Hello :) Little note: this is my first ever fanfic so I'm not sure what I'm doing. I planned the whole story out while I was on vacation, so I know where I'm going start to finish. :) I hope you like this! :)
In the center of the University of Paris, you can find a quiant little Starbucks. It was nothing special, no music, no nothing, simply the light conversations shared by the people inside. The caféused to be an old library, therefore it has a 7 foot wall with bookshelves covered with 'Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit- one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time' printed on the coffee shop being no more than 200 square feet, the place was cluttered with college students sitting on wooden tables, devouring their beverages. This Starbucks was very quick and convenient for the students, considering that 1) You don't calculate the fact that spending 4 dollars on a drink every day for a year it will end up being far more expensive than simply paying 100 dollars for a coffee machine or 2) Everyone loves free wifi.
Éponine Thénardier was there for reason two. She had just returned her dorm keys and was stopping by to check her email to see if everything was okay with her new roommate, who wasn't answering her phone, before moving into her new apartment. She gazed across the room to struggle to find an open chair, somewhere where she can sit down to use her computer. She finally found one chair across a handsome bloke with messy curls. She picked up her drink from the barista and stood next to the man as he finished sprawling something in his notebook and looked up at her, asking with a tone of annoyance, "Yes?"
"Can I sit here? I have to check my email and there's no other seats available."
"Go ahead."
Éponine sat down and quickly opened up her bulky, old laptop, which takes 5 minutes to start up. She waited impatiently as her computer struggled to come alive.
"What are you drinking?" Éponine asked curiously, eying the man's red frappuccino, which was covered in red, heart sprinkles.
The man didn't bother to look up and answered, "Raspberry cheesecake. The barista gives me it every time."
Éponine looked up to see a ginger woman behind the counter, glaring at her. "I think she might have a bit of a crush on you," she giggled.
"Okay."
"Don't you care? She's pretty, and she seemed nice when taking my order. I won't judge her on the look that she's giving me. To be fair, she doesn't know that we're strangers. I can get you her number if you want," Éponine said playfully, starting to stand up.
The man set down his notebook and pulled Éponine back into his seat before retreating his hands and massaging his temples with them. "I could care less about relationships. Look, I'm really busy right now. I was just being reasonable when I said that you could sit in the seat. That wasn't an invitation for you to be my friend. I don't have the time or patience to deal with this."
"This as in me? Alright, I apologize. I guess I was just trying to be nice. I won't talk anymore," Éponine muttered, looking down to see her laptop finally starting up. Not bothering to look up again, Éponine missed an apologetic face appear on the man.
She quickly opened up her email to find one titled BAD NEWS, sent from Cosette Valjean.
Dear Éponine,
I apologize dearly for having to send this email. My father is currently very ill, and I need to take care of him right now. I'll arrive at the apartment on September 1st, so you'll have a month of no roommate. I'm sorry! I hope you understand. I also realize that I'll be missing the first two weeks of school, but I already contacted my professors, and I'll be working hard to catch up.
P.S. I need you to do something for me. It may seem kind of strange, but it's very important to me. I would truly appreciate it for you to bake some cookies to bring over to our new neighbors. I was going to do so myself, but I can't make it in time for moving day. I realize that we could simply do it together when I come, but you'd introduce yourself a month after moving in, so it would be a tad pointless by then. Thank you so much for doing this! This will help us remain close with our neighbors because let's face it, we can't live near someone that we don't know! Neighbors have to stick up for each other! :) Thanks so much. I can't wait to meet up with you at the apartment!
Xoxo, Cosette
Éponine groaned and reread the email once more before putting her face in her hands. She wants me to bake some cookies for the neighbors? I bet they won't even give a shit!
She suddenly heard a light "What's wrong?" coming from the man in front of her. Éponine removed her hands and raised an eyebrow at the man.
"I feel bad for being so rude. Also, I 'm too tired right now to study."
Éponine considered what he said and accepted it, then proceeded to tell him about the email she just received. "...She wants me to make cookies? I can't even bake!"
"Why don't you simply buy some cookies and heat them up? They won't notice."
"Good thinking, Starbucks boy!"
"Starbucks boy? Really? My name is-"
The man was cut off by a quick cut-off when Éponine stood up from her chair grabbing her watch with a frown. "Shit, I've got to go. I have to meet up with my superintendent in half an hour, and I've gotta buy some cookies before I move in. It's been a pleasure meeting you."
Éponine stuck out her hand, giving the man barely enough time to stand up and respond to her handshake before she dashed away. The man was left running his hand through his blonde hair, and struggled to turn his attention back to the writing in his notebook.
The following day Éponine returned to the coffee shop in need of sending an email to Cosette to tell her how the day went. The superintendent was an old man who seemed kind of out of it. He wore a stained shirt and gave her keys that smelled like beer. She offered him a cookie before going upstairs with just a box of items. The person who lived there before left them some furniture, so she didn't have to worry about a bed or refrigerator or anything. She was fairly relieved because she most likely wouldn't have been able to buy those items anyway. She was putting a big chunk of her already little money onto the apartment itself. As soon as she opened the door to room B13, she put up some photographs of her brother and sister and began heating up the cookies in the microwave. She assumed that 12 cookies would be enough for both sides of her room, but she was wrong. She went to room B12, where she found a far too young couple with a child. The woman, whose name she couldn't catch, married Pierre at 18, while they had their first child at 16. Pierre smelled far too much like whiskey, and the woman seemed to glare at her own 3-year old daughter with hate. They hurriedly ate dozen cookies, claiming Éponine was a great baker, and shooed her out of the apartment. With no more food for B14, she decided to say hello the next day and finish off the afternoon with a book.
