Small Anomalies (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 20: Small Anomalies

Raeann's POV

I sit next to Erik on the loveseat in the library. We just finished cleaning the glass from the window and bandaging Erik's hand. I lean my head against his shoulder and listen to the fire crackling.

"I love you," I whisper to him, tilting my head to face him. I gently kiss his scarred cheek and wrap my arms around him, finding the position to be quite uncomfortable. I quickly move so that I'm sitting sideways on his lap.

"I love you, too," Erik responds before coming in to kiss me again. His lips passionately connect with mine, sending shivers up my spine. When we finally finish kissing, he's on top of me.

"Erik, you're crushing me," I giggle, although Erik's actually light. He's extremely strong, although he has an overly bony figure.

"My apologizes, love," he smirks as he moves to sit beside me, but I see a hint of concern in his big brown eyes.

"Your eyes are beautiful," I smile up at my love. "Did you know that?"

Erik closes his eyes and leans back against the chair. "I don't see what you see. I see a monster, as does the rest of the world."

"Not me," I kiss his forehead. "Not even for a second."

Suddenly, I leap at Erik. I dive on top of him and smother him in kisses. I can't breathe, but I don't care. I only stop when he falls off the chair, taking me down with him.

I hear him breathing heavily and see his eyes widened in shock. I giggle at how dumbfounded he is.

"I love you so much," I scoot so we're laying beside each other. I take his hand and rest my head next to his.

"I love you, too," Erik has tears in his eyes. "I love you, too." He sits up burries his face in his hands, beginning to sob softly.

"What's wrong?" I rest my chin on his shoulder, lightly kissing his neck. "Please tell me."

"I... I never dreamed that I would have this. I never thought I'd meet a beautiful angel who loves me. I never thought that anybody could except me or return my love... Even when you tell me you love me, I'm still unsure. I don't think anybody could love a monster such as I."

"I love you more than life itself," I lift his chin up and smile at his face. "I've loved you since the moment I met you."

"You...? What?"

"I've loved you since the begin. There's so much to you that you somehow don't see. You're kind, caring, and beautiful. I feel safe when I'm around you, and I want to spend my whole life by your side."

"Raeann," Erik pulls me close to him and cradles me in his arms. We're both in tears, but I love the feeling of his embrace.

"Erik, how can I prove my love to you?"

"Just stay with me," he holds me closer. "Never leave me, my Angel."

"If I left you, I would die."

"I would die as well."

We sit on the floor in each other's arms for minutes before I stand up. I hold out a hand for Erik, which he takes.

"This is uncomfortable," I smirk. "Let's go to my bedroom."

Erik gasps. "What do you mean, 'go to your bedroom?'"

I roll my eyes and drag him down the hall until we reach my room. I pull him down onto the bed and wrap my arms around him.

"Much better," I snuggle into his chest and breathe in his scent. "You smell good."

"Hmm," Erik seems surprised and unsure of what to say.

"Can we get back to what we were doing?"

"What part, exactly?"

I grab him by the jacket and pull him towards me, kissing him passionately. He kisses down my neck, causing me to let out a moan. I start to take off his jacket while kissing him, and he doesn't stop me. After his jacket is in a pile on my carpet, I begin clumsily  unbuttoning his shirt. I slowly run my hands down his chest, enjoying the feeling of his warm skin.

Suddenly, his breathing speed up. His heart pounds in his chest and he lets out a gasp, quickly pulling away. He sits on the bed so he's facing the wall and I watch his chest move up and down. He looks absolutely terrified.

Carefully, I place a hand on his arm, but he stands up to get away from me. "Don't touch me!" He snaps and I flinch at how quickly he turned.

"Raeann," he sits back down, buttoning his shirt. "Raeann, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout... It's just..."

"What?" I sit next to him. "You can tell me anything."

"I've been... touched... like that before. In the past." I watch tears slowly stream down Erik's cheeks, and I feel myself begin to cry at the thought of somebody doing that to the beautiful man that I love.

"Erik, can you tell me about your past?"

"I... I can't. Asking me to tell you of my past is like asking me to remove my mask," I frown after he says this.

"But I've seen under your mask," I remind him. "I've seen all the beauty you've kept hidden."

"This isn't beautiful," He speaks quietly, his angelic voice sounding different because of his tears. "My past is hell, and I don't want to put your innocent mind through hearing about it. If I tell you, you'll know the monster behind the man you somehow love."

"I see no monster," I gently kiss his cheek. "I see Erik."

"Do you know what my father once said?" I ask him. "He told me that everybody has small anomalies. Little things in their lives that are imperfect. They're not always flaws, though. Just abnormalities. Just because you have anomalies, it doesn't mean you're a monster."

I hug his shaking figure and I don't care that my arm gets wet from his tears. I kiss him on the head and whisper comforting words into his ear.

"I suppose I'll tell you," Erik kisses my lips, and I prepare to hear the story of his past.

Kinda short chapter because I'm working on my new book, Shadowed Pasts. Read it if you'd like. I'll try to update So Lost, So Helpless, but I'm thinking about deleting it.

Do you guys know how to add a dedication? They changed Wattpad on the computer, so I have no idea how to do it now. I also don't know how to add a dedication from my phone.

I'm too lazy to proofread, so sorry about errors...