Chapter 171: Night time exchange

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Night time exchange

It was nine in the evening and the four girls were again gathered in Claire and Vivienne’s dorm room.

Their textbooks were open.

Their notes were scattered across the desks.

None of them were studying.

Claire was stretched across her bed, scrolling through her phone.

Amelia sat beside her, reading through a conversation with the third-year Biology student she had been interested in since Sunday.

Eleanor was at the desk with her textbook open, occasionally listening whenever the other two started laughing.

Vivienne sat quietly on the other bed, her phone resting in her hands.

The conversation naturally returned to their messages.

Claire smiled at something on her screen.

"He texted again."

Amelia immediately looked over.

"Which one?"

"The one from yesterday."

"You actually like him?"

Claire smiled.

"I told you, he’s interesting."

Amelia laughed.

"Fair."

She glanced at her own phone.

"Mine’s still talking too."

Eleanor sighed.

"You two really are enjoying this."

Claire looked at her.

"You can admit you’re entertained."

"I am."

"See?"

Eleanor smiled faintly.

"But I’m still studying."

Claire laughed.

"Of course you are."

Vivienne had been listening quietly.

Then she looked at the time.

9:03 p.m.

Her eyes drifted back to her phone.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

Then glanced at the other girls.

"...Do you think I should text him again?"

Claire looked over.

"You want to?"

Vivienne nodded.

"I think so."

Amelia smiled.

"Then why not?"

Vivienne thought about it for another second.

"Okay."

She picked up her phone.

"I’ll just text him."

Claire grinned.

Vivienne opened their conversation.

Her fingers moved across the screen.

Are you finished with classes? Have you had dinner already?

She looked at the message for a moment.

Then pressed send.

--

Christopher’s classes had ended considerably earlier that evening.

By nine o’clock, he was nowhere near the university.

He was sitting with several friends at a quiet establishment just outside the campus district, a glass of beer resting in front of him as their conversation drifted between university politics, professors, and the latest complaints about their workload.

Fourth-year students were afforded considerably more freedom than freshmen.

Nobody was particularly concerned about where Christopher spent his Tuesday evening.

One of his friends leaned back in his chair.

"I still think Blackwood was being unnecessarily aggressive today."

Christopher looked up.

"During the debate?"

"Where else?"

"He practically attacked every point you made."

Another student laughed.

There had always been a quiet academic rivalry between Christopher and Damian.

Not an official one.

Neither had ever declared the other a rival.

But among the fourth-year Political Governance students, everyone knew the pattern.

Christopher Archibald was almost always at the top.

Damian Blackwood was usually right behind him.

On occasion, Damian managed to take first place in a particular subject.

International Trade had been one of them.

But overall...

Christopher remained number one.

And Damian remained the closest person to him.

Their personalities were different.

Their circles were different.

Even their approaches to academics were different.

Yet both were well known throughout the department.

Which, naturally, made their classmates far too interested in comparing them.

Christopher shrugged.

"He was defending his position."

"You’re always so reasonable."

"Someone has to be."

The table laughed.

One of his friends leaned back.

"Still, I’ve noticed he’s been acting strange around you."

Christopher briefly considered it.

"I asked him about it."

That caught their attention.

"You did?"

"After class."

"What did he say?"

"That I hadn’t offended him."

"That’s it?"

"That’s it."

Christopher picked up his glass.

"So I left it alone."

His friends exchanged glances.

"Maybe he’s just trying to beat you."

Christopher smiled faintly.

"He already does occasionally."

"Rarely."

"Still counts."

Another student raised his glass.

"To the rare occasion."

Everyone laughed.

Christopher shook his head.

There was no point thinking about it further.

Whatever Damian’s reason was, it clearly wasn’t something Christopher needed to concern himself with.

The conversation moved on.

A few minutes later, Christopher’s phone vibrated against the table.

He glanced down.

A message from Vivienne.

Are you finished with classes? Have you had dinner already?

A small smile touched his lips.

He hadn’t expected another message from her tonight.

One of his friends noticed.

"Something interesting?"

Christopher looked up.

"No."

He unlocked his phone again.

Then replied:

Yes. My classes ended earlier, and I’ve already had dinner. How about you?

He sent it.

Then placed his phone back on the table.

The conversation continued around him.

Christopher listened, occasionally adding a comment.

Whatever had been strange about Damian’s behavior was already forgotten.

His attention was elsewhere now.

A moment later, his phone vibrated again.

--

Vivienne stared at his response.

How about you?

Her smile appeared immediately.

Claire noticed.

"What?"

"He asked how about me."

Amelia leaned closer.

"Oh."

Claire grinned.

"He’s asking questions now."

Vivienne laughed softly.

"I know."

She looked at the message again.

Then began typing.

I already had dinner too. I was just wondering...

She paused.

Then continued.

If someone has a class that ends at nine, when do they usually have dinner? Do they eat before class? Or afterward?

She read it.

It sounded innocent enough.

She pressed send.

Claire glanced at her.

"You’re fishing."

Vivienne smiled.

"I’m curious."

"Of course."

Vivienne laughed.

--

Christopher glanced down.

Another message from Vivienne.

He opened it.

I already had dinner too. I was just wondering... If someone has a class that ends at nine, when do they usually have dinner? Do they eat before class? Or afterward?

Christopher read it once.

Then smiled faintly.

So that was what she had been wondering.

He typed:

Actually, my classes ended at seven. But for students who have the nine o’clock schedule, it depends. Some eat beforehand and have a snack later. Others eat after class.

He paused.

Then added:

It really depends on the schedule.

He sent it.

His friend across the table was still talking.

"...and then Professor George actually said the real issue wasn’t whether sovereignty mattered."

Christopher looked up.

"What?"

"The question of who had the authority to decide."

Christopher nodded.

"That was the point."

"Exactly."

Another friend laughed.

"You’re still thinking about that debate?" ℯℯ𝑙.

"It was a good discussion."

"Of course you’d say that."

Christopher smiled faintly and reached for his glass.

His phone vibrated again.

He looked down.

Another message from Vivienne.

And this time, he smiled before opening it.

--

Tbc