OMG! Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story. Thank you to everyone who reads this story it means a lot to know you like it. I literally wrote the beginning of this chapter three different ways and this is what I ended up with. Also thanks to LifeinWatercolor who was a big part of making this chapter and helping me not ruin the story!
ATTENTION: I am looking for a beta reader for this story. I need one and I would really like to get one that reads my story and that is an Enjonine fan so that I can bounce ideas and such off of them. Please contact me if you would be interested!
Eponine POV
"A broadway shows backstage was always one of my favorite parts of doing a show. You got to see how the magic happened. Literally. The contraption that I was hooked into while doing Defying Gravity always amazed me. You get to see all these people in their element. The wardrobe people, mending rips and tears and creating amazing pieces. The makeup department turned me green every night! The hair department had a lot on it's hands with all the wigs they have to make and care for. . Everyone wears a wig, no matter what type of hair you have. I have black hair and I still had to wear a wig when I played Elphaba. They put so much detail into those pieces and one wouldn't be the same without the other. The hair makes the makeup the makeup makes the wardrobe. It's all on giant piece that has to be put together every night."
"So how long have you been doing this," I asked the makeup woman Jodie. She held a giant Japanese paintbrush in her hand, green paint on the end of it.
"Since 2005. I've done around 32 different Elphaba's, understudies, full time, standbys. You name it I've done it." The paint was cool against my face, tickling me slightly, almost like being licked by a dog.
"Wow. That's incredible. I can't imagine being a part of something for so long," I said. My eyes were closed and the soft strokes of the brush against my face soothed me.
"Well you're part of the Broadway world. You better get used to it. We're not letting you go that easily."
"I second that," a voice said from the hallway.
"It's nice to know I'm loved." I said with my eyes still closed.
"I give you a compliment, how about you give me one?" He said.
I opened my eyes and looked at Enjolras through the mirror. He was wearing his Act 1 costume which consisted of a pair of form fitting white pants, a red vest over a short sleeve white button up shirt. Damn, he looks good. I turned around in my seat so I was facing him and said," Well Enjolras...you do look mighty fine in that outfit."
"Were you checking me out?" he said in an over dramatic voice, his hand over his heart.
"I believe she was Gabriel," the makeup lady said, turning my face back towards her and continuing her painting.
"Gabriel." I said, seeing how it sounded on my tongue.
"Yes, Gabriel, Gabriel as in Angel Gabriel. Gabriel as in Gabe from Next to Normal." Enjolras sat himself gracefully into an armchair by my vanity.
"I wasn't making fun of your name. I quite like the name Gabriel. It suits you," I said with a smile.
"Okay, that should be it," the makeup artist said. I opened my eyes to see myself as Elphaba. My face, neck, shoulders, and hands were covered in the famous green paint.
"Thank you Jodie. It looks amazing," I said looking at myself intently in the mirror.
"So, Elphaba, are you ready? Tonight's the big night." Enjolras said. "From now on you're no longer that girl from the West End. You're a Broadway star now Eponine Jondrette."
"I'm nervous. I know we've practiced and I played Elphaba on the West End stage but somehow I feel it's different here. I don't know why, but I have butterflies in my stomach."
"You're an amazing performer Eponine. I just want you to remember that," Enjolras said as a voice said over the intercom,"five minutes till we start at the top of Act 1. Cosette, please be at left stage."
"I'll let you get dressed," Enjolras said standing up from his seat. He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek mumbling," break a leg."
"An audience's reaction is always amazing. Performing on stage gives that to you. You get a reaction from people. They laugh, they cry, they cheer, they smile. Being able to see such strong emotions in other people make me immensely proud of what I do. To know that a song I sang, a line I gave made them feel that was is amazing. Their reactions are a real boost to your ego. I perform because I love to. Because I have a talent that I want to share with other people. When I share that talent I love to know that people are glad that I've shared it. To know that they appreciate me and are thankful for what I do."
As I took my bow on stage a broad smile came to my face. I just performed as Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway! Enjolras stood beside me, our hands clasped together raised in the air for our curtain call. He squeezed my hand and I looked over at him to see a broad smile on his face, all of his pearly whites on display.
I turned to walk off stage, Enjolras' hand still clasped in mine. I could tell this was going to be all over the internet afterwards.
"You guys did amazing!" Alyssa-one of the workers in the costume department-said.
"Thank you! It's nice to know that I didn't screw up!" I said hopping a little.
I walked around backstage, people congratulating me left and right. Enjolras by my side the whole time. We walked down a long hallway, stopping to give the tech people our microphone boxes. When we reached my dressing room I turned to look at Enjolras and laughed.
"What's so funny?" He asked skeptically.
I pointed to right above his lips, where there was green paint from when we kissed. "I may have gotten a little green on you."
"I'm sure I'll find more green on my clothing later."
"You're probably the handsomest scarecrow I've ever seen. Better than Norbert."
"Better than Norbert? I've got black paint all over my face and my eyebrows are barely there. I look ridiculous. Where are your washcloths?" He asked searching through the drawers in my vanity table.
"Third drawer," I replied. Taking off my hat and gesturing to my dress," Could you help me? I can never seem to get these buttons undone."
He dropped the wet washcloth with all his scarecrow makeup on it on the vanity table and walked over to me. I lifted my hair off my back and soon his long pianist fingers were undoing all 20 buttons on the dress. His smooth fingers brushing up against my back sending a shiver down my spine.
"I've always loved this dress," he admitted clearing his throat.
