Notes: Thanks to the ten people who favourited my story, the thirty seven people who are following and to the two people who reviewed. This is for you.
Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis. I'd be rich if I did right now... I'd also be a Frenchman called Victor and dead.
Song: Aftershocks - Next to Normal Cast (which basically means Aaron Tveit).
the memories will wane,
the aftershocks remain.
you wonder which is worse,
the symptom or the cure.
Pressure is a strange feeling but not an uncommon one these days. Pressure comes in all forms, but for Enjolras it's in the form of living up to a family name. It's been maybe a few weeks, well into September now, since he promised himself that would be the last time he would bend to his father's will. He hasn't broken his promise because there's been a silence across the house.
It's not a literal silence because everyone is still talking but they're just not talking about the specific issue at hand. It worries Enjolras because he's sure that one day he will snap. Not because they're talking about it but because everyone's avoiding it. Even his mother has avoided the gentle pushing she used to do.
He finds himself spending more time away from home, sometime he'll even stay with Grantaire. It's been one of those mornings where he's woken up on the sofa, slightly forgetting where he. That is until he sees the empty beer bottles and reality comes crashing back to him.
"You really should recycle those bottles or something, Grantaire." Enjolras was unsure what he meant by something. He thinks he should of just cut off at the word bottles because now he knows Grantaire will only come up with some sort of silly excuse for why he needs them.
The other man laughs, as expected. "They're decor. You know, the ladies dig decor." Grantaire grins, Enjolras just shoves his head back into the sofa. He's got a headache but it's not down to alcohol. It's probably down to his friend's uncomfortable couch. Grantaire claims he bought it to make sure he'd never fall asleep on it but he regularly does and is regularly complaining about the back pain.
"You going to face the beast today or hide out?" Grantaire asks Enjolras. He lets out a groan. "I guess so, I'll need two litres of coffee to prepare myself though." He replies as he finally rises from the sofa. "Instant?" Grantaire asks as he shakes his coffee jar.
Éponine is one hundred percent sure that if she doesn't find a new job soon, she'll be ready to quit the one she does have. It's not that she hates it, it's a living after all, but she doesn't really like it either. People say you should love your work but they obviously haven't met people who need to work to stay afloat.
She hasn't really thought much about their first encounter until she walks past the cafe again. She sees him with someone else but her judgement tells her to walk on past and that's what she does. She's got too much to do today. She can practically see the list stacking up in her head.
"Go to the supermarket. Pick up Gavroche and Azelma. Cook dinner. Watch them do their homework. Get them to bed. Ask the neighbours to watch them again. Work." Éponine whispers it to herself, barely audiable but the city's so busy, no one ever notices anyone talking to themselves.
For that she is thankful because she's not in the mood to have some kind stranger tell her that talking to herself is the first sign of madness. Everyone talks themselves, she's sure of it. She stops dead in the street. She's forgotten her phone, she never forgets anything. She finds herself running back down the long street, trying to dodge the cars turning into side streets and the people who don't seem to notice she's rushing.
There's a crash. It's not cars, it's people. It doesn't sound the noise, it's more a coming together of people and the spilling of hot liquids. She wishes she hadn't of worn a white shirt. She looks down and there's a brown stain on what used to a be a previous dull white shirt.
"Fucking hell. Thanks a lot." Éponine doesn't mean to be rude but she's in a hurry. It's a mutter, she's sure whoever she had crashed into didn't hear a word. She's never normally swears.
He does notice though. However she doesn't look back to find out who exactly accidentally dumped a cup of coffee on her. Éponine knows it's her fault for rushing and not really looking but she doesn't actually care at this moment As far as she's concerned, there's coffee on her shirt and that's a bitch to get out. She hears a 'wait' but she chooses not to. She doesn't need another excuse to push him into a road. So she carries on running like the wind, looking behind her every so often to make sure she's not followed.
It's been maybe three or four weeks since he managed to waste that cup of coffee. He's back there in hope she might come back. He wants to apologise, despite believing she's the one who should be for barging into him. He's spent hours there in hope but she hasn't showed. But he does have his reasons for apologising.
This time it's a new friend who's keeping him company. Red hair, freckles and a some what enthusiastic view on life. Marius is a family friend so Enjolras is polite but his views on life aren't exactly the same. He hasn't told him why he spents an awful lot of time here though.
"You know your dad keeps asking me to convince you change your mind. Have you?" Marius asks, unaware his friend seems somewhere else at the moment in time.
"Enj? Hello? Satan's just appeared and he wants your soul." He's joking but to be honest, he thinks if that really happened, Enjolras wouldn't notice.
"Sorry, I 'm looking for someone. What were you say-" He cuts off. She's finally appeared. Same shirt from before because he can see the faint outline of the stain. He wants to get up, he wants to say sorry for not taking her number, sorry for ruining her shirt but he doesn't get up because something tells him to stay there. He also wants to say he's got an answer for her question. It took him a whole two weeks and he's very proud of his answer.
"I should give up talking now. Want to explain why you're ready to get up?" Marius asks, eyeing his friend curiously. He's noticed that Enjolras has moved slightly, maybe ready to leave. "Are we going?"
"What? Oh yeah, going. I'm ready." He stands up, but he's still thinking that he swears it's the same girl from before. The only difference is she's got her hair up and she's not a running, swearing blur.
So they rise from the table, ready to leave. She's doesn't seem to be staying either because she's got four takeaway cups in a holder. So he's more cautious this time, he won't make any sudden movements. Marius leads the way, he brushes past Éponine but turns around to apologise for the slight body contact. She smiles but it's not enough to warrant a response.
Enjolras chooses to give her a small nod as Marius is holding the door open for the pair of them. She nods in return to the pair but she doesn't really say much. It's odd, she's not talking like the first time, she's not even being slightly rude like the second time. Part of Enjolras wishes she had said something, anything so he could say he had an answer to her question.
Today's not the right time. Maybe next time.
AN: Okay apparently I lied. I didn't explain why everything's so ~tense. I guess I'll have to explain it next chapter because we move onto the Winter chapter and in my plan, a lot happens in Winter, it should actually be much, much longer. Autumn was a boring season in my plan. Everything kicks off with snow! I'm also convinced the songs will never actually match the chapters. Except the first one. I guess it's just what I listen to, to write the chapters. Chapter 3 should be out early next week.
Things I'm willing to tell you: Grantaire (and someone else from Les Amis) will feature in the next chapter. Éponine's fortunes turn, slightly. The next interaction will be extended. Marius won't be making an appearance until Spring aka Chapter 4.