Eponine knocked on Enjolras' door again. Her hands shook profusely, as she took a deep breath and counted down in her head. 10, 9, 8, 7, she held the air in, blinking back tears. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, she squeezed her eyes shut and released. 1. She started at ten again. It was the only way she had found to keep herself calm over the years. Her hands still trembled and she could feel the tension down in her stomach. She dug her fingernails into her sides, still trying to hold herself together. The rain had stopped, but her hair and clothes hadn't even begun to dry. Why isn't he opening the door, she thought to herself.
Just then, the doorknob turned and the door swung open. Eponine mustered up the strength to step forward out of the wet cold. She collapsed into the waiting body, finally letting herself cry. "Brujon and Babet were waiting for me today and tried to push me up against the wall and I don't know what they were planning but I ran and they took my wallet and my dad threatened me and gave me an ultimatum and told me I need to quit school and I'm a month behind on rent and Marius won't stop talking about Cosette and Gavroche got in trouble again today and I just can't do it all Enjolras, I can't!" The words tumbled out of her mixed in with the tears, dampening the starchy white shirt she leaned against.
The lanky boy stepped back. Eponine looked up and gasped, "Combeferre! What… I thought you were Enjolras, I'm sorry." Her face flushed red and she pulled back to leave. "Wait um…you don't have to go." He stuttered. Combeferre was a genius, brilliant and logical, but when it came to girls, he faltered, especially around someone as gorgeous as Eponine. And she was beautiful, even soaking wet and covered in filth, her dark makeup running down her face.
She coughed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, "Where is Enjolras?" He had always been around for her, and frankly she was surprised that he wasn't home at this time on a Wednesday night, especially considering he was leading a protest in the morning. Combeferre checked his watch, "Well he was supposed to be home around 9, but Grantaire was having a rough night, so I think he uh…planned to stay over." His face flushed a bit. So that's why he texted me so many times, Eponine thought. She had seen the texts, but just couldn't deal with Grantaire's drama today. She sighed, "I'll just go back to my apartment, I'll…I'll be fine. Tell Enjolras to call me please?"
"Seriously, he would kill me if I let you leave like this. You can stay here tonight. I can make up the couch for you and you can watch Netflix or something if you want…" He walked into the kitchen before she could respond. "I just put some tea on for you also, I don't know what kind you like but we have black and green and chamomile and a bunch of different kinds." He adjusted his glasses, paused for another second to make sure she wasn't going to fall over, and went to find blankets.
Eponine debated escaping back to her apartment while Combeferre was in the back, but she could barely muster the energy to remain standing. She collapsed onto the old green couch, only vaguely worried about the water she was dripping everywhere. Enjolras would understand. She closed her eyes and let herself relax for the first time all day. Combeferre returned, holding a thick woolen blanket in one hand, and a cup of tea in the other. He set it down on the table and lay the blanket over Eponine. He also had a washcloth, and offered it to her so that she could wipe off some of the makeup that had smeared under her eyes. "You can watch whatever you want, I was just doing some work." He handed her the remote and sat down cross-legged near some scattered books.
Eponine sat herself up and flipped through the channels, finally settling on What's Eating Gilbert Grape. It had Johnny Depp and Leonardo Dicaprio in it, it can't be that bad,she thought. Half way through the movie, she glanced over to see Combeferre chewing on his pen, taking peeks up at the movie every few seconds. "Come sit over here on the couch, you're not gonna get any thing else done tonight, it's already 2 am." She smirked. "Come on, you haven't actually gotten anything done, have you?" He ran his hand through his hair and let out a breath. "Yeah, not really…I guess you're right."
He walked over and sat on the couch, on the very far edge. "Do you have enough blankets and-" He began to ask but was interrupted by Eponine throwing a pillow at him. "Oh quit worrying about me and just watch the movie." The corner of his mouth turned up a bit and he leaned back, tucking his long legs under each other. The two watched the movie in silence. On screen, Leonardo Dicaprio's mentally challenged character was celebrating his 19th birthday. Eponine asked in a small voice, "Do you think he was really happy?" Combeferre was taken aback by the question. "Well…he wouldn't have really known any different, right? And he had his whole family around him and he was surrounded by so much love. Honestly, that seems like true happiness to me." She looked up at him, equally as surprised by his answer as he was with her question.
By the end of the movie, Eponine was mostly asleep, sprawled across the couch, with her head next to Combeferre's leg. Her eyes fluttered shut. He looked at her, this girl he barely knew. She always seemed so strong, but lying there on the couch, she seemed different. Fragile, that would probably be the word Jehan would use to describe her if he were to write a poem. Broken. She had so much under her belt, and didn't have much support. At least Grantaire had Enjolras. Eponine seemed to only have herself to constantly rely on. Combeferre ran through a list in his mind of things he could do to help, but he knew it would never be that simple. The movie finished and he just let the credits roll while Eponine slept curled next to him. He ran his hand over her hair tentatively, careful not to wake her.
When the door creaked open, Combeferre awoke suddenly. Eponine was still asleep, but now she was lying on top of him. Enjolras walked in, looking rather disheveled. He glanced at the two with a puzzled expression. Combeferre picked up his glasses from the table, and edged out from under Eponine, careful not to disturb her.
"Eponine came over? Why didn't you call me?" Enjolras furrowed his brow, "I would've been here in ten minutes." Combeferre wiped the sleep out of his eyes with his sleeve. "I was planning on it, but I took care of it. She just had a really shitty day and needed a place to crash." Enjolras looked between his two closest friends and a thought crossed his mind, "You didn't do anything…right?" Combeferre raised his eyebrow and chuckled, "Oh come on, first off she is practically in love with Marius, second I would never take advantage of someone like that, and third…well, you know how I am with girls."
Enjolras walked over over to Eponine and adjusted the blanket so that it covered her more. He bent down and kissed her forehead. "Combeferre, what are you…" she started to whisper before Enjolras interrupted, "No it's me, I'm so sorry I wasn't here last night, if I had known…" This time Eponine cut him off, "It was fine actually, you have a pretty first rate roommate, you know that?" She looked up at Combeferre, a slight smile playing at her lips. He bit his lip and looked down, "I was just trying to be helpful." His voice cracked a bit and Eponine giggled. He glanced again at the unkempt girl on his couch, God she is pretty, he thought to himself.