A Lovely Night

It was a wonderful and productive Wednesday night. As usual, the meetings on Wednesdays ended earlier than usual due to the fact that some of the revolutionaries had 7 AM classes the day after. And by some of the revolutionaries, that mostly included their leader. Although his country comes first before everything, he needed to be well educated before he can even begin to save the people of France.

Everyone had left leaving you and Enjolras. He was still getting his papers together while you were already cleaning up the empty chairs and empty tables.

Grantaire had left only a few minutes prior. Of course, you forced him to go before he had too much to drink because like hell are you going to take care of his drunken ass while you clean up.

"Hey, can you pass me that last cup over there?" you ask. He took the glass and passed it over to you, his eyes still scanning his pieces of paper before stuffing them into his bag.

You smiled. "You know," you start, keeping your eyes on the table you're wiping. "Sometimes I forget how much of a gentleman you really are.

Most of the people that're left here when I clean up don't even have the courtesy or respect to avoid spilling their drinks on the floor. Of course, most of them are drunk but still. I won't lie, sometimes I find you annoying because you seem to put all these revolution plans above everything, but it's tiny moments like these that--" You looked up from your table and realized he'd left. You felt insulted. You were complimenting him, he could have at least stayed to hear it all!

You opened the door and looked down the street, seeing him walking. "Hey!" you yell. He turns around, a look of slight annoyance on his face.

"You were rambling," was all he managed to say as if it were a good enough excuse for his rudeness.

"Can't you be a gentleman for once and--!" You stopped, your face melting into a half-smile that read 'I should've seen that coming.' This was so typical of him. You were also a bit ashamed with yourself. He does one nice thing but that doesn't mean he's a gentleman. He'd probably be the type to pull a chair out for a girl and forget to push it back in for her. You groaned. What were you expecting from Mister 'my country is my mistress?' "Never mind."

Annoyed and curious all the same, he stopped and turned around to prove your unfinished statement wrong. "Finish up quickly. You're lucky your apartment is in the same direction." He'd be lying if he meant that the direction of your apartment was the only reason he was offering to walk you at all.

You rolled your eyes and threw your apron on the rack before locking up the doors and running to catch up to him.

As you two walked, there was an awkward silence. Although you were glad he was walking you, it didn't stop you from being petty and salty as fuck.

Enjolras looked at the sky. It was filled with different shades of blue and purple. Like you two had just missed a sunset but were just in time to see its beauty fade away slowly.

"The sky seems quite exquisite today, doesn't it?" He asked, staring at the canvas above him.

In your mind, you saw two options: (1) You could agree with him and start a healthy conversation or (2) continue being petty as fuck and say nothing. Obviously, you chose the latter.

He chuckled. "What's so funny?" you ask, a bit annoyed and self-cautious.

"Nothing, really. It's just that this sunset reminds me of the sunsets you only ever get to read about. The types that don't even seem real."

You stared at him skeptically, waiting for him to explain. "You know the ones. Where you miss the sun almost completely, except for that small glimpse you catch just before it disappears entirely. Then it becomes dark enough to see the silhouettes of the buildings in the far distance, but not dark enough for the street lights to turn on. Or maybe even the small yet distinct line of silver that stretches all the way to the sea." His eyes were glued to the colors in the sky as it slowly yet gracefully faded from golden yellow, to raging red, to a softer and calmer purple before finally settling on the cool and breezy dark blue it was.

You had to admit that he was rightーthe view was amazing. "I don't see your point."

"It's almost as if the sky had been tailor made just for two people to stumble upon ー much like you and I had. Of  course, if that were the case, then it'd just be a shame."

You raised a brow. "And why is that?" you asked, stretching the first word a little slowly.

"Because," he started. "Indisputably, had any other pair stumbled across this same very sky we stand under, they would have loved it. Romanced under it, maybe even." He sighed. "Yet, out of the thousands of people and the millions of combinations that exist, regrettably the universe chose us."

"And what exactly is wrong with 'us?'"

He turned to look at  you, an amused half-smile on his face. "Because we, (Your Name), have no shot at anything together. None at all."

You stopped, scoffing with a half amused and half insulted smirk. "Really now?"

"Oh don't be so surprised, you're not even my type." He said, keeping his eyes on the road he was walking. "There's no spark and that's that."

You roll your eyes for the umpteenth time tonight. "Well, then I guess it is a waste. The beautiful sky, I mean." You two continued walking in a somewhat comfortable silence but the same uncomfortable feeling kept echoing in the recesses of your mind—He ended that conversation. Who does he think he is? It's not like you want to be his type anyway.

After the silence, you couldn't help it. Maybe you didn't want to leave something unsaid, maybe you were just petty, but next thing you knew you were saying, "Well, just to, you know, clear things up, it's not like I would have wanted to be your type anyway."

He seemed to have been a bit offended by your statement based on his facial expression. "What? I'm just saying. You're going on and on about how nothing can happen between us anyway, I just want to make it clear that I wouldn't like someone like you either."

He stopped to scoff and look at you like you were a rare gorilla in a zoo— amused yet unamused at the same time. You realized how that sounded. "I mean, I'm not saying you're not attractive— you do look quite dashing in your little golden xylophone getup,"

"It's a coat," he corrected.

"I'm just saying that I wouldn't be interested in someone as... passionate? As you?" You said, as if asking if passionate was the right word and hoping he wouldn't get too offended (Of course, a pettier side of you still hoped he would to some degree.)

"But yeah, you're right, we'd never work anyway. I'd never fall for you at all." You grin mischievously as you walk away.

"Maybe your whole blond-with-blue-eyes look can charm most of the other girls--particularly other girls who don't work at bars--but not me. In fact, I'm frankly feeling nothing," He smiled and caught up to you.

"Is that so?" he asked, a bit insulted yet even more intrigued with the conversation.

"Actually, now that you point it out," you said, putting on a fake look of contemplation. "It might be less than nothing." You joke.

He chuckled a little. "Well, I'm glad you agree. What a waste." He smirked at her.

"That's right. What. A. Waste." You say, smiling back at him.

The rest of the walk had been quiet— but  a comfortable quiet. You walked closer to him, enjoying the view. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders and you looked at him surprised, (you weren't sure if you were imagining it, but you could have sworn his cheeks seemed pinker) but he continued to keep watching the road. You didn't mind.

After maybe a handful of minutes, you both arrived at the bottom of your apartment. You thanked him for walking you and before you entered the building, he stopped you to ask. "(Your Name), a little question before I leave,"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Am I really that unlovable?"

You smiled. "Oh, absolutely. And what about me?"

He smiled back. "I'm afraid so."