Chapter 248: week before midterms I
Vivienne woke Tuesday morning smiling.
For a few moments, she remained beneath the covers, remembering the previous night.
Christopher had called her.
They had talked for nearly an hour.
She could still remember the sound of his voice.
The way he had said her name.
The ease with which the conversation had continued, even after she had run out of things she had originally intended to say.
It had been wonderful.
Perhaps too wonderful.
Vivienne smiled into her pillow.
Then she finally got out of bed.
She dressed, washed, gathered her things, and reached for the books she had left untouched the night before.
She opened the first one.
Then the second.
Then looked at the pile of readings waiting on her desk.
Her smile slowly disappeared.
There was quite a lot.
She had intended to study last night.
She really had.
At some point.
Before she had texted Christopher.
And then he had called.
After that, studying had become remarkably difficult.
Vivienne sighed.
"I hate to break it to you, Vivienne..."
She picked up her notebook.
"...but midterms are coming."
Next week.
And suddenly, the reality of it seemed much more immediate.
She had readings to finish.
Notes to review.
Assignments to complete.
And several subjects that required considerably more attention than she had given them yesterday.
She glanced at her phone.
For a moment, she thought of Christopher.
Then she put it down.
No.
Not yet.
She needed to study.
She couldn’t afford to fail.
Getting herself kicked out of Saint Albion would be humiliating enough.
Getting kicked out just when her romantic life had finally become interesting would be even worse.
That would be unacceptable.
Vivienne gathered her books.
"Fine."
She sighed.
"Back to reality."
--
The rest of the day passed quickly.
Classes.
Notes.
Readings.
Discussions about the upcoming examinations.
The university seemed to have collectively remembered that midterms were only a week away.
Professors reminded students about examination coverage.
Students compared notes between classes.
The library was already becoming crowded.
Even Sports Fest, which had been one of the most talked-about things on campus only days earlier, had temporarily been pushed aside.
For now, everyone had more immediate concerns.
Vivienne understood.
She had enough work waiting for her to understand very well.
Even Evelyn seemed to have become more focused.
Unsurprisingly, she appeared to have already organized much of her preparation.
Vivienne had no intention of competing with her.
Not this week.
She had more important things to worry about.
She needed to pass.
She needed to stay at Saint Albion.
And preferably, she would like to keep the small and unexpectedly delightful development in her romantic life intact.
By evening, she had finally made enough progress to feel that she could breathe again.
Vivienne sat at her desk, reviewing the last few pages of her notes.
Then she thought of Christopher.
Just the thought of his name made her smile.
She picked up her phone.
She hesitated before typing.
Vivienne: Good evening, Christopher. I hope your day went well.
The reply didn’t come immediately.
Vivienne set her phone down and returned to her notes.
--
Christopher was sitting at his desk when his phone vibrated.
He didn’t reach for it immediately.
His textbook was open in front of him, several pages already covered with neat annotations.
There were still two sections he wanted to finish before the evening was over.
His phone vibrated again.
Christopher glanced at it.
He had received several messages throughout the afternoon.
A message from one of his friends.
Two from the Student Council.
Another from the publication society he belonged to.
His phone was rarely quiet for long.
He finished the paragraph he was reading before finally reaching for it.
Then he saw the name.
Vivienne.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
He opened the conversation.
Vivienne: Good evening, Christopher. I hope your day went well.
He read it again before replying.
Christopher: Good evening. It did, thank you. I hope yours did as well.
A few moments later, another message appeared.
Vivienne: It did. Although I think every professor has decided that we need to be reminded that midterms are next week.
Christopher smiled.
That sounded familiar.
His own professors had spent much of the day discussing exactly the same thing.
He replied.
Christopher: I believe they are concerned we might have forgotten.
Vivienne: Perhaps we did.
Her answer made him smile.
Christopher: Perhaps.
--
Vivienne smiled at the screen.
Then typed:
Vivienne: How was your day?
It took a minute for him to reply.
Christopher: Rather long. Most of my professors spent the day discussing the examinations.
Christopher: I suppose they are determined to make sure we are properly prepared.
Vivienne smiled.
Vivienne: That sounds exhausting.
Christopher: It was a little.
She looked at the clock.
Then at her books.
She hesitated before typing again.
Vivienne: Are you busy?
This time, his answer came after a slightly longer pause.
Christopher: A little. I’m reviewing some of my notes.
Then:
Christopher: I hope I’m not being discourteous by saying that I should probably return to them.
Vivienne smiled.
Vivienne: You’re not being discourteous at all.
She paused.
Vivienne: I’ll leave you to your studying, then. I should probably do the same.
Christopher: I think that’s wise.
A moment later:
Christopher: Good luck with your studying, Vivienne.
Her smile lingered.
Vivienne: You too, Christopher.
She placed her phone facedown.
For a moment, she simply looked at it.
It had only been a few messages.
Nothing remarkable.
No grand declaration.
No promise.
And yet she liked it.
She liked knowing how his day had gone.
She liked that he asked about hers.
She liked that even when they were both busy, they still found a few minutes for each other.
Vivienne turned back to her books.
Midterms were still coming.
And Christopher wasn’t going to take them for her.
Unfortunately.
She picked up her pen.
She was going to pass these examinations.
She had a reputation to maintain.
And, more importantly, a romantic life to protect.
--
Tbc