A/N: So yesterday I said I might've put up another chapter, and I did not. I don't know why I didn't (maybe because videos from the In The Heights reunion concert were posted last night, which got me excited, maybe I was distracted by that), but I'm posting one now. Good news is, instead of writing one chapter yesterday, I wrote three so ... I'm good for the time being.

Also, thank you for all the favouriting, following and reviewing. I just love getting those, and I especially love your feedback. Makes me smile. And don't worry guys, this is the chapter that starts it all. 9 Chapter's too late, but it's here. tlabigail also asked me if too put more Grantaire/Eponine moments. Don't worry, it'll come. I just can't tell you when because that's a spoiler.

Now, I'm not overly fond of this chapter, but it was a mix of, I wasn't bothered to re-write, and I couldn't come up with something better, and this is probably the only way I could write it. So I'm sorry if it's a bit weird.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Les Miserables.


Marius had lost his phone. She was aware, he had told her. But when Cosette had gone to spend some time with her father yet again, Marius had no other means of communication except through a phone. The vacation house Cosette was staying in with her father did not have Internet. Eponine thought this was normal; people did not spend too long at vacation houses that they needed the Internet. But that's when it all went from bad to worse. The only person to have Cosette's cell phone number was indeed Eponine. Everyone thought that Marius must have been really blind. So blind, that he could ask Eponine for such a thing. It's been two days without Cosette, and Marius had been texting and calling her non-stop, with Eponine's phone.

When the boys found out about this, they were furious at Marius. Telling him how he could do such a thing. Marius just shrugged it off, telling everyone that Eponine was okay with it, and he was paying her back. They all stared at Eponine. They knew that she liked the boy but was she that into him? That later she would find her phone filled with basically love letter from the one she loved to another woman. Eponine assured everyone that she was okay with it. Of course, it was killing her on the inside, she just wanted Marius to be happy like usual. She still had that little glimmer of hope in her that maybe he'd start noticing her. That he'd like her. That he'd eventually fall for her.

It was another day where she didn't have her job, yet she still hung out at the café. She expected a much larger crowd, then again it was only four and people probably still had classes. It was her, Enjolras, Marius and her phone. Marius was in his own little world, practically talking to himself and his fingers furiously pushing keys to send him messages as fast as possible. When Cosette didn't reply quickly he would panic. Enjolras had told him to shut up a few times, claimed that he was interrupting his peaceful reading or something, which Marius of course ignored. Eponine just did her schoolwork, thinking that it would be better to do it instead of doing nothing and watching Marius interact with his beloved on her phone.

Marius looked at the clock, he sighed, "Sadly, I must be going. Thank you so much Eponine. I would be dying without your help." He smiled, and she melted. That's why she was helping him, because he had that affect on her. She just nodded and watched him go out. She looked at the phone in her hand. He had touched it yet, for reason she wished didn't happen. She flipped through it; there was much more than one hundred messages it.

"Don't do it." Eponine almost forgot that Enjolras was sitting right across from her. He had been so quiet. "I know you're tempted, but don't do it." She knew what he was speaking of. She was about to do it. Maybe he was right this one time. But his tone was cold and she didn't like that about him.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you claim to have strong feelings about love and all that shit, yet if you read those messages, you know that it'll just break your heart." He was right. And she knew that he was right. But she wanted to know so badly what Marius had been talking about with her roommate. If they really liked each other or maybe she wanted to pretend that those messages were to her. She didn't know, but she had the urge to read them. Maybe it was about time she started to take Enjolras's advice, but that would just make him feel all strong and mightier than he already did. She didn't want to build up his ego; he already had a big one without her help.

"Like you know anything about broken hearts." She took out her phone and opened the first message. But before she could read a hand landed on her phone.

"Don't. You don't want to repeat last time." He was referring to the time she wept in his car. She felt offended that he brought it up. That was suppose to be something they kept between themselves. Even though no one was around, she felt that it was something they just didn't talk about. It was something they would never speak of again. But once again, he was right. She didn't want to end up crying again. She was stronger than that and she knew it. No matter how stubborn she was, this time, he was right.

She let go of the phone and let him take it. He put it in his pocket and continued to read. She whispered a tiny, "Thank you" but wasn't sure if he had heard her or not. He had. She sighed in defeat and continued her work. They stayed like that for a while, it was peaceful, and they respected each other's privacy. Then Eponine cracked; she couldn't take the silence between them. She didn't feel like doing work when she could be reading those messages on her phone. She wanted to so badly. So she decided to distract herself a different way.

"I've seen you with that book before." She says, trying her best to make conversation. The silence between them was killing her, "Well, same title, but different cover."

"Same book. I have two copies, this one was just feeling a little neglected, so I decided to read it again." He doesn't look up from his book, as usual.

"Is it your favourite?"

He pauses for a second, actually thinking about the question, "I don't have a favourite, but this one is up there."

