All the young men had chatted the day away. When the last rays of the sun submerged below the horizon, all of them walked back to café Musain, casually cracking jokes once in a while. They thought of having a drink and returning back a bit early as their classes were starting from the following day. The café was a short walk from the park where the boys spent their day so they reached within a few minutes.
As soon as the group entered the café, there was a small fit of giggles and a bunch of girls rushed over to Courfeyrac and surrounded him. He blushed and greeted each and every one of them and went over to another table to sit. "Didn't I tell you that he's a ladies man?" Said Combeferre. He smiled at Enjolras who looked utterly confused.
"Ah, I can see that." The latter replied with a laugh.
Meanwhile, Grantaire was already at the counter, talking to Martha. She was a woman in her late 50s but had the energy of women half her age. She had two sons but both of them had families of their own. Martha's husband had died several years ago when the plague had spread in all of northern France. Martha's youngest child, a girl named Hariette had also perished. "They look down at us and send their blessings." Martha always used to say with a bitter-sweet smile.
"Oi son," said she to Grantaire, "who's that one over there? Ne'er seen him!" and gestured to Enjolras.
"Calls himself Gabriel Enjolras. He is a new law student." Grantaire told her.
"He has got a pretty face, doesn't he?" Martha said with a warm smile.
"Oh Martha, stop it!" Grantaire said with a laugh.
"R! What are you doing there? Get us some wine!" Shouted Combeferre from the table. Enjolras was there too, talking to Joly and making wild hand gestures. Grantaire wondered what they were talking about. "Hold on a moment, I am getting your drinks." He said as he leaped over the counter and opened the doors of a small box-like closet which hung on the wall. He took out six bottles of wine and passed them over to Annette, a young girl who worked at the café. "Dearie, would you passing these bottles over to my friends?" Grantaire asked politely.
"Oh, of course not!" Annette blushed slightly as he handed her four bottles of wine and gave her a polite smile.
"Merci." Said he and Annette laughed shyly.
Grantaire took two bottles to the table where Combeferre, Joly and Enjolras were standing. "Ah, there we go." Combeferre said as Grantaire handed him one bottle. He poured equal amount of wine for all the three boys and passed them to Enjolras and Joly.
Meanwhile, Grantaire had already uncapped his bottle of wine and was drinking directly from it.
"Will he drink that all by himself?" Enjolras quietly asked Joly.
"Oh yes, don't you worry. This drunk can handle it all." The latter said and chuckled.
Enjolras's tedious eyes went over to Grantaire. His black hair was shining in the light that fell upon him. He looked tired yet was drinking like there was no tomorrow. His eyes were dull but still there was an aura of liveliness around him. Enjolras was quiet intrigued by the drunk in front of him.
"Why are you staring at me?" Grantaire asked suddenly, startling Enjolras.
"Excuse me?" Enjolras cleared his throat.
"Do you like what you see?" Grantaire winked and got back to his drinking.
"Oh no, not really. I was just thinking how a man could drink such an amount of wine in one go." The latter tried to reason and sipped some wine from his tumbler. It felt like his throat was on fire.
"They don't call me 'the drunk' without any reason." R said and gave Enjolras a close mouthed smile.
Enjolras was getting irritated by the minute. So he went over to the table where Courfeyrac was still sitting with the bunch of girls. His cheeks were red and his eyes were watery. It was prominent that he was drunk.
"Ladies, ladies!-" Courfeyrac laughed loudly and he gestured towards Enjolras "meet my friend, Enjolras. Come Gabriel, sit with us." The girls giggled as they made space for him.
"Enjolras, these ladies are beautiful, aren't they?" Courfeyrac said as he gave a peck on the cheek to the girl sitting right next to him. One girl stood up in haste and walked away. It was clear as crystal that she got jealous.
"Courfeyrac, I think we should get you and Julien back. You two need some rest." Said Enjolras.
"Julien, who? You mean Grantaire? That man will not stop drinking but I can assure you that he will find his way back home. Although, I do feel like getting some rest. Would you like to accompany me?" Courfeyac asked.
