Hybristophilia (Phantom of the Opera x Reader)

3.4

I change my dress and heels before I visit the opera house's bar. It's small, but enough people go there to get a drink during intermission or on their days off from work that it's not struggling financially in the slightest.

I take a seat on one of the barstools since I'm not expecting any company. I order a Kir Royale and watch the barista as he makes it. They always seem like they're having fun, but I know it's all a performance. They may be having a little fun, but this is still a job and jobs can be quite stressful. The barista hands me the light red drink and I take a sip from it.

I use this time to think as I drink. So much has happened since I joined. The death of a stagehand, the love between the prima donna and the patron, and the musician who lives below. This would make a great book, for sure.

"Kir Royale? That's a nice choice," Someone sits on the stool beside me. He places down a glass of what I believe is cognac and leans against the counter. "I suppose," I keep my eyes fixated on my own glass, hoping he'll go away on his own. "What's such a magnificent specimen like you doing, drinking alone?" I hate how he refers to me as a "specimen." "I am relaxing. If you could, monsieur, I would like to go back to it," If that doesn't send a message to him, I don't know what will.

He chuckles, "Fiesty, I like that. My name is Damien Allard." I study his ring finger, where there is a paler area. He had a wedding band on there at one point, but he has removed it. "Good for you," I go back to drinking, trying to ignore him. "What's your n-" "I have to go," I finish off my drink and hop off the barstool, passing money to the barista and quickly leaving. I came to the bar to relax, not to get hit on.

Footsteps alert me that I am being followed, so I swing around to tell "Damien" to piss off. The person I see is someone completely different, "I'm sorry for following you. I just wanted to warn you about Damien." The person before me is a woman that I don't recognize. "He's been divorced four times. He is a cheater and he tends to harass younger women. He is faithful only to his desires." He's divorced because he cheats on his wives, it seems.

"Thanks for the heads up. He was giving off a bad energy," I can't shake off the creepiness of his voice. The woman returns to the bar and I continue on my way.

The rest of the day is rather uneventful. Unfortunately, I manage to run into Damien once again.

"Pardon," I step to the side to walk past him, but he places his arm in front of me. "We should talk." "We have nothing to talk about," I push his arm, but it doesn't budge. "Oh, but we do," He leads me to one of the lounge areas, which is currently unoccupied, and gestures for me to sit down. Wanting to get this over with, I do. Damien sits next to me, not leaving much room between us.

"I've had a number of women in my life, yet none of them were quite like you," Damien looks into my eyes as if trying to see behind them. I avert my eyes and stare at the designs on the couch instead. "I know that you're the one I'm meant to be with," His sudden comment nearly makes my jaw drop. "Sorry," I decide that rejecting him here and now will spare me from future discomfort, "I don't feel the same way."

Displeased with my answer, Damien becomes more serious. He pushes my hair behind my shoulder and I knock his hand away, becoming more and more uncomfortable with this man. "It's rude to reject a man when he is so deeply in love with you." My jaw actually drops this time, "You can't be serious. You're the one being rude." Damien gives me a saddened look, "You really don't know what you're doing."

I stand, "I'm leaving. Don't talk to me again." Before I have the chance to leave, Damien gets to his feet and grabs my wrist. "I have money. I will make you a star musician." "I don't want your money," I yank my arm away, "I want to earn my success. Not buy it."

"No one else will love a girl like you. That's why you need me." This comment fills me with anger. What he is displaying isn't love, it's desperation and lust. Not only that, but the part where he basically called me unlovable really struck a chord. “I should rip that stupid English mustache off your face.”

"And that's why we are having trouble." He concludes, “But I have learned how to make a woman out of even the most unruly of girls. I will train you.” He grabs me once again, but one of his hands finds its way to my thigh, trailing upwards.

My first thought is to bite him, but Damien is pulled away and knocked onto the floor by a punch. "You!" Raoul shouts at Damien, "Lay a hand on her or anyone else again and you will lose that hand, along with other parts of your anatomy."

Raoul escorts me out of the room. He takes me back to my room without another word until we get there. "May I come in?" I nod, unlocking the door and allowing him to enter. I take a seat on my bed, but Raoul remains standing.

"You seem to get into trouble quite often," Raoul comments. "It's part of my charm," I joke. Unfortunately, Raoul is right. My whole life, I have been followed by small, unfortunate events. I don't know why they happen to me, yet they occur enough for it to be noticeable.

"Should we hire a bodyguard for you?" He half-jokes. I shake my head, "I'll be fine. I survived all these years and I plan to survive more." "That's a good attitude," Raoul can't help but agree.

"Thanks for getting me out of that situation, by the way," I brush off the part of my thigh that Damien had touched as if wiping away his existence from my body. "I'll never ignore someone in need," Raoul smiles nobly.

"Raoul," I laugh, "your 'knight in shining armor' is showing through." Raoul chuckles and shrugs, "I can't help but want to protect everyone."

"You do a good job at it. I hope you keep Christine safe," I watch as Raoul's expression becomes a bit more serious. "I will do everything I can to assure that she is always safe and happy."

"Good. I think you two could be really good together," I say this not only as a fact, but also to encourage him to move to the next level with Christine so she doesn't go back to Erik...not that it would matter to me if she did.

...Actually, it would matter. I don't know exactly why, but I really want Christine to stay away from Erik.