The Phantom's African Rose

Chapter 6: Sleeping Arrangements

Erik's POV

As she finished the dishes, I began to find extra blankets for her to use and made the swan bed at least a tad bit presentable. I never thought that I would set foot in that room again. After all, I was supposed to be dead as soon as Christine and that fop left like I had planned, but here I am, setting up the bed for my guest to sleep in. Why am I even doing this? I thought to myself She probably has a home somewhere in the city. Or at the very least, she knows someone other than myself that is willing to let her board in their house. Besides, she wouldn't want to stay with the likes of a murderer, much less one who tried to strangle her at first meeting.

But what if she doesn't have a place to stay? I heard the mysterious Voice say. It wouldn't hurt to ask her, right?

I shrugged my shoulders and got back to work on setting the bed.

After a couple of minutes, the bed was made and I returned to the kitchen to see Evangeline drying the dishes and putting them inside the cabinets.

"Mlle. Evangeline, would you by any chance have a place to stay for the night?"

"Nope," She replied, popping the "p" as she closed the cabinet doors, "I don't know anyone in this city that wouldn't mind me to crash at their place for a while."

Crash? What does she mean by "crash"? Is it customary for all Americans to speak so improper?

"Well, I have a spare room in the lair in which you can stay in. That is, unless, you want to stay in a hotel nearby."

She stopped what she was doing and looked at me.

"I doubt that I would get a hotel room. If you haven't noticed, I'm not that fluent in French. In fact, I doubt that they would understand me since I can barely pronounce the French words that I know."

"So, is that a yes?"

"Uh, yes."

I then led her towards Christine's room, handed her the key, and slinked away for the outside world. She would need more..... appropriate clothes instead of whatever she was wearing if she was to stay with me. And shoes, now that I think about it. Wide, comfortable women's shoes. Not those.. those.. I haven't the faintest idea WHAT those abominable things on her feet were.

Evangeline's POV

I looked at my room and then turned my attention to the golden key in my hand as I began to consider the rather hasty decisions that I had made so far:
I had pretty much barged into the lair of the Phantom of the Opera and saved him from the jaws of death, had almost gotten the life choked out of me by said mentally unstable Phantom, went grocery shopping for him when it was so EASY to just run away as soon as I came to the surface with 1,000 francs in my pocket, made him a meal with said groceries, had accepted free lessons from same Opera Ghost as compensation for said assault, AND had agreed to stay in a room in his house.
If someone else made these same decisions in a similar situation like this, I would've labeled them as desperate or just plain stupid, and yet lo and behold, here is my hypocritical behind doing just that. I don't know whether to laugh at the irony of the situation or to ask myself what the heck was wrong with me.

Well, you always wanted to be able to meet Erik in person. The Voice answered, You did get your wish.

I breathed out a tired sigh as I got ready for bed, taking care to lock the door. It wasn't that I didn't trust him. Why'm I lying? Of course I didn't trust him. At least not in the sense that he wouldn't relapse and try to smother me in my sleep. As soon as the door was securely locked and the key was in my pocket, I kicked off my sneakers and socks, pulled up the covers and went to sleep.

A/N: Sorry for this short chapter after a long while! I was out of state for Christmas and was spending time with my dad's side of the family and school started last week and I already have truckloads of assignments to get done. I promise that you'll be getting more chapters soon.
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