"Combeferre is in the hallway looking for his keys when Enjolras comes up from the stairwell. "Oh hey!" Combeferre says, a little startled. "My phone died, I didn't know you were coming by!"
"I'm not," Enjolras says, pretending to be a little embarrassed, as if Eponine hadn't just texted him that Combeferre was outside, ready to witness the first 'real date'. "I'm going to 'Ponine's to watch Fight Club."
"Really? I thought she was at work?"
"Just got off."
"Don't you have an exam coming up?" Combeferre looks at Enjolras over his glasses, clearly surprised at the explicit interest being shown towards Eponine. Enjolras just shrugs.
"I'll be fine. It's just macroeconomics."
"Combeferre unlocks his door. "Ok, then. You two have fun. Be safe; make good choices."
"Enjolras laughs. "It's just a movie, mom. We'll be fine," he knocks on Eponine's door. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Right."
"Eponine opens the door after a moment. "Did he see you?"
"Yup."
"What did he say?" Eponine asks, letting Enjolras in.
"Not much, he was surprised to see me though." Enjolras shrugs his coat off and drapes it over the couch. He notices that her apartment is very sparse. The walls are bare and the only furniture in the living room is the couch and a beat up trunk that serves as a coffee table. Eponine is opening a bottle of wine in the kitchen which comprises of a card table and a few folding chairs. Three of the four kitchen lights are burnt out, the remaining one casts a harsh light on Eponine's face. She looks up at him.
"Do you want a glass?"
"What kind is it?"
"Cheap. Red."
"My favorite."
"Mine too."
"Enjolras sits on the couch and pulls out the movie. "I didn't know you didn't have a television. I would have brought my laptop."
"I can't believe you actually brought the movie!" Eponine laughs, handing Enjolras his glass. "We're going to pull this charade off so well; I'm so excited." Eponine sets her glass down on the coffee table. "Hold on, my sister gave me her old Acer, let me get it."
"Enjolras sips his wine. It's bitter and awful. "I'm going to study while you watch the movie, okay?"
"That's fine," Eponine says, carrying her laptop to the couch. "Did you need me to help you? I can do vocab or whatever."
"Really? Thanks! I'll do everything that I have to do on my own first, and we can do vocab after the movie, if that's ok."
"We don't have to watch the movie if you need to study."
"No, it's a good movie! You have to see it, I think you'll really like it."
"Eponine boots up her computer and slides the DVD in, downing half her glass of wine at the same time.
Every ten minutes she pauses the movie to ask a question or to make a critique on the filming style or the dialogue. They go through three more glasses of wine each. Enjolras puts away his economics book and is debating with her whether or not the symbolic tilted camera effect that's supposed to represent a confused angle on one's personal world is used too much in the film. Eponine has already guessed the plot twist 40 minutes in, so Enjolras tries to explain to her the deeper complexities of the book the movie is based on that the film skims over. Eponine is quiet for the next twenty minutes until the main character is alone in his love interest's apartment feeling her breast for cancer. She pauses the film again. "We should post our first couple photo on instagram,"
"Hm? I don't have an instagram," Enjolras says.
"No, but I do, and more importantly, Combeferre and Courfeyrac do."
"Will they see it?"
"I'll tag them to make sure they do. How should we pose?"
"I don't know, I've never been in a couples' photo before."
"Eponine pulls out her phone puts her head on Enjolras' shoulder. "Here, you take it, you have longer arms."
"Ok." He feels pretty drunk, but not as drunk as she probably is. "Are we supposed to do one of those cheesy kissing photos?"
"I don't know, this is our first 'date', are you the kind of guy who kisses on the first date?"
"I don't know. Probably not."
"I guess it doesn't really matter. They can't say you're fake kissing me, since it's a photo."
"Yeah." There's an awkward pause. He takes another gulp of wine. Eponine takes her phone back and looks at Enjolras. He notices the deep purple bags under her eyes and her disheveled hair. She looks like she could sleep for a hundred years and still be tired.
"Say cheese." She's on him. It's not what he expected. His stomach is tight and every place where her body touches his feels hot. He places his hand her face tentatively. The camera goes off a few times. Her messy curls brush his cheek and he's aware of every strand. Her left arm is embracing him so when her right hand touches his bicep he knows she's put her phone down, but he's not entirely sure if he cares. He can taste the wine on her along with her mint toothpaste. He wonders vaguely what he tastes like. The thought is fleeting though because he can't care when she starts biting his lip. Then it's over.
"That was weird," Eponine says. Enjolras makes a noise of agreement, though he's not completely sure where he stands on the subject. She sits back in her spot and flips through the photos before selecting one. "Here," she says handing him the phone. "You pick a filter. I always choose Nashville and Courfeyrac makes fun of me for it." She unpauses the movie as if nothing happened.
"What should I caption the photo as?"
"Something along the lines of 'Thanks for setting us up', and then tag the boys," she says, not taking her eyes off the laptop.
"They watch the rest of the movie without anymore pauses, but Enjolras doesn't pick up his economics book again.
