Lioness

Chapter 5- Countdown

The last thing I wanted to do was to go back home, but it was inevitable. My week felt like it was just slipping out of my hands like sand running through my fingers. So I wanted to make the most out of it.

On the first day of my last week, I went back to the market with Enjolras, we ate cake, and we sat beside the fountain to talk for hours, watching people pass and enjoying ourselves.

Six days to go and we went on a walk to the outskirts of the city to stroll beside fields sprouting barley and oats. The French sunshine shone down on my shoulder, giving them a faint sunburn, but it was so much fun and so beautiful in the countryside that I didn't care.

Five days left and I begged Enjolras not to go out, just to spend the day at home.

"Evony, we need more bread. It's important!" He insisted, sitting up to get out of bed.

I grabbed his arm, gently pulling him back. "Please? We can get the bread tomorrow, I swear. Just for today?"

He ran a hand through his curls, ruffling them, but he sighed and rolled over, tossing a lazy arm over my waist and pulling me into a cuddle. "Fine," he surrendered.

I smiled, embracing him back and enjoying the warmth and comfort of him and of the bed. Of course, we were still just friends. But at moments like this, I liked to close my eyes and pretend we were something more- like his touch was that of my husband's or a lover's.

It was so tranquil. The soft covers, the wind battering the wooden roof, the quiet creaks of the house, and Enjolras's legs tangled with mine.

Four days.

"Evony, you promised we could get the bread today," Enjolras whined, pulling on a fresh white shirt. He went over to the rusty mirror, running his fingers through his golden mane of curls to try to tame them. He poured some water from the pitcher into the water basin resting on the vanity and splashed his face, rubbing it clean and drying it with the washcloth beside the basin. He sighed, straightening, a bit of water dripping from one of his curls.

I rolled out of bed, popping open the wooden trunk at the foot of the bed and getting the blue dress I had bought at the market. I stepped into the washroom, sliding off my white nightgown. I grimaced. I had been wearing the cream-colored lingerie since I left the palace. Disgusted, I realized I would need to get a new pair today because these smelled. I wiggled into my dress and emerged, tossing the nightgown into the trunk and tying my hair back into a bun. Enjolras was gone, and I heard shuffling from downstairs. I descended the steps. He was pulling on his blood-red jacket, smiling at me as I came down.

"You're right. We need to go to the market again." I relented, swinging on the banister as I hopped off the last step.

"Great!" He grabbed two tartines and threw one to me. "We'll eat breakfast on our way. We don't really need toppings, right?"

I grabbed a cloth sack from the table to throw our purchases into and latched my cape around my neck. It was chilly and windy today, and I shivered the moment we stepped out of the door. Enjolras locked in behind us and we made our way to the bread stall, getting a baguette, a few croissants, and a sourdough bread called pain de Campagne.

After that, we paid the butcher for some chicken and the spinster for a blanket. We were ready to head back when I brought up my concerns from that morning. "Enjolras, I need to get some new lingerie. You can head back to the house and I'll catch up with you."

His face reddened when I brought up the unmentionables. "I... Uh, last time you were alone in the marketplace you were attacked by the merchant. I... ahem, maybe I should go with you to get... It's just not safe."