Chapter 60: a little closer

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: a little closer

For a brief moment...

Neither of them spoke.

The late afternoon sun poured gently into the courtyard, bathing the old stone paths in warm gold.

Most lectures were still in session.

The quiet campus seemed almost suspended in time.

Vivienne slowly lowered her hands from her face.

"...You laughed."

There wasn’t much accusation in her voice.

Only quiet resignation.

Damian’s smile remained.

"A little."

"A little?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"This is the second time."

"The second?"

"You caught me again."

First beneath the old oak tree...

Now here.

Twice.

She was beginning to wonder whether Damian simply appeared whenever she was doing something embarrassing.

She wanted to stay annoyed.

She truly did.

Then he laughed again.

Not loudly.

Just enough for the corners of his eyes to soften.

Vivienne sighed inwardly.

Honestly...

It’s unfair.

She had already reached the same conclusion the first time.

Damian Blackwood was devastatingly handsome.

Jet-black hair stirred lightly in the afternoon breeze, framing refined features that somehow managed to appear both dignified and effortlessly approachable.

Combined with that easy smile...

It became remarkably difficult to stay irritated with him.

No wonder half the ladies at St. Albion lost their composure around him.

Across from her...

Damian found himself studying her just as quietly.

The golden afternoon sunlight caught the strands of Vivienne’s blonde hair, giving them an almost luminous glow.

Her blue eyes still carried traces of embarrassment from being caught, while the faint blush lingering on her cheeks somehow made the expression she wore even more endearing.

She truly had grown into a beautiful young woman.

The realization no longer surprised him.

He had noticed it before.

In much the same way Julian had grown broader over the years...

Or Anthony had grown taller.

It was simply something that happened with time.

A quiet fact.

Nothing more.

Or so he believed.

Her beauty wasn’t what made him smile.

He had accepted that long ago.

What amused him was the familiar determination written so plainly across her face.

The tiny pout.

The stubborn refusal to give up.

Somehow...

It made the years between then and now feel surprisingly small.

Without realizing it...

His smile softened.

Vivienne caught it immediately.

"...You’re still smiling."

"Am I?"

"You are."

She folded her arms.

"I can’t believe you’re enjoying this."

"I’m afraid I am."

She let out an exaggerated sigh.

"You’re impossible."

"So I’ve been told."

Despite herself...

She laughed.

The sound lingered softly beneath the quiet afternoon sky.

Somewhere between the teasing and the laughter...

The embarrassment quietly slipped away.

--

Damian folded his arms.

"So..."

Vivienne looked at him suspiciously.

"What?"

A trace of amusement appeared in his eyes.

"Did you find him?"

She stared at him for a long moment.

Then let out a theatrical groan.

"...You knew."

"A fair assumption."

She lowered her face into one hand.

"I can’t believe this."

His shoulders shook with another quiet laugh.

Vivienne looked up.

"...You’re enjoying this far too much."

"A little."

She pointed at him accusingly.

"You really are impossible."

"So I’ve been told."

She tried very hard not to smile.

She failed.

With a defeated sigh, she shook her head.

"...No."

"I didn’t."

"I suppose there’s no point pretending anymore."

"I was looking for Anthony."

Then she glanced back at him.

"...Was I really that obvious?"

Damian considered the question.

"Not particularly."

She blinked.

"...Not particularly?"

"I simply happened to see you three times today."

"...Three?"

"Once this morning."

"You were wandering around Millward Hall."

"Then again in the library during lunch."

"And now..."

He glanced toward the surrounding corridors.

"I’ve watched you spend the better part of the last half hour walking through Millward Hall."

"You looked into nearly every classroom."

"You seemed determined to search every corridor before admitting defeat."

Vivienne closed her eyes.

"...Please stop."

"So..."

"I made an educated guess."

She covered her face again.

"That is somehow even more embarrassing."

A smile tugged at Damian’s lips.

"Was it urgent?"

Vivienne lowered her hand and thought for a moment.

"...Not particularly."

"Then I can call him."

Vivienne’s eyes widened.

"Oh, no."

She shook her head so quickly that a few loose strands of blonde hair slipped free beside her face.

"Please don’t."

For the briefest instant...

A memory flashed through her mind.

The old oak tree.

Anthony standing across the field.

And Damian calling out his name without the slightest hesitation.

She had nearly died of embarrassment that day.

She was not about to experience it a second time

.

Damian watched the series of expressions pass across her face.

Then, almost as though reading her thoughts, the corners of his lips lifted.

"You’re remembering the field."

Vivienne looked at him in disbelief.

"...You know exactly why I’m saying no."

"I had a suspicion."

She let out a defeated sigh.

"I’d rather not announce my business to the entire university."

"That seems reasonable."

She relaxed a little.

"...Actually."

Damian waited.

"Would it be all right..."

"...if you simply gave me his number instead?"

For a brief moment, he looked at her.

Then he smiled.

"Of course."

"That would probably be easier."

He reached into his pocket and took out his mobile phone.

"I’ll send it to you."

Vivienne instinctively reached for hers.

Then paused.

"...Ah."

"What?"

She held up her phone.

"You don’t actually have my number."

He looked down at the screen in his hand.

"...You’re right."

A brief silence passed.

Then both of them laughed.

"That would make sending it rather difficult."

"Just a little."

Vivienne quickly entered her mobile number into his phone before handing it back.

Damian glanced at the new contact.

Without giving it much thought...

He saved it.

Vivienne Beaumont.

Simple.

Practical.

Then he keyed in Anthony’s number and sent the message.

A second later...

Vivienne’s phone vibrated.

She looked down.

A new message.

Anthony’s mobile number.

Relief quietly spread across her face.

At least...

That’s one step closer.

She saved it under Anthony Ashford.

As she was about to lock her phone...

Her eyes drifted to the sender.

Just a string of unfamiliar numbers.

She looked back up at Damian.

"...I suppose I have your number now too."

Damian smiled.

"It appears you do."

"I should probably save it."

"That would make asking me for favors a little easier."

She smiled.

"I wasn’t planning on making a habit of it."

"I’m relieved to hear that."

Still smiling, she created another contact.

Damian Blackwood.

Save.

She slipped her phone back into her bag.

"Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

For a brief moment...

Neither of them moved.

Then the afternoon bell echoed softly across the campus.

Students began filtering out of nearby buildings, and the once-quiet courtyard slowly filled with voices.

Vivienne glanced toward the path leading back to the dormitories.

"I should get going."

"So should I."

She took a step.

Then paused.

"I’ll see you around..."

A small smile appeared.

"...Damian."

For just a moment...

He looked at her.

Then, almost without thinking, smiled back.

"I’ll see you around..."

The slightest pause.

"...Vivienne."

She blinked.

It was the first time he had called her by her given name.

For some reason...

It sounded surprisingly natural.

She smiled.

Then gave a small wave before turning toward the dormitories.

As she walked, her fingers brushed the phone in her pocket almost absentmindedly.

She hadn’t accomplished everything she had set out to do today.

But...

She had accomplished half of it.

Later...

She would send Anthony a message.

Behind her, Damian watched until she disappeared beyond the trees.

Only then did he turn back toward Millward Hall.

To either of them...

It had simply been an ordinary conversation between old acquaintances.

Neither realized...

That somewhere between shared laughter, quiet teasing, and a simple exchange of phone numbers...

The distance between them had quietly become just a little smaller.

--

Tbc

An: waaaa this is such a difficult Chapter to write actually. Haha!