A World of Their Own
Enjolras tried to be patient while waiting for Melodie. He had awoken much earlier than expected this morning and had spent most of the day pacing his room and the hallway. He'd taken breakfast with Fabien but it had been painfully awkward without Melodie or Arielle there to deflect the tension.
Fabien had informed him upon his entrance into the small breakfast parlor, that the women were upstairs altering some of Arielle's old dresses for Melodie's use. After that enlightening statement, the man had hidden himself behind his newspaper and not said a word more.
He must have missed Melodie by a minute when he had tried to enter the library a few hours later. She had locked the doors and not answered his calls through the wood.
Aggravating woman.
Now he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, feeling like a school boy waiting for a treat from the teacher.
"Enjolras!" He turned quickly to see Melodie speeding at him from the direction of the library. She skidded to a halt in front of him and nearly toppled over. He reached out and quickly steadied her. He thought briefly about how long she'd let him rest his hands on her waist and decided to test his growing theory.
"Merde. Stupid heels … sorry Capitaine!" She looked up at him after scowling toward the hem of her dress.
Perhaps he was a school boy. The sight of her truly was a treat if he was honest with himself. She was wearing green again and her curls were pulled back in a lacey ribbon. She was panting slightly from her run and her cheeks were flushed, almost as if …
STOP.
He cleared his throat in an attempt to clear his errant thoughts and tried to focus on the volume in her hands.
"Was that what took you so long?" He asked nodding to the book. A sheepish smile lit her face, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her.
"Yes and no. I found it quickly enough but was distracted by the collection it was a part of." Her tone was light. He couldn't help but smile at her.
"And what did you choose for us?"
She held the book out for his inspection. He bit back a snort upon reading the title.
Leave it to Melodie to surprise him and pick something from Shakespeare.
"So who is supposed to be the shrew? You or I?" He attempted to be severe but couldn't keep the laughter from his voice. Melodie chuckled and shook her head.
"Who knows? Perhaps I think we both need a lesson!" She grinned saucily at him. Before he could think to stop himself, he had increased his grip on her waist and had drawn her closer to his body.
"And what lessons could you possibly teach me?" He heard a husky voice ask, almost startling when he realized it was his own. Melodie had frozen at his words and seemed to have stopped breathing. He opened his mouth to apologize for his brazenness but stopped at the sight of the slow smile spreading on her face.
She stepped further into his space and tilted her head to look up at him. Clutching the book to her chest with one hand, she placed the other over his heart. Enjolras felt his own breathing constrict at her touch.
"I could teach you to …" He bent down slightly to hear her whispering, "grow back down!" She suddenly exclaimed.
Standing there stunned at her sudden change of mood like a fool, Melodie simply let go a merry laugh and took off for the garden. Shaking his head at her childish antics, he took off after her making a mental note that sprightly young women could possibly be good exercise for his leg.
He finally found her standing at the head of the garden path they had walked yesterday.
"What was all that about?" He asked critically. Melodie continued to smile at him and stepped nimbly to his side, curling her arm through his.
"You act too old for your age sometimes Enjolras. You need to grow back down instead of continuing to grow up. Honestly, you'll be acting like a man on his deathbed before you turn thirty!"
He rolled his eyes at her high spirited statement but decided to play along.
"And just what does mademoiselle suggest to fix that problem?"
Melodie stilled for a moment and appeared to be very thoughtful. Eventually she raised her gold eyes to his and spoke with all seriousness.
"Never take yourself too seriously. Life is a blessing, especially for us, and we need to live it to the fullest before we begin again."
Enjolras stared at her. He knew she was right, but was more gratified to know she would be there when their fight for freedom began again.
"So when do we begin this living?" He asked quietly. Melodie smiled brightly once more and began to open her recently acquired copy of Taming of the Shrew.
"Right now actually. Come. I'll read for a bit while we walk and when we reach our bench it will be your turn!" And then she was opening to the introduction and guiding him lazily along the path.
Enjolras was gaping at her after a few minutes of reading aloud though.
"What are you doing?" He asked incredulously. Melodie looked at him blankly, as if he was asking why the sky was blue!
"What do you mean what am I doing?" She asked back.
"Y—you keep changing the sound of your voice!" It was Melodie's turn to roll her eyes.
"It's a play Capitaine. Of course I'm changing my voice. You have to match the characters in a play!" Her tone was exasperated.
"And you expect me to change mine as well when it's my turn?"
A wicked grin danced about her mouth.
"Absolutely."
Enjolras sputtered and started to go on about the ridiculousness of the idea, but Melodie was already one step ahead of him.
"Well if you'd rather not, we can end here and not continue this endeavor. Forgive me for trying to bring a little humor into our lives." At the end of her little speech she took her arm from his and made to turn back towards the house.
Panic seized him at the sight of her retreating form and he flung his arms around her waist once more, drawing her back against his chest.
