Hello friends

me again

Departure from my usual, I know, but I watched About Time today and couldn't get the idea out of my head, so here I am at 7am having written it in one sitting. Really good for my revision...

Anyway. I hope you enjoy!

ATTEMPT #1

Courfeyrac walked, exhausted, out of class, head reeling from the seemingly endless barrage of information the lecturer had been throwing at them for the past hour. Running one hand through his wild dark curls, he hoisted his bag higher onto his shoulder with the other as he made his way down the corridor and out into the quad. It was a cloudy, grey day in Paris, with the sort of constant drizzle which soaks you through instantly. He inwardly cursed himself for forgetting his coat.

It was then that he spotted her; long wavy tendrils of her brunette hair flapping behind her in the wind as she walked briskly across the quad. She must be freezing, with black skinny jeans and grey hoodie as her only protection against the weather. Arms folded, her books were clutched closely to her chest. His heart leapt and, suddenly cheerful, he jogged after her to catch up. "Hey! Hey Éponine!"

She ignored him, until he caught up to be walking alongside her, and she glanced sideways at him. He realised with a start that she had a black eye and a clumsily stitched cut on her right cheek. "Jesus Ép, what happened to you?"
"Nothing."
"Seriously though, are you sure pro wrestling is the career for you?" he joked. If she wouldn't tell him how she got like that (and he knew from experience she wouldn't), he'd just have to cheer her up.
"I don't know, try and fight me and find out" she snapped back.
"If you insist, but I warn you, I'm tough" he teased, fake punching towards her face. It remained stony and irritable. "What, you scared or something? Don't want to fight the incredible Courfeyrac, strongest man alive, protector of the –"
"Do you want something?" she asked sharply, stopping dead in her tracks and looking hard at him, a challenging eyebrow raised.
"Sorry, I was just… trying to cheer you up, I guess." He grinned at her; the grin that usually got him out of trouble, especially with girls. And he'd be lying if he said he wasn't keen to win this particular girl over. He'd only known her a few weeks – she never went to college parties; Cosette's birthday party had been an exception because the two of them were roommates – but she'd definitely turned his head. The girl was stunning: tanned, slender frame, long legs, beautiful long hair, big, deep brown eyes that seemed to sparkle in the light, and those dimples… Grantaire had joked she was the female Enjolras – impossibly beautiful, and of course, completely unattainable. This sounded to Courfeyrac like a challenge. True, she hadn't responded to the same tricks that the other girls did (which was definitely a first). But it was really only a matter of time.

"Well, I've had an absolute bitch of a day - made worse, by the way, by the fact that I had a shit night last night in which I ended up looking like Sylvester fucking Stallone – and I'm so very not in the mood for your shitty jokes, so can you maybe take it somewhere else please? Thanks." She took off again, walking even faster than before. He jogged to get in front of her, then put a hand on each of her shoulders to stop her.
"Woah, woah, woah… ok, I'm sorry, not the time for jokes." She looked up at him, expression slightly softer. He decided to push his luck. "Let me make it up to you, come for a drink with me tonight."
She seemed confused, and a little taken aback. "What?"
"A drink, with me. I'll pick you up around 8?" He smiled at her, the crooked one that every girl on campus swooned at.
"Are you serious?" Éponine appeared genuinely dumbfounded. Bless, he'd surprised her – she wasn't expecting to be so lucky. A common response.
"Completely. Come on, one drink!"
She laughed quietly and shook her head. "You're unbelievable" she scoffed, before ducking her shoulders out of his hands and storming past him.
Huh?! He jogged up to her again, but this time she didn't stop when he got in front of her, so he had to continue walking backwards to keep up. "What?"
"I genuinely cannot actually believe you're hitting on me right now."
"Why not, you're gorgeous!?"
She scoffed, outraged. "Not because I don't think I'm good enough for you, asshole, because I didn't think even you would be so boneheaded as to try and grab me for a quick shag today, of all days!"
He grinned again "I only suggested a drink, but if that's what you'd rather…"
"No it's not what I'd fucking rather! I'd rather you pissed off and left me alone!" she sped up to pass him, and he decided not to try and keep up.
"So 8 o'clock, yeah?" he called.
She turned around but didn't stop, incredulity written all over your face. "No!"
Courfeyrac was not used to failure, and he sure as hell didn't like losing. He felt the determination set in as she sashayed away from him. "I'm going to keep asking until you say yes!" he shouted after her.
"I won't!" she yelled back, not even turning around this time.

Yeah, you will he thought with friendly determination. Smiling to himself, he continued on his way home, plotting his next move as he went.