His phone alerts him to a text message during the last scene. "It's from Courfeyrac." Enjolras doesn't read the text aloud until the credits are rolling. The first text is several exclamation points followed by three heart is it facebook official? When is the wedding? WHEN CAN WE GO ON A DOUBLE DATE?
Eponine chuckles at the last bit, her eyes are slipping shut, but she's grinning like a goon. "I can't believe we're actually going to pull this off."
"The instagram thing was a good idea."
"You're a much better kisser than I thought you would be."
"I'm a virgin, not a prude."
"Still, can't believe you're a virgin. We should change that." Eponine is very awake now, her eyes alive with inspiration.
"What?!"
"Not actually, but we can jump on my bed and make noises so that Combeferre thinks that we're having sex!"
"He'll never believe that I had sex on the first date with you."
"Is there something wrong with having sex on the first date?" Eponine looks a little offended.
"No, it's just not something I would do."
"I'm different though. You've never met someone like You want to count my freckles/em," Eponine laughs. "Come on, live a little. It's not like you'd actually date me anyways, so who's to say what you would and wouldn't do?" Enjolras can't tell if it's the wine or her logic that makes him say it.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay. Come on, let's do it."
"Ohmygod, this is going to be so funny." She pulls him to her room and calms herself. "The walls are paper thin, so if you want to say something real, you need to be quiet," she whispers. She climbs on her bed and motions for him to stand with her. With her cheek pressed against the wall, she giggles fakely. "Come on, you need to laugh a little so he can hear!"
"Laugh? Why?".
"Sex isn't like it is in the pornos, there's lots of laughing if you're any good. Just do it!" He laughs, but it comes out even faker than her's. She laughs at his terrible attempt until she snorts which makes him laugh for real as well. Eponine starts to bounce a little, the springs of her bed groan horribly. Enjolras follows suit, the bed sounds like it wants to give out beneath them. A soft moan escapes Eponine's lips followed by a chuckle at the ridiculousness. She nods for Enjolras to do it as well. The noise that comes out of him sounds like a sick dog. Eponine laughs, the tail end of it petering into a very believeable moan. "Yes, yes, please," she winks at Enjolras which makes him laugh. Eponine starts to bounce faster "YES! ENJOLRAS!" She throws her head over her shoulder towards the shared wall. "FASTER!"
"Enjolras shouts Eponine's name in a sad attempt of sounding like a sex moan. She falls to the bed in a fit of giggles throwing in a few moans to keep the charade up while the entire thing falls to pieces and laughter. Enjolras sits down too. "Oh, god! Oh!" Eponine puts her face into her pillow to stifle her snorting.
"PLEASE!" She drags her hand down the shared wall a few times followed by a series of shaky moans. She's still bouncing on her knees, but stops suddenly and mewls in a way that Enjolras has never heard. She bounces slowly five more times before collapsing entirely. "You didn't last very long, but that's to be expected of a virgin," Eponine whispers. Enjolras scoffs.
"That's a myth."
"How would you know?"
"Enjolras smiles and shakes his head at her. "Do you think he heard?"
"There's no way he couldn't have." She presses her ear against the shared wall. "New Orleans jazz," she says with a smile. "He always listens to it when I have 'company' to drown out the noise." Enjolras presses his ear against the wall too, and sure enough, a cacophony of trumpets and trombones can be clearly heard. The faint sound of a page being turned joins the din. If a page flip can be heard through the walls, there's no way Combeferre missed them jumping on the bed. Enjolras smiles at the thought of Combeferre's scandalized face when he must have realized what was going on.
"Eponine rolls out of the bed and heads towards the living room. "You can't leave for a little while or else Combeferre will hear you going and get suspicious. Do you want me to help you study your vocab while we wait?"
"Shoot, I forgot about that. Will you?"
"Of course. If I could have gone to school I would have. It's really important.
"Thank you. What time do you have to go to work tomorrow?" She waves her hand at him.
"Not important. Where do you want to start?"
They sit cross-legged across from each other pouring over his notes until two in the morning, getting side tracked every now and again; telling stories about how it was growing up poor versus rich and the troubles that followed both. Enjolras likes when Eponine talks about her siblings because she gets a far off look in her eyes and smiles crookedly whenever she talks about their silly antics. Eponine presses Enjolras about his homeschooled life, loving the way he describes the various stunts he pulled to try and get put into public school.
It's almost three am and Eponine is on her couch practically passed out. Enjolras puts away his notes and grabs his coat. He's about to leave, but makes himself turn around. Quiet as he can, he takes the rumpled duvet from Eponine's bed and drapes it over her. She opens her eyes slowly. "You leaving?"
"Yeah. Sorry for waking you."
"Whatever. You good to drive?"
"Yeah the alcohol's worn off. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know how my test goes, okay?"
"You're gonna do fine. Text Courf back so we can set up that double date, okay?"
"Good night."
"Night."
"Enjolras closes the apartment door as quietly as possible in case Combeferre is still awake. He leans against it and closes his eyes trying to gather his thoughts.It's fake. It's just a game. His stomach has felt tight ever since she kissed him. It must be indigestion. The wine was really cheap, after all.
