Love Isn't Always Beautiful || A Phantom Of The Opera Fanfiction

Chapter 6

I take my seat with Meg at an outside table from the restaurant we planned to meet at. It is a lovely spring day with the sunning shining brightly and the warm air blows softly against our skin. The restaurant has beautiful pink and yellow flowers growing out of their pots.

"It's been a while since we went here," I say. The last time we visited this place was the night after my first performance at the theater. That was about two and a half years ago. Madame Giry gave Meg sixty francs for us to treat ourselves in celebration for my first time singing in front of so many people.

"Yeah. It sure has been," Meg replied.

We read the menu silently until the waiter comes over to take our orders. As he walks away, I turn to Meg waiting for her to say what happened during the night I left. Ever since our conversation yesterday, I couldn't wait to hear what she had to say. It seems she has read my mind because she bites her lip nervously.

"Please Meg. I'm your best friend. You see this ring? It's a lifetime promise with Raoul," I whisper desperately.

"Okay," She sighs. "It happened the night when you left. Around midnight, Raoul returned to the opera house. While Erik was escaping from the back of the theater from the police, Raoul runs into him." Meg bites her lip again only harder this time.

"What did he do?!" I snap viciously.

"Raoul said,' just the disgusting, horrific man I was looking for'. Then Erik said,' I told you to leave me. You have Christine. You have the only thing that gave me light in my darkness.' Raoul said back,' I want you to leave Paris and never look back. I saw you two perform together. The chemistry and love she has for you is something she will never have with me. I can't compete with that. I refuse to compete with that.' Then Erik shouts psychotically,' I will never leave. Your words are false. She wouldn't have chosen you if she loved me. She will never love me.' He stops yelling once Raoul digs his sword into his leg. Erik screams in pain and tries to limp away. Raoul then throws him into a soundproof box that's big enough for a body. He locks him in there and hides him under the theater. I was watching this behind a bush during this entire thing. Raoul then found me and shook me until I promised not to tell anyone. I was so petrified, I had to tell someone so I told my mom. She told me to keep it a secret and never say a word about this ever again."

I sit back in my chair as my brain absorbs all this information. I regret everything about that night. I regret taking off his mask in front of hundreds of people, leaving with a heartless man, and giving Erik the ring back after he confesses his love for me. I'm angry at Raoul, I feel depressed for Erik, and I am ashamed with myself. The mixture of emotions stirring up inside me causes tears to pour out of my eyes like a waterfall.

"Christine," Meg whispers in a comforting tone. She walks over to me as she scoops me up in her arms. I hold her closely as I sob on her shoulder.

"Why would he do that?"

"Perhaps he was jealous."

"That doesn't make sense. I chose to marry Raoul. Isn't that enough?"

"He wants your heart and compassion. I guess a promise of lifetime isn't good enough for him."

"I can't control who has my heart! It's not my fault it was left with Erik!" The last part I said wasn't on purpose. It just came out of me. I can't believe I just said that. I'm slightly embarrassed but also relieved. After nearly two months of questioning, I finally know who I belong with.

"You... Love Erik?" I back away to see Meg standing there, confused and shocked.

"I knew you cared about him a lot, but I didn't know you thought of him in that way," she says.

I giggle a bit, but my heart still feels like it is torn in half.

"Look at me. I'm planning a wedding and a life with a heartless man who I thought I loved. Now I'm here finally figuring out I'm in love with someone else who refuses to live anywhere but a basement and murders people. I'm such a mess," I cry out. Thank god the restaurant is too loud for other people to overhear us.

We see the waiter come back with our food so we sit back down. We eat our meals silently without saying another word to each other. I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone, but I'm definitely in the mood to eat. I gorge myself on my croque monsieur trying to fulfill the hole in my heart.