Two weeks passed since that initial meeting and the days that passed with it were filled with promising ideas, new friendships and more meetings. Those fourteen days could've easily been the best of Esmeralda's young life. She finally felt like she belonged somewhere in this group of overly enthusiastic group of young men. Esmeralda found herself in her own company most of her lunchtimes more often than normal for some strange reason, as her father had given the excuse he had to run some personal errands and had given her permission to visit her "friends" as he put it. It wasn't until she finally arrived at the university that she realized she had no idea where any of the boys were, or which buildings they had their classes in.
Walking into the university's library, she was amazed at the masses of books that surrounded her on shelves that reached all the way up to the high ceiling. She shuffled through the aisles of book shelves awkwardly, feeling extremely out of place. To her immense luck her eyes spotted a hardworking Combeferre, sitting on the table in the furthest corner of the room, chatting amiably with some classmates. Esmeralda refrained from calling out his name in excitement, realising she was in a library, and quickly trotted over to him.
"Ferre," she whispered.
He turned, the look of shock on his face quickly turned into a warm smile as he greeted her.
"Esmeralda! What are you doing here?" He rose from his chair to greet her, ignoring the open-mouthed expressions of his classmates.
"My father has some connections." She winked. "I was wondering if you would kindly join me for lunch, along with the other boys – if I find them, that is."
"I think me and Enjolras are the only ones here at school, right now," replied Combeferre, scratching his head, "But if you would have me, I'd be very honoured to join you for lunch."
"Brilliant," Said Esmeralda with a dazzling smile. "I'll wait for you outside, shall I?"
With that, Esmeralda quickly spun on her heal and hastened her pace out of the library.
Combeferre turned about to the gobsmacked faces of his fellow medical peers.
"I know." He said with an arrogant grin, before hurrying off to Esmerelda's side.
They wandered over to the Justice and Law building, where Enjolras was currently sitting in a lecture. They chatted together amiably, attracting the attentions of a few students as they passed by them. Combeferre was less than proud to say he felt slightly happy to be the centre of envy of the other men as he walked next to Esmerelda. He pointed out different buildings to her and showed her around the beautiful campus that they spent practically half their life in. When they finally arrived at the large oak double doors that lead to the large lecture room they stood awkwardly in front of it, getting the odd look from a random passer-by. Feeling the need to fill the silence while they waited for the lecture to finish, Combeferre decided to have some fun of his own.
"So… what do you think of our Enjolras, Esmeralda?"
"Enjolras?" Esmeralda was slightly taken aback by Combeferre's sudden question but went with it anyways. "I think he's a spectacular man."
"Do you think of him as a man though?" He swivelled on his heal to face her. "Like as a man."
Esmerelda let out a chuckle and turned to Combeferre confusedly.
"If he isn't a man, then is he a woman?"
"No, come on now, you know what I mean." Replied Combeferre, getting serious, "Would you see him as a potential… 'marriageable' man?"
"Combeferre, you know how Enjolras and I feel about marriage."
"Yes, but think about it hypothetically!" implored Combeferre, "Say you had to marry someone within the next 24 hours and you had the choice of the Les Amis members, excluding me. Who would you choose?"
Esmeralda shook her head at the grinning Combeferre, but decided to amuse him for once.
"Grantaire drinks far too much for my liking, I'm surprised his liver hasn't drowned yet. Courfeyrac is far too much of a Casanova, I don't want to be horrid, but I'd feel like he wouldn't remain faithful for more than a few years. Marius is… Marius, and I feel like I'd get bored after a year or two of marriage life with him. Now, don't get me wrong here, he's a wonderful man, but… I just need something more." Combeferre nodded his head in understanding. "I need someone who will keep me on my toes, stimulate my mind! I need someone like…"
"Like…?" urged on Combeferre.
