Chapter 156: Sunday afternoon tea XIII

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Sunday afternoon tea XIII

(Damian POV)

Meanwhile...

Just a few paces away...

Damian simply stared.

"...Lord Blackwood?"

Anna’s voice barely reached him.

All his focus was elsewhere.

Christopher looked up.

There was the briefest flicker of surprise.

He stood.

Vivienne smiled.

She said something.

Christopher answered.

The conversation looked...

Easy.

Comfortable.

Natural.

Damian couldn’t hear a single word.

Nor did he realize...

He had stopped answering Anna altogether.

His entire attention remained fixed on the two figures across the hall.

Then...

Christopher reached into his jacket.

Damian frowned.

"...?"

A cellphone.

Christopher unlocked it.

Vivienne laughed softly before reaching into her handbag.

She took out hers as well.

...

They were exchanging phone numbers.

Damian stared.

Lunch.

The cake.

The Founder’s Ball.

"Call me Vivienne."

Her teasing him after the bell.

His heart whispering—

...Could it be...?

His imagination racing ahead.

Anthony.

His aunt.

His mother.

The university.

Wondering whether he should approach her.

Wondering whether he should wait.

Wondering what everyone would think if—

...

Every single thought...

Every hopeful possibility...

Every carefully constructed scenario...

Collapsed.

One after another.

Like an entire row of dominos.

He had spent the last ten minutes worrying about whether he was getting ahead of himself.

As it turned out...

He had.

By several kilometers.

His entire train of thought derailed so violently...

That it might never recover.

"...Lord Blackwood?"

Damian blinked.

The hall gradually came back into focus.

Anna was looking at him with quiet concern.

"...I’m terribly sorry."

His apology came almost automatically.

"I haven’t been very good company."

Anna followed his gaze across the hall.

Her eyes settled briefly on Christopher...

Then on Vivienne.

Understanding quietly dawned.

A gentle smile crossed her face.

"I think..."

She closed her phone.

"...I’ll leave you to it."

For a brief moment...

Damian wanted to apologize again.

Instead...

He simply inclined his head.

"...Thank you."

Anna returned the gesture.

"I hope the rest of your afternoon goes well, Lord Blackwood."

"And yours."

She smiled once before quietly disappearing into the crowd.

Silence.

Damian looked across the hall again.

Christopher and Vivienne were still talking.

She was smiling.

Not the polite smile she offered acquaintances.

A different one.

Relaxed.

Comfortable.

...

What am I doing?

The thought struck him with startling clarity.

He had spent the entire afternoon standing still.

Thinking.

Imagining.

Worrying about tomorrow...

While someone else had simply walked over and spoken to her.

His gaze remained fixed on Vivienne.

She had been the one who walked over.

She had been the one who smiled first.

She had been the one who asked for Christopher’s number.

The realization settled heavily in his chest.

She wasn’t waiting for someone to choose her.

She was choosing for herself.

Something inside Damian suddenly clicked.

Enough.

Before he could think himself out of it...

His feet were already moving.

Straight toward her.

--

Christopher slipped his mobile phone back into his pocket.

"I’ll remember to answer next time."

Vivienne smiled.

"I’ll be looking forward to it."

For just a brief moment...

Neither of them spoke.

Then—

"Vivienne."

The familiar voice came from only a few paces away.

Vivienne turned.

"...Damian?"

He had stopped beside them before either of them had quite noticed.

His gaze met hers immediately.

Only then did it briefly shift toward Christopher.

For the shortest moment...

It seemed as though he had hurried over on instinct...

Only to realize he hadn’t quite decided what he wanted to say.

Vivienne tilted her head.

"What is it?"

Damian met her eyes again.

"...May I borrow you for a moment?"

There was an unmistakable urgency in his voice.

Not loud.

Not impolite.

Simply...

More urgent than she had ever heard from him.

Vivienne blinked.

"...Now?"

"If you don’t mind."

She looked at him for another moment.

...Anthony?

The thought came almost immediately.

Was he still thinking about the engagement?

She couldn’t think of any other explanation.

Turning back to Christopher, she offered an apologetic smile.

"I’m terribly sorry, Senior Archibald."

"It seems Damian wishes to speak with me."

Christopher’s gaze moved quietly between them.

Lord Blackwood.

Lady Beaumont.

Or perhaps...

Vivienne.

The familiarity hadn’t escaped him.

For only a fleeting moment...

He wondered whether there was a story there.

Just as quickly...

He decided it wasn’t his place to wonder.

He inclined his head politely.

"Of course."

"It was a pleasure speaking with you today."

"And you as well, Senior Archibald."

Vivienne smiled warmly.

"I hope we’ll have another chance to talk."

Christopher returned the smile.

"I’d like that."

She gave a small nod before turning back toward Damian.

"Shall we?"

Damian nodded once.

Without another word...

The two walked away together.

Christopher watched them disappear into the flow of students.

Only for a moment.

Then...

He slipped both hands into his pockets.

His thumb brushed lightly against the mobile phone resting inside.

The newest contact remained saved in his address book.

Vivienne Beaumont.

A faint smile touched his lips.

What an unexpectedly pleasant afternoon.

Then...

He turned and disappeared into the crowd.

--

Vivienne and Damian walked toward one side of the hall where several tall arched windows overlooked the university gardens.

He turned to face her.

For a moment...

Neither of them spoke.

Vivienne studied him quietly.

"...So?"

"What did you want to talk about, Damian?"

Damian opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

The urgency that had carried him across the hall...

Had somehow disappeared the moment they were standing face to face.

Vivienne waited.

Patiently.

"...Damian?"

He looked at her.

Then looked away.

He still hadn’t found the words.

A quiet understanding slowly settled over her.

"...Is this about Anthony?"

Damian looked back almost immediately.

She offered him a small, reassuring smile.

"I had a feeling it might be."

She folded her hands loosely in front of her.

"I know how everything must have looked just now."

"The engagement ended..."

"And then you saw me talking to Senior Archibald."

She gave a tiny, almost apologetic laugh.

"I imagine it seemed rather sudden."

Damian remained silent.

She continued gently.

"But..."

"It really wasn’t as abrupt as it probably appeared."

"The engagement had already been falling apart for quite some time."

"When Anthony and I finally spoke yesterday..."

"We both realized we wanted different futures."

"So..."

"We agreed it was better to end it."

There wasn’t any bitterness in her voice.

Only acceptance.

She looked at Damian.

"I know he’s your cousin."

"So if you’re worried about him..."

"You don’t have to be."

"It wasn’t anyone’s fault."

"It was simply a decision we both reached."

A quiet silence settled between them.

Vivienne smiled gently.

"I hope that puts your mind at ease."

--

Tbc