Chapter 298: sincerity begets sincerity II

Chapter 298: Chapter 298: sincerity begets sincerity II

Claire was quiet for a moment.

Vivienne stared down at her phone.

"I just... I really hope I didn’t ruin it."

"You might have made things harder," Claire admitted. "But that doesn’t mean it’s over."

Vivienne looked down at her phone.

"Then why isn’t he replying?"

Claire was quiet for a moment.

"Maybe because he’s offended."

Vivienne’s face fell.

"That’s what I’m afraid of."

Claire nodded.

"And honestly? I can’t blame him."

Vivienne swallowed.

"What happened after you told him?"

"He asked if I wanted dessert."

"And?"

"I said no."

"Then?"

"He said he’d walk me back."

Claire nodded.

"And the bill?"

"Already taken care of."

"Before you came back?"

Vivienne nodded.

Claire was silent for a moment.

"And then he walked you home?"

"Yes."

"And he said goodnight?"

"Yes."

Claire leaned back against the headboard.

"That’s actually very telling."

Vivienne looked at her.

"How?"

"Because he didn’t make a scene."

She counted the points off on her fingers.

"He didn’t interrogate you. He didn’t insult Anthony. He didn’t demand an explanation. He didn’t try to make you feel guilty."

Vivienne nodded.

"He just walked me home."

"Exactly."

Claire gave her a knowing look.

"And he was still polite."

"Extremely."

"That’s actually impressive."

Vivienne looked at her.

Claire shrugged.

"If I were him, I’d probably have left the moment you stepped outside with Anthony."

"You would?"

"Absolutely."

Claire laughed.

"What? You expect me to sit there like an idiot waiting for you while you go have a private conversation with your ex?"

Vivienne hugged her pillow.

"Huhu..."

"But Christopher didn’t do that."

"No."

"He waited."

"Yes."

"He stayed polite."

"Yes."

"And then he simply walked you home."

Vivienne nodded.

Claire’s expression turned thoughtful.

"That’s dignity."

Vivienne looked at her.

"Yeah."

"He was obviously affected."

Vivienne’s heart sank.

"But he didn’t lose his composure over it."

Claire paused.

"Honestly? That’s kind of..."

She smiled.

"Sexy?"

Vivienne’s cheeks warmed.

"Claire!"

"I’m just saying."

Vivienne hid her face behind her pillow.

Claire laughed.

"But seriously, Vivienne. That’s the kind of thing you need to pay attention to."

Vivienne lowered the pillow.

"Why?"

"Because he isn’t going to fight some other men for you."

Vivienne froze.

Claire’s voice became gentler.

"He shouldn’t have to."

Silence.

Vivienne looked down.

Claire continued.

"And this is where I think you need to be honest with yourself."

Vivienne didn’t answer.

Claire tilted her head.

"So what happened after Christopher sent you back?"

Vivienne hesitated.

"I messaged him."

"Christopher?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Around one-thirty."

Claire frowned.

"Why so late?"

"I couldn’t sleep."

Vivienne glanced down at her phone.

"I kept thinking about everything that happened. So I sent him an apology."

Claire nodded.

"That makes sense."

Vivienne was quiet for a moment.

Then Claire asked,

"And what did you do before that?"

Vivienne’s expression immediately became awkward.

Claire noticed.

"What?"

"Damian called me."

Claire blinked.

"Damian?"

Vivienne nodded.

"He’d texted me first, but I didn’t answer."

"And then?"

"He called."

Claire stared at her.

"And you answered?"

"Yes."

"What did he want?"

"To see me."

Claire raised an eyebrow.

"And you let him?"

Vivienne gave her a small, embarrassed shrug.

"He was already on his way."

Claire’s expression changed.

"Wait. He came here?"

Vivienne nodded.

"He showed up at my door."

Claire stared at her for another second.

"Okay."

Vivienne looked away.

"He stayed for a while."

Claire’s eyebrow rose.

"How long is ’a while’?"

Vivienne hesitated.

"Long enough."

Claire looked at her suspiciously.

But Vivienne had already moved on.

"We eventually went out for supper."

"After midnight?"

"It was almost eleven when we went."

Claire laughed.

"Of course."

Vivienne smiled faintly.

"He made sure I ate. He was... very sweet."

"Damian?"

"Yes."

Vivienne nodded.

"He fussed over me the entire time."

Claire shook her head.

"And then?"

"He walked me back."

"Back here?"

"Yes."

"And when did he leave?"

"Around one."

Claire looked at her.

Then at the room.

Then back at Vivienne.

Vivienne immediately looked away.

Claire’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Okay."

"What?"

"Nothing."

She let it go.

If Vivienne wanted to keep whatever had happened between herself and Damian private, that was her business.

Claire leaned back against the headboard.

"So, basically, your night went from Anthony to Damian..."

Vivienne groaned.

"When you say it like that, it sounds awful."

Claire laughed.

"It sounds complicated."

"It is."

Claire sighed.

"You know what you have with Damian."

Vivienne’s fingers tightened around the pillow.

She nodded.

"You know it’s an arrangement."

"Yes."

"And you know that if Christopher actually asked you to be with him, you’d end things with Damian."

Vivienne hesitated.

"...Yes."

Claire raised an eyebrow.

"So right now, Damian is still your safety net."

Vivienne didn’t argue.

"And Anthony?"

Vivienne winced.

"Apparently another one."

"Exactly."

Claire sighed.

"Vivienne, you can’t have Damian as your safety net, Anthony hovering in the background, and Christopher wondering whether he’s just another option."

Vivienne’s expression fell.

"I know."

"And I’m not saying you’re wrong for enjoying yourself with Damian. You two know what your arrangement is."

Vivienne nodded.

"And I’m not saying you owe Anthony another chance just because he suddenly decided he wants you back."

"I know."

Claire studied her.

"But Christopher doesn’t know any of that."

Vivienne frowned.

"And he doesn’t even know about Damian."

"Exactly."

Claire’s expression became serious.

"He only knows about Anthony. And look at how he reacted to that."

Vivienne went quiet.

"What do you think would happen if he found out about Damian?"

Vivienne’s stomach dropped.

"Oh."

"Exactly."

Vivienne stared at her phone.

Christopher didn’t know.

He had only seen her leave dinner with Anthony, and then quietly stepped back.

What would he think if he knew there was someone else too?

Claire sighed.

"If you want Christopher to take you seriously, you have to be sincere with him. You can’t expect him to take you seriously while you’re still leaving every other door open."

Vivienne swallowed.

"I know."

She stared at the screen.

Damian was different.

With Damian, she knew what they had. Even if neither of them had ever actually put it into words, there was something familiar and easy between them.

Anthony was even simpler.

He had come back and told her exactly what he wanted.

With him, she didn’t have to wonder.

Christopher had given her neither.

He hadn’t promised her anything.

He hadn’t even replied to her message.

And yet...

He was the one she couldn’t stop thinking about.

The one whose silence bothered her.

The one whose opinion mattered enough to make her panic.

The one she wanted to know better.

Vivienne let out a quiet breath.

Maybe that was the answer she had finally understood.

She didn’t want Christopher because he was the safest choice.

He wasn’t.

He was probably the least safe choice of all.

And she still wanted him.

"I want him," she said quietly.

Claire smiled.

"Then act like it."

Vivienne nodded.

"I will."

She really wanted him.

And if she wanted this to become something more, then she had to start acting like it

--

Tbcii