All I Ask of You

Chapter 20

One month later...

Erik and I had married with the blessing of a priest. Erik was very loving, but he was also extremely awkward when it came to love and feelings. Not that I was in a rush, but Erik and I hadn't even made love. I figured it would happen when Erik was ready. 

One evening shortly after our wedding, Erik and I enjoyed a dinner together with wine. Whenever we had wine, our inhibitions were lowered, and we often enjoyed deeper conversation than we would have otherwise. We were both just nervous and shy people. 

I felt the world becoming shiny, and I began talking... too much.

"Erik, I'm awfully sorry no one could come to our wedding. I'm sure you wish your friend, Nadir, could be there..." I trailed off when I noticed the look Erik was giving me.

"How?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"What?" I replied. 

"I never told you about the Daroga. How did you know?" he grew angry. 

Oh, God... What had I done? I was getting too comfortable. I wasn't thinking as much about separating my reality of Erik versus what I had known of him my entire life. "I... I..."

"You've done this to trap me. Why? Who sent you?" he grabbed my wrists harshly. 

"Erik!" I shrieked in pain, "You're hurting me!" I cried. 

My cry brought him back to reality, and he let go of my wrists. 

"I will explain everything to you... Please, you have to believe me..." I began to explain my whole story to him: how I ended up in the lair; why I knew so much about his life... all of it. 

Finally, he looked at me with tears welling in his eyes, "I have two questions. Do you ever think about going back? Tell me one thing that you know about my life that you couldn't know unless you came from the future." 

"No, I never think about going back... I was sad, lonely, and miserable. The things I have told you about my life are all true. I was left to pay expenses for all of my family members. I was the only one left. You have made me happy, Erik."

"Tell me something about my life," he looked deep into my eyes, "I love you, Caroline. If you can't prove to me that this is all true, I shall go throw myself into the ocean."

"No, Erik!" I cried. I thought long and hard about what I could tell him. I had to try to separate fact from fiction, so I chose the most heart-wrenching piece of Leroux's novel, praying it was true, "The night I arrived or shortly before it, you went to see Nadir. You told him you'd freed Christine, and you said you were dying of lovesickness."

He began to cry as I said it, "How could you know? You must be a friend of the Daroga... You must-"

"Erik, I beg of you. I am your wife. That's all I am. That's what I'm meant to be. If I know anything about you from all I've ever read about you, that's all you've ever wanted: a wife, a house, normalcy..."

"Was I supposed to die in the lair?" he asked shakily. 

"Yes," I whispered. 

He shook his head, "Does everyone believe I'm the villain in your world?"

"No, darling. On the contrary, many people believe Raoul is the villain. I have always thought Raoul the villain. Erik, please believe me. I love you... I shall never keep another secret from you. If you go drown yourself in the ocean, I would go right with you. I can't live without you." 

Erik's eyes flooded with tears. He was touched by my sentiment and also stressed by the fight we had just had. 

"Erik?" I whispered touching his shoulder, "Are we going to be alright?"

 He nodded slowly, "I don't understand any of it, but I don't care. I love you, and I want to live out my days with you."

I took his face in my hands admiring his entire face-the perfection of the left and the uniqueness of the right. I placed a kiss on his forehead. He shuddered from the sensation. It was evident that he had been deprived of touch his entire life every time I kissed him or hugged him. Slowly, he was getting better at accepting the affection. I decided that night we would fall asleep in the same bed, something we hadn't yet done. I knew Erik was not ready for anything further, but I wanted to feel him beside me as I slept. 

After a few minutes, I suggested, "Maybe, we should get some sleep."

"Yes, it's been a long evening." He began to head towards his room, and I followed, holding onto his hand, "Goodnight, my love," he gave me a gentle kiss on the lips. 

"Erik, I thought maybe we could sleep in the same bed..." his eyes displayed nervousness for a moment, "We don't have to do anything yet if you aren't ready," I added in a whisper. 

"Do you want to?" he whispered. 

"Erik, I love you. I am your wife. I would give all of myself to you."

I followed Erik into his bedroom, and then we sat down on his bed. I took his face into my hands, and began kissing him passionately. He reciprocated the kisses, and the passion intensified. Slowly, gently, night unfurled its splendor... and husband and wife became one.