| "In Between The Lines" 'The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn' Part 3 Chapter 6 |
| Satine sat through her late lunch, glancing at the decorative clock behind The Duke�s shoulder. Its beauty didn�t intrigue her; rather every minute she spent with him, was another she wasn�t with Christian. �Satine! This is your job,� she thought, �if you don�t do this you�ll be out on the street.� However, even that method of thinking was no longer a driving force for her. She knew Christian would never let that happen. Satine released a small sigh and continued to flash her brilliant smile in The Duke�s direction. *** Satine judged that a suitable amount of time had passed, and spared no time in excusing herself. She noted The Duke�s displeasure from the way his rodent like lips curled back and his moustache twitched, however with one small, yet repulsive peck on the side of his face, she was once again back in his good graces. Satine was thankful that was all she had to do to keep him satisfied and at arms length for the time being...but how long could it possibly last? *** It was just after 4:30 by the time Satine returned home. She visited several of �the girls�, wanting to make herself seen for at least part of the day, before she had to duck out later that evening. Satine�s excuse for getting home at 11:00 that morning, was that she got up early and went for a long walk. The last few nights she had simply told Harold and the others that she was working on the script with the writer, but this was the first time she had stayed the entire night, and it was harder to cover. Satine wasn�t sure what would happen tonight. She knew many of the bohos would see her, and it was almost definite that word would get back or others from the Moulin Rouge would be there. Satine remembered other girls had been in similar predicaments, though nowhere near this magnitude, and thankfully it seemed to be the bohemian way that, what one does in their own time...is their own business. Harold would not hear about it. Satine hoped the same would apply to Christian and her, though with The Duke as the play�s financier, the stakes were considerably higher Satine dressed in her dancing shoes and black dress with a corseted body and flowing skirt. Her shoulders were bare, but Satine was used to fronting the cold by now. She just hoped that Christian would like her choice of outfit. As much as Satine felt that in comparison to the Moulin Rouge, Bar Absinthe would be slumming it, she had not been dancing for several days; since the closure of the Moulin Rouge...and she craved it. She didn�t know what the evening would entail, but dressed suitably in case the opportunity to dance presented itself. At 7:15, Satine left her dressing room without being noticed. She felt like a schoolgirl, sneaking out late to rendezvous with a suitor. But feeling foolish was preferable to the alternative of having to make lame excuses to leave, or even worse, being stopped by Harold. Dressed to stun, Satine set off to Christian�s garret. *** Christian was sitting on the edge of his bed tying the laces to his shoes, when he heard a knock at the door. He glanced to the bedside clock, 7:24, she was early. At the thought of Satine, butterflies began to flutter in his stomach. �Come in,� he called. Tentatively, the door creaked open, and then Satine appeared in the doorway. Christian finished tying his laces and looked to Satine. His eyes grew wide and his mouth hung open, but no words came out. Satine smiled, �I guess he likes the dress� she thought. �Wow...� Christian breathed, �You look...fantastic,� he said, finally composing his thoughts. �You don�t look so bad yourself,� Satine said, admiring Christian�s casual yet dressy appearance; in slacks, a white shirt, and jacket. Christian flashed a sparkling grin in return, and Satine had to use all her will power to stay put and not devour him right then and there. The tension between the two was evident, and Christian was busying himself looking at the stitching on his jacket to prevent himself from taking Satine right at that moment, and staying in for the night. However, he had promised Toulouse and Christian was a man of his word...besides, he had a surprise planned for Satine. Breaking the silence Christian said, �You know; you don�t have to knock when you come here. Mi casa es su casa.� Satine blushed and giggled at Christian�s Spanish accent. �Are you ready?� she asked. �Almost...we still have a few more minutes� Christian responded standing. Christian put on his overcoat, and then paused, looking to Satine, �Aren�t you cold?� he said, noticing her bare shoulders. �I�m all right,� Satine replied with a reassuring smile, �besides, I�m sure you�ll keep me warm,� she said, stepping into her poet�s arms. Christian took the opportunity to kiss Satine�s deep red lips. He�d been wanting to do it from the second she had entered his garret. �I missed you,� Satine sighed into Christian�s mouth, but continued to fervently kiss him all over. �Mmm, I missed you too,� Christian responded. He missed her lips, her scent, her laugh, her soft skin, and they had only been apart less than a day. Christian had tried to tidy up his �Spectacular! Spectacular!