Chapter 204: oaks and barrels I

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: oaks and barrels I

"Several things happened."

Claire’s eyes widened.

"Several?"

Vivienne nodded solemnly.

"Several."

Amelia immediately hooked her arm through Vivienne’s.

"Then we’re having dinner."

Vivienne laughed.

"Right now?"

"Obviously."

"Where?"

"Somewhere outside campus," Amelia declared. "I refuse to spend another evening eating in the Foundation cafeteria."

Eleanor nodded in immediate agreement.

"Agreed."

Claire raised a hand.

"I second that."

Vivienne laughed.

"All right. Where do you want to go?"

Amelia opened her mouth, but Vivienne’s attention suddenly snagged on something else.

Christopher.

His last message came back to her with sudden clarity.

I’ll send you the name later. I have to go change first.

She still hadn’t replied.

Not because she had forgotten.

Quite the opposite.

She had thought about it several times.

But Damian confiscated her phone.

Now, she had a perfectly natural reason.

Vivienne reached into her bag for her phone.

Claire noticed immediately.

"Who are you texting?"

"Someone."

Claire’s eyes narrowed.

"Someone?"

Vivienne gave her an innocent smile and unlocked her phone.

Her fingers moved across the screen.

Vivienne: Good evening. Just got back to University Town from East Junction. How about you? By the way, what’s the name of the restaurant you told me about earlier?

She read it once.

Then sent it.

For a second, she simply stared at the screen.

Nothing.

Of course there was nothing.

He might not even be anywhere near his phone.

Vivienne slipped the phone into her hand rather than putting it completely away.

Amelia glanced at the phone in her hand.

"You’re waiting."

"I’m not."

"You absolutely are."

"I just sent a message."

"To whom?"

Vivienne looked at her.

There was no point hiding it.

"Christopher."

The three girls exchanged a look.

Claire’s smile grew enormous.

"Oh."

Vivienne immediately laughed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You’re making a face."

"We’re not making a face."

"You are."

Eleanor laughed.

"Just let her text."

She was about to put her phone away when—

It vibrated.

Vivienne immediately looked down.

--

Christopher was sitting at a card table with several of his friends when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He glanced down at the cards in his hand.

Then toward his pocket.

"Your turn," Marcus reminded him.

"I know."

Christopher pulled out his phone.

A message from Vivienne.

His expression softened almost immediately.

He opened it.

Good evening. Just got back to University Town from East Junction. How about you? By the way, what’s the name of the restaurant you told me about earlier?

He smiled.

Marcus noticed immediately.

"Who is it?"

"No one."

Marcus stared at him.

"That smile says otherwise."

Christopher ignored him.

He read the message once more.

He typed.

Christopher: Good evening. That’s nice to know. I’m at the club with the others. We had lunch at Oaks & Barrels earlier.

He sent it.

Marcus leaned back in his chair.

"Definitely someone."

Christopher slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"Are you playing or not?"

Marcus grinned.

"Now I’m interested in winning."

"You were interested before."

"Not nearly as much."

The others laughed.

Christopher shook his head and picked up his cards.

"Just play."

Marcus glanced at him again.

Christopher was already looking at his hand.

But there was still a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

--

Vivienne read the message.

Oaks & Barrels.

She stared at the name for a moment.

Then looked up.

"Actually..."

Amelia turned toward her.

"What?"

Vivienne held up her phone.

"Can we have dinner at Oaks & Barrels?"

Amelia stopped walking.

Claire blinked.

Eleanor, predictably, got straight to the important question.

"Do you know the way?"

Vivienne’s smile faltered.

"No."

Eleanor looked at her.

"Then why that restaurant?"

Vivienne hesitated for half a second.

There was no particularly convincing way to explain it.

So she didn’t try.

"Christopher had lunch there earlier."

The reaction was immediate.

Claire grabbed her arm.

"You’re going there because Christopher went there?"

"No!"

Vivienne burst out laughing.

"We were already going out to dinner!"

"You had no idea where we were going two minutes ago."

Vivienne opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

The three girls stared at her.

She sighed.

"Fine."

A smile tugged at her lips.

"Maybe I was influenced."

"Influenced," Claire repeated.

"Very subtly," Vivienne said.

Eleanor shook her head.

"You’re hopeless."

"I know."

And, really, she wasn’t even embarrassed about it.

She had wanted to know where Christopher had gone for lunch. Now she knew.

And if the restaurant happened to be where they were going for dinner anyway...

Well.

There was nothing wrong with that.

Vivienne looked back down at her phone.

A second thought occurred to her.

She typed quickly.

Vivienne: Then I’ll have dinner there with my friends. I’ll give you a review of it later. Hehe.

She sent it.

The reply came sooner than she expected.

Christopher: I don’t think you’ll particularly enjoy it, but do let me know.

Vivienne laughed softly.

She could practically hear his voice saying it.

There was something almost deliberately provocative about the way he had phrased it.

I don’t think you’ll particularly enjoy it.

As if he already knew what she liked.

She smiled and typed back.

Vivienne: Okay, I’m on the way there with my friends now. Text you later!

She sent it before she could overthink it.

Then she put her phone away.

Claire was staring at her.

"You’re smiling."

Vivienne blinked.

"Am I?"

"Yes."

"Maybe I had a good day."

"Mm-hm."

Amelia laughed.

--

Christopher’s phone vibrated again.

He pulled it out while the others were still arguing over the next hand.

Okay, I’m on the way there with my friends now. Text you later!

He chuckled.

Marcus immediately noticed.

"There it is again."

Christopher looked up.

"What?"

"That smile."

Christopher slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Play your cards."

Marcus laughed.

"Whoever she is, she’s got you distracted."

"She doesn’t."

"You’ve checked your phone twice during one hand."

"I was checking the time."

Marcus stared at him.

"Sure."

Christopher gave him a flat look.

The others laughed.

He picked up his cards again.

But the faint smile remained.

He couldn’t quite get rid of it.

--

Oaks & Barrels was already lively by the time the girls arrived.

Music played softly beneath the constant hum of conversation. Large screens mounted around the room showed sports broadcasts, their changing light flickering across the walls. Wooden tables filled most of the dining area, and warm overhead lights gave the place a comfortable, slightly rustic atmosphere.

It was busy without being overwhelming.

Casual.

Lively.

And, to Vivienne’s surprise, rather charming.

She looked around.

"Oh."

Amelia smiled.

"This is actually nice."

"I told you."

Claire turned to her.

"You had never been here."

Vivienne paused.

"I knew Christopher ate here."

Claire groaned.

"There she goes again."

Vivienne laughed.

"All right, all right."

They found a table toward the back and settled into their seats.

Vivienne looked around once more.

It wasn’t somewhere she would have immediately chosen herself.

But she liked it.

There was something easy about the atmosphere. Nobody seemed particularly concerned with appearances. Students were gathered around tables, talking loudly over one another, watching the games on the screens, and sharing food.

And, apparently, Christopher liked it.

That thought alone made her smile.

Claire caught it.

"Okay."

Vivienne looked at her.

"Okay what?"

"You’re smiling again."

Vivienne laughed.

"Fine."

She leaned back.

"You wanted to know what happened."

The three girls immediately leaned closer.

"Yes."

"Everything."

Vivienne looked at them.

Then smiled.

"All right."

She had been waiting for this all day.

And now she was finally going to tell them.

"First..."

She paused dramatically.

"Damian likes me."