You Matter To Me

Chapter One: Another Day

    Rain poured down torrentially in Paris, France, on this day, the 5th of September, 2019. It was perhaps rather gloomy weather for this time of year, but it wasn't altogether impossible weather, either.
You see, today classes began for students at the University, for students old and new, from near and far.
Needless to say, despite the wet weather, students swarmed the entire campus, in a rush to get to their respective classes or to their dorm rooms, or even just to explore their University if they had time to spare.
Perhaps the most popular place on campus was the ABC Café, the most cozy, happening little café you had ever been to. The line to get in, in order to get one's hands on a hot Mocha or a freshly baked Croissant, and many other delectable options, was already filing outside the door of said café. Shivering students waiting to get in conversed amongst themselves through chattering teeth, and the lucky students inside were already either ordering or sitting down at tables enjoying their delicacies on this day.
At one particular table, there was a rather rowdy group of boys, and a few girls, who seemed to all already be very tightly knit together as friends, sipping their drinks and eating their pastries while chewing over the events of their short summer break.
"I mostly just studied, honestly," Admitted one boy, who had very nicely groomed brown hair and who wore glasses, that rather suited his round, but slim, face. His honest statement earned a couple of chuckles from one or two of the other boys, as it was no surprise to anyone in the group that this boy would be diligently studying, by choice, even over his break.
"Now that's surprising, Combeferre," Sniggered one boy with a rather scruffy face, green eyes, and unruly black hair that sat on his head like a curly mop. "Who would expect a rebel like you to be studying all the time?"
"Did you just call him a rebel, Grantaire?" Mockingly asked another boy with curly dark brown hair, who was smirking amusedly at the former, the unruly-haired, scruffy boy, Grantaire, "Because I'm pretty sure he's as Goody-Two-Shoes as they come."
"Oh yeah. Courfeyrac, you have a point." Grantaire guffawed stupidly at the other, Courfeyrac. The two friends shared mischievous looks and began whispering, probably making jokes at their friend's, Combeferre's, expense, as it was no secret to anyone that Combeferre was as studious and mature than anyone in their friend group.
"Boys, how many times do I have to tell you to shut up and leave 'Ferre alone?" A just slightly overweight, but very sweet looking girl with red hair and rosy cheeks scolded Grantaire and Courfeyrac. This girl was sitting next to another boy, who was very thin, but jolly and handsome looking, with his brown, freshly cut hair, and his pointed complexion. This boy looked just as kind as the girl did, and it could be noted that they were holding each other's hands, resting their entwined hands on the table beside their respective drinks and plates with pastries on them.
"You heard Musichetta. Be nice to Combeferre or else I'll make you two boys listen to me read over my paper on the benefits of sedatives in the medical field, and I might even be kind enough to put my skills to use on you both," The thin boy jokingly threatened the two mischievous ones, giving them a rather unsettling smile, knowing they would take this threat seriously, as he was a medical student, and a very gifted one at that, who was always ready to put his skills to use whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Grantaire and Courfeyrac immediately stopped whispering to each other and cracking jokes about Combeferre, and actually, they suddenly both slumped down in their seats and dropped their glances to stare at the table, wearing rather intimidated looks on their two faces.
"It works every time, Joly," The redheaded girl giggled sweetly, looking rather impressed by the thin boy's, Joly's, effectiveness of putting their two friends in their places for making fun of their other friend.
Joly smirked slightly, satisfied with his success, and he nodded proudly down at his fiancée, Musichetta, and gave her newly ringed left hand a visible squeeze inside his own hand. "I knew my dream career would come in handy, Chetta. I just didn't know it could be so useful when it comes to putting those," He playfully gestured his head in the direction of the now silent Grantaire and Courfeyrac, "two fools in their places when they need it. Someone has to keep them in line."
Right then, a girl with beautiful blonde ringlets, who sat in an unoccupied chair on the other side of Musichetta opposite Joly, could be heard giggling at this overheard conversation. "Enjolras and I never cease to be amazed at how well you can rein the boys in when they get out of hand," She smirked at the engaged couple, her blue, doe-like eyes glimmering.
"It's a daunting task, so we're just thankful we somehow manage to make it work each time they act up, Cosette." Joly chuckled lightly at the blonde girl's, Cosette's remark.
It could be noted that not only was Cosette sitting next to a very handsome, statue like blonde, curly-haired boy, with marble like complexion, but she and said man were also holding hands, each of which contained a matching wedding ring; and even more notably, a rather tiny, but adorable, little bump that was Cosette's stomach made her pink blouse stick out over her jeans.
"Anyways," Cosette laughed as she could be seen giving her currently silent husband's hand a squeeze, "Musichetta, how are wedding preparations going?"
To answer that question, Musichetta and Joly exchanged a comical glance before Musichetta turned back to Cosette with a blushing face and a sheepish smile. "Oh, you know, they're going- but sometimes Joly and I wonder when this chaos will ever piece together and hopefully result in a proper wedding," She joked with Cosette, her friend of many, many years, though all the stress of wedding planning really was no joke at all.
But before Cosette could open her mouth in reply, and right as she felt her husband place both of their ringed hands on her secret little baby bump, she heard her best friend's voice, from where Cosette knew this best friend was sitting across the table. "Cosette? Enjolras?"
Cosette looked up and directed her gaze across the table, where sure enough, she saw her best friend sitting with a few of their other friends.
"Éponine!" Cosette smiled delightedly, more than happy to catch up with her best friend, Éponine, as admittedly, they hadn't spent as much time together as usual; for Cosette and Enjolras had been very busy over the summer, establishing their own theatre company, and not to mention, Cosette hadn't exactly been feeling well due to her still secret pregnancy, being only about five months along. "It's so good to see you," Cosette continued, smiling even wider at their friend, though she was gripping Enjolras's hand tighter inside her own and holding their hands closer to her baby bump, as she was slightly nauseated at the moment.
