Forever and Always

Chapter 29: Tea Time

        Eponine clutched the letter in her hands. She felt angry. Of course all Marius cared about was his precious little Cosette. Despite all the things Eponine had done for him, all he thought about was Cosette, a girl he barely knew.

        Eponine wondered way Marius was so oblivious to her feelings. She had tried so hard to show him her love, and he continued to ignore her, to treat her like a sister. Maybe she should just get over him and choose to be with Enjolras. Was that possible, though? Her heart belonged to Marius. How could she change that?

        Eponine reached Rue Plumet. There was still a light on in Cosette's room, meaning she had not moved away yet. Eponine picked up a small, smooth stone and tossed it at Cosette's window pane. A moment later, Cosette came rushing out.

        "Marius? Oh, Eppy!" Cosette cried, staring in alarm at the boy's clothes she was wearing.

        "It's EP-O-NINE." 

        "Right, sorry," Cosette said. "What are you doing here? How is Marius?"

        "Marius is fine," said Eponine. "I have a letter here from him."

        Cosette's face brightened. "Thank you," she said, taking the letter. "Why don't you come sit in the garden? We can have some tea and chat."

        Eponine shook her head. "I have to get back to the barricade."

        "It will only be for a moment," Cosette assured her. "Please, I could use some company. And, really, after all the time you've spent with Marius and his friends, you could use some girl time."

        It was true. After Azelma died, Eponine had had no girl to talk to. She loved spending time with Les Amis, but she missed having someone like a sister to spend time with. "All right," Eponine relented. "But only for a moment."

        Cosette smiled. "Come in the garden. I'll be right back with tea."

        Eponine sat on a stone bench amid clusters of sweet smelling flowers. She felt rather awkward and out of place. A moment later, Cosette came back outside with a tray of tea. She gave a cup to Eponine. "Thanks," Eponine said, taking a sip. She had to admit, it was delicious.

        "So," Eponine said, awkwardly twiddling with the buttons on her coat. She had never been very good at small talk. "When are you moving?"

        "In a couple days," Cosette replied with a sigh. "I've tried to convince Papa to stay, but he won't listen. He's so strange, always looking over his shoulder as if he is afraid he is being followed."

        "Strange," Eponine repeated. The two girls sat in an awkward silence for a while.

        "Why don't you take your cap off?" Cosette finally said. "You don't have to pretend to be someone you're not with me."

        Eponine obeyed, lettiing her dark, wavy hair fall over her shoulders.

        "Your hair is so beautiful!" Cosette exclaimed.

        "My hair?" asked Eponine with a disbelieving snort of laughter. "Yours is much prettier."

        Cosette shook her head. "Gold hair with a gentle curl... It's so cliche! I've always wanted dark hair."

        Eponine laughed. "Well, I'd be happy to trade any time."

        "So what is it like at the barricade?" Cosette asked, sipping her tea daintily.

        "There hasn't been much fighting yet," Eponine said. "At the beginning, though, there was a lot of chaos and an elderly lady was shot by the National Guard."

        Cosette gasped. "Oh, that poor woman! What if Marius gets shot?"

        "Don't worry," Eponine said fiercely. "I won't let that happen."

        Cosette gave her a strange look. "Eponine?" she said hesitantly.

        "Yes?"

        "You... You're in love with him, aren't you?"

        "What makes you think that?" Eponine asked quickly.

        "I can tell by the look in your eyes when you talk about him. You love him." It was not a question. It was a statement.

        Eponine sighed. "You're right," she admitted reluctantly.

        ""Oh, Eppy-- I mean Eponine-- I am so sorry. It must kill you to see us together."

        "Cosette, I have loved that man for four years. If he is happy because of you, then I guess that's okay. If Marius is happy, then I cannot complain."

        "Four years," Cosette repeated. "I wish I had known him for that long. Sometimes I wonder why we love each other so much. I mean, I hardly even know him. What if we are not really in love? What if we are just two silly dreamers who still believe in love at first sight?"

        "The world needs dreamers," Eponine told her. "Without dreams, we would have nothing to live for, nothing to fight for. Without dreamers like you, the world would have no hope."

        Cosette smiled. "You know, you are pretty wise."

        Eponine laughed. "I wish," she said, setting down her teacup. "I ought to get back to the barricade. I cannot leave Marius alone for too long. Who knows what kind of trouble he could get himself into?"

        "Good-bye, Eppy-- Eponine. I only wish..."

        "You only wish what?"

        "I wish we could spend more time together. You are the closest thing I've ever had to a sister. I think we could have been great friends."

        Eponine smiled at her. "Who says we can't be? Tell you what. I'll let you call me 'Eppy' if you let me call you 'Lark.'"

        Cosette grinned. "It's a deal. Hey, Eppy?"

        "Yes, Lark?"

        "Take care of yourself."

        "You too," Eponine replied fondly.

        And the two girls whose hearts both belonged to the same boy departed as unlikely friends.

        (Author's Note: Hey everyone, thanks for reading. Has anyone else been having trouble with Wattpad lately? It has erased all my notifications and messages, and at times it won't let me edit my stories. :-( Anyways, are there any 13 the Musical fans out there? If so, I have started a 13 the Musical fanfic called One of Them. I'd appreciate it if you checked it out! And if you haven't heard of 13, I highly recommend you watch it on YouTube because it is very funny! By the way, did anyone catch the Wicked reference in this chapter?)