Chapter 4: loneliness
Enjolras didn't mean to be hurt with the speed with which Eponine threw his hand away but he was, gazing at his empty palm he found himself smiling.
"What' going on here?", Marius seemed to ask the air, it was blue eyes that met his gaze curiously.
"Do you know her ?", Marius eyes quickly flickered to Eponine who seemed to gaze just past him.
"She's a childhood friend", letting his eyes fall on Eponine's still figure, Enjolras sensed an energy that was less than friendly, all of a sudden Marius fingers were tracing the red mark across Eponine's face.
"Who..who did this to you", the only reply he got was a brutal slap to the hand as Eponine took a deep breath and a step back. First she turned to Enjolras.
"Don't be curious about me, I don't want it, your gaze attention or whatever, I don't want it", slowly she turned to Marius.
" and you, don't ever touch me again, even if I"m bleeding to death right in front of you even then don't touch me, I'd rather die", with those harsh words Eponine turned on her heel and walked away. And she jusy kept walking, before she knew it, she was outside, reaching out she managed prop herself up against the wall as her legs gave out, calm down she kept telling herself, her brain didn't know which part of the last hour to react to.
"Could you have made it any more obvious that you have history ", Eponine jumped only to be greeted with bemused blue eyes.
"You scared me…", she said, placing her hand over her heart to soothe her breathing.
"So you and Marius…", the sentence hung in the dense air awkwardly for a few seconds.
"What do you want?"
"I'm just confused ...I've known Marius a long time, he likes the lively cute and smily type...and you...are not that...but in the end i guess he married his type", Eponine's whole body tensed.
"Then am I your type", Enjolras ran his hand through his soft blonde locks.
"Are you anyone's type...Eponine", again those wide doe brown eyes blinked slowly and Enjolras was entranced.
"This conversation...seems strangely empty, we're talking but nothing's really being said", Enjolras smiled.
"Were you born sad Eponine...or were you made this way". Eponine looked away unsure of what to do with such a question.
"I have to get back to work", Eponine began turning but Enjolras grabbed her and spun her round, fingers digging into her shoulders, deep blue eyes burning into her face.
"Ahhhh…", it was such a deep sigh,
"What?..."
"What are you?... I can't work you out", seeing the despondent look in Eponine's eyes Enjolras let go of her shoulders, without saying a word, she took a few steps back paused as if she was going to say something before turning and walking away.
For once in her life Eponine was looking forward to the calm of her counter, it would be nice to go back to the familiar tedium of work without drama she thought, but when she returned he was still there.
"I know you hate me, but do we really have to act like strangers"
"Congratulations" Marius frowned
"What?"
"On getting married..congratulations", Marius' whole body tensed as his fingers nervously began fiddling with his wedding band.
"Don't congratulate me….ask me why?" there was anger in Marius voice. Eponine gazed up at him tiredly
"But I'm not curious", Marius took a sharp step forward and grabbed Eponine' wrist like he was going to yank it off.
"You're lying... the reasons why we broke up...why you disappeared...why I got married… how can you not be curious? hows that possible ?"
"The night we broke up ...no the night you broke up with me...do you want to know what U thought..", Eponine's voiced wavered
"What?"
"That I was easy...I came when you asked… and I left when you asked...I wished that you would become very unhappy… I wanted you to cry every night thinking about me... I wanted you to fall apart… I thought I was going to die of depression thinking about you...so I wanted you to feel guilty for the rest of your life for what you did to me… I did it all Marius, anger, sadness, pain longing, love, hope, despair I felt them all for you, time and time again, till my soul was completely shattered...that's why I'm not curious… I've felt every emotion I can feel for Marius pontmercy in this life and there's nothing left",
"I missed you Eponine", a pained silence fell between the two, there was nothing left to say this it was Marius' turn to walk away.
Eponine felt exhausted, she didn't know how much more drama she could take in one day, but the day wasn't done with her yet, so as she was getting into her own clothes she suddenly received a message telling her to head up to the main office on the third floor.
"What….I got the job", Eponine stated utterly shocked.
"You did, out of all the candidates you were the most qualified, we'll notify your manager and you can begin your transition to the office upstairs", stated the office manager, Eponine nodded blankly in still in shock.
When most people get good news, they want to share it with the people in their live, their friends, their family members, boyfriends, girlfriends, colleagues, you go out for drinks, you have a little celebration at home, you go for a romantic drive, that's what people do, but not Eponine. She was in a graveyard leaning against a tombstone, bottle of red wine in hand.
"I was promoted today mum, there were lots of candidates but I got it, it would've been nice if you were here to congratulate me, it would be nice if there was someone to congratulate me, my only friend is away, I don't have a boyfriend and you were my only family,... so I come to work alone...I go home alone… I eat alone...I sleep alone...I drink alone...everything I do I do it alone..I really hate living like this mum….I wish I had someone to worry about me, miss me, to come home to, ...I'm just so lonely...", and then Eponine cried for the first time in years, she wailed her heart out leaning against her mother's grave, wine bottle in hand.
After finishing the bottle, she walked down the street, swaying, head down, cheeks flushed, hair messy, so it wasn't a surprise when she walked head first into a solid chest, she expected to fall back, but a familiar firm grasp steadied her, slowly she looked up to find herself staring into bemused blue eyes.
"Congratulations on your promotion Eponine"
AN: I'm really starting to get into this, thank you so much for the reviews and follows, always welcome, hope you enjoyed the latest chapter.