But before the Esmeralda could answer him, one of the large wooden doors in front of them burst open to a sea of students flowing out of it. They were soon greeted by a very exhausted looking Enjolras, who seemed like he had gotten less than 3 hours of sleep the night before. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the pair in front of him, as his classmates curiously gazed at Esmeralda as they left the lecture hall.
"Andre, me and Ferre were just about to get some lunch, would you join us?" Esmeralda asked him, her gaze locked onto his as she smiled cheerfully. "You look like you could use some good food."
"Knowing you, you probably didn't have breakfast this morning, did you?" Ah, Combeferre, always the caring mother of the group.
"Come on now, we're taking you to lunch, whether you like it or not, Monsieur Apollo." She crassly looped her arm through his and lead him through the corridors and out of the university.
Normally Enjolras was very uncomfortable with any type of human contact, which he was still was no doubt, but it was something about Esmeralda's warm, soothing touch that reassured him the woman on his arm wanted nothing more than his companionship. Normally the women that tried to forcefully feel him up were the slightly mysterious and scary women of the night or the women his "peers" introduced him to, which he had never asked them to in the first place. He didn't hold her hand, no, but he didn't shrug out of it either.
Combeferre trailed a few steps, admiring the couple as they chatted back and forth between each other as they walked through the streets to a nearby café. It was an incredible feat, what Esmeralda had managed to do in such a short amount of time; she had managed to capture the hearts of practically everyone in Les Amis d'ABC and had gotten to a certain point of friendship with their esteemed leader, Enjolras. Combeferre still couldn't believe the sight before him – Enjolras with a woman on his arm. As much as he tried to believe Enjolras in the beginning, how he always spoke about how women and emotions of amour were simply distractions to their great plan, Combeferre knew there would come a day where Enjolras would meet a woman so unforgettable that Patria wasn't the only thing he was going to be fighting for and Combeferre had a good reason to believe that that woman would be Esmeralda. She embodied everything they were supposed to be fighting for; the kindness in her heart, the compassion which she bestowed upon others and the fearlessness she showed in the face of oppression. If any woman managed to worm their way into Enjolras' heart, it would be and should be her. Even if Enjolras is too dense to realize it at first, Combeferre was always there to give him a nudge along.
With lunch finally taken care of, the three of them sat in comfortable silence as they drank their tea and watched the busy street through the window next to them. Esmeralda's chin was rested in the palm of her hand as she watched the different kinds of people that walked passed, going about their daily business. People were always interesting to Esmeralda, different people had different motivations; lead different lives; had different dreams. She loved guessing a person's backstory from just their appearance, although on the one hand it could be being too judgemental but no, to Esmeralda it was just a game to pass boredom and time. She took a glance at Enjolras, her eyes trailing the outline of his strong, distinct jawline. His features were far too handsome, for his own good. His piercing blue eyes had the capability of igniting a person's inner flame of passion without them realising it was even there in the first place. His supple lips were pursed as his eyes seemed to glare through the window and into the street. Esmeralda would hate to be the person at the end of one of those glares. She felt a small smile tug at the edge of her rosy lips as she noticed the slight unshaved stubble along his jawline, it was cute.
"So Combeferre, do you have a beau?" Esmeralda broke the silence between the trio, almost like she was afraid of it.
Combeferre looked at her wide-eyed as he took a sip of his tea before taking in her question.
"Uh, not as of yet, unfortunately." He answered rather sheepishly.
Esmeralda grinned at his shyness, it was endearing.
"Any future plans for marriage?" It was odd, hearing these types of questions from her.
Normally Esmeralda disliked the mention of marriage because she was so outspoken of against the idea of forceful arranged marriages that were placed upon the women of this society, so it was extremely odd for her to bring it up out of the blue. Combeferre, who was still confused out of his mind on what on earth had compelled Esmeralda to ask such a question, answered carefully.
"Um… I would hope to think I would marry eventually." His hazel eyes met hers. "Most likely not in the next few years, but you can never know when the universe decides to act up."