"Next!" The ginger barista awoke Éponine from her thoughts, "What would you like today?" She asked in a harsh tone.
Éponine was about to order her regular white chocolate mocha when she remembered talking to the blonde man yesterday. "I'd like to try the raspberry cheesecake," She said, smiling to herself.
"That's not on the menu."
Éponine looked at the barista with her eyebrows raised when she heard a voice behind her. "I'd like two raspberry cheesecakes then."
Éponine looked behind her to see the same man from yesterday. "Starbucks boy!" she grinned happily.
The man returned the smile, and then sent the smile to the barista as well. The ginger girl, now defeated, said, "Coming right up!"
Éponine and the man walked together to wait at the same table that they sat at yesterday. "Wow you're just a charmer aren't you? That girl is totally falling for you-no she's completely fallen. I bet she would be 100 percent willing to take a bullet for you just to get you to notice her."
The man frowned, "The most I've talked to her is to order my coffee. How can she possibly gets so head-over-heels from that?"
"I think you're truly underestimating how people can completely make up the relationship in their head just so that they can see what they want. Just now, when you smiled at her? I bet she melted inside with joy."
"Oh god, this is one of the reasons why I stay away from relationships. There's very little rational thinking."
Éponine laughed, "They're not too bad."
The ginger girl brought over the two drinks, carefully placing them in front of each person. She looked at the man and happily said, "Enjoy!"
She gave Éponine a dirty look before turning on her heels and walking back behind the counter.
"Did she just give you a dirty look?"
"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if she spit in my drink or something."
The man offered Éponine his drink, to which she kindly declined, laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"I don't know, I just think it's so weird. You're acting so nice right now, and yesterday you were being kind of cold. I like this you more than yesterday's you."
"I apologize; I was studying for a huge test that I had in the afternoon, and I was stressing out for it. I've been taking summer courses, and this was my last one."
"Ahh, completely understandable. I know what stress does to a person. Cheers! To you hopefully passing your final and to me to hopefully successfully fool my neighbors that I can bake today!"
The man laughed and clinked plastic cups with Éponine. The moment she tried the frappuccino she looked up and said, "This is so fucking delicious."
The man smirked and said, "Yeah, the barista really knows her stuff. Also, did you not meet your neighbors yesterday?"
"I met with one side of my door, they were absolutely crazy. Some weird couple that made me feel pretty uncomfortable. They ate all of my cookies, so I wasn't able to meet my other neighbors. I think I fooled the weird couple! However, there was a chance that they were high or something."
"I'm glad you fooled them! I knew it'd work. I'm sorry that you're going to have to live next to them. Hopefully your other neighbors will be at least next to normal."
Éponine smiled and said, pulling out her laptop, "I hope. Hey, I've got to write this quick email because I have to leave in 15 minutes. Sorry, it won't take long."
"That's fine!" The man pulled out a red colored notebook and began scribbling notes inside of it. Éponine waited for the laptop to start up and was watching the man write quickly. He noticed her stare and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be writing something?"
"Yeah, my computer takes 5 minutes to load. It's a piece of shit, but it was cheap and gets the job done. What are you writing?"
"Nothing," the man shrugged.
Éponine then proceeded to quickly grab the notebook and begin skimming it, despite the man's objections. She looked up and asked, "So you're one of those revolutionists?"
"Yes, you could definitely say that. Can I have my notebook back?"
Éponine handed him the red notebook and said, "Starbucks boy, you are an interesting individual."
"My name-" The man got cut off by Eponine saying, "My laptop finally loaded up! Woo!"
She began typing away a letter to her roommate while the man in front of her continued to write. "Damnit, I was supposed to leave 10 minutes ago!"
Éponine rose up quickly, putting away her laptop in her bag. "It was great seeing you. Thanks for the coffee. Bye!"
Before the man was able to say goodbye, she rushed out the door.
Standing in front of B14 was kind of terrifying. Éponine had no idea what to expect. She just hoped whoever was behind the door wasn't crazy and wouldn't force her to move or something. She knocked, holding the plate of cookies at hand. When the door opened, it was definitely not what she expected. In the door frame was an incredibly handsome man. He was freckled and his hair rose upward. He wore a sweater vest which Éponine thought looked just so adorable on him. "Hello?"
"Hi! I'm your new roommate! Oops... I mean neighbor. Sorry. I baked some cookies to introduce myself! My roommate isn't here yet. You'll meet her in about a month. For now I'm on my own! And yeah. I'm Éponine."
The man was smiling, "Hi! I'm Marius. Glad to meet you. My roommate, Enjolras, should be home soon. Do you want to wait inside for him?"
"Sure!"
Marius led her to the kitchen where they both sat down and began eating the cookies and talking. "So do you go to the University of Paris?" Marius asked.
"Yeah! This is my second year here."
"Me too! What are you majoring in?"
"Neurology. You?"
Marius whistled. "Damn. That's impressive. I'm majoring in law. It's not necessarily enjoyable, but it's a stable career."
"Good point. I think I've just been really passionate about medicine and the brain, as weird as that sounds. That's why I'm doing neurology."
"You know, you are really kind of cute."
Éponine blushed, "You're really kind of cute too."
"Do you wanna get a drink sometime?"
Éponine raised her eyebrows and answered, "Sure!" at the same time that the front door was heard unlocking.
"Enjolras is here. HEY ENJOLRAS WE HAVE A NEW NEIGHBOR. SHE BAKED US SOME COOKIES AND THEY ARE EXCELLENT. COME MEET HER!"
Éponine waited as the footsteps to her new neighbor got louder, until he appeared at the door of the kitchen with wide eyes. "Starbucks boy?"