Chapter 78: the way back

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: the way back

The meeting concluded not long afterward.

For a few quiet moments...

No one hurried to leave.

The conference table that had been filled with maps, reports, and notebooks throughout the afternoon gradually returned to order.

Documents were sorted.

Folders closed.

Pens tucked away.

Just then...

Mrs. Margaret Collins returned.

Her gaze swept across the room before settling on the six students.

A gentle smile appeared.

"It seems you’ve made excellent progress."

Vivienne rose slightly.

"I think we’ve found a good place to begin."

Mrs. Collins nodded approvingly.

"I’m glad."

"The Foundation has been fortunate to work with many dedicated student volunteers over the years."

She looked around the table.

"I hope this project becomes something you’re all proud of."

"I think it will," Sophia answered softly.

Mrs. Collins smiled once more before excusing herself, leaving the students to finish organizing their materials.

Oliver slipped his notebook into his satchel.

"I’ll prepare the bakery shortlist before Thursday."

Peter gathered the transportation maps.

"I’ll compare them with the bakery locations and email everyone my notes."

Jessica secured the partnership records inside her folder.

"I’ll contact the Partnership Office during the week and confirm which coordinators will be available next Saturday."

Sophia closed her notebook.

"I’ll finish organizing the community summaries."

Vivienne smiled at each of them.

"I’ll review everything again after classes."

"And prepare an agenda for our field visit."

Peter nodded.

"That should make Saturday much smoother."

Then, as everyone prepared to leave, he suddenly paused.

"...Before we go."

The others looked toward him.

"We should probably exchange contact numbers."

Oliver blinked.

"...Right."

Sophia laughed softly.

"I can’t believe none of us thought of that earlier."

One by one...

Mobile phones appeared.

Numbers were exchanged.

Peter.

Jessica.

Oliver.

Sophia.

Finally...

Vivienne looked toward Damian.

He happened to be looking back.

For the briefest moment...

Neither of them moved.

Then...

Almost at the same time...

A knowing smile appeared.

Peter looked between the two.

"...Already exchanged?"

Vivienne smiled.

"Just recently."

Damian gave a small nod.

"We’re covered."

"That certainly makes things easier."

A few quiet laughs followed before everyone finished saving the remaining numbers.

Peter slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Then..."

"I suppose we’ll see each other next Friday."

Vivienne nodded.

"I think it’d be best if we met once more before the field visit."

"Just to finalize the itinerary."

Jessica agreed.

"It’ll save us time on Saturday."

Oliver smiled.

"And it’ll give us one last chance to catch anything we’ve overlooked."

Sophia nodded.

"Friday after our club activities?"

Everyone agreed.

Damian spoke.

"We can review the schedule."

"Confirm appointments."

"And make any final adjustments before the visit."

Vivienne smiled.

"Perfect."

"Then Friday after clubs."

Oliver left first.

Then Peter.

Jessica and Sophia followed soon after.

Before long...

Only Vivienne and Damian remained.

Damian picked up the last notebook from the table.

"Are you heading back to St. Albion?"

"I was planning to."

"So am I."

A comfortable silence settled between them.

Then, almost naturally...

They left the Community Partnership Office together.

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the Foundation’s spacious lobby.

Employees quietly finished the last of their work.

Visitors gradually made their way toward the main entrance.

The building had begun settling into the peaceful rhythm that came at the end of every working day.

As they crossed the polished marble floor...

Vivienne’s gaze drifted almost instinctively toward the corridor leading to the Executive Wing.

Anthony’s office lay somewhere beyond it.

She knew perfectly well...

At this hour...

He was almost certainly still working.

A small smile tugged gently at her lips.

...I wonder if he’s still buried under paperwork.

The thought lingered only for a moment.

Then she quietly looked away.

There was no reason to interrupt him.

Besides...

She had work of her own now.

Beside her...

Damian noticed the brief glance.

Ordinarily...

He would have teased her.

The familiar words surfaced almost automatically.

Looking for Anthony?

Yet...

They remained unspoken.

He found, somewhat unexpectedly...

That he simply didn’t feel like saying them.

He couldn’t have explained why.

The thought appeared...

Then quietly slipped away.

Without another word...

He matched her pace as they stepped outside.

A cool breeze greeted them.

Ahead...

The familiar road stretched back toward St. Albion University.

For a little while...

Neither of them spoke.

After spending an entire afternoon working side by side...

The silence felt surprisingly comfortable.

At last...

Vivienne smiled to herself.

"...Today was fun."

Damian glanced at her.

"Fun?"

She laughed quietly.

"I learned a lot."

"I wasn’t expecting leading a project to be this enjoyable."

She looked ahead.

"Although..."

"I also realized something."

"What?"

She smiled sheepishly.

"I think everyone in that room was smarter than me."

Damian considered her words for a moment.

"They’re specialists."

"Each of them has experience in a different field."

A brief pause.

"So do you."

Vivienne looked at him.

"...Do I?"

He nodded.

"Peter understands logistics."

"Jessica notices administration."

"Oliver analyzes opportunities."

"Sophia organizes information."

"They each contributed their expertise."

His gaze remained on the road ahead.

"You brought those perspectives together."

"You listened."

"You organized them."

"And you gave them direction."

Another quiet pause.

"I’d say that’s the more difficult role."

Vivienne blinked.

She hadn’t expected that answer.

Nor had she expected it to come from Damian.

A warm smile slowly appeared.

"...Thank you."

They continued walking for several quiet moments.

The late afternoon breeze stirred the trees lining the avenue back toward St. Albion.

Then...

Vivienne spoke again.

"...Can I tell you something?"

Damian glanced at her.

"Of course."

She smiled faintly.

"I think..."

"...you made today much easier than it could have been."

He looked at her quietly.

"You already knew most of those answers."

"The departments."

"The records."

"The procedures."

She let out a small laugh.

"I could tell."

Another few steps passed.

"I think..."

"...if you had wanted to..."

"...you could probably have finished half the afternoon’s work by yourself."

Damian said nothing.

"But you didn’t."

"You stayed beside me."

"You answered every question."

"And every time I thought I’d overlooked something..."

"...you simply pointed me in the right direction."

She looked ahead.

"...Thank you."

"It couldn’t have been the most efficient way to spend your afternoon."

For a brief moment...

Only the sound of their footsteps filled the quiet road.

Then Damian smiled.

"...Efficiency isn’t always the objective."

Vivienne looked at him.

"No?"

He shook his head.

"Not when you’re trying to help someone learn."

A brief pause.

"My responsibility isn’t to do the work for you."

"It’s to make sure you have everything you need to do it yourself."

His gaze remained on the road ahead.

"And besides..."

"I think you did rather well today."

Vivienne couldn’t help smiling.

"So..."

"We’ve been encouraging each other all afternoon."

Damian actually thought about that.

For a moment...

He said nothing.

Then...

A small smile appeared.

"...I suppose we have."

The two of them laughed quietly.

Not because anything particularly amusing had been said.

But because...

Somehow...

The observation felt surprisingly accurate.

Their conversation gradually faded back into silence.

The university gates came into view ahead.

Neither of them noticed...

Just how much shorter the walk back had seemed.

--

To be continued