Esmeralda smiled, the light reaching her eyes, it seemed like his answer had pleased her. She bobbed her head up and down as she sipped on her tea quietly, taking in his answer. Esmeralda watched Combeferre take out his pocket watch and the way his eyebrows shot up as he noticed the time.
"Mon Dieu, I'm afraid I must bid the pair of you farewell." Combeferre hastily placed the coins for his lunch on the table and grabbed for his satchel. "I have only five minutes till my next class."
With that as his farewell, Combeferre sped out of the café door as the pair he had left behind watched him wind through the busy crowds, back to the university.
"It seems you and Combeferre converse often."
Esmeralda turned to Enjolras, green meeting blue. He hadn't said it as a question, it was a statement.
"Well, he was the first one of you lot I had met." She explained to him, rubbing her index finger against the side of her cup at the same time. "And he's a very easy person to talk to, must be a doctor thing."
She smiled, glancing down at the remnants of her tea at the bottom of her mug.
"But why marriage?" Esmeralda's eyes once again found Enjolras' piercing blue ones, he was seeking truth; information. "Of all things you could've talked about at a luncheon, you choose marriage; a subject you deem too uncomfortable to even discuss with your own father, yet you bring it up at a dinner table with men you had known for just over a week."
Esmeralda gave a long and tired sigh, a sigh that Enjolras didn't fail to notice. His jaw tightened and one of his eyebrows raised as he waited for her answer.
"A single woman has got to keep her options open, Monsieur." She used the term 'monsieur' endearingly, as she gave him a sad smile. "I'd like to know who's available in a few years' time, for when the… horrid time comes when I have to find a suitable man to wed."
"And you believe Combeferre is a suitable… candidate." He searched for a better term in his head and came up with nothing.
"He's a fine gentleman. Emphasis on gentleman." Her head tilted towards his, catching the light from the window to shine on her midnight hair. "He's kind, engaging and intelligent. He manages to fill my boredom with something other than more boredom. However, I don't think I would be able to see him as anything more than a friend, but with great responsibility comes great sacrifice. Again, though I don't think I could ask Combeferre to do such a thing for me, to live in a loveless marriage with nothing more than a friend as his companion for the rest of his life. It'd be too selfish on my part."
Enjolras couldn't seem to find a response to her surprising confession. He simply stared at her, watching her movements; her body language.
He had figured it out. Her vice. The one thing he couldn't find in the beginning, he had now found, but it was barely a vice in its own part. She was too selfless. Her heart was so righteous and warm she couldn't bare to put the weight of her own burden onto others, without fear of harming them. She cared about other people's well-beings more than she cared for herself. She carried so much weight upon those small shoulders of hers as the only heir to her family, as the only daughter; child to her father's fortunes. She had just proved then she was too selfless for her own capability, she cared about Combeferre's lack of love within a marital relationship with her than the consequences of not finding a husband. She was unbelievable.
"The time will come when my Papa will grow older; weaker. He's always worrying for me, you see; caring for me. What am I to do when he rests on his deathbed worrying about leaving me in life as an unmarried woman with no one to 'protect' me. I wouldn't be able to bare the guilt that would riddle me if I let him pass like that."
Enjolras felt anger boil in his blood. He wasn't angry at Esmeralda, he was angry at their society; the world they lived in. He despised how in their lives, women like Esmeralda were forced to marry young and to give up their life for their new family. They had no choice in matters and were supposed to be compliant with everything they were told. To see such a strong and brave woman like Esmeralda be reduced by such a filial thing made fury rise inside him. He didn't just want to revolutionize France for the greater good now; he wanted to change it for her.
"Even if it meant sacrificing your freedom for your father, would you do it?" Enjolras' question seemed to linger in the air for a few seconds as Esmeralda pondered on it.
A clash of bright blue caught dazzling green.
"If it meant that my father could rest easy in death?" A ghost of a smile fell upon her lips as she looked back at Enjolras. "Without a doubt, I would."