VIOLET EYES | LES MISÉRABLES

chapter five

Sonnet's breath caught in her throat the moment the boy turned to make eye contact with her. He was alerted by a particularly loud footstep. His eyes widened as he noticed her, a soft blush emerging upon his cheeks. Sonnet blushed herself, and bowed her head.

Sébastien seemed to not notice the exchange between the pair, which served to be a fortunate outcome. As they walked, Sonnet glanced over her shoulder to see the boy still staring at her. She mouthed a 'bonjour', to which he responded with a bashful smile.

"Ah, Sébastien." She grabbed the attention of the officer, who glanced down at her questioningly. Pausing to conjure up an excuse that would temporarily rid her of his company, she spotted a cart of bouquets near the gates of the garden. "Those flowers look extraordinary, don't you think?"

She pointed her finger in that general direction, and Sébastien nodded. "They are lovely. Would you like one?"

"Monsieur, I don't want to ask too much of you. Here, let me give you some money for them." Sonnet dug around in her skirt pocket, but Sébastien held a hand out.

"Non, I will pay. A beautiful lady such as yourself should be treated. Think of it as a belated birthday gift." Sébastien grabbed her soft hand  and smiled, placing a kiss upon her knuckles. "Don't go anywhere." Sonnet smiled with a feigned awestruck expression as Sébastien turned and strolled off towards the cart, and felt eyes burning into the back of her head. He was still there.

There was a silence for a second as Sonnet dared not to turn around, when a tap on her shoulder made her jump in surprise. She swivelled on her heel, her eyes widening when she saw the boy standing right behind her. A flash of pink caught her eye, and she glanced down to see a beautiful rose clutched in his hand. She looked back up his face, and smiled.

"Bonjour, Monsieur." Sonnet whispered, unable to stop her soft smile as she tucked a loose red curl behind her ear. The boy returned the smile, and Sonnet noted the blush that rose on his cheeks.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle." The boy spoke, bowing and placing his lips upon her hand, much as Sébastien had just done. But this time it was different. His touch on her skin made her breath hitch, although she tried to make the sound inaudible to this stranger. "I hope I am not intruding."

Sonnet shook her head quickly. "Non, not at all." She bit her lip and dared to lean in towards the boy. "If anything, I was hoping you would intrude. That is why I sent Sébastien away, after all."

The boy's eyes lit up, and Sonnet marvelled at the soft blue colour of his irises. They appeared as though they watched the world with the gentlest gaze, and they were watching her as though she were the rarest and most beautiful flower the gentle world had ever seen.

"Your eyes are lovely Monsieur." Sonnet blurted, her own eyes widening when she realised she had spoken her thoughts aloud. "Désolé."

"You cannot say that Mademoiselle, when yours are so magnificent. They are the most unusual colour." Unaware of their already close proximity, the pair moved closer towards the other. The boy was significantly taller than Sonnet, so she had to tilt her head upwards to meet his gaze.

"Unusual is never good, Monsieur." Sonnet remarked, casting her eyes downward in embarrassment. The boy chuckled softly, but before Sonnet could panic, he hooked a finger beneath her pointed chin. With a feather light touch, he tilted her head up so she looked at him once again.

"Unusual is beautiful. You are very beautiful, Mademoiselle." The boy reassured and, although still a stranger in her eyes, Sonnet felt like she could believe him. She blushed, until the boy tore his eyes away from her and stepped back abruptly. Sonnet raised an eyebrow in confusion and hurt as he started walking backwards, but heavy footsteps behind her made her turn away from him.

Sébastien was approaching the pair, an array of beautiful flowers clutched in his hand. He smiled politely at Sonnet, although his expression held hints of puzzlement. When he reached her, he brandished the flowers towards her. She marvelled at the beauty of the selection, but something told her Sébastien did not select them himself.

"They are most beautiful." Sonnet gasped, her eyes trailing the petals. "Thank you, Sébastien."

"Anything for you, dear Sonnet." Sébastien said, and he offered his arm to her. She linked her free arm through his and they continued to walk along the garden path.

"Who was that boy, Sonnet? Was he bothering you?" Sébastien suddenly asked. Sonnet shook her head, then realised that the interaction between the pair could not really be discussed.

"Ah, well, he was.." Sonnet pursed her lips to think of her second excuse in such a short period of time. ".. a painter. He wanted my opinion on the colour of the roses."

It was a weak answer, but Sébastien appeared to at least partially believe it.

The rest of the walk comprised of idle chit-chat, although Sébastien did the majority of the talking. Sonnet had a knack for prompting people to talk for tedious lengths of time - it was a skill she acquired whilst attending Javert's dull work events.

It wasn't that Sébastien was boring, not at all. Sonnet was just far too preoccupied with the mysterious boy she had acquainted herself with. She took every opportunity to glance back but alas, the boy was nowhere to be seen. Her heart sunk, especially when her eye caught on a discarded pink rose on the ground, trodden on by unknowing passer-bys.

In her mind, she believed that she was never to see the boy again. She had not even learned his name; that proved her theory that he was simply a figment of her imagination. A ghost, even.

She sighed quietly to herself, and decided to tune back in to Sébastien's enthralling tale of his first days as an officer. Nodding and humming her amusement, she managed to keep her mind off the mysterious boy. For the time being, at least.

What she didn't know was that the boy could not stop thinking about her. That boy, Jean Prouvaire, was convinced he had fallen in love with the girl with the violet eyes.