Wingman
Just a short one shot that popped into my head this morning and demanded to be written. It's pretty much just a story about how Grantaire came to join the group. Not sure that it will be the start of anything, just something fun I wanted to write and thought I'd share. Let me know what you think :)
It was a Friday night, the kind of Friday night where there was nothing on TV and all his friends were busy. For ages he scrolled through his phonebook calling friend after friend but to no avail.
"Hey man."
"Hey Courf, I was wonder-"
"Got you sucker, this is my voicemail, leave a message and if I like you enough I'll call you back sometime."
BEEP.
"Hi this is Marius Pontmercy, I'm away from my phone right now but leave a message and I'll get back to you."
BEEP.
"Combeferre's phone, leave your chat after the beep."
BEEP.
And so this continued until he'd exhausted his contacts list. He'd even called the new girl who worked behind the counter in the cafe, Eponine. She'd written her number on his coffee cup on her first day there and, not wanting to seem rude (he knew she'd been watching him the whole time he drank his soy-caramel-macchiato-cappa-latte thing that Courf had ordered him after he'd spent too long making up his own mind) he put her number into his phone and sent her:
Thanks for the coffee, for future reference I usually drink americanos with a drop of milk :)
And since then whenever he walked into the cafe she'd quickly set about making his drink for him without him even having to ask.
But tonight not even she answered her phone and so he was left to sit alone in his empty living room, staring at the black screen of his turned off TV, wondering how to not waste his night.
He wasn't really the type to go to bars but on this night something in his mind pushed him up from his sofa, towards the front door, grabbing his jacket, keys and wallet on the way out before making his way to the nearest tube station to take him into town.
It wasn't long before he was sat on a bar stool ordering himself a beer. Yes beer, he may have pushed the boat out enough to get him there but he wasn't about to have to get it towed back home due to vodka related incompetence.
A couple of hours later and he was still sat at his bar stool, though now feeling much more at ease having taken out the book he kept in his jacket pocket for passing time on public transport and contentedly reading, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings and uncaring about how out of place his behaviour was. Some of the occupants of the other bar stools had offered him drinks which he'd politely accepted and drunk whilst making idle small talk but they'd all moved on by now, either led by their horrendous drunk over-confidence to the dance floor or into the street, staggering around in search of their next bar.
Every now and again he'd look up from his book and shake his head at the scenes unfolding around him, groups of underage kids ordering shots, trying out their fake ids, groups of guys at either end of the bar spying on groups of girls on the dance floor, picking out their catch for the night. Each time he looked up these groups would be different but their motives all the same.
Why would anyone come here of their own accord? He thought to himself before remembering his own current situation and laughing at himself slightly. This is what his life had become? 24 years old and sat on a bar stool, drinking beers bought for him by strangers and reading a small travel edition of The Great Gatsby, not only a book that he had ready many times but a book that he was beginning to hate as a result.
The longer he sat there the more self conscious he began to feel as he felt like someone was watching him, it wouldn't be surprising for someone to glance over at him given that he was reading in a bar but this wasn't just quick glances, this was full on staring.
"Can I help you?" He asked turning his starer who had now taken the stool to his right. She was a fairly attractive girl with dark brown eyes and long brunette hair, curling over her shoulder and cascading down her back.
"You're reading a book." She replied obviously.
"Yes? And?"
"You're in a bar and you're reading a book?"
"Do you have a problem with that?" He replied bluntly, her presence was beginning to annoy him.
"No not at all, I think it's pretty cute, you don't see many other guys in here confident enough to get out a book and start reading." She began to flutter her eyelids a little as she spoke obviously hoping to impress him.
"It's not a matter of confidence, it's a matter of boredom."
"Well that's no fun, perhaps I can help you make your night a little less boring?" She said twisting in her seat so he could see that she was wearing a tight black dress that showed off her figure and her long tanned legs. "Let's start by getting a drink. I'll have a vodka cranberry."
"Oh um ok. One vodka cranberry and a diet coke please" He said to the bartender.
"A diet coke?! It's a Friday night and you're ordering a diet coke?!" She screeched from beside him.
"I've already had quite a few beers and I need to make it home somehow."
At that moment their drinks were placed in front of them and he paid the bartender before picking up his glass and taking a small sip. When he looked over at the girl he saw her downing the drink he'd just bought her, the red liquid inside the glass almost all gone.
As quickly as she'd started she slammed the glass down on the table and reached her hand forward for his.
"Come on book boy, let's go dance!" She shouted in his direction whilst standing up and dragging him to his feet.
The dancing was awkward to say the least, she refused to let go of his hand for the whole time and insisted on pressing herself tightly against him whenever she could. For his part he stood pretty still, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in time to the music whilst constantly looking around for an opening on the floor that he could make his escape through though none appeared. After a few songs he leaned forward towards her.
"I'm going to go back to the bar." He shouted over the noise of the music and people.
"But we've just got started!" She whined back at him, not letting go of his hand.
"I'm sure you can carry on dancing by yourself, I'm going to go finish my book."
"If you're going back to the bar I'll come with you. Keep you company."
'If you insist." He rolled his eyes, he'd been rather hoping to get rid of her.
The two of them made their way back across the room and took up their places at the bar again, her moving her stool much closer to his this time so she could drape herself over his shoulder whilst he picked up his book.
