Chapter 6

The street looked the same as it had for most of Enjolras' life. Most of his memories included the street looking as it did now. So why did he find it hard to remember it looking like this? Why did all his memories look so different from this? The café was there just as it had always been, but it didn't look the same. It never would.

Everywhere he looked he saw the horror. The men falling, again and again, the blood splattered up the walls, painting the bricks red. And the screams, the cries, echoing in his ears, never stopping, never relenting.

"Enjolras, are you quite alright?" Jehan's voice was faint, like a small whisper, barely audible through the screams. Enjolras kept walking; if he kept walking he would pass it all eventually.

"Enjolras!" Jehan grabbed his arm, pulling Enjolras from his memories, but they stayed there in the background, buzzing in his head. Jehan looked concerned, but Enjolras couldn't think why. Couldn't he see it too? Couldn't he feel the guilt? "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Enjolras lied, he would be fine, and he just had to adjust. He was brave; he would make it through this.

"Good, because we're here," Jehan relaxed into a smile, he looked up at the café behind Enjolras.

Light poured out from inside the building, laughter and chatter carried through the windows and doors, it was welcoming. It relaxed Enjolras; it felt more like home than any other place. The picture obscured his terrible recollections of the barricade and put him at ease.

He looked back to see Jehan and Combeferre smiling at him, and Eponine lagging behind a little, trailing her feet on the floor, looking down. A flash of images flicked through his mind. He remembered her crouched beneath the table, his snap judgement to run back and save her, his desperate struggle to pull her down the tunnel and then carrying her through the excrement. He shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts. He waited for her to catch up before entering the café.

"Enjolras! Combeferre! Jehan!" he heard someone call. And in the corner, sat at a round table were Grantaire and Courfeyrac, who was calling to them. They all sat around the table, sinking into the background of full tables on yellowing walls.

"4 more drinks!" Grantaire called to the bartender, clearly already on his way to becoming drunk. Enjolras shook his head in despair. Was the man ever sober?

"I trust you're doing better Eponine?" Courfeyrac asked pleasantly, Enjolras had almost forgotten that she was here, she had been so quiet, and maybe she still felt ill.

"A lot better thank you," she said taking an impressively large gulp of her drink, all while keeping it down. Enjolras realised he'd been staring at little longer than he probably should, so he quickly looked down at his drink before taking a sip, letting the idle chit chat carry on around him.

There was a break in conversation only at the arrival of two more people; Marius and Cosette. Marius' was beaming with pride at showing his lover to all his friends. Enjolras could see why he was so in love with her, she was beautiful, with her golden hair and blue eyes. Not only that but she seemed warm and welcoming, like she wanted to be here, which was not something women like her usually thought.

In the corner of his eye, he did however notice everyone's head turn towards them, everyone apart from Eponine.

XXX

Eponine was enjoying herself, laughing with the boys and drinking as though nothing had happened. As though that barricade had never been erected. She was happy, and happy enough to forget about her parents, Azelma and the loss of Gavroche. That was until two figures appeared at her side.

"Marius!" Joly exclaimed, as Eponine looked up into his handsome face, not being able to ignore the woman stood next to him. She was just as lovely as she had been in the hospital maybe even more so now that the fever had worn off. And Eponine couldn't help but wish that her hair was just that little bit more golden like hers, softer like hers, or that her eyes were bluer like hers, or her skin smoother. But why wish for these things when they were never going to happen?

"Evening. This is Cosette everyone," Marius introduced her proudly, his eyes shining.

"Mademoiselle," Grantaire swept a sloppy bow, making Combeferre push him back down into his chair.

"Sorry he's drunk," Combeferre apologized on Grantaire's behalf. After the introductions were made, Marius sat next to Eponine, making her even more uncomfortable, and Cosette sat on his other side. The conversation continued, but Eponine contributed less, feeling as though anything she said would make her look less important or stupider than Cosette.

"So if Marius has found his true love then why have none of us?" Courfeyrac laughed in mock complaint.

"Good things come to those who wait," Jehan recited philosophically.

"And who said we didn't have anyone," Grantaire exclaimed.

"The woman that you paid to lie across your lap doesn't count," Enjolras countered, raising his eyebrow. Eponine let out a small chuckle at this comment.

"And what about you Enjolras, has our handsome leader found love at last?" Combeferre asked him curiously.

"Non, my first love shall always be Patria," Enjolras announced proudly which earned him a few groans around the table.

"You never change you tune," Grantaire moaned. To which Enjolras just shrugged his shoulders.

"Are they always like this?" a musically laughing voice floated to Eponine's ears as she saw Cosette leaning across Marius to talk to her.

"More and less, sometimes less drunk," Eponine gave a forced smile that felt unnaturally uncomfortable on her face.

"Oh," Cosette looked mildly shocked, but Eponine's supposed that her early days with her family made drink something she knew about.

"Thank you for the dresses by the way," Eponine blurted out, before suddenly becoming slightly embarrassed but holding her head high regardless.

"Oh it's no problem. You're a friend of Marius, and I heard you weren't well," Cosette smiled that charming grin that made it almost impossible to hate her. Eponine gave her a quick smile and nod before sinking back into her chair.

She saw how Marius and Cosette had their hands linked beneath the table and her heart ached in pain. She saw the way he gazed down on her when he thought no one was looking and the way her body curved into his. They were in love, they were happy. They were everything Eponine wanted, and everything she could never have.

Sadness in her heart she turned back to the table to find that someone else's eyes had been on her while hers had been on the couple. Enjolras was staring at her, his blue eyes piercing her muddy brown ones, she stared right on back. Her pride crumbling when she realised that he had worked it out. He knew that she loved someone she could never have, she hated him for knowing. She hated that he only secret was no longer her own to keep. But something in his eyes told her that he would keep it to himself. She gave a small miserable smile to show that she was grateful for his secrecy.