Chapter 292: back in her dorm I

Chapter 292: Chapter 292: back in her dorm I

Vivienne walked slowly toward the dormitory.

Her thoughts refused to settle.

Christopher had been perfectly pleasant.

Perfectly gracious.

And somehow, that was what bothered her most.

She had wanted him to ask.

She had wanted him to look disappointed.

She had wanted some indication that what happened between them mattered to him.

Instead, he had simply listened.

Then walked her home.

Then said goodbye.

I’ll see you around.

Vivienne frowned.

She didn’t like those words.

Not at all.

The dormitory was unusually quiet when she stepped inside.

Most of the students were still out celebrating. The Sports Fest had kept everyone busy throughout the day, and the festivities had continued well into the evening. Groups of students had gone to parties, others had gathered around the campus grounds, and very few seemed interested in returning to their rooms yet.

The usual sounds of the dormitory were missing.

No laughter spilling from open doors.

No girls calling to one another from down the corridor.

No footsteps rushing past.

Only the faint hum of the lights overhead.

Claire wasn’t there.

Neither were most of the others.

Vivienne walked along the quiet corridor, her footsteps strangely loud against the floor.

She reached her room, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Darkness greeted her.

She closed the door behind her and stood there for a moment.

Then she let out a long breath.

What was she doing?

She had been so happy earlier.

Anthony had told her he wanted her.

Actually wanted her.

After everything.

She had spent years loving that man.

Years imagining him.

Years knowing him as the male lead of the story she had once read and loved.

Of course hearing those words had made her happy.

Of course it had.

She had been practically floating.

But then—

Christopher.

Her stomach tightened.

Why did she feel like this?

Why did Christopher’s quiet goodbye bother her more than she wanted to admit?

Vivienne walked over to her bed and sat down.

The room was so quiet she could hear the faint ticking of the clock on the wall.

She stared at the floor.

Maybe she had only been confused because Anthony had stirred up all those old feelings.

Maybe that was it.

She had loved him for so long.

Perhaps hearing him finally say he wanted her had simply made all of that come rushing back.

But then why—

Why did the thought of losing Christopher make her chest hurt?

Vivienne covered her face.

"Oh, no."

She dropped her hands.

She had been thinking she could simply take her time.

Think about Anthony.

See where things went with Christopher.

Perhaps keep Damian somewhere in the background until she figured everything out.

What had she been thinking?

She couldn’t have all three.

And she certainly couldn’t keep Christopher waiting while she decided whether Anthony was suddenly worth going back to.

Her mind flashed back to the restaurant.

Anthony sitting beside Evelyn.

Evelyn still there.

And Anthony had just told her he wanted her.

Vivienne stared blankly ahead.

"What am I doing?"

She groaned and fell backward onto the bed.

No.

No, no, no.

She didn’t want to lose Christopher.

That was the problem.

She had only just realized it.

And now she was terrified that she had already ruined whatever had been growing between them.

Maybe Christopher thought she was going back to Anthony.

Maybe he thought she had chosen Anthony.

Maybe—

Vivienne sat upright.

She needed to do something.

Anything.

Her eyes immediately went to the phone lying beside her.

She picked it up.

She knew Christopher would probably be on his way back by now.

Or perhaps he had gone somewhere else.

Maybe he was with friends.

She didn’t know.

And she suddenly hated that she didn’t know.

She opened her messages.

Christopher’s name was there.

She stared at it.

Three weeks of messages filled the screen.

Little jokes.

Random thoughts.

Questions that had turned into conversations lasting far longer than either of them intended.

Good morning messages.

Goodnight messages.

Things she had never expected to share with him.

Vivienne smiled faintly.

Then the smile faded.

She opened a new message and began typing:

Thank you for tonight.

She stopped.

Deleted it.

She tried again.

I’m sorry about what happened.

Delete.

Another attempt.

I don’t want you to think—

She stopped.

Absolutely not.

Delete.

Vivienne sighed.

"What am I supposed to say?"

She stared at the blank screen.

Her thumb hovered over the keypad.

Then—

Bzzzt.

Vivienne jumped.

Her heart immediately leaped.

Christopher?

She looked at the screen.

A message from Damian.

Then she noticed another unread message from him, sent earlier.

She opened both.

Damian:What are you doing?

Then,

Damian:Where are you?

She blinked.

For a moment, she considered replying Damian.

But... she didn’t want to deal with anything else tonight.

Not now.

Not when she was still thinking about Christopher.

She was about to set the phone aside when it began to ring.

Vivienne froze.

She looked at the screen.

Damian calling.

"Oh, come on..."

The phone continued ringing.

She stared at it for another second.

Then, reluctantly, she answered.

"Hello?"

--

(Damian POV)

When Anthony stood from the table, Damian’s attention sharpened.

He watched his cousin cross the restaurant toward Vivienne and Christopher.

Then Anthony reached them.

Damian couldn’t hear what was said, but he saw the way Anthony reached across the table and caught Vivienne by the wrist.

