Dawn Over the Seine

Chapter 2

Once Eponine reached the Eiffel Tower, she made a sharp left and quickly walked down the sidewalks heading for the Café Musain. Eponine grew closer to the Café until she could see the front of the building. She suddenly stopped and ran her fingers through her hair. She pulled out her phone and checked her reflection. Eponine let out a small sigh. "It won't get any better than this," she whispered to herself. Pulling her trench coat closer to herself, Eponine made her way into the Café.

With her first step in the building, Eponine's hand was grabbed and she was led to a table on the far right side of the Café. The person let go of her and sat down. Eponine laughed and sat down as well. "Good morning Marius."

Marius beamed at Eponine. "Morning 'Ponine. How are you?"

"I'm actually great. I watched the sunset this morning and-"

"Oh! That reminds me," Marius said, cutting Eponine off. Eponine didn't care though. She loved listening to Marius talking. His voice had an effect on her which made her calm and put her mind to ease. "I was walking down the street last night heading home when all of a sudden I..." he trailed off.

"Keep going! I want to hear what happened!" Eponine urged him on until Marius let out a defeated sigh.

"Okay, okay. But promise you won't tell anyone. If Enjolras found out, he would kill me." Eponine raised an eyebrow. "Alright he wouldn't kill me but I would get some kind of lecture from him that would make me wanna be dead."

"Oh wow. This must be a very serious thing. I promise not to tell anyone."

Marius gave Eponine his usual goofy grin which always made her heart skip a beat. "Thanks 'Ponine. Okay. So I was walking, totally distracted in my thoughts, when I ran into this girl. She dropped her bags and a few things came out of them. She got so flustered and bent down to gather everything. I bent down to help her at the same time and we were both saying how sorry we were and we looked at each other and... Oh Eponine, she was the most beautiful person I have ever seen." Marius' eyes looked distant as he recalled this encounter. Eponine's eyes however were filling with tears. "'Ponine I fell in love with her right in that moment. We both got up and stared at each other for a few seconds, but it seemed like forever. Then as quickly as it all started, she ran off. I started to go after her but she was out of my sight already."

Marius smiled to himself, recalling the girl's flowing wavy blonde hair flying out behind her as she ran away. Eponine however was trying to hold back the tears that had built up. They sat there in silence until Eponine finally spoke up. "I-I'm so happy for you, Marius. That's wonderful. Really great. I'm sure she's your...your s-soul mate."

Marius' focus was back on Eponine after that. "Thank you, Eponine." With that, Marius pulled Eponine into a tight hug. Eponine cherished the small gesture and hugged Marius back. The brunette closed her eyes tightly, fighting back a cry. The seconds ticked away, and Marius finally pulled away from the girl. "Hey 'Ponine, are you alright?"

Eponine nodded and put on a fake smile. "I'm great. I really am." Marius gave Eponine another one of his grins.

"You're the best friend I've ever had, Ep. I love you. You know that right?" At the words 'I love you' Eponine almost burst into tears. She knew that Marius meant in a friendly way, but the three words pierced her heart. Her throat closed up so she could only nod. Marius put his hand on Eponine's shoulder and squeezed it gently. Eponine quickly looked up at the man she cared for. Suddenly, all of the girl's threatening tears vanished as she looked into Marius' eyes. Marius leaned in slowly and for a quick fleeting moment, Eponine though that he was going to kiss her lips, but instead he kissed her cheek.

"I should be getting home. I have a few things to get done for Combeferre and Joly. And Enjolras. Oh yeah I'm really busy." Marius hopped out of his chair and headed towards the door. "I'll see you around 'Ponine!" With a final nod to Eponine, Marius walked out of the Café. Eponine stood up and watched him go.

"Goodbye Marius Pontmercy." Eponine looked down at her feet. "I-I..." Eponine kicked a chair over. What was the point of saying that she loved him if he wouldn't even hear? He didn't even love her. She was just a friend. He had made sure of her knowing that. He didn't mean to hurt her though. Marius would never want to hurt her. She knew that for a fact.

Eponine looked around the Café one last time then walked out of the door. She quickly headed to the marketplace where she knew that people would be waiting for her. She needed to clear her head. To have a rush so she could get her mind off Marius, which was quite difficult. But she would try. No matter what the cost was.