Chapter 61: a message away

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: a message away

By the time Vivienne returned to the dormitory, the sun had already begun sinking behind the western buildings of St. Albion University.

The room was unusually quiet.

Claire sat cross-legged on her bed with an open textbook resting on her lap.

The moment the door opened, she looked up.

"There you are."

Vivienne smiled as she slipped her bag from her shoulder.

"I was beginning to think you’d gotten lost."

Vivienne laughed.

"I nearly did."

Claire narrowed her eyes.

"...Wait."

She slowly closed her book.

"That doesn’t sound like a joke."

Vivienne paused.

Then...

A tiny smile crept onto her face.

Claire immediately pointed at her.

"You found him!"

Vivienne quickly shook her head.

"No."

"Oh."

Claire frowned.

"Then why are you smiling like that?"

Vivienne placed her bag beside her desk before turning back.

"...I got his number."

For one full second...

Claire simply stared at her.

Then—

"You got Lord Ashford’s number?"

Vivienne nodded.

Claire let out a delighted gasp.

"Vivienne!"

"That’s huge!"

"It is?"

"It absolutely is!"

Claire practically bounced off the bed.

"So?"

"Tell me everything."

Vivienne couldn’t help laughing.

She had intended to keep today’s events to herself.

At least...

Until she’d gathered enough courage to contact Anthony.

But after everything that had happened...

The story was simply too embarrassing to keep inside.

So she told Claire everything.

How she’d spent the better part of the afternoon wandering through Millward Hall.

How she’d searched classroom after classroom.

How she’d failed to find Anthony.

And finally...

How Damian had appeared behind her just as she’d been about to make yet another round through the building.

By the time she finished...

Claire was trying very hard not to laugh.

"...He saw all of that?"

Vivienne buried her face in her hands.

"Apparently."

Claire bit the inside of her cheek.

"And he admitted he’d seen you three different times today?"

Vivienne gave a miserable little nod.

Claire failed.

She burst into laughter.

"I’m sorry."

"I’m really trying not to laugh."

Vivienne looked at her.

"You’re as bad as he is."

"I know."

Claire wiped at the corner of one eye.

"But, Vivienne..."

She tilted her head thoughtfully.

"If I didn’t know any better..."

"I’d almost think Lord Blackwood was following you."

Vivienne blinked.

"What?"

Claire shrugged.

"I mean..."

"He noticed you in the morning."

"Again at lunch."

"And then he somehow found you again afterward."

"That’s... rather impressive."

Vivienne laughed and immediately shook her head.

"That’s impossible."

"Why would he follow me?"

"I was the one wandering around the Political Governance building all afternoon."

"He simply happened to see me."

"I suppose..."

Claire admitted.

"...that does make sense."

Still...

She quietly tucked the thought away.

Something about today’s story lingered in the back of her mind.

Not because she believed Damian had been following Vivienne.

No.

That would indeed be absurd.

But...

She couldn’t quite shake the feeling that Lord Blackwood had been paying far more attention than he probably realized.

She let the thought pass without mentioning it again.

Instead, she smiled brightly.

"Well."

"The important part is..."

Claire pointed triumphantly toward Vivienne’s mobile phone resting on the desk.

"You got Lord Ashford’s number."

Vivienne followed her gaze.

Immediately...

Her smile became noticeably more nervous.

"...Right."

Claire noticed at once.

"Oh."

"So that’s the real problem now."

Vivienne slowly sat down on the edge of her bed.

"...How do I even start?"

Claire blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..."

Vivienne picked up her phone.

"I finally have his number."

"But..."

She looked helplessly at Claire.

"Do I call him?"

"Or do I send a message first?"

"What if he doesn’t recognize the number?"

Claire considered it seriously.

"If you call immediately..."

"He probably won’t."

Vivienne nodded.

"That’s what I was thinking."

"And..." 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

She looked down at the phone again.

"I don’t even know what I’d say."

