Chapter 216: pool party VI

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: pool party VI

Across the conservatory, Anthony remained where he was.

His gaze followed Vivienne as she climbed out of the pool.

Her golden hair was soaked, strands clinging to her shoulders and the sides of her face. Water ran down her skin as she pushed her hair back, still laughing from the fall.

Anthony’s eyes lingered.

He knew better than to let them.

But after the realization he’d already been forced to confront, seeing her like this only made ignoring it more difficult.

Then Fred climbed out behind her.

He said something.

Vivienne laughed.

Anthony’s jaw tightened.

The young man was clearly flirting with her.

And Vivienne wasn’t exactly discouraging him.

She smiled.

Laughed.

Played along.

Anthony looked away.

Unbecoming.

The word came automatically.

But this time, he didn’t bother trying to convince himself that was all it was.

He knew better now.

His eyes returned to Vivienne.

She looked perfectly at ease.

And, for one brief moment, Anthony considered walking over.

The impulse was immediate.

He could simply go to her.

Say something.

Stand beside her.

Then he stopped.

No.

If she was trying to make him jealous, he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

And if she wasn’t, approaching her now would be worse.

She might think he’d changed his mind.

That the sight of her with other men had finally swayed him.

Anthony straightened.

He had spent years keeping his distance precisely to avoid giving Vivienne false hope.

He wasn’t going to undo that now.

So he stayed where he was.

His gaze lingered for another moment before he deliberately looked away.

Whatever Vivienne intended by being here, he would not react to it.

At least, he would not let her know if he did.

--

Vivienne glanced toward the pool.

The next game was already being prepared.

But her attention wandered.

Damian was there, but the question was, had he actually seen her?

Perhaps he had.

Perhaps he hadn’t.

Either way, she found herself smiling faintly at the thought.

It was ridiculous.

She had only been playing along with Fred because she knew Damian might be watching.

And now she was wondering whether he had.

She looked away.

Never mind.

If he was here, he’d make himself known.

She turned back toward Claire.

The music suddenly faded.

The host climbed onto the platform again.

"All right, everyone!"

The crowd quieted.

"We’ve had enough people getting wet by accident."

Laughter spread through the conservatory.

"So let’s see how many of you are willing to get wet on purpose."

The crowd cheered.

The host gestured toward the center of the pool.

"Next game!"

A large rope was carried out by several assistants.

Vivienne raised an eyebrow.

"Oh."

Claire looked at it.

"Tug-of-war?"

"Exactly!"

The host grinned.

"We’re doing teams this time!"

Several students immediately began calling out to their friends.

"You’ll need ten people per team!"

Amelia immediately turned toward George.

"Should we?"

George smiled.

"Absolutely."

Claire looked at Tom.

"Are you joining?"

Tom laughed.

"After getting soaked in the last round? Of course."

Fred glanced toward Vivienne.

"What about you?"

Vivienne smiled.

"Why not?"

"Good."

George gathered them together.

"All right. Let’s go."

Amelia.

George.

Claire.

Tom.

Vivienne.

Fred.

They made their way toward the starting area.

The host called for everyone to take their positions.

The group began forming two lines on either side of the rope.

Vivienne stood near the middle of her team.

Claire was a few places ahead with Tom, while Fred took the position directly behind Vivienne.

She adjusted her grip on the rope and glanced toward the opposing team.

They looked serious.

Vivienne smiled.

This was going to be fun.

Then—

"Excuse me."

She stopped.

She definitely recognized that voice.

For one ridiculous second, she almost laughed.

She had been wondering when he would approach if ever he has seen her, and apparently she hadn’t needed to wonder for long.

She schooled her expression to that of surprise. Then, she turned.

And there he was.

Damian Blackwood.

Up close.

She immediately put on an expression of pleasant surprise.

"Ohhh."

Her eyes widened.

"Damian."

She smiled brightly.

"I didn’t know you were here!"

Damian gave her a small smile.

"I arrived earlier."

Vivienne glanced briefly toward the group.

"Oh, I see..."

Then her gaze returned to him.

And this time, she allowed herself to actually look.

Earlier, she’d only caught glimpses of him from across the conservatory.

Now he was standing directly in front of her.

He wore dark swim trunks that sat low at his waist, leaving his upper body completely bare.

His shoulders were broad.

His chest and abdomen were defined from years of training, and his arms looked particularly solid without sleeves hiding them.

His dark hair was slightly damp, a few strands falling naturally across his forehead.

Vivienne’s eyes lingered for a fraction longer than they should have.

Oh.

He looked very good.

Much better up close.

She had known Damian was handsome.

She had known he had an impressive physique.

But apparently knowing something intellectually and seeing it directly in front of you were two entirely different things.

Vivienne quickly brought her gaze back to his face.

Damian had noticed.

Of course he had.

Damian could feel heat rising to his cheeks so he shifted his attention to Fred.

"Would you mind if I took your place?"

Fred blinked.

His eyes moved from Damian to Vivienne.

Then back again.

There was a brief pause.

Apparently, the rumors weren’t entirely new to him either.

Fred shrugged.

"Not at all."

He stepped out of line.

"Good luck."

Damian nodded.

"Thanks."

Fred moved toward the back of the group.

Vivienne watched him go for a moment before turning back toward Damian.

"So you really are joining?"

"I am."

She smiled.

"That’s unexpected."

Damian raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I thought you weren’t interested in these games."

"I changed my mind."

Vivienne’s smile widened.

"Because?"

Damian hesitated for the briefest moment.

"Julian convinced me."

Vivienne hummed.

"Of course."

She turned back toward the rope.

"Well, I’m glad you changed your mind."

Damian stepped into Fred’s former position.

"Are you?"

Vivienne glanced over her shoulder.

Their eyes met.

She smiled.

"Maybe."

Damian’s expression softened.

"Maybe?"

"You’ll have to win first."

He gave a quiet laugh.

"That’s your condition?"

"For now."

She turned forward again, but she couldn’t quite suppress her smile.

Damian positioned himself behind her, reaching for the rope.

Vivienne became suddenly aware of how close he was.

Not touching.

Not quite.

But close enough that she could feel his presence behind her.

She tightened her grip.

This was exactly what she had been hoping might happen.

And somehow, now that it actually had, she had to resist the urge to laugh.

Across the pool, the host raised his microphone.

"All right, everyone!"

The crowd quieted.

"Both teams ready?"

A chorus of cheers answered him.

"Grab the rope!"

The teams tightened their grips.

Vivienne planted her feet.

Behind her, Damian shifted his stance.

The rope pulled taut.

The host grinned.

"Ready!"

The crowd began shouting.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

The whistle shrieked.

Both teams pulled at once.

--

Tbc