Chapter 249: week before midterms II
Wednesday
Wednesday morning, Vivienne woke earlier than usual.
She glanced at the clock.
Christopher’s first class wasn’t until later.
He was probably still asleep.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
She wondered what he would think when he eventually woke up and found a message from her waiting in his inbox.
Maybe he would smile.
She liked that thought.
Vivienne picked up her phone and typed:
Good morning! Rise and shine! Hope you have a great day ahead.
She sent the message.
Then she placed her phone back on the table.
She didn’t expect a reply.
Not yet.
She had a class herself.
By the time Christopher woke up, she would probably already be sitting in a lecture.
That was fine.
She simply liked the thought of him seeing it.
--
Christopher woke a little later.
His phone was sitting on the bedside table.
He picked it up while getting ready for the day and checked his messages.
There were a few waiting.
One was from a friend.
Another concerned something he had to attend to later that week.
Then he saw Vivienne’s name.
He opened her message.
Good morning! Rise and shine! Hope you have a great day ahead.
Christopher smiled.
She had sent it quite early.
He looked at the time.
𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
She was probably already in class.
He typed a reply.
Good morning, Vivienne. Thank you. I hope you have a great day as well.
He sent it before putting his phone away.
--
It was nearly lunchtime when Vivienne finally checked her phone.
She had spent the entire morning in class.
She wasn’t expecting anything in particular.
Then she saw Christopher’s reply.
Her eyes immediately brightened.
Good morning, Vivienne. Thank you. I hope you have a great day as well.
She smiled.
He had replied.
And somehow, knowing that he had seen her message made her happy.
She didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she looked at the time.
Lunch.
She wondered whether he had eaten yet.
Vivienne typed:
Hello, studying is important but don’t forget lunch!
She sent it.
Then slipped her phone back into her bag.
She didn’t expect another reply right away.
Christopher had classes.
She had classes.
They would answer each other when they had the time.
She liked that.
--
Christopher didn’t see the message until later.
He had been moving between classes and had only checked his phone once he finally had a quiet moment.
He saw Vivienne’s message.
Hello, studying is important but don’t forget lunch!
He smiled.
He had been about to go eat anyway.
Still, it was oddly pleasant to know that someone had thought to remind him.
He typed:
I won’t. Thank you. Have you had lunch?
He sent it.
Then put his phone away.
--
Vivienne didn’t see his reply until much later.
By then, her afternoon classes were already over.
She checked her phone while walking back toward the residence halls and smiled when she saw his message.
I won’t. Thank you. Have you had lunch?
She typed:
I did. Don’t worry.
Then, after a moment:
Good luck with the rest of your day.
She sent it.
She didn’t wait for an answer.
There was still studying to do.
And she had learned something important that morning.
She couldn’t let Christopher become an excuse for neglecting everything else.
That would be very romantic.
It would also be very stupid.
--
By evening, Vivienne had finally made enough progress to feel that she could breathe again.
She sat at her desk, reviewing the last few pages of her notes.
Her eyes were beginning to ache.
She leaned back and rubbed them.
Then she thought of Christopher.
He was probably studying too.
She wondered whether he had eaten dinner.
Of course he probably had.
Still, she reached for her phone.
Don’t get too wrapped up in your studying and forget to have a proper dinner.
She smiled.
She sent it.
A reply didn’t come immediately.
That was fine.
She returned to her notes.
--
Christopher saw the message later that evening.
He had been studying at his desk when he finally took a short break.
He picked up his phone and found Vivienne’s message waiting.
He smiled.
She had a habit of remembering things.
Lunch.
Dinner.
Rest.
He wondered whether she realized how often she did it.
He typed:
I won’t. Thank you. I hope you’ve had dinner as well.
He sent it.
Then returned to his reading.
--
Vivienne saw his reply a little later.
I won’t. Thank you. I hope you’ve had dinner as well.
She smiled.
I have.
She placed her phone down.
For a moment, she simply looked at her books.
This was nice.
Not dramatic.
Not complicated.
Just small reminders throughout the day that they were thinking of each other.
Before going to sleep, she picked up her phone one last time.
She had decided she wanted to make this a habit.
A good morning when he woke.
A good night before she slept.
She liked the idea.
So she typed:
Good night, Christopher. Sleep well.
She sent it.
She didn’t wait for a reply.
She simply placed her phone beside her pillow and turned off the light.
--
Thursday
Vivienne woke and reached for her phone almost instinctively.
She knew Christopher’s schedule.
He would probably still be asleep.
She smiled.
She was always the one texting first.
She knew that.
But she didn’t mind.
Not yet.
Perhaps especially because she was the one who had fallen for him first.
She wanted to know him.
She wanted to know what he liked, what he disliked, what made him laugh, what he was like when he wasn’t surrounded by other people.
There was so much she didn’t know.
And she liked discovering it little by little.
She typed:
Good morning, Christopher. I hope you slept well. Have a wonderful day.
She sent it.
Then got out of bed.
--
Christopher found the message when he woke.
He smiled when he saw it.
Another morning greeting.
He had begun to expect it.
And, if he was being honest with himself, he found that he liked expecting it.
He replied before leaving his room.
Good morning, Vivienne. I slept well, thank you. I hope you have a wonderful day too.
He slipped his phone into his pocket and went on with his morning.
--
The day itself passed quickly.
Classes.
Lectures.
Revision.
More reminders from professors about the examinations.
By lunchtime, Vivienne had barely had time to think about anything other than her notes.
Still, when she finally sat down to eat, she remembered Christopher.
She sent:
Don’t forget to take a proper break today. Studying is important, but so is breathing.
She smiled at the last sentence.
It sounded slightly ridiculous.
But she sent it anyway.
There was no reply for several hours.
She didn’t mind.
She knew he was busy.
--
That evening, Vivienne studied until her eyes were tired again.
She closed her notebook and stretched.
Another day was nearly over.
She picked up her phone.
Another day of studying. Let’s do our best!
She looked at it.
Then added:
And don’t strain your eyes.
She sent it.
A few minutes later, Christopher replied.
I will. You should rest too.
Vivienne smiled.
He was beginning to return her little reminders.
She liked that very much.
She typed:
I will. Good night, Christopher.
His reply came a little later.
Good night, Vivienne. Sleep well.
She placed her phone beside her bed.
Two days had passed.
Already, the little exchanges felt natural.
--
Tbc