Chapter 209: across the restaurant I

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: across the restaurant I

By the time Claire and Amelia reached the university gymnasium, fencing practice had already been underway for some time.

The large multipurpose hall was livelier than it had been earlier that morning. Students had begun gathering around the pistes, some watching from the benches while others waited for their turn.

Claire spotted Vivienne almost immediately.

She nudged Amelia.

"There." ℴ

Amelia followed her gaze.

Vivienne was sitting along one of the benches, perfectly still.

Her eyes, however, were anything but still.

They were fixed on the piste.

More specifically, on one particular fencer.

Amelia’s lips curved.

"Oh."

Claire laughed softly.

They walked over.

Vivienne didn’t notice them.

She was too busy watching Christopher move.

He had been fencing for several rounds now, and somehow, despite the fact that Vivienne understood almost nothing about the sport, she hadn’t been able to look away.

Every time he moved, her attention followed.

Every time he removed his mask during a break, her eyes found him immediately.

And when he pushed his platinum hair back from his forehead with one hand, she forgot entirely that she was supposed to be pretending she understood what was happening on the piste.

Claire sat beside her.

Amelia took the seat on Vivienne’s other side.

Still, Vivienne didn’t notice.

Claire leaned closer.

"Close your mouth."

Vivienne blinked.

"What?"

Claire pointed discreetly toward her face.

"You’re going to start drooling."

Vivienne immediately shut her mouth.

Her eyes widened.

"I was not."

"You absolutely were."

Amelia covered her laugh.

"You’ve been staring at him for at least ten minutes."

"I was watching the match."

Claire looked toward the piste.

"Of course."

Vivienne straightened.

"I am."

"Then tell me what just happened."

Vivienne glanced toward the fencers.

There was a brief silence.

"...He won."

Claire burst out laughing.

"You don’t even know what he did."

"I know he won."

"That isn’t the same thing."

Vivienne crossed her arms.

"I don’t need to understand every detail to appreciate the sport."

Amelia looked at her.

"The sport?"

Vivienne paused.

"...Yes."

Claire leaned back, thoroughly entertained.

"All right."

She looked toward Christopher.

"He certainly seems to be making you appreciate it."

Vivienne tried to glare at her.

It didn’t work.

Her eyes drifted back toward the piste.

Christopher was speaking to one of his teammates.

Even from a distance, he seemed completely at ease.

He laughed at something the other man said.

Vivienne smiled without realizing it.

Claire noticed.

She nudged Amelia.

"She’s gone again."

"I can see that."

Vivienne finally looked at them.

"You two are terrible."

"We’re not the ones staring."

"I am watching."

"Yes."

Claire nodded solemnly.

"Very academically."

Vivienne rolled her eyes.

But she couldn’t stop smiling.

The three women remained there through the rest of practice.

Vivienne occasionally tried to follow the fencing itself.

She genuinely did.

But every time Christopher stepped onto the piste, her attention inevitably returned to him.

Eventually, practice began winding down.

Fencers removed their masks and gathered their equipment.

Christopher was immediately surrounded by several teammates.

Vivienne watched him from her seat.

He was laughing with them now, his fencing jacket partly unzipped, platinum hair slightly disheveled from practice.

Then, as though sensing her gaze, he looked across the gymnasium.

Their eyes met.

Vivienne froze.

Christopher smiled.

Not broadly.

Just a small, familiar smile.

He lifted his hand slightly in acknowledgment.

Vivienne smiled back.

She couldn’t help it.

Then Christopher turned back toward his teammates.

Claire looked at her.

"Oh, you’re hopeless."

Vivienne ignored her.

"He said goodbye."

"He didn’t say anything."

"He looked at me."

"That is not saying goodbye."

"It was implied."

Amelia laughed.

"Come on."

They gathered their things and eventually left the gymnasium.

--

The three girls chose a small restaurant just outside the university grounds, the kind of place that was popular with students because it was close enough to campus to walk to, but quiet enough to feel removed from it.

The interior was warm and inviting, with dark wooden tables, soft pendant lights, and large windows overlooking the street.

Their table was tucked into a long upholstered bench along the wall, partially screened from the entrance by a decorative partition.

It was comfortable and well positioned. Those entering the restaurant wouldn’t immediately see them.

Eleanor had said she’d meet them there after changing out of her fencing gear.

So they waited.

They ordered drinks first and spent the next several minutes talking about the morning.

The fencing practice naturally became the main subject.

Or, more accurately, Vivienne’s complete inability to understand fencing despite having spent several hours watching it.

The conversation eventually drifted toward the approaching midterms, the sports fest, and Amelia’s invitation to the afternoon pool party.

Vivienne listened, laughed, and contributed when appropriate.

But every so often, her mind wandered.

Back to the gymnasium.

Back to Christopher sitting beside her.

Back to his voice.

She caught herself smiling once and immediately took a sip of her drink.

Claire noticed.

She said nothing.

She merely smiled.

Vivienne gave her a warning look.

Claire’s smile widened.

A few minutes later, the bell above the restaurant door chimed.

All three women looked up automatically.

Not Eleanor.

A couple walked inside.

The door closed.

They returned to their conversation.

A few minutes later, the bell chimed again.

Again, they looked.

Still no Eleanor.

"She’s taking forever," Claire muttered.

Amelia laughed.

"She probably had to change, shower, and do whatever athletes do after practice."

Vivienne glanced toward the entrance.

"I’ll text her."

She reached for her phone.

Then the bell chimed again.

Vivienne looked up without thinking.

And froze.

A group of young men had just entered the restaurant.

She recognized several of them immediately.

Fencers.

And among them—

Christopher.

Her breath caught.

He hadn’t seen her.

He was walking beside his friends, talking casually, completely unaware that she was sitting only a few meters away, hidden from the entrance by the partition.

Vivienne stared.

He had changed out of his fencing gear.

A dark shirt.

His hair still slightly tousled from practice.

He looked effortlessly handsome.

Her heart began beating faster.

Oh.

Of all the restaurants in University Town...

This one?

Claire noticed the sudden change in her expression.

She followed Vivienne’s gaze.

Her eyebrows rose.

Amelia turned too.

Then both women looked back at Vivienne.

Vivienne didn’t say anything.

She simply watched Christopher as he and his friends moved farther into the restaurant.

And, despite herself, a small smile appeared on her lips.

She hadn’t planned this.

At least...

Not this time.

-- tbc