The Barricade Girl (A Les Miserables FanFiction)

Chapter Nineteen

"Oh Marius..." I mutter. Enjolras shifts his gaze from Marius to me, trying to search my face for the reason that Marius is so distracted.

"I am agog!" Grantaire exclaims. "I am aghast!" He stumbles toward Marius again. "Is Marius in love at last?" He ruffles Marius' hair, causing Marius to try and swat him away with his hands, rushing to fix his hair. "I've never heard him 'ooh' and 'aah'!"

"Me neither..." I mumble as I fold my arms across my chest. Grantaire turns to look at Enjolras, pointing his bottle in his direction.

"You talk of battles to be won!" Grantaire smirks before point at Marius. "And here he comes like Don Juan!"

"Don Juan?! Marius?!" I snort. "Don't make me laugh!"

"It is better than an opera!" Grantaire carries on, ignoring me. The rest of the room erupts into laughter at Grantaire. "Thank you! Thank you!" Grantaire takes a couple of bows, lapping up the attention. The corners of my own mouth wobble a little, almost slipping in to a smile at the scene before me, but then my gaze falls on Enjolras, and my smile disappears. Enjolras stands there with a face like stone, refusing to crack at smile at the jollity.

"It is time for us all to decide who we are..." Enjolras speaks, forcing the room to fall silent. "Do we fight for the right to a night at the opera now?" He looks around the room – no-one says a word. He rests his hands on the table, leaning on it for support, the muscles in his arms tensing. "Have you asked of yourselves – what's the price you might pay? Is this simply a game for rich young boys to play?"

"And girls!" Grantaire interrupts, nodding at me.

"The colours of the world are changing day by day!" Enjolras carries on undeterred, not missing a beat. He slams a hand on the table before standing up to his full height, speaking passionately. "Red – the blood of angry men! Black – the dark of ages past! Red – a world about the dawn! Black – the night that ends at last!"

"Wow..." I gasp under my breath, not able to hold it in. I had only meant to think it, not actually say it. My cheeks start to flush with embarrassment, but before anyone can notice, Marius starts to speak again.

"Had you seen her today, you might know how it feels...to be struck to the bone in a moment of...breathless delight!" Marius sounds completely love-struck as he looks around the room, expressing his feelings. As he speaks, I can feel Enjolras' gaze on me. I see him out of the corner of my eye, meeting his gaze for a second before looking away almost as quickly, hoping he didn't see me looking.

"Enjolras and Juliette..." Grantaire splutters obviously as he coughs to try and mask what he's saying. Marius keeps speaking.

"Had you been there today, you might also have known, how your world may be changed in just one burst of light..." As Marius talks, Enjolras is still subtly looking at me, and I look over at him again. Only this time, it is him that looks away. "And what was right seems wrong, and what was wrong seems right!"

"Red!" Grantaire exclaims holding his bottle in the air.

"I feel my soul on fire!" Marius stands up to join him.

"Black!" Grantaire carries on, encouraging Marius, much to the annoyance of Enjolras.

"My world if she's not there!" Marius adds.

"Red!" Some of the other boys join in, shouting excitedly.

"The colour of desire!" Marius beams.