Courfeyrac’s eyes were squeezed shut, as if not seeing what had just happened would make it untrue.

bootsselbst:

Courfeyrac’s eyes were squeezed shut, as if not seeing what had just happened would make it untrue.

These feelings were harsh and startling.  He had thought—well, perhaps he hadn’t thought enough.  Courfeyrac was happy for Marius, he truly was.  Cosette was a sweet, friendly girl, and if anyone could deserve a partner as kind as she, it was Marius.  He felt guilty that it hurt this much; he was Marius’s friend, for goodness’ sake, and it wasn’t as if he was romantically in love with him.  But the instant he saw them, his stomach churned and his chest ached as if he were suffering from some kind of petty romantic jealousy. 

Of course, he wasn’t.  Courfeyrac loved his friend, but not in that way.  He loved his friend, and if he was currently struggling with how Marius’s new relationship made him feel—if his stomach had sunk down to his toes, and it hurt him to breathe—then that was Courfeyrac’s problem to deal with, not Marius’s.  

And so Courfeyrac feigned a series of harsh sneezes to cover for his closed eyes, and offered Cosette his hand to shake with a warm smile.  “Cosette!  I’ve heard so many great things about you!  It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”  He only hoped that Marius was too distracted to notice the feelings hidden behind Courfeyrac’s eyes, which Courfeyrac would simply have to work to quell.

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