Chapter 148: Sunday afternoon tea V

Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Sunday afternoon tea V

(Vivienne’s table)

Round One

"...I’m Daniel Foster."

The young man seated to Vivienne’s left smiled warmly as he looked around the table.

"Second-year Engineering."

He gestured toward the gentleman seated on Vivienne’s other side.

"And this is my friend."

The other laughed.

"Eric Dawson."

"Second-year Architecture."

He looked around the table before adding with a sheepish grin,

"I have a feeling we weren’t exactly subtle when we came over."

A ripple of laughter spread around the table.

Janella smiled knowingly.

"I think everyone noticed."

Mary nodded in agreement.

"It looked like half the gentlemen suddenly remembered they were in a race."

Even Vivienne couldn’t help smiling.

"I’ll admit..."

"It was rather amusing to watch."

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck.

"In our defense..."

"We only had a few seconds."

"And there were only so many empty seats."

"That’s true," Eric agreed. "Once one chair was taken, everyone else had to improvise."

The atmosphere immediately became lighter.

Vivienne quietly wrapped both hands around her teacup.

So this is how it works...

She had imagined something much stiffer.

Perhaps awkward introductions.

Long silences.

Everyone nervously trying to impress one another.

Instead...

It felt surprisingly natural.

Almost like a group of strangers who happened to share the same table over afternoon tea.

She rather liked it.

Daniel smiled.

"Since we’re already here..."

"I suppose proper introductions are in order."

He looked toward the ladies expectantly.

Rebecca was the first to speak.

"I’m Princess Rebecca von Asteria."

"I’m a first-year student."

Daniel blinked.

"A princess?"

Rebecca gave a practiced smile.

"I am."

"I suppose that tends to surprise people."

"A little," Eric admitted with a laugh.

Janella went next.

"I’m Janella Jones."

"Second-year."

"Communications."

Mary followed with an easy smile.

"Mary Johnson."

"Third-year Biology."

Finally...

Both gentlemen looked toward Vivienne.

She returned their smiles.

"I’m Vivienne Beaumont."

"I’m also a first-year student."

"Pleasure to meet you all."

"It’s a pleasure meeting you too," Daniel replied.

Eric nodded in agreement.

"So..."

"What made everyone decide to come today?"

Janella laughed.

"My roommate practically dragged me here."

Mary smiled.

"I’ve never attended before."

"I figured I might as well see what all the excitement was about."

Rebecca answered next.

"I was curious."

Then Daniel looked toward Vivienne.

"And you, Miss Beaumont?"

Vivienne lowered her teacup.

A small smile touched her lips.

"Honestly..."

"I’m here for much the same reason all of you are."

She looked around the table.

"I thought it would be nice to meet new people."

Daniel nodded.

"Fair enough."

Eric smiled.

"That’s probably the healthiest reason anyone could have."

Vivienne laughed softly.

"I hope so."

Daniel nodded.

"I suppose that’s exactly why we’re all here."

"More or less," Janella agreed with a grin.

The conversation flowed far more easily after that.

The gentlemen spoke about their colleges.

Janella shared a story about getting hopelessly lost during her first week on campus.

Mary admitted that Biology practicals were far more difficult than she’d expected.

Eric confessed that Architecture students survived almost entirely on coffee during project season.

The table erupted into laughter.

Vivienne listened with genuine interest.

Every now and then...

She found herself quietly observing the two gentlemen.

Daniel was undeniably handsome.

Kind eyes.

A pleasant smile.

He seems nice.

A few minutes later...

She revised her opinion.

He also seems to enjoy talking about himself.

She hid a smile behind her teacup.

Perhaps a little too much.

Eric, on the other hand...

Wasn’t quite as striking at first glance.

Yet...

He had an easy sense of humor.

He asked questions.

Listened to the answers.

And somehow managed to include everyone in the conversation without making anyone feel left out.

That’s... rather attractive.

Vivienne found herself smiling.

Maybe this afternoon wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Across the table...

Rebecca quietly watched the exchange.

Not because Daniel and Eric were giving Vivienne more attention.

They weren’t.

If anything...

The conversation had involved everyone equally.

No...

It was something else.

When the gentlemen had first approached their table...

Neither had hesitated.

Both had gone straight for the two empty chairs beside Vivienne.

Only afterward...

Had the remaining seats beside her been taken.

Rebecca rested her chin lightly against one hand.

...So she was everyone’s first choice.

The thought annoyed her more than she cared to admit.

She had grown up accustomed to attracting attention the moment she entered a room.

Yet today...

Without anyone saying a word...

The answer had already been decided before introductions had even begun.

She glanced toward Vivienne once more.

The other young lady was laughing softly at something Eric had just said.

Completely oblivious.

...Hmph.

Perhaps...

The next round would be different.

--

(Damian’s table)

Round one

The cheerful ring of the brass bell echoed throughout the Student Union Hall.

Almost immediately...

Conversations began around every table.

For a brief moment...

Table Twenty-Seven remained quiet.

Eight strangers simply looked at one another, each waiting for someone else to speak first.

Finally...

The young lady seated beside Damian smiled.

"I suppose someone has to break the silence."

Christopher chuckled.

"I was beginning to think we’d spend the next fifteen minutes admiring the tea."

That earned a few laughs around the table, and just like that, the last traces of awkwardness began to disappear.

"Perhaps introductions first?" he suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The young lady beside Damian went first.