She looks at the book, Animal Farm. She has heard of it before, never got to borrow it from the library though, and never even got the chance to read the blurb. "Do you recommend it?"

"Of course." He says, going back to reading

"What else do you recommend?" she asks, not wanting to end this conversation. Anything was better than doing work.

He puts his book down and starts to fully commit to the conversation "Well …"

Then they talked all night about books. Anything about books. Their favourite book, favourite genre, favourite author. Eponine had read a good amount of books, she spent a lot of her days hidden in the library, just reading and reading. It was her favourite thing to do, she'd be away from her parents, away from the cruel world she was in, she was in a world that she could imagine. A world where everything was the way she wanted it to be. Enjolras also had a lot of books growing up. They were his best friends, and at times, his only friend. They told him of adventures and stories that he would want to be a part of. Sometimes worlds he was glad he wasn't in. But either way, they were his get away too. When his parents were away or busy, the books would be there to comfort him, to take care of him. He had learnt way more from books than from people.

They discussed their love for books. All night, until they decided it was time to go home. They went home satisfied with their conversation. Knowing that someone feels the same way they did. It was a strange yet comforting notation. They argued about a few topics, debated on some things, but that was part of what they enjoyed from that conversation. That someone was actually their equal. The girl that he had constantly looked down upon because her infatuation of a boy, and the boy that she had always ignored because of what an egotistic and cold person he could be. And that's how it started. With a simple book.

It was raining again, like it often did nowadays.

The two of them started packing, their conversation still going on while the got themselves ready to head home. Once ready, Eponine said goodbye and took out her umbrella. Well, Enjolras's umbrella, which he gave to her for her to keep.

"You don't expect me to let you go in the rain right?" Enjolras said, "Come on, you've been in my car more times than most people. Let's go."


"Enjolras. You should be like this more often."

He looked over to her, "What do you mean?"

"Nice." She almost laughed, "Nice. Sometimes you're so cold I don't know why any of the boys enjoy your company. But then there are times like this when you're the nicest person I know; today was proof that I can actually hold a conversation with you. Nice, Enjolras."

"You're saying that I'm not nice on a daily basis?"

"Yes."

"I gave you my book recommendations, is that not nice?"

"That was very nice. Just that you're not like that everyday."

"You expect me to be nice to everyone. Even foolish halfwits like Marius?" He said Marius's name with bitterness.

"You can try." Eponine knows that him bringing Marius into the conversation was dangerous, for the both of them. Eponine might take Marius's side and Enjolras just did not like Marius.

"And what if I can't?"

"You can try." She pressed on, getting more annoyed. She soon realised that this was a bad topic to talk about. Were they not just having a respectable conversation back at the café?

His brows creased, "And for what?" when Eponine didn't respond to what she believed was a rhetorical question, he got annoyed, "Those people need to know what morons they are! They don't need sympathy! They need someone to slap them in the face and tell them!" His didn't realise but he was starting to raise his voice.

"God Enjolras! Sometimes you can be a downright cold son of a bitch and you don't even realise it!" Her voice was now copying his; "I'm just telling you for your sake that I like the Enjolras back at the café today. He was nice and sincere, and he listened to what I had to say. But sometimes he can interrupt sentences and just say whatever he wants! Thinks he can get away with it all and just insult everyone in his path!"

"What do you want from me Eponine? Aren't I being nice now? I'm driving you home. That's the third time! A new record! Am I not being nice enough?"

"I just want people to see you the way I do." She goes into a whisper. Then silence. The silence between them was back. They finally arrived at the dorm and the rain had stopped, something that they thought would never happen. But now the silence couldn't be covered by the sound of the falling rain. The car finally stopped, and they waited for each other to do something. They waited for what felt like hours, but in reality was just mere seconds. They both were about to talk, clashing into each other's sentences. He let her say what she wanted to say first, but she shook her head.

"I'm sorry I raised my voice at you." Enjolras started, "It was highly inappropriate of me."

Eponine shook her head, "No, you're just expressing your opinions."

"But I'm sorry. I truly am." She just nods, accepting his apology. "And you're right, to a certain point."

"I know I am." She smirks. Enjolras found that he liked that about her. That she knew how to stand up for herself, and she wasn't scared of holding opinions of her own.

"So I guess this is goodnight."

She nods and checks her bag. Once she was sure she had everything she replied, "Yes. Goodnight, Enjolras. Thank you for the ride."

"Thank you for your opinions." She smiles. Just before she closes the door on him, he stops her. "Hey Eponine," she pops her head back into the car, "tomorrow at the café, same time? You'll be there?"

"Yeah." She nodded and smiled, "Yeah, I'll be there."


A/N: Ooohhhh. Yeah, I told you it was strange. I just didn't know how else to write it. Whatever. Also, Marius using Eponine's phone is a reference to the letter giving in the original, as was the ending of chapter 7 where she goes home in the rain is a reference to On My Own. Yeah, just little things.

As always, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you come back and read more :D