Small Anomalies (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 6: Making Conversation

Raeann's POV

I listen in bliss at the strange, sweet sound of Erik's voice. In a trance-like state, I begin to sway to the melody. Erik's voice possesses angelic qualities that make him seem inhuman. His angelic voice and ghostly appearance make it seem as though he's not alive, but the emotion and pain in his music and eyes make it obvious that he is.

I let out a disappointed sigh when he stops singing. He turns to me and studies my face to see if anything is wrong, so I smile.

"You have the voice of an angel," I blurt out before thinking my comment was a bit much. My face reddens and I break eye contact.

"Th-thanks..." Erik stutters out, amazed. I grin. He didn't seem to take the compliment in an odd way, but he still seemed surprised. Is it because of the mask thing? I don't care about that. In fact, it makes him more interesting.

I grimace as another wave of pain washes over me. My abdomen stings, and I bite my lip to keep from screaming.

"Maybe you should stay in bed when I tell you," Erik's smirk makes my heart beat faster.

"Yeah," I wheeze before leaning against the piano to keep myself from falling. Erik seems to notice, because I'm in his arms within a matter of seconds.

"I certainly do have to carry you a lot," he looks down at me while saying this. I nod and do something daring.

Just like in the woods, I snuggle closer to him, burrying my face into his warm chest. I'm not sure if he knows it was intentional, but he definitely reacts. He stops in his tracks and I feel him begin to tremble.

Instead of drawing back, like I know I should, I wrap my arms around him and give his waist a squeeze. I feel his heart rate speed up until it's faster than humanly possible and he almost drops me onto the carpet.

I giggle quietly as he mutters apologies. I notice how slow we're going; we should have gotten to my bedroom a few minutes ago. Erik's shock, I find, is quite enjoyable.

I don't loosen my grip as Erik opens the door and walks slowly and shakily to my bed. As he lays me down, I allow myself to take a few seconds before letting go of him completely.

"You can stay here for a bit," I offer, mentally praying to start a conversation with him. I probably scared him off...

"Alright," Erik is still visibly shaken from what I did in the hallway. He hesitantly pulls up a chair and sits down, still quivering.

"You're shaking," I comment, unable to hold myself back. Why am I so open around him? I've never been a bold person.

"Um... Yeah..." Erik regains a flawless posture and crosses his hands in his lap. He's so serious.

We stare at anything but each other in silence for the next few minutes, neither of us sure of what to say. I barely move during this time because I'm wracking my brain to think of a conversation starter.

"So, Erik," I smile and decide on a simple question. "How'd you learn to play piano like that?"

"Oh, um..." Lately, Erik's been using more noises than actual words. "I taught myself starting from when I was around eleven. I've been composing ever since, and before that, too." He twiddles with his thumbs and focuses on his shoes anxiously.

"How in the world did you teach yourself?" My mouth hangs slightly open. The only instrument I've ever been able to play is the recorder, and not only is that a mandatory part of the fourth grade curriculum, but I somehow managed to suck at playing one of the easiest instruments in the world.