Enjolras woke up to the sound of a shower running. What? Who was on his bathroom? He was sure he did not sleep with Grantaire the night before.
He got up of the bed, kicking the covers in the process. He hadn't still opened his eyes; which was the reason why he hadn't realized he wasn't on his apartment, it was also the reason why he ran into a small wardrobe hitting his pinky finger on his left foot.

"Motherfucker!" he shouted. "What the actual fuck!" said Enjolras finally opening his eyes and looking around while cursing under his breath.

"Enjolras?" said a female voice he knew too well.

"Shit! Yes, come in. Shit!" he answered and the door soon opened showing a nearly naked Éponine. Her hair was soaking wet, some strands were sticking to her face while others dropped water into the floor. The barely existent towel that covered her naked body was green with small gold fish, the towel was wrapped around her body and her hands here grabbing it on the front preventing it from falling. Her still wet skin shone with the sunlight that came from the window, from it came a breeze which caused her goosebumps on her arms and legs, not that his gaze was fixated on her body, it was on her face. She wasn't wearing any makeup since she had come running from the shower and yet her beauty was still breathtaking.

"Je-Jesus, 'Ponine!" was all he could say looking away embarrassed with pink cheeks.

"Oh, sorry" she said looking down at her towel and wrapping it tighter around her body. Could she not see the effect she was causing on him? "I just heard you screaming and came to see what had happened. What exactly happened?"

"I just – never mind". She made a face and somehow he couldn't resist. "I hit my toe against your wardrobe" Enjolras answered, his cheeks going from pink to dark scarlet color.

Éponine tried, she really did, but at the end she couldn't help but laugh. And how she laughed. "I'm sorry" she said still laughing, "It's just that I can't believe I interrupted my shower just because you hit your feet".

"Hey! It could have been broken!" said Enjolras. He knew he hadn't hit his toe that hard but he knew that being dramatic would make her laugh, seeing his plan had worked he smiled at her.

"Oh, you sure don't want me to take you to the hospital?"

"No, I think I'll survive"

"Okay, I'm getting back to the shower now. Help yourself with breakfast" and with those words she walked away. It didn't escape his eyes that she was still limping and there were some bruises that the tower didn't entirely cover.
Before he went to the kitchen he changed into black jeans and a white tee, before he left the room he also made the bed. What could he say, he was a neat guy.

Walking into the kitchen he noticed it was a very small, you could say it has half his apartment's kitchen. But he was there to take care of Éponine not to judge her small apartment.

He made himself some eggs and left some for 'Ponine seeing Gavroche had already left. He grabbed a mug and was pouring some coffee for himself when Éponine walked out of her room wearing a blue dress, tights and boots. Her hair was still wet but it was already forming itself into her characteristic waves.

"Want some coffee?" he asked grabbing another mug.

"Nah, I'll grab some on my way. I have a work interview!" at her words he putted the mug on the counter and took his food to the table.
Was this girl for real? Her abusive ex had raped her less than twenty four hours before and she was just going out like nothing had happened?

"'Ponine I don't think -"

"I know you don't have classes until the afternoon" she said cutting him off. "Maybe you could watch tv or read something, I don't know, I'm a terrible host. But since you're staying a week, am I still a host? I don't know, don't care really. Maybe you could go out and walk around, just remember to lock the door and –"

"'Ponine, I have my own apartment. I know what to do. Don't worry about me, you on the other hand –"

"Yes yes, I know. Well bye!" she said with her hand on the door. "Oh, before I forget. There's the phone" she said pointing to the wall beside the coffee table, "just thought you might need it. No one knows when one may hit a pinky finger and need paramedics".

"Oh shut up!" he said and she winked at him before closing the door, leaving him all alone on her apartment.

Once he finished eating, he washed the dishes and even tried to clean some of the mess going on around the apartment. Then, he walked to the bookshelf she had and read the titles of some of her books, Enjolras was actually amazed he recognized some of those. On the road, Jane Eyre, Into the wild, Memoires of a geisha, 1984 and Peter Pan. He smiled when he saw the "Coffee for dummies" one. Her taste on books was very varied and there was no way for him to try to understand her better from them since the collection went from children books to astronomy to fiction and futuristic to poetry.

Walking around some more he realized there weren't any pictures of her or her family. Strange but he was not there to judge. The walls he realized were some dull, light yellow; not Éponine style at all. How long had she being living there? The place looked empty, even with the furniture. He then realized it was because the apartment didn't show it was 'Ponines, there wasn't anything showing it was hers; not the color or the paintings covering the walls. Why was that?


It was not her intention to leave him that early on the morning but she knew that if she stayed he would have liked to talk about Montparnasse and she really was not in the mood to talk about the guy. Just thinking about him made her skin crawl.

She had not lied; she did have a work interview. On two hours, but still. Her friend Misuchetta had called and told her there was an opening on the music store where she worked and of course Éponine was interested. She needed money and a work, and It was a plus If the work had anything to do with music.

She entered the first coffee shop she saw and took a small table near one of the windows that looked into Notre Dame. The cathedral was one of her favorite places on Paris. She wasn't very religious and rarely went to mass but the structure of it was breathtaking. On the outside it was very beautiful with it's gothic style and gargoyles. But, her favorite part was the stained glass. The colors, all the details they contained and how the floor seemed to be a pool of color whenever the sun shone through them. The memory of it all made her smile.

"'Ponine?" at the sound of her name she tore her gaze from the window and was meet but kind hazel eyes, Marius.

"Monsier Marius" she said startled, she was amazed by herself for not thinking of him on all the morning. Weird, but all her thoughts had gone to Enjolras and his injured toe that morning. The memory of him cursing brought a smile to her face.

"Eating breakfast?" he asked looking at her tea and croissant.

"Yes. Want to join?".

"I guess I can stay a while with my friend. How are you?"

Oh, God. Did he know? No, he couldn't. Could he?

"Perfect. You?".

"Better than ever, I just come from Cosette's"

She did not know why she said it, maybe it was jealousy and the thought that Marius would never be hers. "Enjolras is staying at my place".

"Oh, is something wrong with his?" the look of his eyes showed concern.

"No, no". Fuck! What could she say? "He – he just needed a place to stay since his is going to be painted". Really, Éponine? Painting?
But somehow Marius seemed to be satisfied by her answer. "That Enjolras. He painted it two months ago, I guess he really is a perfectionist after all".

"Yes, I guess he is" a perfectionist with very delicate toes.

"'Gotta run, 'Ponine. Catch you some other time?" asked Marius getting up from the table and kissing the top of her head.

She couldn't help but sigh at his kiss. He really was the only person who ever cared for her and now she was loosing him to Cosette. Without him, who was left on her life?


Note:

two months. i know, i am so sorry! please forgive me!:) no? yes. you have all the right to hate me.