much better-"
A odd noise suddenly came from a small distance, and Christine looked up immediately. She saw nothing.
"Christine, please don't start thinking that. Who knows why things have been so complicated lately..it's not fair for you to blame yourself. It sounds like taking a break from it was a good move though."
"I hope you are right..."
There was an awkward silence, before Christine huffed quietly and spoke up. "I need to go home; I'm tired."
"You sound it. Are you taking a cab?"
"I'm walking.."
"....Christine, take a cab."
"I don't have enough change for a cab...what's wrong with walking? Nobody is out anyway, and I hardly doubt anybody would mug me. What reason would they have to mug me? I don't have any money! I-"
"Christine."
Christine gasped and jerked around quickly, and incidently sent her cell phone flying out of her hand, and crashing to the ground in what seemed like a million pieces. Her eyes widened immensely at Erik's smooth, adroit voice that suddenly came from nowhere. No matter how many shadows he crept from in front of her, nothing ever prepares her for his voice. The way he said her name alone was enough to cause her knees to quiver involuntarily.
Erik stayed within the darkness, but she was able to just barely make out his frame. The street light from above her glared slightly off the smooth surface of his mask..but other than that, all she could see were his eyes; which were focused on her as always.
"Y..you scared me-" She squeaked out.
"My apologies, it was not my intention." Christine eyes immediately locked down at her own feet, but she felt the goosebumps raise upon the back of her neck as Erik reached a hand out for her. He wasn't wearing any gloves tonight, and the way his hand glowed underneath the light was nearly enough to mezmorize her, and because of that she didn't think twice about accepting it.
Erik pulled her out of the street, and she gripped onto his fingers tightly. She closed her eyes for a moment that the coldness that she still was never prepared for, but despite the sting of it, having him there suddenly was comforting.
"Raoul and I split up.."
Erik stared at her, before quietly speaking. "You both have been struggling with your differences recently."
"..Yes."
She glanced up at him timidly, before slowly frowning. "He was very upset.." Erik nodde to her in an almost clinical way, before reaching out and giving her the cell phone she had just broken. Her mouth turned into a striaght line..she could have sworn she didn't see him pick it up. She must have been mistaken.
Christine gripped her cell phone tightly as she walked down the sidewalk, her small heels of her shoes clicking quietly against the wet pavement. She moved the purse that was carelessly thrown over her shoulder slightly, and nervously began to fiddle with the buttons on her white pea-coat. She opened her mouth to speak, but had to stop as she coughed harshly.
"You okay?"
"Wha? Yes- sorry..." She cleared her throat gently, before sighing and cutting her friend off before any questions could be asked.
"I feel like such a terrible person, Megan.."
"Christine," Megan sighed quietly into the phone, "Are you sure you did the right thing?"
"..No-...well...maybe." Christine heard the ambivalent tone in her voice, and paused for a moment beneath a bright street light. "I've never had to break up with anybody before...Raoul was my only-"
"I know, Christine. That's why I still can't believe you actually left him...didn't you love him?"
Christine hesitated for a moment, before her eyelids lowered slightly at the question. "Raoul and I grew up together...he was a part of my family, and I was apart of his. I'll always love him, Meg.."
"So...um-"
"-but I don't think I'm in love with him." Christine bit her lip, before looking up vacantly towards the tall buildings around her. "Loving and caring for somebody is very different from being in love with them."
"How do you know the difference if you've only been with Raoul?" Christine felt a slight twitch inside her stomach. Meg just made a very good point.
"Maybe that is my problem..."
Meg was silent for a moment, and before she could breath out another word, Christine fumbled with a mass of her own. "I don't know, Meg. I don't know what I'm doing anymore...all I know is that we were having problems. I know nearly all of them were my fault, but that doesn't make them any less...real. I always felt like I was suffocating when I was around him-" Christine closed her eyes tightly for a moment, and when she continued on, her voice was at a bare tremble. "It's not fair to him, Meg...he deserves so much better-"
A odd noise suddenly came from a small distance, and Christine looked up immediately. She saw nothing.
"Christine, please don't start thinking that. Who knows why things have been so complicated lately..it's not fair for you to blame yourself. It sounds like taking a break from it was a good move though."
"I hope you are right..."
There was an awkward silence, before Christine huffed quietly and spoke up. "I need to go home; I'm tired."
"You sound it. Are you taking a cab?"
"I'm walking.."
"....Christine, take a cab."
"I don't have enough change for a cab...what's wrong with walking? Nobody is out anyway, and I hardly doubt anybody would mug me. What reason would they have to mug me? I don't have any money! I-"
"Christine."
Christine gasped and jerked around quickly, and incidently sent her cell phone flying out of her hand, and crashing to the ground in what seemed like a million pieces. Her eyes widened immensely at Erik's smooth, adroit voice that suddenly came from nowhere. No matter how many shadows he crept from in front of her, nothing ever prepares her for his voice. The way he said her name alone was enough to cause her knees to quiver involuntarily.
Erik stayed within the darkness, but she was able to just barely make out his frame. The street light from above her glared slightly off the smooth surface of his mask..but other than that, all she could see were his eyes; which were focused on her as always.
"Y..you scared me-" She squeaked out.
"My apologies, it was not my intention." Christine eyes immediately locked down at her own feet, but she felt the goosebumps raise upon the back of her neck as Erik reached a hand out for her. He wasn't wearing any gloves tonight, and the way his hand glowed underneath the light was nearly enough to mezmorize her, and because of that she didn't think twice about accepting it.
Erik pulled her out of the street, and she gripped onto his fingers tightly. She closed her eyes for a moment that the coldness that she still was never prepared for, but despite the sting of it, having him there suddenly was comforting.
"Raoul and I split up.."
Erik stared at her, before quietly speaking. "You both have been struggling with your differences recently."
"..Yes."
She glanced up at him timidly, before slowly frowning. "He was very upset.." Erik nodde to her in an almost clinical way, before reaching out and giving her the cell phone she had just broken. Her mouth turned into a striaght line..she could have sworn she didn't see him pick it up. She must have been mistaken.