Once Upon a Dream (A Marisette Fanfiction)

Chapter 3

After several more drunken slurs being uttered into his ear through the phone, Marius hangs up. He starts for home without realizing it. He did not pay much attention to the conversation, and the only thing he can remember is that it was Grantaire speaking. The only thing on his mind is that girl. Who was she? Would he ever see her again? If he saw her again what would he say? His mind is reeling. He can only see her bright smile, and warm eyes. He can only feel the softness of her fingers as they brushed against his hand to return his camera. He can only hear the melodic sound of her voice as all the words fell from her lips. In the state that he is in, it is a surprise that he does not get hit by an oncoming bus. 

Similarly to Cosette, Marius has not struck any acclaim in the big city either. He came into a month after his grandfather’s passing. Having gathered some inheritance, he was able to put himself through college as a photography major, and afford to pay rent on his own. Unfortunately, living in New York is expensive, and Marius soon found his money dwindling. On the verge of eviction, he came across Enjolras. He recognized him from school, but the two had never really spoken due to having different majors. After ranting for a solid half hour about how the government was at fault for his lack of money, and trying to persuade Marius to join his cause, the young man had offered Marius a place to stay, free of charge until he could find a job. The two have been living together ever since.

Since then, Marius has been able to get a job at a local photography business, which sounds as though it would be a perfect match for the shutterbug. However, it seems as though most of his job pertains to assisting the other photographers, and child wrangling the crying two year olds who are forced to get their photos taken. Though the job pays well, he knows that his dream is not to take photos of other people’s lives. His dream is to snapshot his own. His photographs center around places he’s seen, and interesting things he has noticed. He wants to share his eyes with the world surrounding him. He wishes to go out, and live, and bring everyone who sees his pictures along for the ride. The eyes are the entrance way to the soul in his mind, so what better way to share that then through pictures?

He finally makes his way home, successfully avoiding traffic while lost in his thoughts. Once inside, he feels arms clasp around his shoulder, and the familiar scent of alcohol and coffee mixed together. He turns around to see Grantaire, who unsurprisingly, is drunk at two in the afternoon. Grantaire loosens his grip slightly, and slurs out, “Hello my good friend.” He does not waste any time getting down to business, “Boy, do I have the proposition for you.”

“Oh no,” Marius groans. Last time he heard these words from the drunkard’s mouth, he ended up in the ER with his wallet stolen, and a broken nose. “If it’s another invitation to go to some bar on the Lower East Side, you can count me out.”

“Come on, that was one time.” Marius’s face still reads that he is no way interested in one of his dangerous escapades. “Anyway, that’s not what this is about. It’s something else.”

“Alright, what is it?”

“Well, I’ve told you about my roommate, Cosette, right?”

Marius nods. Grantaire has mentioned his roommate on several occasions, but all Marius really knows about the girl is that Grantaire is her roommate. He has never met her, and it’s hard to talk about someone when the only two people with knowledge of them are too focused on each other. 

“Well, I kind of have to make up for the fact that I am kind of leaving her dry.”

“And this has to do with me, how?” He understands that the situation is probably difficult on her, but he does not understand how the girl’s plight affects him. He feels bad, of course, but he has to worry about what he is going to do with himself after Grantaire moves in. The apartment isn’t big enough to house three. Maybe he is asking Marius to move in with her? He wouldn’t be opposed to the idea, but it would be fairly awkward to move in with someone he does not even know. 

“Well, I want to try and take her mind off the fact that she might have to leave… So I was wondering if you could possibly take her out on a date? Show her a good time, and take her mind off everything?”

Marius doesn’t answer for a while. Under normal circumstances, Marius would be more than willing to take the girl out. Of course, each time he had been set up with someone before it typically ended with an awkward handshake between the two. But now, he feels as though he cannot. His mind is still plagued with the sight of the girl he met in the park. Even without knowing her name, he already feels a deep connection to her. A connection that he does not wish to give up. He shrugs slightly, “I-I don’t know… Are you sure you want me to do it?”

“Who else?” Grantaire chuckles, “You are the only one of us who is single.” 

Enjolras walks into the room from the bathroom as Grantaire says this. The blonde admonishes his boyfriend, “R, be nice.” He sits down next to Grantaire, and turns his attention towards his roommate, “It would just be one night Marius. Besides, I think you will really like her. She’s very nice, and you two actually have a lot in common.”

“And she’s super hot,” Grantaire adds, earning him a smack on the arm from Enjolras, “Hey, I chose you, didn’t I?”

Enjolras rolls his eyes, “What do you say Marius?”

Well, it would only be one night. Marius thought to himself. If he and Cosette had a bad time, that would be the end of it, and he could continue his search for the girl in the park. What could be the harm in that? Marius looks between the both of them, and sighs.

“Set it up.”