� proposal for The Duke and Zidler, but was distracted with thoughts of Satine all day long. Drawing away from Satine, Christian asked, �So, how was your lunch with The Duke?� the last two words said with some animosity. �Ugh, don�t ask,� Satine said, attempting to recapture his now lipstick smeared lips, but he drew away once more, leaving Satine feeling slightly crestfallen. �It�s 7:35, now we�re late,� he said, looking to the clock, in an attempt to make them both forget the topic of conversation. Christian regretted bringing The Duke into conversation. It wasn�t that he didn�t trust Satine, rather slight jealous curiosity, that and he didn�t trust The Duke. He didn�t want to think about that now, so he picked up the paper sitting next to his typewriter, shoved it into his inner breast pocket and with his arm behind Satine�s back, he ushered her out the door. *** There was a cool breeze on the way over, but as Satine had hoped, Christian kept her more than sufficiently warm. They entered the bar through its double doors, and were swept away by the lively atmosphere. Music was being played by a band, on what seemed to be a generally open stage and Satie was stationed at the piano to the right of it. The drinking had obviously already begun, and there were many happy drunks speaking excitedly and dancing freely on the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the establishment. Christian and Satine both looked about, slightly bewildered by it all, and then noticed Toulouse waving them over to a large table at the back of the room. He had a large sketchpad in hand; an array of drawing implements placed on the table in front of him and seemed to be drawing Chocolat on the dance floor. |
 |
| Christian took Satine�s hand and led her to their seats. The table was a simple wood construct and was surrounded by a faded red booth. Several of the bohemians had pulled up chairs nearby, seemingly to allow themselves easier movement in the club throughout the night. �Cwistian! Satine!� Toulouse said, standing when they appeared before him. �I saved woom for you at the table. I�m sooo haaapy you could come!� he finished, starting to drawl his words. Toulouse ushered some people to their feet and promptly Christian and Satine were squeezed in tightly to the back of the booth, trapped behind the table, and the bohos sat back down once the pair were seated. Christian still had Satine�s hand and stroked it with his thumb beneath the table. �Would you like a drink darling?� he asked Satine. �What!?� She yelled back, competing with Satie�s intense piano solo. �Would you...like a drink!?� Christian said, yelling over the music and gesturing to Satine. �Oh! Yes, thank you,� she replied, the music now dying down to a mere background noise. Christian looked for a waitress...he assumed this place had them. When he caught the attention of a woman with a tray of empty glasses he signalled her over. �Aaahhh, good idea Christian!� Rico rumbled, �Absinthe!� he commanded when the waitress appeared by his side. The woman stood and rolled her eyes at the raucous mob, their behaviour, was by no means a surprise to her. �Ah...mademoiselle, I�ll have a shot of absinthe as well, and Satine, should I make that another?� he said, meaning for it to be more of a formality than a question. Momentarily, several members at the table stopped their discussion and all looked in Satine�s direction expectantly. �Ah, no...� Satine began hesitantly, looking to the table, then raising her head like a swan. She looked to the waitress and finished, �make mine a glass of red wine, thank you.� With the apparent show over, everyone went back to their previous discussions. However, Christian was bemused; he didn�t understand what had just happened. He opened his mouth to ask, even though he wasn�t sure he should, when Satine placed a finger over his lips, silencing him. She lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed it, �...later� she said. Christian smiled and nodded, doing his best to let her know whatever she had to tell him, he would be all right with. *** The table erupted with laughter as Christian finished telling an anecdote about his trip from London to Paris. Christian was now drinking wine to make Satine feel more at ease, and laughing, he spilt some out the corner of his mouth and down his chin. Christian sighed as Satine discreetly kissed him and suggestively licked some of the stray liquid from his face. It was their first big display of public affection, and though their actions in public were generally overly cautious, tonight, the atmosphere made them forget all about �the rules�. No one at the table seemed to be watching them, however, Satine was well aware they all could have seen it, but was far from caring. When Satine was done, Christian looked into her eyes and smiled, �Thank you.