Too Much On Her Plate

Slipping into her house, Eponine ran up the stairs. She needed something to calm her down, let her think. Everything was piling up, one after the other. Exams, theatre, sleep, food, social life… It was an unending cycle of duties and necessities. Deciding for once to let herself enjoy some personal time, she would let the world slip away and enjoy silence. She wanted to relax and think.

A bright red towel was grabbed off the shelf by her. For a second, she thought of Enjolras and how his favorite color was red, but she pushed the thought away. How was she supposed to think clearly when he was on her mind?

Shutting and locking the bathroom door, Eponine got undressed. She put on some music from her phone and let the water run, blocking the sound of the music for a few minutes. Once half of the tub was half full, Eponine added some bubbles. Clearing her mind, she let the steam rise to her face. She was already feeling relaxed. Her shoulders dropped, and her hand rubbed the back of her neck.

First, her foot went in, testing the waters. When the water's warmth was satisfying enough, the rest of her body slipped in. She sighed, resting her arms on the edges of the tub. Rolling her head, she took deep breaths. Now, what was she going to do?

The music echoed against the tile flooring, and the lapping of water interrupted it every so often. Eponine blew her bangs from her face. Maybe if she stayed in the water long enough, she would be able to sink away from the world, leaving everything behind. If only it were possible.

She squeezed her eyes. Eponine needed to focus. What was she going to do about the dance? Would she say yes to Enjolras's invitation? Did she trust Montparnasse? Would she have to deal with any consequences that came with knocking Colette out of the lead role?

Her fingers skimmed the floor as she picked up her phone. The dance was that weekend, and she was getting ready with Musichetta and Cosette. Scrolling through her contacts she searched for Montparnasse's name. Slowly, she smiled to herself. Years before, she would have had to go to someone's house to talk to them. Her life really had changed. She felt so fortunate to have all the new pleasures and have a stable life.

As much as she did not want to admit it, there were some, though few, upsides to her past life. She used to have freedom to do whatever she wanted because her parent's did not care. She also had Enjolras. He was hers, and she was his. Well, it was a middle school relationship, and those were not exactly real. But the feeling of being liked and the attention that came with it was absolutely wonderful for someone like Eponine who received none. Enjolras always gave her what she thought was out of her reach, and she liked him so much for that.

But she didn't like him like that. No, she did not like his wonderful golden halo that he called his hair. No, she did not like his gentle hands, catching and steadying her whenever she would fall. No, she did not like his passionate nature that craved for equality and justice. No, she did not crave his presence whenever he was not around.

At least, that's what she told herself.

Eponine shook her head. Montparnasse's name appeared after a few seconds, and she typed him a text.

Hey you know the dance? Would you mind if we went with my friends? It's a great way for you guys to meet each other! She sent the message, hoping he would reply soon. Plans could be made, letting her focus on her other responsibilities.

A small bubble popped up, and he responded. Um, sure I guess. If it makes you happy.

She smiled at his text and replied with a thanks. Montparnasse was wonderful lately. He was a gentleman- opening the doors for her, lending her money when she needed some, helping her pick up her books if he ever spotted her struggling. Although all of this was extremely appealing, she was not attracted to him. He was too much of a friend to her, too brotherly. She did not love Montparnasse. This she was sure of.

There was also something suspicious about how he had been so close to her lately, begging her to come with him to other places. He seemed to be wherever she was. A "coincidence" they would both claim. Eponine sensed there was more to it, though.

After spending a few more minutes in the tub, she got out, drying herself. She checked the clock. It was 4 o'clock, and she still had a bunch of papers to go through. After slipping on a sweatshirt and leggings, she went down the stairs to tell Leanne she was heading to the library.

Something was off. Leanne was not there in her little study in the corner of the house. Eponine's face twisted in confusion, and she twisted her head around the house, letting water from her still dripping hair fall. She headed deeper into the study of her aunt, hoping that maybe she was sleeping on the couch. Nobody lay asleep there.

As she was making her leave, Eponine's eyes drew her to a pile of newspapers. On the front cover of the first page, large bolded headlines read "GROUP OF CRIMINALS RELEASED DESPITE OPPOSITION OF THE PUBLIC." Eponine was about to read more when she heard the front door's lock turn. Quickly, with her heart beating heavily, Eponine rushed out of the room, heading to the center of the dim hallway.

Eponine's stomach dropped as she watched her aunt walk in with a familiar man. His head was shaved, but small hairs were obviously starting to grow back. He had a 5 o'clock shadow, and his mouth was pressed into a slight grin. Protruding from his face, his beak-like nose stood out. Beady little eyes caught her stare, his smile growing as they made contact. Large arms held the door open for his and her aunt's body.

Eponine's face twisted in further confusion. A bubbling sensation of familiarity and warning grew in her gut, but she couldn't place his face. Her aunt entered laughing with her arm around the man's broad shoulders. Seeing Eponine, she smiled with joy.

"Eponine! I see you made it back from school!" she exclaimed. Her arms flew off of the man, hugging her instead. Eponine patted her back, sensing the unusual giddiness coming from her aunt.

"Hi, Leanne," Eponine said. She nudged her aunt off, but she happily skipped back to the man.

"Eponine, this is Ben," she giggled, and he chuckled with her. "I met him when my company went to the bar after work. He's hilarious!"

So that's why. It was still odd for her aunt to actually go out drinking.

"Hi," Eponine greeted, sticking her hand out for him to shake. "I'm her niece."

"Niece," he mimicked quietly, looking her up and down. "As she said, I'm Ben. Ben Wills."