"I've missed you both," Éponine smiled just as happily at Cosette and Enjolras, but couldn't help but look quite relieved to see them. "How is everything coming along with your theatre? I can't wait for the grand opening!" Éponine admitted excitedly, her smile bringing out her dimples more and more by the second, as everyone had always known her for her dimply smile.
"It's coming along very nicely," Cosette answered quite proudly, as all of the work she and Enjolras had poured into establishing Opera Populaire Musical Theatre Company and making the theatre they bought their own had more than paid off, and would soon be shared with all their friends and the community alike. "We almost have the entire theatre renovated and furnished to our liking and we've nearly obtained rights to the musicals that will kick off our theatre's first season," Cosette added, sharing a look of pride with Enjolras, who looked just as satisfied as she did, as he was wearing a wide grin on his handsome lips.
"What my beautiful wife said," Enjolras chuckled, speaking up for the first time in this particular conversation. He too, then gave Éponine a very delighted look, but inside, he could sense that Cosette was not feeling well, and between the two of them, he knew full well why that was and he knew that they must keep that between them for now, until they were ready. He prevented himself from frowning at Cosette, and instead, he held her hand tighter and he stroked his ringed finger over the back of it. Looking back up at Éponine, he maintained his friendly grin. "And how have you been, 'Ponine? We really have missed you, Gavroche, and Azelma. Do they still live with you? You know, we really hope that the three of you will audition for our opening musical." He added with a hint of a smirk, as he knew that both he and Cosette really did want their best friend and her two younger siblings to be founding cast members in their theatre company's first show; this dream that was now going to be a reality, their theatre, had always been a dream they had shared and planned with their friends.
"They moved back in with mother and father. They just got out of jail and they were given the right to have them back. It started with supervised visits, and now, well, here they are. I took them back to the Inn yesterday, since you mentioned it," Éponine explained, forcing herself not to frown, and made sure her voice sounded optimistic, even though this news was anything but positive. "I knew this would happen, and since Azelma is an adult now," She shifted in her chair and continued to make sure she maintained her positive attitude in front of her two friends, continuing on, "She chose to go back. Since they were getting Gavroche back, she refused to leave his side. She took it upon herself to go with him and see to it that she's there with him. She learned well, but I'm still their older sister, and after being their legal guardian, I can't help but worry. But don't worry," She suddenly smirked, somehow finding humor in the circumstance; her brown eyes lighting up with a playful sparkle. "I haven't forgotten about the promise of me being in your opening show. I'll be the first one to sign up and you bet Azelma and Gavroche will be there too." Éponine confidently promised, finding it within herself to let that smirk on her lips grow, even though she was still internally trying to convince her heart that her siblings would be alright, and that they would all still be able to be together again in order to be apart of Enjolras's and Cosette's dream coming true.
"I'm so sorry, 'Ponine," Cosette sniffed slightly, clearly growing emotional, partially due to the hormones raging inside her body while another human grew inside of it, but mostly because of her concern for their best friend and her family. Cosette knew everything about that long history, and she and Enjolras both knew that what Éponine had just told them was not positive at all, in fact, it was something that they had been fearing to hear. "If... if there's anything-"
"All you can do is pray, which I know I'm doing a lot of." Éponine quickly interrupted Cosette, seeing that she was unusually emotional, and the last thing Éponine wanted was for her or Enjolras to be worried or burdened with her own family issues.
She smiled faintly at Cosette, doing her best to reassure her and Enjolras that this was all she needed them to do, because this was not their weight to carry or concern themselves with, when they had their own lives.
"Then we are most definitely praying for you, and especially Azelma and Gavroche. But please let us know if there's an eme-"
"There won't be. I promise." Éponine quickly cut off once more, but smiled even more kindly at Enjolras and Cosette, letting them know that this wasn't something for them to discuss further at the moment, but that she was deeply grateful for their concern and prayers; though she quickly lit up once more, "So, what's this first musical that I'm already signed up for? Aren't you going to give me all the tea in regards to your first season?" She hinted with a rather cheeky tone in her voice, playfully implying that it was only fair that she be the first to know each of the musicals that the opening season would consist of, now that Cosette and Enjolras had presumably decided what those were.
At that, Cosette giggled, no longer teary eyed, as her emotions had subsided as quickly as they had been brought on. She leaned across the table, (as far as her curved little belly would safely allow her to) to be closer to her best friend, ready to give her the juiciest secret that was their opening season of musicals. All Enjolras could do was laugh, as the sight of this made him quite cheerful and reminiscent, reminding him of he and Cosette's high school years, before they were married, when they would spend so much more time with their friends; each of them with less cares and worries in the world at the time, before they had all met another day that required for them all to grow up- adulthood.
"Well," Whispered Cosette to Éponine, ready to give her all the secrets, but sure to keep them quiet and unheard by all their other friends at that table. "The first show will be Swe-" But what the full name of that first show would be, Éponine would not yet know, because suddenly their table silenced, due to something that could be heard by them and the rest of their friends, a sound coming from a much smaller table next to theirs, caught their attention.
A petite, pale-blonde-haired, girl wearing a white, muslin blouse and jeans, who had just hurried by and went to sit down at a table by herself, had just tripped and had not only spilled the grande cup of tea in her hand and dropped her plate with a slice of hot pie on it that was in her other hand, but she had completely fallen down and landed on her hands and knees, because she had been in such a rush- and she had been crying. The skin on her pale face that would usually be the most beautiful shade of ivory was red and stained with tears, and this could be noticed by all when she tripped and fell on the ground.