"Wait." She stilled in his embrace and seemed to be waiting for him to go on. He bent his head to whisper in her ear. "Forgive me. I … I spoke rashly. If it pleases you, we'll continue with your …"
He couldn't think of a polite word to sum up this experience.
"Shenanigans?" She finished for him with a smile. He gave her a quick squeeze and nodded. She turned around and eyed his arm expectantly. He let out a bark of laughter at her audacity and then held it out for her.
"Lead on mademoiselle."
Melodie smiled and once more launched into her reenactment.
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They had sauntered at such a slow pace that they had made it to Act 4 with little to no trouble. Melodie had enjoyed making Enjolras laugh. It was good to see him relax and not dwell on the past. She knew eventually they would have to face it. But now was not that time.
Now was the time for Enjolras to show her his supposedly poor acting skills!
Grinning at him as she sat down on their bench, for after yesterday's confessions it could be no one else's, she waved the book before his eyes. He eyed it warily, seriousness resettling on his chiseled features. Melodie sighed.
"Don't be a prat Enjolras. Surely you won't leave me to be the only one to embarrass themselves?" She patted the open seat next to her as she spoke.
"Don't tempt me." He muttered as he carefully lowered himself next to her. She smiled and passed him the book. He opened it and sent her a grimace before launching into the scene.
It wasn't long before she could tell he was enjoying himself. He switched between roles effortlessly and even put on a high falsetto for her amusement when speaking as Katherina.
As the hours passed she couldn't help but contemplate the peace of the situation
Yes their pasts were dark and shrouded in death. Yes their lives hinged on the whims of those they had tried so hard to unseat. Nothing was certain, nothing was guaranteed.
Yet here, in this moment, in this garden, they had a world of their own. With the sun shining on them and the birds flying overhead, they had peace. She didn't want to ever lose this, especially since she had found it with Enjolras.
"The sun's setting. We should return inside." His normal murmur cut through her thoughts. She looked up at him, only then noticing that she had been leaning against him for quite some time. She grinned slightly, happy that he had not asked her to move.
Reluctant to leave their tranquil setting just yet, she leaned a little more firmly against him. Enjolras leaned back.
"May I ask you a question?" She whispered.
"I've never stopped you before …" Melodie lifted her face and stuck her tongue out at him. He snickered for a minute before rearranging his features into what just barely passed as seriousness.
"What is it Melodie?"
"Should we inform your family that you're alright?" She felt him instantly stiffen beside her. She dared a quick glance up at his expression. It was stony and he seemed to be clenching his jaw. Not pausing to consider her actions, she brushed her fingers against his stubble. He leaned into her touch and swallowed.
"I do not think what has happened here in Paris will concern my family much." His voice was an octave lower than usual. She frowned at the well of pain she heard behind it.
"Not even your sister?" She asked quietly. Enjolras twitched at the reminder.
"Perhaps. Let me think on it." She nodded and resumed her relaxed position against him.
They sat quietly. The twilight sounds of Paris were dampened by the garden wall and allowed the soft rustling of the bushes to reign supreme.
"It's like being in a dream." She murmured.
"We'll have to wake up one day …" Enjolras replied. There was no sadness in is voice. Just acceptance. It was one of the things she had come to admire about him and one of the things that annoyed her most.
"We'll have to create new dreams then." She replied firmly. Enjolras slowly eased her off his side and stood up. She looked up at him and was surprised to see his mouth curving up in the hint of a smile.
"Yes we will and we'll do it together." He held out his hand to her and she didn't hesitate to let him pull her up. She tucked the book against her open side as he situated his cane in his free hand. But instead of offering her his arm, he merely maintained his grip on her hand and started leading her down the path.
She didn't look back at they neared the house. She didn't want to look back ever again but she knew with Enjolras beside her, doing so wouldn't be nearly as dark as the night closing in around them.
They made their way inside and up the stairs. Melodie thought to tell him how impressed she was with the dexterity of his movement but decided against breaking their calm silence. Eventually they made it to her door. Enjolras stopped before it but didn't let go of her. He was staring at their entwined hands. She watched his face, trying guess what thoughts were hidden behind that calm exterior.
Ever so slowly, as if unsure of himself, he raised their hands. He gently shifted his own so he was just holding her fingers. He raised the hand to his lips and pressed them tenderly to her skin.
Melodie felt the warmth of the kiss spread from her hand throughout the rest of her body and had to resist swaying at the sudden feeling of elation that accompanied it.
Enjolras was watching her carefully when she was finally able to focus. She smiled shyly at him, hoping to alleviate some of the tension that had crept into his stance. At the curving of her lips, he relaxed.
"I'll come back later to escort you to dinner." He told her quietly.
"I look forward to it." She replied, cursing the breathlessness of her voice. His answering grin was somewhat mischievous.
"So do I Melodie, so do I." He then turned tail and walked to his own room. Melodie covered her mouth to contain the laughter threatening to burst from her lips.
So Enjolras knew how to play the game did he? Well, he hadn't seen anything quite yet.