"It's beautiful. I love how we all have our own design, but the thing must weigh 25 pounds." I said letting go of my hair. I walked into my small bathroom, cracking the door so I could still talk to him. I pulled the wig from my head, taking off the cap and starting the process of taking out the pin curls. Once I was finished with that I slipped my arms out of the sleeves and let the dress slide to the ground. "Enjolras?"
"Yes, Ponine?"
"Could you hand me my dressing gown and the hanger on the vanity table for me?"
I could hear rustling in the other room and soon his arm was sticking in through the crack in the door with my dressing gown and a hanger. I took them from him with a thank you. I slipped the dressing gown on and hung the dress up on the hanger. I walked out with the long black dress and hung it on a hook on the wall. I walked back into the bathroom and grabbed my wig just in time to give it to Jodie who was standing in the threshold of my door.
"Thank you Eponine. You did an amazing job tonight," she said smiling at me before she left.
"Thank you Jodie. It's nice to know you enjoyed it."
"Are you going to de-greenify yourself?" Enjolras asked from my vanity chair. He held a Japanese brush in his hand, twirling it around.
"I would love to get out of this green. How about you go change, talk to the guys about going to the Musain? Then you come back here when I'm done and we can go to the stage door together?" I asked grabbing clothes from my wardrobe to wear when I got out of the shower.
"That sounds like a good idea. See you in thirty?" He asked getting up from the chair and heading to the door.
"Sounds good."
Exactly thirty minutes later there was a knock on my door and I yelled," Come it. It's unlocked."
Enjolras walked in dressed in blue jean and a white button up shirt with the top three buttons unbuttoned.
"What's with the buttons?" I asked gesturing to the buttons while towel drying my hair.
"Have you seen my Act 2 costume? That thing is horrible. It's all up in my neck business and I can't breath in it." He said rubbing his neck as if he was still wearing it.
"I have seen your Act 2 costume and I think you look very dashing in it. Green suits you, but now I think white looks even better." I said looking Enjolras up and down. He golden locks were in disarray around his face making his ocean blue eyes stand out even more.
He blushed at my comment and said," are you ready to go? The people are waiting."
"Almost, can you grab my jacket from the closet for me. It's the black leather one with all the zippers." I asked slipping my shoes on my feet.
Enjolras walked into my closet as I clipped my earing in and soon came out with the desired jacket.
"You have a lot of clothes," he stated helping me into my jacket.
"Thanks. I do have a lot of clothes. Most of them are backup but still, they're mine." I said pulling my hair out from under my jacket.
He reached around me to grab the paper with all the information about shows from my vanity table as I pivoted in my spot to grab my water bottle from the same table. We collided and all the papers fell to the floor in a giant mess.
"Oh gosh, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going," I said bending down to help Enjolras pick up the papers.
"It not your fault, I saw you reaching and didn't think anything about it." Enjolras said grabbing up papers from the ground and making a pile.
Once all the papers were gathered I looked up and for the first time realized how close Enjolras and I were. I could see a blush creeping up his face and knew one was present on my face as well.
I stared into his brilliantly blue eyes that were so close to mine. I didn't know when it happened but Enjolras swooped in and kissed me. My eyes instantly closed and my arms wrapped themselves around his neck. It was shorter than I expected. Enjolras pulled away quickly, stood up, stared down at me in shock, then bolted. He ran from the room like the devil was on his heels.
Quickly I stood up from the ground and ran after him. I couldn't see him, but I could hear his loud footsteps on the stairwell. Where was he going? I followed him up many flights of stairs until I reached the roof. He had to be up here.
I quietly opened the door and gently shut it behind me. I could hear him pacing and mumbling something to himself. Taking quiet steps I walked up behind him so that I could hear and see him but he couldn't see me. As I hid behind the chunk of concrete I heard him say," What the hell were you thinking Enjolras? Why the hell did you kiss her? What's she going to think of you now? Why are you talking to yourself in third person? Stop it! She would never like someone like me! I'm Enjolras the 26 year old that's never had a serious girlfriend. The 26 year old that doesn't go out on Friday nights. Why would someone like Eponine the girl that's beautiful, sweet, kind, funny, and brave and so out there, like someone like me!?"
"You think I'm beautiful," I heard myself saying. I stepped out from behind my hiding spot to stand in front of Enjolras. His face was beet red, and his hair was falling in his face in a crazy messed up way.
"Eponine! What-what are you doing here?" Enjolras said trying to straighten out his clothing.
"I followed you up here. Do you really think I'm beautiful? Did you really mean all those things you said about me?"
It took him a moment but he nodded in answer to my questions. In three long strides I was standing in front of him. "I think you're beautiful too. And funny, and sweet, and kind, and brave." With those words I stood up on my tip toes, wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. And what an amazing kiss it was. I pressed myself closer to him, trying to feel as much of him as possible. I let my hands travel down his body. Over his muscular shoulder, past his collar bone, over his hard pecs, past his rock hard abs, to rest on his lean hips. I slipped my hands in his pockets.
When we pulled away for air I heard him mumble," God, what have you done to me?"
OMO, I'm finally done. This was so hard to write. I kept getting stuck and had no idea if what I wrote would work. I wouldn't have been able to finish this chapter if it hadn't been for LifeinWatercolor . She helped me so much and I greatly appreciate it. She was the one who came up with the whole Enjolras kissing her and him running off thing. All her ideas so if you're reading this thank you so much!
Please Review! They make my day. If anyone is interested in being my beta I would greatly appreciate it. So if you're interested please PM me.
Love always
-J
