The Man Clad in Black (Phantom of the Opera)

Signs of a Broken Heart Part I - Chapter 11

After your dinner with your father, the two of you strolled along the Paris streets for a little while, soaking up the sights before you went to see Hannibal.

Your father passed by many people and greeted them with an enormous smile on his face, whether or not they were a stranger to you. You began to feel uncertain as to whether or not he knew who these people were, but they wouldn't seem to mind. He just seemed to be a man making his rounds on the Paris streets.

You absolutely loved your dad. Even though the youth had faded from his body, he was the exact same man you had left so long ago, and his youthful energy was most definitely still there.

That was especially evident during the opera itself.

He critiqued practically everyone. Throughout the show, he would constantly point out whenever somebody turned the wrong way, and burst out laughing if someone sang the wrong note... yet again, people couldn't get mad at him for - he seemed to be just an old man with a sense of humor. In fact, many people believed that there needed to be more people like him in the world

Your father was a tad bit disappointed when La Carlotta wasn't the lead soprano (as that didn't leave time for the two of you to snicker while she screamed her head off on stage), although you did take note as to how impressed he was by her level of expertise... in fact, she was the only person that he didn't feel the need to criticize. He nodded his head along with the music, and at the bows, she was the only person he actually cheered for.

He thought that she was brilliant...

And she was.

As you, along with the rest of the crowd, struggled to get through all of the doors, you found yourself face-to-face with an oddly familiar man.

"Matthew?" you called out. The man's head snapped into your direction at the mention of his name, and while he looked around for the sound of the voice, the two of you finally locked eyes before he flashed you a brilliant smile. You returned the favor and waved him over, and despite the fact that he was so close, it took him a while to get there.

"Hello, [Y/N]," he said, his smile not at all fading. Instead of being dressed his waiter garb - which he had been just a few hours ago - he was dressed nicely... However, it was easy to tell that it was him just because of his hair. It was gorgeous... How much time did he spend on it in the morning?

"It's been a long time," you jokingly commented. Thankfully, you hadn't blurted a question about his near-perfect hair, and Matthew smiled as the two of you inched closer to the doors. You were jostled by other people, but then again, it wasn't unheard of - you simply wanted to talk to your newfound friend.

"I didn't know that this is where you were going," he said with a chuckle. You noticed that the both of you were speaking quite loudly, as the chatter of the other audience members was quite deafening, to be frank. "You're here with your father, I presume?"

You smiled a little and nodded.

"Yes, Monsieur," you said with a smile. "Although I'm sure he's off making some new friends... Who are you here with?"

"My father," he said with a smile. He kept his smiley persona - even when he wasn't in the workplace. "I'm sure you'd know him... Perhaps not personally, but you'd know who he is."

If anyone else had listened in on that conversation, they would have thought that Matthew was a stuck-up, spoilt rich kid who had a famous father, although that was far from the truth. Something about the way he spoke clearly made you think otherwise.

"I would?" you blinked. You were finally able to break through the door, and Matthew along with you - you were finally able to hold a conversation without worrying about feeling utterly claustrophobic. "Do tell... I'm quite curious."