Their next encounter happened one bright Saturday morning, one week after the first. Enjolras had gone to the Café for breakfast (Musain's waffles were legendary and he loved their chai tea). He had sat down on his usual table and set up his laptop so he could continue working on his essay while he was there.
When the waitress finally arrived to take his order, Enjolras couldn't believe his ears when he heard her say with her scruffy voice, "Are you ready to order, monsieur?" For a moment, Enjolras was left speechless. There Éponine stood, wearing a black t-shirt and some really old jeans.
When he finally came to his senses, the only thing that that came out of his mouth was, "What are you doing here?". Éponine only smiled, apparently amused at his confusion, and replied "I'm workin', see?" She waved the little notebook in her hand and pointed at the blue apron on her too-thin hips "Since when?", Enjolras tried to hide the perplexity in his voice, but he had certainly never seen her there and he was one of the most regular clients of the Café. "This mornin', actually. Chetta needed a hand, and Marius," her smile widened, "told 'er I was perfect for the job."
"Well... That, that is all right, I suppose." Musichetta was the owner of the Café, and she could read people like a book. That's why she always let Les Amis hang out in her Café; she knew they weren't real trouble (most of the time).
After an awkward pause, Éponine asked, "So, what will it be? Those other customers won't waiter themselves, ya know" After Enjolras placed his order, she left in the direction of the bar. When she returned, Éponine tried to engage him in small talk ("Whatcha writing? Is it for college? Is it another one of your speeches?"), but Enjolras wasn't interested. When she finally caught on, she sighed and left again.
She didn't return until he had finished with his food. Thank god, he thought, too shaken about her working at his favorite place to care that he had been rude. It's best that I don't encourage her, or she'll get the wrong idea. It's not as if he had something against the opposite sex, they were just so... complicated.
She brought his check and cleared his plate and tea mug without so much as a word. He understood it as a hint: you've eaten, now go away. It wasn't until Enjolras stood up and walked towards the door that she acknowledged him again with a, "See ya around, Monsieur!", but he didn't even waved back.
When she approached his table to clear away his check, she saw he had left an extra $5 dollar bill as tip. She shook her head, smiled, and pocketed the money. Gavroche would certainly benefit from the Monsieur's good heart.
A/N: I'm not sure where I'm going with this, so bear with me just a little longer. Tell me what you think about it. I'd love to hear your opinion. I'll try to update every three days, if inspiration strikes and school lets me.