Vivienne froze.

Christopher immediately straightened.

For a moment, the three of them remained like that.

Then Anthony loosened his grip.

He said something to Christopher.

Whatever it was, Damian couldn’t hear it.

A moment later, Anthony turned toward Vivienne.

They exchanged a few words.

Then the two of them walked out of the restaurant together.

Damian watched them disappear through the doors.

He should have stayed where he was.

He knew that.

He had no reason to follow.

No right to know what Anthony wanted to say to her.

And yet, a few seconds later, Damian pushed his chair back.

He didn’t tell anyone where he was going.

He simply stepped outside.

He kept his distance as he followed them toward the garden.

It was impolite.

It was intrusive.

He knew exactly that.

But he couldn’t make himself turn around.

He stopped behind one of the stone columns near the edge of the retaurant’s patio.

From there, he could hear them clearly.

Anthony was the first to speak.

"I want you back."

Damian’s expression tightened.

He watched Vivienne stare at him.

Anthony continued.

"I know I don’t have the right to ask you for anything after what I said before. But I can’t stand the thought of seeing you with another man."

Damian looked at Vivienne.

She had gone very still.

Then her cheeks began to turn pink.

A tiny smile appeared on her lips.

Damian’s jaw tightened.

She liked hearing that.

Of course she did.

Vivienne looked away, then back at Anthony.

"Are you serious?"

"Completely."

Her expression changed again.

She laughed softly.

Not mockingly.

She looked almost shy.

Damian looked away for a moment.

He shouldn’t be watching this.

But he stayed.

Then Vivienne spoke.

"I don’t really know what to say."

Anthony told her she didn’t have to answer immediately.

She hesitated.

Then she admitted that if he had said this to her a few weeks ago, she might have said yes.

Damian’s eyes returned to her.

But things had changed.

Vivienne told Anthony that she had met people.

That she had gotten to know people.

Then she said—

"There is someone I like."

Damian went still.

Someone.

For one brief, stupid second, hope flickered.

Then Anthony asked,

"Christopher?"

Vivienne looked at him.

"Yes."

Damian’s expression emptied.

Christopher.

Of course.

He listened as Vivienne explained that she wasn’t with Christopher—not really.

But she liked him.

And she wanted to see where things went.

Damian stared at the ground.

So that was it.

Not him.

Christopher.

Damian swallowed.

Then Vivienne said something that hurt even more.

"I can’t simply say yes."

Anthony asked her what she wanted.

She didn’t know.

She needed time.

Damian listened to every word.

He heard her tell Anthony that she cared about him.

That she had loved him for a very long time.

That hearing him say he wanted her affected her.

And then Anthony told her—

"I can give you that."

Damian closed his eyes briefly.

Fine.

Anthony was waiting.

Christopher was the man she wanted to explore something with.

And Damian?

Nothing.

Not even a mention.

He was simply the man she slept with.

A friend with benefits.

That was all.

He knew that.

He had always known that.

So why the hell did it hurt?

He remained where he was until Vivienne finally turned back toward the restaurant.

Damian waited.

He should have gone inside.

Instead, he stayed outside.

Then, not long after, Christopher appeared with Vivienne.

Damian watched them begin walking toward the dormitory.

He told himself he wasn’t following them.

He followed them anyway.

He stayed far enough behind that neither noticed him.

The conversation between them was quieter this time, but Damian could see the difference.

Christopher wasn’t angry.

He wasn’t demanding an explanation.

He wasn’t trying to convince Vivienne to choose him.

He was simply becoming more distant.

And Vivienne noticed.

She kept glancing at him.

She looked unsettled.

By the time they reached the dormitory, Damian could see it clearly.

She didn’t want Christopher to pull away.

Christopher said goodnight.

Then he left.

Vivienne remained there, watching him disappear down the path.

Damian stood in the shadows.

He didn’t know what to feel.

Anthony hadn’t gotten her.

Christopher hadn’t exactly kept her.

And yet Damian didn’t feel relieved.

Because he had seen Vivienne’s face when Christopher walked away.

She was hurt.

She cared.

Damian dragged a hand through his hair.

What the hell was he doing?

He had followed her.

He had listened to a private conversation.

Then followed her again.

He had no claim on her.

He knew that.

But he was jealous.

God, he was jealous.

And now he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Damian pulled out his phone.

He stared at the screen.

His first message was still there.

What are you doing?

He had sent it nearly three hours ago.

Vivienne hadn’t replied.

Damian frowned.

Three hours.

He knew she had seen her phone earlier. She always carried it with her.

Maybe she had been busy.

Maybe she hadn’t noticed.

Or maybe—

He stopped himself.

There was no point guessing.

He typed another message.

Where are you?

He sent it.

Nothing.

Damian stared at the screen for several seconds.

No reply.

He exhaled through his nose.

Fine.

He could wait.

Except he didn’t want to.

He pressed the call button.

The phone rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then—

"Hello?"

--

Tbc