"I said, what's your name. Are you mute? Gavroche, why did you bring her here?" The blond boy said again and it seemed that he was the only one standing. His blond hair was curly and his sharp blue eyes seemed to stare past her, not really wanting to notice her. Straightening her back, Melaina walked into his line of vision and watched as his eyes finally flickered to her. Her mouth was dry and she couldn't stop staring a bit open mouthed at him. He was handsome. Very handsome. His eyes narrowed and he glared at her. She realized that she needed to respond to him.
"My name is Melaina, good monsieur." She said and curtsied slightly. She heard a few murmurs and didn't think of it. Melaina was used to it whenever new clients came in and looked at her. She looked up at the boy and studied his face. He didn't smile, yet his mouth wasn't set in a grim line. She could tell he was of the serious type, his love was in his work. Tilting her head slightly to the right, Melaina wondered if he had a girl at home. I kind of hope he doesn't. Oh Mel, where is this coming from?! She thought to herself and shook her head.
"Nice to meet you, Melaina. My name is Enjolras. Alexander Enjolras. This is Bahorel, Combeferre, Courfeyrac, Feuilly, Grantaire, Jean Prouvaire, Joly, Lesgle, and Marius Pontmercy." He said, pointing to each of the boys. They murmured helloes and looked at her appreciatively. Melaina smiled and opened her mouth to talk when she heard a small voice again.
"Wait! Enjolras, you didn't introduce me!" She heard Gavroche say and most of the boys chuckled. Grantaire mussed Gavroche's hair and he smiled up at him. Enjolras frowned slightly.
"She already knows you, Gavroche. I don't need to introduce you a second time." Enjolras said sternly and the small smile left Gavroche's face. Melaina walked over towards Gavroche.
"He was trying to lighten the atmosphere. You don't need to be so stern with him. He looks up to you, do you know that?" She snapped at the boy, her voice a bit louder as she stared at the tall blond. What was his problem? Blue eyes met the green and Melaina felt her breath leave her for a second. Faline, the only co-worker of hers that seemed to want to talk to Melaina once told her that after awhile she'll be able to read faces and body language better. That's a perk of being a prostitute. That, and the money. The sex is just... your job. She heard Faline's voice in her head and she kept her lips from smiling.
Enjolras was brave on the outside, but in his eyes he was unsure. Unsure and afraid, with a dash of bravado. He's scared to lead these boys, his friends. If it comes to war he knows... he knows that they might not live. Melaina was not one to listen to the news or really care about it, but she did know that the king wasn't taking care of his people. She knew that General Lamarque was one who supported the people. The two seemed to be having a staring contest and after a few mutterings and coughs, Enjolras ripped his eyes away from hers. A slight blush crept to Melaina's cheeks and she walked over to where Gavroche was sitting with Grantaire.
"Here, mademoiselle." Grantaire said and he pressed something into her palm. Opening it, Melaina saw it was the pin that Gavroche had, but in better condition. Murmuring a thank you, she kissed Grantaire on the cheek. She saw the boy smile and take another sip of his wine as she looked at Enjolras, she pinned it to the bodice of her dress, her eyes not leaving his face not caring if he looked at her or not.
"I'm a part of this society now. I'll help as much as I can." Melaina said before she crossed her ankles. A few of the boys looked at each other before nodding. Enjolras seemed to pretend to not hear her. He started talking about his plan. Melaina soon figured out that he was a firm believer in democracy and equality. Only Marius seemed to be the one who didn't believe in everything Enjolras said. Enjolras kept talking about his 'mistress' who Gavroche whispered in her ear was "Patria".
Once the meeting was over, chairs scraping the wooden floor could be heard and the clink of wine bottles as they were tossed aside into the trash bins.
"Good night, Enjolras." The boys called out and nodded to Melaina before they walked down the stairs and out of the cafe. Melaina's eyes followed Grantaire who smiled at her and nodded to Enjolras before leaving.
"Gavroche, make sure he gets home safely." Enjolras drawled from behind his books and maps. Melaina saw Gavroche nod and ran after Grantaire, only after he gave Melaina a smile. Melaina watched as he ran to catch up with the older boy. Melaina turned back and walked towards Enjolras. Her green eyes looked over him and noticed the brown, orange, and green vest over his white shirt. Black pants and boots finished his outfit and Melaina approved silently to herself. She wondered how well off he was when she heard his voice.