Claire looked at her in disbelief.

"You’re joking."

Vivienne looked up.

"What?"

"You stood in front of the entire Foundation Committee."

"You answered Lord Ashford’s questions."

"You defended your proposal in front of professors, nobles, and student leaders."

Vivienne smiled helplessly.

"That was different."

Claire tilted her head.

"How?"

"That was academic."

Vivienne glanced back down at the phone.

"...This is personal."

Claire opened her mouth.

Then paused.

After a moment...

"...Fair enough."

She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand.

"So..."

Vivienne looked up.

"So?"

"Write the message."

Vivienne blinked.

"...Now?"

Claire laughed.

"You practically walked across half of St. Albion looking for him."

"You finally got his number."

"When exactly were you planning to use it?"

Vivienne sighed.

"...Please don’t remind me."

"I thought that was my job."

Despite herself...

Vivienne laughed.

Then she opened the message screen.

Her fingers hovered uncertainly over the keypad.

She typed.

Hello, Anthony.

She stared at it.

"...Too abrupt."

Delete.

Claire smiled.

"You deleted it already."

"I panicked."

"I noticed."

Vivienne tried again.

Good evening, Lord Ashford.

She frowned.

"...Too formal."

Delete.

Another attempt.

Hello. This is Vivienne Beaumont.

She tilted her head.

"...Why does that sound like I’m introducing myself to a government office?"

Claire burst into laughter.

"It does."

"It really does."

Vivienne groaned.

"I knew it."

Delete.

Another.

Anthony...

Delete.

"...No."

Another.

Lord Ashford...

Delete.

"No..."

Claire had long since abandoned her textbook.

She sat comfortably on the bed, thoroughly entertained.

"How many drafts is that now?"

Vivienne counted silently.

"...Seven?"

"I think."

"I’ve already lost track."

She let out a long sigh before falling backward onto her bed.

Holding the phone above her face, she stared at the ceiling.

"...Why is this so difficult?"

Claire’s smile softened.

"Because you care."

The room fell quiet.

Vivienne looked silently at the ceiling.

Claire was right.

If this had been anyone else...

She would have sent a message without thinking twice.

But this was Anthony.

The person she had admired for so long.

Without warning...

Her thoughts drifted back to Friday afternoon.

Anthony.

Standing beside Evelyn.

Talking together so naturally.

Then...

The promise she had quietly made to herself afterward.

If I keep waiting...

Nothing will ever change.

Vivienne slowly sat upright.

She looked down at the phone in her hands.

Then smiled.

"...You’re right."

Claire tilted her head.

"Hm?"

"I promised myself."

"If I wanted things to change..."

"I had to take the first step."

She opened a fresh message.

This time...

She stopped trying to make it perfect.

Instead...

She simply wrote what she genuinely wanted to say.

Hello, Anthony. This is Vivienne. I hope I’m not disturbing you. Would it be all right if I gave you a call when you have a moment?

She read it once.

Then again.

"...I think this is the best I can do."

Claire leaned over to read it.

A smile spread across her face.

"I think that’s perfect."

Vivienne’s thumb hovered above the Send button.

For several long seconds...

She simply stared at it.

Her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears.

You promised yourself.

No more waiting.

Take one step.

She took one slow breath.

Then smiled to herself.

"...One step."

Her thumb pressed Send.

The message disappeared from the screen.

Sent.

For one stunned heartbeat...

Vivienne simply stared at her phone.

Then—

"Oh!"

She immediately grabbed the nearest pillow, buried her face in it, and let out a long, muffled scream.

"Mmmmmmmmm!"

Claire blinked.

Then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Vivienne!"

Another muffled groan escaped from beneath the pillow.

Claire laughed so hard that she had to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"I actually sent it..."

Vivienne’s voice came out barely audible through the pillow.

Claire couldn’t stop smiling.

"You did."

"And there’s no taking it back now."

A tiny whimper answered her.

"Mmm..."

--

Tbc