"Tell me something about yourself then." She said, rubbing her hands across his shoulders and chest while she spoke.
"What do you want to know." He shifted awkwardly under her grasp, subtly trying to free himself.
"Oh anything, I don't know, like why are you here reading a book?"
"I was bored at home, none of my friends answered their phones so I came out for a drink and remembered I had this in my pocket." He answered matter of factly.
"Oh." She seemed to have no reply. After a few moments she spoke again. "Aren't you going to ask me a question?"
Why won't you leave me alone? He thought to himself but in the end answered with; "No."
"Oh." She said again and he really hoped she'd got the message and would leave him soon. "Well I'll ask you another one then. What do you look for in a girl?"
"Oh, I er—" He began, not knowing how to tell her that girls weren't really his thing.
He was just about to open his mouth again when a guy sat down on the stool the other side of him and leaned across to join their conversation.
"So I see you're interested in my bro here." The guy spoke in a smooth, casual voice. The girl just nodded. "Well girly if you want to go home with him tonight you're going to have to answer a few of my questions first." She nodded again. "Question 1: What's you're name?"
"Emilie" She said sitting back on her stool and folding her arms. "I don't see why I have to-"
"No. Be quiet. Question 2: What are your intentions with my main man here?" He asked putting his hands on 'his main man's' shoulders.
His shoulders tingled under the touch of the other man, he had no idea who he was or what he was doing but he somehow trusted him and let him continue.
"I don't know, just a bit of fun really." She shrugged.
"Just a bit of fun?!" The stranger almost shouted at her. "I'm sorry I can't allow that."
"And why not?"
"Because incase you hadn't noticed by the fact he's reading The Great Gatsby in a bar like this, he's a pretty serious guy and doesn't have time for that kind of fun in his life, especially not with girls like you." Especially not with girls at all, he thought to himself.
"How dare you!" She shouted and jumped up off her stool. "and you," she said ignoring the stranger and looking him straight in the eye. "you could of had a good time tonight, I think you need a new wingman."
"Ok bye Emma." He said in a totally uninterested tone.
"It's Emilie!" She shouted back and stormed off leaving the two guys at the bar.
He turned to look at the stranger, a look of confusion plastered across his face.
"Erm thank you?" He began.
"No trouble at all bro, I could see you needed some help." The guy replied with a wink.
"But how did you know?"
"Mate anyone who had seen you for at least a second could see how uncomfortable you were. Let me guess, girls aren't your thing?" He just shook his head. "Nah, mine neither, what's your name by the way bro?"
"Enjolras."
"Enjolras? Cool name, I'm Grantaire but call me R."
"Um ok… R.."
"Can I get you a drink?"
"Sure." He'd suddenly lost all his cool, this guy was cute, his floppy brown curls fell round his face and the ends rested on his green knitted jumper on his shoulders, his blue eyes sparkled even in the darkness of the bar and his smile was kind of infectious.
Pretty soon the two of them had consumed a lot of vodka between them and when Grantaire asked if they should dance he couldn't even think straight enough to say no.
—
"Has anyone seen Enjolras this morning?" Combeferre asked, sitting down with his latte and placing his papers in front of him.
"Has anyone even heard from him?" Joly asked, doing the same.
"He's usually here before us." Feuilly said as he walked over to join their table.
"He's always here before me." Marius chipped in.
"I'm sure there's no need to worry, he was probably just working too late last night and slept in." Combeferre reasoned.
"Or he was dancing too late last night." Courfeyrac sniggered from the other side of his laptop.
"What?" A confused Bahorel asked.
"You know those photographers in bars who take photos of you when you're really drunk and dancing really badly and they all end up on facebook the next day?" Courfeyrac laughed as he spoke. "Well he's just been tagged in two of those!"
"What?!" Everyone shouted at once as he turned the laptop screen around to show them all the two photos of Enjolras drunker than anyone had seen him before, in the middle of a dance floor with one arm around a guy none of them had seen before and the other arm pointing up at the ceiling.
One by one they all turned the laptop to get a better look, staring in disbelief before bursting out laughing, attracting themselves the attention of everyone else in the cafe, including Eponine who was making her way over from behind the counter.
"What is so funny that you all have to laugh so loudly and disturb all my customers?" She asked. They all simply pointed at the screen in reply, allowing her to see the photos. "Oh wow…" She said stunned, then laughed to herself a little too. "What's he doing with Grantaire?!" She said when she realised who the other guy in the photo was.
"Who's Grantaire?" Joly asked.
"That would be me." A voice said behind them causing them all to turn and stare at the guy it came from. "I didn't know you worked here Eponine."
"I didn't know you knew Enjolras." She replied.
"That's probably because he didn't until last night." Enjolras said, appearing beside him.
"I see… care to explain?" She asked, eyeing the two guys suspiciously.
"If you make me my coffee." he said giving her his sweetest smile.
"Alright alright, do you want anything R?"
"Can I get a medium soy chai latte please Ep?"
"Of course, sit down guys and I'll bring it over then you can explain everything to us."
Courfeyrac stood up to give the new guy his chair then quickly ran to another table and grabbed two more for himself and Enjolras.
"Hey man, I'm Courfeyrac, good drink choice by the way, you can bring him again Enj." He said as he sat down, looking expectantly between the pair waiting for one of them to start the story.