"Are you still here?" He said as he straightened up and looked at her. Melaina's eyes met his and he leaned against the table, waiting for her to reply.
"I am, Enjolras. Am I bothering you?" She said as she walked towards him, stopping an arms length away.
"You're not, but everyone else has left. I thought you would too." She laughed lightly and smiled at him.
"I'm not like the other, dear Alexander. I must go, goodnight." She said before curtsying and turning to leave. What has gotten into you, Melaina. You never act like this with any of your clients. But Enjolras wasn't a client. He was a boy that she had met just a few hours ago. As she stepped down on the stairs, she heard his voice once more.
"Wait, you shouldn't walk alone in the dark." Her lips twitched and she peeked around her shoulder up at him.
"And why not? I'm a good girl. No man would want to steal me." Thank you, Enjolras. She thought as he packed up his things, put the strap of his bag over his shoulder and joined her. As she turned, Melaina felt his hand press against her shoulder blades gently. Her eyebrow ticked slightly. Ever since she started her job, Mel didn't really like the opposite sex touching her when she was off duty. She knew that she had to get rid of that eventually, seeing how she wanted a husband.
"Oh, I believe you're a good girl, I just wouldn't want your parents to worry." She felt his breath against her neck and she suppressed a shiver.
"My mama's working and my father has passed away. No need to worry, Enjolras." The girl said as she flashed him a smile and descended the stairs.
"Where do you live? I'll walk you there anyway. I wouldn't want our new member to get lost." He said as he nodded to the owner of the cafe. Melaina sighed quietly and turned to him.
"What's the sudden fascination with me? Through the whole meeting you wouldn't even look at me. I don't need your help finding my way home, Alexander." She said stubbornly as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her green eyes watched him turn towards her again and he frowned slightly.
"That's the second time you called me by my first name. Why is that?"
"Well, it'd be pretty silly to call me Alon instead of Melaina, now wouldn't it?" She said and Enjolras didn't answer, his mouth set in a firm line.
"I'm walking you home whether you like it or not." He told her before taking a hold of her arm. She yelped slightly at the firm grip that she had and he shifted it almost immediately. Scared that he might take her to his place instead, Melaina watched him carefully.
"Take a right after the third block." She muttered under her breath. Her heart pounded in her ears as she thought of what Enjolras was going to say when he saw their house.
Soon enough, Enjolras fixed his grip on her arm so Melaina can walk in front of him, showing the way to her home. She stopped in front of the iron gates and looked away from him.
"This is yours?" She heard him ask quietly and she nodded slowly.
"Huh. The way you're dressed. I thought you were one of Gavroche's little friends." Turning around, Melaina looked up at him. During the meeting, Grantaire told her that they all were in their early twenties and Enjolras is twenty. They're all older than her, and most were taller than her five foot five frame. She tilted her head to look up at him and smiled.
"Because I dressed like I was poor?" She said, flashing him a toothy smile.
"What other reason was there? You could've been his sister for all I know." He said gruffly with a shrug in his shoulders. And just when I thought he was being an actual person with me. She thought to herself as she felt herself frown.
"Well, you shouldn't automatically guess my status just because of how I dress." She snapped and glared at him. There seemed to be another staring contest this time and she saw his lip curl up before he looked away.
"I should bid you adieu now, Melaina. I'll see you at the next meeting." He said stiffly and grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. Melaina looked at him the whole time and nodded when he let go of her hand. Turning around, she walked into her yard and at the door she peeked back to see if he was watching her. He was gone. Sighing, Melaina opened the door and slipped inside. She grabbed a bit of something to eat and walked around the house a bit before she decided to sit down and read. A half an hour later and Melaina couldn't remember what she had just read. Rubbing her temples, she decided to have a cup of tea before she went to bed. Adding a teaspoon of honey and then stirring a few spoonfuls of sugar, Melaina lifted the teacup from the saucer to her lips. Her green eyes watched the clouds pass by in the sky and she sighed softly.
Who was the man who had stolen her heart without realizing it? Who was he?
