Mon Espion || Phantom of the Opera

Chapter 23 - You Need To Return

For a few moments the couple laid next to each other perfectly content. The ballerina's head was rested comfortably on Erik's chest, slowly moving up and down as Erik fought to control his breathing. His bare arms hung loosely around her petite frame, pulling her as close as he could without suffocating her. For a moment he thought this were nothing but a dream or some twisted fantasy that his loneliness had conjured up to torment his soul. Thankfully, the soft sounds of her breathing beside him assured him that was not the case. These two months in London had been complete bliss and he fought with his own thoughts to forget about Paris, the opera house, Christine even; having a life in London was quite tempting, indeed. Constance sighed to herself in content, her eyelashes fluttering closed as she continued holding onto him with her head comfortably against his chest. Erik too sighed aloud in content as his own eyelids weighed heavily against him, threatening to fall fast asleep as Constance was about to do. Neither of them cared that it was in the middle of the day nor the fact that supper would be only in a couple of hours as they both relaxed against each other with the blanket for warmth.

Just as Erik was beginning to feel his body completely relax there was a knock on the door, disturbing the couple from their comfort. Constance's eyes opened wide in surprise, her sleepiness all but forgotten as she whirled her head around to meet Erik's face. Her hands instantly pulled the blanket over her form to cover her modestly as she bit her lip in anticipation. She looked at Erik as she silently pleaded with him with her eyes, now glistening with emotion from either earlier or an unknown fear. Erik did not have a time to respond to her as another knock sounded on the door, the knock apparently urgent. Grumbling to himself he harshly got out from under the blanket, quickly finding his mask as he placed it firmly on his face. Erik sighed and after making sure it was on correctly, he quickly found his undergarments and pants, securing them in place as he did not care if someone saw him without a shirt on. Just as he turned around to face the door, a third knock was heard on the other side.

"So help me," Erik mumbled under his breath, marching straight to the source of the annoying sound as his temper and volume rose, "If this is not an emergency and you are disturbing me uninvited so help me I'll-"

Erik opened the door half way, being careful not to open it completely to reveal Constance naked in his bed. His sentence was interrupted by the vision of the Persian standing on the other side of the door. Erik groaned at the sight of him, not wanting to know why he was in front of him but how he knew his whereabouts.

"Hello Erik, I hope I am not intruding," Nadir began, a cheeky smile planted on his lips as he raised his eyebrows to the hesitancy of Erik holding the door mostly closed.

Erik did not do well in hiding his annoyed expression, even with half of his face masked, "Really I would care to discuss how exactly you know my whereabouts but I have other matters to attend to that are of no concern of your-"

"Ah then we have something in common once again my friend," Nadir interrupted, a false smile planted on his face as his hands came together rapidly, "for that is precisely why I am here!"

Erik did not comment on the fact that once again the word friend was loosely thrown around as if they had made some sort of pact that he kept constantly reminding him of. Just like Antoinette, Nadir was not his friend; he was but a tool he could use when he was not able to go to the surface.

"You use the word as if you're a salesman," Erik retorted, a small smirk escaping his features as he said so.

Nadir's smile faltered at the insult, "you mean to tell me that I am not even allowed to be entitled your friend after everything we went through in Syria? Well." Nadir shook his head in the negative, making small tsk tsk noises with his tongue as he did so.