That evening, Aurélia found a small room for herself and rented it for the next two weeks. She would have booked it for longer but she only had a few francs left and needed money for food. It was comfortable enough; a roof over her head and a bed to sleep in. She curled up on the small bed, trying to figure out where to go from there. She had no job and hardly had enough money for the next few days.
Life wasn't always this difficult. There was once a time she didn't wonder where her next meal would come from or where she would sleep that night. It would be alright if it was just her struggling, but her sister was forced into this life as well. She was still just a child. She shouldn't have to know what starvation felt like.
Aurélia spent the rest of the evening tossing and turning. If she was able to slip into unconsciousness, she would wake a few moments later with the vision of her sister dying of starvation printed on the inside of her eyelids. When the sun crept into the room through the small window, she decided she wasn't going to sleep and got up to get ready for her job search. The chill spring air nipped at her skin through her thin jacket as she stepped onto the alleyway that led to the marketplace. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, she hurried her pace towards the market.
She stopped into every shop and yet not a single one of them had an opening for her. Some people dismissed her, but others seemed to actually feel badly for the poor girl. Everyone was looking for jobs and because she didn't have any work experience outside of the cabaret, it was even more difficult for her. Before she could return to her small room with her head hung low, the sound of a crowd gathering echoed from down the street. She furrowed her eyebrows but found herself walking in its direction. Once she entered the plaza, her blue eyes met his once again. They kept finding themselves like this. Staring into one another's eyes as if it meant everything in the world and nothing at all. He was in the middle of speaking but was at a sudden loss for words seeing her again. She corrupted his once-collected mind to wreak havoc when she was near and part of him loved it. Loved the way it felt to have those blue eyes stare into his.
Both of them were pulled from their thoughts by the sound of galloping against cobblestone. The gendarmes were coming and they both stood at a revolutionary rally. He had to run. He was the one leading the rally and the one the gendarmes wanted. So it didn't make sense when he didn't disappear into a cloud of smoke to avoid arrest. Instead, he ran towards her despite the protests of his friends. Something about facing him again didn't sit right with her. She didn't want to know him. She wanted him to be the rude man who demanded to speak with her. Not the man whose blue eyes couldn't leave her mind. After hesitating for a moment while he wove through the crowd, she turned and began to run in the opposite direction. She wanted him to remain a mystery and nothing more. People always had a funny way of disappointing her and she didn't want to get close enough to him to feel the sting. He might have been fighting for a better France but how could he do that when he clearly has never known poverty a day in his life? Him and his revolution were a beautiful dream she couldn't afford to get lost in.
He might have been faster than her, but she grew up on the streets of Paris. She grew up running and hiding in those very alleyways. And so, she was easily able to sneak away from him each and every time. This became their routine. Her looking for a job then ending up at the rally and him running after her every time. She couldn't figure out why he kept chasing her and he couldn't figure out why she kept fleeing. They continued their little game for almost a week.
As she was watching him one day, she hesitated an extra second before she was able to come to her senses and try to disappear. She was in a strange sort of trance she was only able to partially shake as she wove through the busy Parisian streets. She was so thankful to be in an abandoned alleyway, that she didn't look too closely at the ground beneath her feet. Her foot fell into where a missing brick once was, but her body continued forward. She knew even before she fell that it was going to hurt. She crumpled to the cobblestone, clutching her ankle. It didn't look broken, but the swelling began almost instantaneously. She was so distracted by it, at first she didn't notice the blue eyes locked on her.
"You keep running."
"And you keep chasing." She stretched her legs out in front of her and brushed the traces of dirt from her dress as if she were simply bored. "Well, I hate to put an end to our little game but it appears I'm in no state to play today."
"You're hurt."
"I am entirely fine, Monsieur." He extended a hand to her but she ignored it, attempting to pull herself to her feet with help from the brick wall beside her. She stumbled as she tried to put weight on her injured ankle but he grabbed onto her forearm, stabilizing her before she could fall. She ignored the electricity that shot up her arm. "Are you going to tell me why you keep chasing after me?" He seemed to snap out of the daze he was in with a shake of his head.
"You need to forget everything I told you about my club-"
"Your revolution you mean."
"Yes. Please forget about it."
"Alright, I will. If that's all, I'll be off." She turned away from him and tried to limp away, but had to catch herself on the brick wall of the alley before she could fall.
"Let me help you. You're clearly injured and unable to walk."
"I don't like being in people's debt."
"You won't be in my debt. It's my fault you're injured, it's the least I can do. I have a friend who is a medical student. Please let him at the very least look at it." She wanted to argue yet she knew how she wouldn't be able to afford to have someone look at it otherwise. She let out a deep sigh.
"Fine. I would appreciate that." Aurelia began to stumble, using the wall to keep her balance.
"Would you let me carry you there? You clearly aren't in any state to walk." He asked, reaching out to her.
"I am entirely fine on my own."
"How stubborn can one person be? You're clearly injured, let me help you."
"You're right, you clearly know nothing about stubbornness." She mumbled but didn't swat his hand away when he wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to put her arm across his shoulder. He knew she wouldn't let him carry her, but at least this way he could help support her weight. When they arrived at the café, he helped her up the stairs and opened the door, not thinking anything about the entire situation besides getting the girl help.
"Joly, I have a patient for you; a twisted ankle." The room that was previously full of loud chatter and laughter fell into a sudden silence. All eyes were on the two late arrivals, but Enjolras ignored his friends and brought the redhead over to a table and helped her sit on top of it.
"Not that I'm complaining but may I ask why you've brought a prostitute to our meeting?"
YOU ARE READING
Smoke Screens
Fanfiction"How am I supposed to die at the barricades when I see my future in your eyes?" Love had never been in the cards for Enjolras. He could never take his eyes away from his beloved Patria for long enough to notice women around him. At least, that was...
