When Tomorrow Comes

Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Enjolras climbed up the stairs of Café Musain in a flash.

"I'm here," he announced. "Let's do this."

"Where's Eponine?" Joly asked.

"How should I know?"

"Well since you were out with her," Feuilly pointed out.

"Yeah, because Azelma is looking for her," Joly added.

"Tell her it'll have to wait until tomorrow."

Enjolras went to the table in the middle of the room and started to look at the map.

"Something's up?" Marius asked.

"I'm fine," he answered.

"Wow, you're even starting to sound like her..." Prouvaire replied.

Enjolras slammed his fist on the table and looked up.

"Look," he said. "If you guys aren't concentrated, we might as well pull the plug on this revolution."

"Enjolras, we're all in..." Bahorel started.

"Really? Are you? Because you seem more preoccupied by my life than this."

"He's in a mood..." Courfeyrac whispered to Combeferre.

"What's this I hear?" Enjolras asked, spinning around to face them.

"Oh, nothing," Courfeyrac stuttered. "We were just..."

"If it's not about the revolution, I don't want to hear it!"

"But Enjolras..." Joly started.

Enjolras sighed.

"Look, why don't you all go home?"

"Are you serious?" Marius asked.

"We'll meet here at dawn, when you're all ready to concentrate on this serious matter."

Marius nodded towards Courfeyrac, who immediately understood.

"Come on, guys," Courfeyrac told the others. "Let's get a good night's sleep."

They all left, except for Marius. Enjolras sat down, head in his hands.

"What's happening to me?" he asked himself.

"What went down between you and Eponine?"

"I don't know... I was trying to protect her and now she's all mad. Or sad. In fact, I don't know what she is."

"You must have said something..."

"I just said I didn't want her near us tomorrow, that's all."

"Oh Enjolras..."

Marius sighed.

"What did I do wrong now?" Enjolras asked.

"Eponine's had a tough life. She rarely trusts someone."

"Yeah, so? She trusts me..."

"And yet you want her as far from you as possible..."

"Just tomorrow."

"Don't you get it, Enjolras? She opened up to you. She rarely does that. And then the minute after you tell her to stay away?"

"It's for her own safety! I don't want anything happening to her. Can't she see that?"

"A woman's mind is a complex thing," Marius told him. "Did she tell you what you meant to her?"

"She kissed me..." Enjolras let out. "I think she loves me."

"Oh no..."

"What? That's bad?"

"Poor her, you suck at love," Marius said with a grin.

"Hey!" Enjolras replied, punching him on the shoulder. "Like your love life's going better..."

"Just make her know how much she means to you."

"I told her that I loved her..."

"That's not enough. You need to show her. Prove to her that you'd do anything for her."

"I'd take a bullet for her..." Enjolras said under his breath.

"Now that, I hope, will never happen. Go find her tomorrow, I'll settle things here with the guys."

Marius suddenly looked at the moon in the sky.

"Oh damn!" he exclaimed. "I was supposed to meet Cosette tonight on rue Plumet!"

"You better go, then."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Don't be late."

"Don't worry," Marius told him. "Things will eventually work out between you two."

He ran down the stairs and stopped at the bottom.

"Remember," he shouted back to Enjolras. "Tomorrow, not tonight!"

"Why's that?"

"'Cause you're really stupid and grumpy and say stupid things when you're tired. Go to sleep and all will fall into place."

But before Enjolras had time to reply, Marius was out the door.

"Me? Grumpy?" Enjolras muttered. "No way."

And then he remembered the way he had reacted earlier.

"Ok fine," he said. "Maybe just a little..."

He looked outside to the streets of Paris and sighed.

"I'll make this up to you, Mademoiselle. I promise."