"I’m Emily Carter."

"Second-year Literature."

She smiled at everyone before her eyes briefly lingered on Damian.

"It’s a pleasure to meet all of you."

The young lady beside Christopher followed.

"Sophia Bennett."

"Second-year International Relations."

"I’m happy to meet everyone."

The remaining two ladies introduced themselves one after another.

Then it was the gentlemen’s turn.

"Leon Hart."

"Third-year Business Administration."

"Matthew Collins."

"Third-year Economics."

Christopher inclined his head politely.

"Christopher Archibald."

"Fourth-year Political Governance."

"It’s a pleasure."

Finally...

Damian smiled.

"Damian Blackwood."

"Also fourth-year Political Governance."

Although everyone had already recognized the two seniors earlier...

Hearing them introduce themselves somehow made the atmosphere feel more natural.

Emily laughed softly.

"I still find it a little unbelievable."

Damian looked at her.

"What is?"

"That I ended up sitting beside Lord Blackwood."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"I believe we were all assigned here by chance."

"Maybe," Emily replied with a playful smile.

"But I still think I was rather lucky."

Sophia looked toward Christopher.

"I think the same could be said for me."

Christopher laughed good-naturedly.

"I hope we don’t disappoint."

"You’ve only just arrived," Sophia replied.

"I think that’s rather impossible."

The table laughed.

Across from them...

Leon looked at Matthew.

Then at Damian.

Then at Christopher.

Finally, he let out a dramatic sigh.

"I’ve just realized something."

Everyone looked toward him.

Leon gestured helplessly toward the two seniors.

"I drew the shortest straw today."

Matthew nodded solemnly.

"I was thinking exactly the same thing."

Leon looked around the table.

"How are the rest of us supposed to compete with these two?"

The girls burst into laughter.

Christopher smiled.

"I don’t believe this is meant to be a competition."

Matthew blinked exaggeratedly.

"...It isn’t?"

"I seem to have misunderstood today’s event."

Even Damian chuckled.

Leon sighed once more.

"I’d settle for being remembered by the end of the afternoon."

Another round of laughter spread around the table.

The lighthearted exchange dissolved whatever nervousness had remained.

Emily smiled as she lifted her teacup.

"I have to admit..."

"I imagined this afternoon would be much more awkward."

Matthew nodded immediately.

"So did I."

"I thought we’d all be desperately trying to impress one another."

Leon grinned.

"I was prepared to give the most interesting introduction of my life."

"And now?" Sophia asked, amused.

"I’ve forgotten all of it."

The table laughed again.

Christopher smiled.

"I think conversations are usually much easier once people stop trying so hard."

Emily nodded thoughtfully.

"I suppose that’s true."

"It already feels much more natural than I expected."

"It does," Damian agreed.

The conversation drifted easily after that.

Someone mentioned an especially strict professor.

That led to stories about impossible examinations.

Leon declared that Business students survived entirely on caffeine before presentations.

Matthew insisted Economics students survived on regret instead.

Sophia admitted that one of her lecturers could somehow turn a simple ten-minute announcement into a full-hour speech.

Even Christopher laughed.

"I believe every department has one of those."

"They must attend the same training sessions," Damian added lightly.

The remark earned another round of laughter.

Damian quietly sipped from his teacup as the conversation continued around him.

This...

Was rather different from what he had imagined.

Not because the ladies weren’t interested.

Several had made no effort to hide that they were pleased with where they had been seated.

Nor because there wasn’t a subtle current of flirtation beneath the conversation.

There certainly was.

It simply wasn’t overwhelming.

Instead...

The afternoon felt remarkably relaxed.

The girls laughed.

The younger gentlemen joked freely.

Christopher had an easy way of keeping everyone included without ever drawing attention solely to himself.

Damian found himself simply following the flow of the conversation.

It was...

Unexpectedly enjoyable.

Perhaps...

This had been exactly what he needed.

A change of scenery.

New faces.

A chance to stop dwelling on a dream that had no business lingering in his thoughts.

He had come here to meet new people.

Not to think about Vivienne Beaumont.

Then...

Without realizing it...

His gaze wandered briefly across the sea of round tables filling the hall.

He caught himself almost immediately.

Focus.

He looked back toward the conversation.

You’re here to move forward.

Not to wonder why she had come.

Not to think about an ivory dress.

Not to dwell on a dream.

Leon was saying something about nearly failing an accounting presentation.

Laughter circled the table once more.

Damian smiled.

Perhaps...

He really could put it behind him.

The bright chime of the brass bell echoed throughout the Student Union Hall.

Almost immediately...

Conversations around the room began winding down.

A Student Union volunteer smiled as she walked between the tables.

"Round One has concluded."

"Gentlemen..."

"If you’ll kindly proceed to your next assigned table."

"The ladies, as before, will remain seated."

Chairs slid softly across the polished wooden floor as the gentlemen rose one by one.

Christopher glanced at the sequence printed beneath his table number before looking toward the others.

"Our next stop."

He smiled.

"Table Eleven."

Leon stood with an exaggerated sigh.

"So soon?"

"I was just beginning to enjoy myself."

Matthew laughed as he straightened his jacket.

"Come on."

"Maybe our fortunes will improve at the next table."

Leon looked between Damian and Christopher before shaking his head dramatically.

"I admire your optimism."

Even Damian laughed quietly as the four gentlemen stepped away from Table Twenty-Seven together.

--