Ben Wills. The name seemed familiar, but she could not place it. She tried going through her mind, trying to remember who the man was. Storing his image in her mind, she dismissed trying to remember the man.

"I'm heading out to the library. Tell me if you need me," Eponine told her aunt. She glanced back one more time before heading out the door. Something was up with that man, but it was not her business to find out. Even if it was, she had too much to handle already.

"Okay, Eponine," Mrs. Caballero said. She glanced quickly at her notes. "You are going to be brought by Enjolras to the back here, okay?" She pointed to the steps in front of the "mansion door."

Eponine nodded. Her stomach rumbled for a few moments, and Enjolras helped her cover it with a cough. She glanced at him, giving a small nod of appreciation. That was all she could do. She had not made proper eye contact with him in the past thirty minutes, too filled with the awkwardness of the situation between them. What she did wish she was filled with was food. With no other time to practice, Eponine and Enjolras's private practice was pushed into their lunch period.

Eponine wiped her sweaty hands against the smooth fabric of her jeans. She was hungry, nervous, and shaky. She needed some form of energy. Mrs. Caballero pushed her back softly, leading Eponine to the spot she wanted her to be. Her teacher's heels clicked against the marble floors, echoing around the auditorium. If all of them focused enough, they would be able to hear each other's breathing.

When Eponine reached the top step of the fake doorway, she stood watching Mrs. Caballero navigate around the set with her head in her notes. She patted Enjolras's back, leading him towards Eponine. For a brief moment, Eponine and he made eye contact, but she quickly looked down, amazed by the state of her boots.

"Alright," Mrs. Caballero walked away. "You two recite your last two lines again." She gestured to the two of them to begin with a swipe of her hand through the air.

"Well," Eponine recited with an annoyed expression. "What do we do now?" Her hunger devoured at her stomach, begging her to run out of the room and search for food. She spit out the sentence with more hatred than terror and worry.

Mrs. Caballero sighed. "Eponine, I know you're hungry, but if you could say that line with more confusion than…" She gestured up and down at Eponine. "Whatever is going on with you."

"Sorry," Eponine muttered. She could feel Enjolras's teasing smile. Turning to him, she rolled her eyes. He held his hands up, his face full of wonder at why she rolled her eyes at him. She smirked in his direction, her mood starting to lift a little bit.

"Well," Eponine breathed, her eyes full of uncertainty for the coming moments. "What do we do now?"

"One little soldier," he said softly, eyes full of adoration. Eponine told herself it was all acting, but deep down she felt giddy at seeing him look at her like that. "Was left all alone. But he took the hand of his soldier love…"

Enjolras grabbed her hand more gently and carefully than ever before. It was like she was a porcelain doll, and he was scared to break her. Eponine tried to hide the small bit of anger at his actions when she felt that familiar spark run up her arms. Suddenly, his gentleness was out of her mind, and all she could see were his clear blue eyes, gazing at her and asking millions of questions at once. At the same time, they seemed to be giving her answers to plenty of questions, but she did not know what those questions were. She couldn't leave his gaze. She was trapped in it, the walls coming down around her, suffocating her.

He took her other hand, holding them tightly. Taking a step closer, he made the moment even more intense. As if to distract herself, Eponine reminded herself Mrs. Caballero was watching. Well, out of the corner of her eye, Eponine could see she was more staring with a giant smile.

"And," he paused. Eponine wished dearly that he would stop intensifying the moment. "Together they happily went home."

She flashed him a tight smile that only she knew was actually full of nervousness. The moment was nearing. He leaned down, and she went on her tippy toes. Their foreheads rested against each other's. They heard their teacher whisper good, good.

Enjolras asked her if she was alright with this through his eyes, and she offered him a small, unsure smile. Their noses nudged the other's, and slowly their lips began closing in on the other.

Eponine felt her pulse beat harder, and she could feel his do the same. Naturally, her eyelids fluttered close. She could feel his small breaths hitting her mouth.

Their lips neared, and then the bell rang, causing them both to jump. Quickly, his lips brushed against the corner of hers, ending on her cheek instead. She could feel their warmth and softness against her cheek, spreading it all over her body. She felt herself smile unconsciously. She would not say it out loud, but she enjoyed it. Yes, it was not on the lips, but him being so sweet and kind to her, giving her a gentle kiss (be it forced or not) made her stomach twist and turn.

"Well!" Mrs. Caballero said. "That was unexpected, but that's our time, like it or not. I think that'll be good for now. I mean, you two know how to kiss right?"

Eponine was staring at him still, her mouth slightly open. Enjolras nodded for the both of them.

"Great! Good job, Miss Goodman and Mr. Enjolras," she complimented them. Turning around, she got off the stage, leaving them alone.

He smiled at her still astonished face.

"What?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "I just… I just didn't think you'd actually kiss me. It's not something you'd do. I mean, it's a little weird because we've known each other since middle school and stuff. You barely kissed your ex…"

"I didn't like her," he reminded her before turning around. "I'm grabbing a quick snack before class. Are you coming?"

Drawn by his newly exposed bravery and comfort, she followed him. She was left slightly confused at his last words. Did that mean that he liked her enough that he was willing to kiss her? Like she had been doing with everything else, she just left it on her plate. She would figure out what do later, but for now she just wanted to swing with it.

A/N: Hey! I'm extremely sorry I have not been able to update. My school has been shoving project after project in my face, so I wrote a pretty relatable chapter... :P

Thanks so much for all of the support, especially MiserableRentHead who has been encouraging me very much! :) I appreciate every single one of you readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, which was mostly filler except for the end.

Please review, follow, or favorite! Or do all three if you'd like!

~Franky