� �My pleasure,� Satine responded playfully. Christian took Satine�s cheerful mood as a cue to unveil his surprise. He waved Chocolat over from chatting at a nearby table and handed him a piece of paper from his breast pocket. Christian gave him some instructions and Chocolat looked from the paper to Satine and smiled. �Sure,� he said to Christian, �...in C? I�ll see what they can do,� he finished and then left the table. �What was all that about?� Satine laughed. �What was all what about?� Christian said, being overtly aloof. Satine laughed at his act and playfully slapped her hand across his chest. �Hey, watch it,� Christian returned playfully, �you keep that up and you won�t get your song.� Satine�s eyes lit up, and she grinned at Christian. She loved his songs, especially when they were just for her. �Oh, well, now you�ve made me ruin the surprise. I hope you�re happy,� Christian said, continuing his mock fa�ade. Chocolat stood near Satie and the band, and cleared his throat, drawing a semi silence from the room. When he was satisfied with the quiet, he looked to Satie as a cue to begin. Satie played a few bars testing out a chord progression; pleased with it, he repeated the same notes and began the song. Satine grinned like a child, and the look on her face was priceless to Christian. �Want to dance?� he asked her. Satine nodded enthusiastically, �I was hoping you would ask.� **Press play (if using Windows player right click and selct play) Chocolat�s deep voice broke through the room, Now I've had the time of my life No I never felt like this before Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you Gesturing to Petite Princess, he lifted her to sit atop the high backed piano, and she took his cue singing the words from the paper. 'Cause I've had the time of my life and I owe it all to you Chocolat continued, I've been waiting for so long Now I've finally found someone To stand by me Christian and Satine attempted to free themselves from behind the table as Petite Princess began, We saw the writing on the wall As we felt this magical fantasy Out of the booth, Christian took Satine�s hand and led her to the centre of the room, occupied by a few other dancers. In unison, Chocolat and Princess found a steady rhythm for the song, Now with passion in our eyes There's no way we could disguise it secretly So we take each other's hand 'Cause we seem to understand The urgency The crowed erupted with cheer when Chocolat�s voice boomed, Just remember! Alternating lines with Petite, Chocolate began, You're the one thing I can't get enough of So I'll tell you something They both broke into chorus with, This could be love because... I've had the time of my life No I never felt this way before Yes I swear it's the truth And I owe it all to you Several more people made their way to the dance floor, absorbing the wonder of the improvised bohemian spirit. Christian pulled Satine close and her body swayed tantalisingly against his. As Petite sung and Chocolate followed, Satine gazed heatedly into Christian�s sparkling eyes, With my body and soul I want you more than you'll ever know So we'll just let it go Don't be afraid to lose control Petite, stood on the piano and sung, Yes I know what's on your mind When you say, "Stay with me tonight" Satine smiled, remembering Christian voicing those words in the midst of passion last night. Chocolat repeated his booming line, enjoying the crowd�s buzzed response, Just remember! Christian began singing as he danced with Satine, You're the one thing Catching on Satine continued, I can't get enough of Christian followed on, So I'll tell you something They all sung, as the crowd grew loud with excitement and more people flooded the dance floor. This could be love because I've had the time of my life No I never felt this way before Yes I swear it's the truth And I owe it all to you Cause I've had the time of my life I�ve searched through every open door And I found the truth And I owe it all to you Unexpectedly a drunken Toulouse, stumbled onto the stage and broke into a blitzing saxophone solo. Christian and Satine burst out laughing at the sight as, Christian spun Satine out and then back into his arms. Energy spent, the band slowed the song and Chocolat continued, Now I've had the time of my life No I never felt this way before Yes I swear it's the truth But no sooner than it had slowed, it picked up again, and both sang, And I owe it all to you! I've had the time of my life No I never felt this way before Yes I swear it's the truth And I owe it all to you Cause I've had the time of my life I�ve searched through every open door And I found the truth And I owe it all to you... The song ended and the crowd cheered for more. Chocolat lifted Petite Princess from the piano, and vacated the stage area as Satie and Co. continued. Satine half slumped against Christian�s chest with laughter, she couldn�t remember the last time she had so much fun dancing. �Thank you,� she said to him. � � My pleasure�,� Christian responded, beaming at his Sparkling Diamond. *** (I've Had) The Time of My Life, By Christian James... ....actually it was by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes |
| Wan't to POST FEEDBACK!? Part 3 Chapter 7 Part 3 Chapter 5 |