There Was a Time

Chapter Eleven: The Dream Ends

A couple weeks had passed since Fantine had spent that wonderful, life-changing night with Felix. She was afraid to tell any of her friends what had happened that night, fearing that they would judge her for it. She kept it a secret, and it weighed on her heart more and more each day. She had a sense of foreboding whenever her thoughts wandered to the memories of that night.

She and Felix were still happily in love, although they did make an agreement not to sleep with each other again, for fear that someone would find out. Fantine went to Blanchevelle's house every day for reading lessons with Felix, and she soon became quite proficient in reading. She looked forward to her lessons with Felix, and he became the highlight of her life. Felix became much more relaxed around her and was not as obsessed with work as he had been before. He even began to plan a permanent move from Toulouse to Paris, in order to stay with her. Fantine felt happy and at peace. This was truly the fairy tale ending she had been dreaming about all her life. One day, however, Fantine went to Blanchevelle's house to meet Felix, and the dream ended as abruptly as it had begun.

Fantine knocked on the door to the house. "Felix?" she called. "Are you there? It's me, Fantine."

The door opened, but it was not Felix standing there. It was Blanchevelle.

"Oh, hello Monsieur," she said. She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. Something about that man unsettled her greatly. "I'm here to see Felix."

"Felix isn't home yet," Blanchevelle said, smoothing back his greasy black hair. "But you are welcome to come in and wait for him."

"That's all right, Monsieur, I'll just come back later," Fantine said quickly.

"Nonsense, come inside!" he insisted, practically pulling her into the house. "Have a seat on the sofa. I'll make you tea while you wait for your beau." He gave her a wink.

"I don't want to be too much trouble," Fantine said modestly. "I don't need any tea."

"Very well," said Blanchevelle. He sat on the couch, just a little bit too close to her. "Perhaps we can get more acquainted while we wait," he suggested. "After all, I'm dating your best friend, and you're dating mine. We should get to know each other better."

The prospect of getting to know this greasy little man was not exactly appealing to Fantine, but she didn't want to be rude, so she politely agreed. "What do you wish to know about me?" she asked.

Blanchevelle scooted in about half a centimeter closer to her. "Everything," he said softly, turning his head to look into her eyes. He reached out and gently touched her golden curls. Fantine felt her body stiffen at his touch.

"Well, um, I enjoy sewing," she said, stuttering a little. Blanchevelle gave her a small smile.

"How interesting," he said. "Do you know what I enjoy?"

"What?" Fantine asked, her throat dry.

"Spending my time with beautiful young women," he replied.

Fantine cleared her throat and scooted away from him. "Well then, it's a good thing you're dating a beautiful young woman like Favourite," she said pointedly.

"It's a good thing Favourite has such lovely friends," said Blanchevelle, moving in even closer to her.

"What are you trying to say?" Fantine asked, feeling very uncomfortable.

Blanchevelle smiled at her. Something about that smile scared her. "I know many things, Fantine," he said simply.

"What do you mean?"

"I know things about you, for example," he continued. "Things that perhaps you would rather me not know."

"Like what?" she asked, her throat dry.

"For instance," Blanchevelle said with a grin. "A couple weeks ago, I came home from a date with Favourite and opened the door. And do you know what I saw when I walked into my own home?"

Fantine could hear her own heart pounding in her chest. "What?" she asked.

"I saw my best friend making love on the couch with a beautiful young girl," he said. Fantine's heart seemed to stop. "And if the world finds out that this young girl did not preserve her purity, do you know what the world will do to her?"

"What?" Fantine asked, fear filling her voice.

"The world will extinguish her. It will shun her and make sure she never forgets the mistake she made in her past. It will ruin her. All her hopes, all her dreams, will die because she slept with a man outside of marriage."

Fantine could feel her hands shaking. "Please don't tell anyone," she begged, tears in her eyes. "Felix and I were both acting foolishly that night. Please don't tell."

"I don't intend to," said Blanchevelle. "However, I might need a little incentive in order to remind me to keep my mouth shut."

"What do you want from me?" she asked. "What will it take for you to keep my secret?"

"Not much," Blanchevelle said with a grin that terrified Fantine. "Just a small token to demonstrate your gratitude for my generosity."

"What kind of token?" Fantine asked.

"Embrace me, Fantine," Blanchevelle demanded.

"What?" Fantine asked, standing up quickly. "No!"

"Then everyone in Paris will find out that you are a harlot and your life will be ruined," Blanchevelle threatened. Fantine was silent. Blanchevelle stood up so that he was face to face with her. "Touch me," he said. Then he pressed his thin, wet lips against hers. Fantine was frozen with fear. She was afraid to fight back due to the fact that he was blackmailing her, but she knew that if she complied with his demands that she would be betraying both Felix and Favourite. She didn't know what to do. Blanchevelle put his hands around her waist and pulled her on top of him. They fell onto the sofa. Blanchevelle continued to kiss a reluctant Fantine. His hands wandered up and down her body. She shivered. She didn't want to do this. She would rather die right now than do this. She tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let go of her. Suddenly, she heard the front door open and shut and the sound of footsteps walking into the room.

"What's going on here?" a voice said.

Both Fantine and Blanchevelle looked up. "Felix," Fantine said, pushing away from Blanchevelle. She had never been happier to see him. "Thank God you're here, I-"

"What were you doing with Blanchevelle?" Felix interrupted, a look of hurt in his eyes. Fantine looked at him in surprise. Did he actually think she had been cheating on him? Now that she thought about it, from Felix's point of view, it must have looked like she had been willingly kissing Blanchevelle. "No, I wasn't doing anything!" she protested. "I didn't-"

Blanchevelle interrupted her by giving her an icy glare. Fantine knew exactly what that glare meant. If she told Felix that he had been trying to rape her, Blanchevelle would make her secret known to the world.

"Well?" Felix asked, pain filling his voice. "What were you doing?"

"I was... I was...um..." Fantine stuttered, unsure of how to answer. "We were just..."

Felix shook his head and held up his hand to ask her to stop talking. "I saw it with my own eyes," he said wearily. "I don't need an explanation."

"But Felix-"

"Get out, you whore!" Felix yelled, his eyes filled with hurt and anger. "You had me fooled for a second, Fantine. You made me think I was special! You made me think our love was worth dying for. Now I know I'm just another man you seduced. How many others have you slept with?"

"Felix, please," Fantine said, crying.

"Get out of here," Felix said bitterly. "You're not worth my time anyways."

"Felix..."

"Out! And you better pray I don't tell Favourite about this. How dare you sleep with your best friend's lover, you harlot!"

His words were like white hot knives piercing her heart. "Fine," she snapped. "I'll go."

With that, she ran out of the house crying.