Chapter 241: getting to know III
Vivienne was still looking at their conversation when her phone suddenly began vibrating in her hand.
She glanced down.
Her heart stopped.
Incoming Call — Christopher Archibald
For a second, she simply stared.
Christopher.
Calling.
Christopher was calling her.
Not a message.
Not a text.
A call.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh my God."
She immediately looked toward Claire.
Her roommate was still bent over her notes.
Good.
Thank goodness.
Because there was absolutely no way Vivienne was going to answer this call with Claire sitting there listening.
She stood so quickly that her chair shifted backward.
Claire glanced over.
Vivienne immediately smiled.
"I’m going to the bathroom."
Claire nodded.
"Okay."
Vivienne grabbed her phone.
She hurried across the room, slipped into the bathroom, and quietly closed the door.
Then she looked at the screen again.
Still ringing.
Her heart was pounding.
She had spoken to Christopher on the phone once before.
She remembered that conversation perfectly.
She had been the one who called him.
She’d asked if he was busy first.
She’d known he was available.
She’d prepared herself for it.
This was completely different.
He had called her.
Out of nowhere.
Without warning.
Because he wanted to talk to her.
Vivienne pressed one hand against her chest.
"Calm down."
She looked at herself in the mirror.
Her cheeks were flushed.
Her eyes were bright.
She was smiling like an idiot.
She laughed quietly.
This was ridiculous.
She was twenty-nine years old.
She had spoken to men before.
She had been engaged.
She knew how to have a conversation.
So why did seeing Christopher’s name on her screen make her feel like she’d just received a love letter?
Because she liked him.
That was why.
And because he had called her.
She took a breath.
Then another.
The phone vibrated again.
Vivienne looked at the screen.
She couldn’t make him wait any longer.
She pressed Answer.
"Hello?"
There was a brief pause.
Then his voice came through.
Low.
Warm.
Familiar.
And somehow even more wonderful than she remembered.
"Hi, Lady Beaumont."
Vivienne closed her eyes.
A helpless smile spread across her face.
"Hi."
Christopher smiled on the other end.
"You sound surprised."
"I am."
She gave a nervous little laugh.
"I wasn’t expecting you to call."
"I thought it would be easier to explain."
"Explain what?"
"Polo."
Vivienne blinked.
Then laughed.
"That’s why you called?"
"Partly."
"Partly?"
"I could explain it through text."
He paused.
"But I think it would take considerably longer."
Vivienne leaned against the bathroom counter.
"I wouldn’t have minded."
"I know."
She smiled.
"You know?"
"You ask a lot of questions."
Vivienne laughed.
"That’s true."
"And I had a feeling you’d ask another one after I answered."
She covered her mouth, trying not to laugh too loudly.
"Probably."
"Probably?"
"Definitely."
Christopher laughed softly.
And Vivienne’s heart fluttered at the sound.
The first time they had spoken on the phone, she had been the one who called him.
This was different.
This time, he had called her.
And somehow, that made every word feel a little more precious.
"So," she said softly, "tell me about polo."
Christopher settled back in his chair.
"What would you like to know?"
"Everything."
"Everything?"
She laughed.
"Well... maybe not everything. Just enough."
"That’s still rather broad."
"Then you decide where to start."
Christopher thought for a moment.
"I suppose I started because of my father."
"Your father?"
"He likes horses. We have stables at home, so he used to bring me along whenever he went riding."
Vivienne smiled.
"So you didn’t actually choose polo yourself at first?"
"Not really."
He laughed quietly.
"I was simply the child who happened to be brought along."
"How old were you?"
"Quite young."
"And you liked it?"
"Not immediately."
Vivienne laughed.
"Really?"
"I preferred other things at first."
"So when did you start enjoying it?"
Christopher considered it.
"After a while. I suppose it grew on me."
He paused.
"Once I understood the game properly, I started enjoying the strategy. It’s not simply about riding. There’s a lot happening at once."
Vivienne listened intently.
"I like that."
"You like polo?"
"I’ve never played."
Christopher laughed.
"I meant the way you described it."
"Oh."
She smiled.
"I think I would like watching it."
"You should."
"I will."
She paused.
Then asked,
"Do you still ride outside of polo?"
"Sometimes. More casually."
"So you really do spend a lot of time around horses."
"More than I probably would if my father hadn’t been interested in them."
Vivienne smiled.
"Do you ever resent him for making you learn?"
Christopher laughed softly.
"There it is again."
"What?"
"The why."
Vivienne laughed.
"I want to know."
"I know."
He smiled.
"I don’t resent it because I ended up enjoying it."
"Fair enough."
There was a comfortable pause.
Then Vivienne remembered what she’d actually wanted to know.
"What do you usually do when you’re not at the university?"
Christopher leaned back.
"Outside the university?"
"Mhm."
"Quite a few things."
"Like?"
He thought for a moment.
"Sometimes I go out with friends."
Vivienne smiled.
"Where?"
"Depends."
He continued casually.
"Sometimes we have lunch somewhere. Sometimes dinner. Sometimes we go to the gentlemen’s club."
Vivienne’s eyes brightened.
"The one you mentioned before?"
"Yes."
"What do you do there?"
"Mostly talk."
She laughed.
"That’s all?"
"Mostly."
"That sounds very serious."
"We’re not particularly serious."
"I don’t believe you."
Christopher smiled.
"Sometimes we play cards. Sometimes we just sit around and talk about university."
Vivienne nodded.
"That actually sounds nice."
"It is."
"What else?"
"Fencing, obviously."
"Obviously."
"Sometimes polo."
"Of course."
"Reading."
"Do you read for pleasure?"
"Yes."
"What do you read?"
Christopher told her.
Vivienne listened, occasionally interrupting with another question.
The conversation wandered naturally from books to music, then to parties.
"Do you go to parties?" Vivienne asked.
"Sometimes."
She laughed.
"Sometimes?"
"I’m not particularly fond of crowded parties."
"Really?"
"Not usually."
She smiled.
"I wouldn’t have guessed that."
"What did you think?"
"That you’d enjoy them."
"Why?"
"Because you seem very social."
Christopher considered that.
"I am."
He paused.
"Just selectively."
Vivienne smiled.
That answer suited him.
He wasn’t withdrawn.
He simply seemed to prefer choosing who he spent time with.
She found that rather attractive.
"So you’re actually quite busy outside school."
"Sometimes."
"Do you ever have a completely free day?"
"Saturday and Sunday, usually."
"What do you do then?"
"Sleep. Ride sometimes. See friends."
"That sounds nice."
"It is."
She smiled.
She was beginning to see the shape of his life outside St. Albion.
It was fuller than she’d expected.
He had friends.
Clubs.
Sports.
Family.
Things he enjoyed.
Things he did simply because he wanted to.
And somehow, hearing about all of it made him feel more real to her.
Not just Christopher Archibald, the handsome fourth-year she’d met at a formal event.
Just Christopher.
A young man with friends, hobbies, responsibilities, and a life she knew almost nothing about.
She liked that.
𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Very much.