"Of course. I can't let a drunk man wander around in the streets of Paris at this hour." Enjolras laughed as he stood up, ready to leave.
"Oi Combeferre! I'm taking Courfeyrac back home. Shall I come back here?" He asked.
"Oh my friend, I think we will retire for the night. All of us are very tired. Our classes are starting tomorrow. You will be present, I'm sure?" Combeferre said, while walking towards his new friend.
"Oh, no. I start my classes from the day after. So I suppose I will see you all then only?" Enjolras said.
"Ah, alright. Why don't you wait a few more minutes so I can tell the others that its time to get back? We could leave together that way." Combeferre smiled as Enjolras nodded his head in affirmation.
While Combeferre got his friends to leave, Grantaire was still leaning on the table and drinking. Enjolras scoffed. He developed a sudden sense of dislike towards Grantaire. He did not like people who had no control over them whatsoever. Meanwhile, Combeferre walked over to R and whispered something in his ear to which the latter loudly laughed and got back to his drinking. Combeferre slowly patted his back and walked over to Enjolras. "Let's go then, shall we?" He asked.
"The others?" Enjolras looked confused.
"They are coming. Jehan asked me to wait downstairs for them, he is getting the rest of the bunch." Combeferre said while leading Enjolras down a flight of stairs. He followed quietly.
" 'Ferre, may I ask you something?" Enjolras scratched his head sheepishly.
"Anything." The former said, giving a warm smile.
"Is anything wrong with Grantaire? Why does that man drink so much? He looked so desperate and…" Enjolras trailed off.
"Oh Enjolras, what can I say? Grantaire is a complex soul. It is hard to understand him." Combeferre did not know what to say. How could anybody describe Grantaire?
"What a disgrace." Enjolras muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?" Combeferre turned towards him.
"Nothing, nothing. Look the boys are here!" Enjolras sighed in relief as he saw the rest of the men approaching. It distracted Combeferre.
"We mustn't waste anymore time. It is late as it is. We shall see you day after tomorrow then, Enjolras." He said as he waved over to their friends.
"Oh, will you be able to go on your own? Should I escort you back to your home?" Asked Combeferre.
"I will be alright.-" Enjolras said and then he looked over to the group and noticed something "Grantaire?" He asked.
"He will be back later." Combeferre said in a curt manner.
"Oh." Enjolras did not really feel any sympathy for Grantaire now.
"So, we shall see you when you join the university." Combeferre said and walked over to his friends, "Goodnight, Gabriel. I hope you had a good day!" said he.
"I definitely did. Merci, mon amis." Enjolras bowed in appreciation and turned around to leave.
"Goodbye Enjolras!" Exclaimed the boys as they walked away, some of them quite tipsy.
"Goodnight, friends." Smiled the blue-eyed man.
He had never felt so happy before. He made friends and those boys were gems. He was glad that his life was slowly starting to fall back in place. Oh, how much he longed for happiness and he was getting a taste of it now that he was in Paris.
The night was growing darker and Enjolras was walking back to his house. He had rented a small cottage near the Seine. Yes, he was quiet rich. His father was a high-rank naval officer and his rest of the family lived in Calais. His mother was not a working woman. But then again, the income that his father earned was sufficient to keep the family comfortable. Their lot wore the finest of attires and were up to date in every sense.
But just materials aren't enough to make a man happy. Where was the love? Where was the sense of belongingness? Enjolras had always wondered. Even though he had everything he wanted, he didn't quite fit in his family. He always argued, for he saw the world in a different way. His thoughts and feelings were different from that of his parents. He was on a quest for knowledge. He did not just want to give up schooling and join his father in the navy. No, he was not ready for that. So he told his parents and his father got him a rented cottage for him in Paris so he could study law – he always wanted to study law.
Enjolras had reached his house. The air blowing from the Seine was making the weather colder than it already was so the boy clutched his coat tighter and got in quickly. He locked the door behind him and went to his bedroom straightaway. He was knackered and wanted a goodnight's sleep. So, he took his clothes off and changed into his night suit. He closed his eyes and finally darkness took over him.
Enjolras slept with a smile on his face and he felt like the pains of his past were gradually washing away.