beauty and a barricade || enjonine

7: paper birds

why had she been smiling at him?

enjolras had returned to the musain, sorting through a stack of fliers, lost in thoughts that were ranging from number of supporters he may have at the next rally to how many more fliers he might need to éponine.

about a half hour earlier, he had entered the cafe and found himself trapped in a mutual stare with éponine.

and she had been smiling at him! why had she been smiling?

he had certainly noticed the paper sitting in front of her. could it have been his letter? was it possible that he had stated something that had made her smile? that was certainly not his intention.

enjolras glanced up at the table that éponine had been sitting at before. the chair was now empty. marius had left, as had everyone else, and she simply followed him. only combeferre remained in the lonely cafe. he was sitting at an empty table, taking notes from today's previous meeting on a scratch piece of paper.

"combeferre?" enjolras asked, trying to sound casual.

combeferre didn't look up from his notes. "hm?"

enjolras momentarily dissected how to phrase his question. "if i— or if someone..." he sighed. "when a person should happen to..."

combeferre looked at his friend over his glasses inquisitively. "are you all right?"

enjolras looked down at his fliers, flipping through them much swiftly than before. "of course."

"then what is it that you are trying to ask me?"

enjolras paused and leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "if you were to make eye contact with someone whom you did not really know and they smiled at you when you looked at them, what you say that signifies?"

"well..." he blinked.

"you know what?" enjolras tucked his fliers underneath his arm to prevent combeferre from answering his question. i actually do not care. i have much more important things to do than fret over the smile of some girl."

a corner of combeferre's lip turned upwards. "a girl smiled at you?"

enjolras quickly returned to sorting. "what?"

"you said 'the smile of some girl.' was it éponine? did she smile at you?"

"no, just forget i said anything." enjolras' cheeks were beginning to flush.

combeferre clearly noticed, but acted as though he hadn't. "as you wish."

the next day, enjolras was greeted by a piece of uniquely folded paper underneath his door. he found it rather peculiar how feverish he grew when he saw the paper, and the possibility of the new information the letter withheld.

when he sat down and opened the letter, a piece of paper fell onto his lap. it was in the shape of a bird— how strange! he figured that it must have something to do with the letter. enjolras started to read.

Enjolras,

What a strange thing to say, afraid of women!

I am fascinated by your comment on the difference of speaking and writing as conversation— I must say that I agree. I find it much simpler to write to someone rather than speak with them. I am much better at it. But I also believe that you could include this as a conversation— tell that to your friend Grantaire.