Chapter 257: the hope he couldn’t let go IV

Chapter 257: Chapter 257: the hope he couldn’t let go IV

"Did you miss me?"

The question seemed to hang between them.

Damian stared at Vivienne.

For one ridiculous second, his mind went completely blank.

Of all the things she could have said, why that?

He had spent two weeks trying to convince himself that he could face her normally.

He had prepared himself for indifference.

For politeness.

For distance.

He had even imagined that she might not notice anything had changed.

And now she was sitting beside him, smiling as though she had every right to ask whether he had missed her.

He looked away.

"Did you?"

Vivienne’s smile faltered for the briefest moment.

"What?"

"You asked if I missed you."

"I did."

"So?"

She studied him.

Then her smile returned.

"I don’t know. I’m asking you."

Damian almost laughed.

Of course she was.

She had always been good at turning things around on him.

He looked at her again.

"You tell me first."

Vivienne’s eyebrows lifted.

"Me?"

"You asked."

She considered that.

Then shrugged lightly.

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Perhaps I did."

The casual answer shouldn’t have affected him.

It did.

Damian looked out the window.

He needed to remember why he had decided to step back.

The pool party.

The way she had treated him.

The way she had kept asking things of him because she wanted Anthony’s attention.

The humiliation of realizing that he had willingly allowed himself to become part of it.

And then—

nothing.

Not even a message.

He had waited.

She hadn’t come. ℴ

He had spent two weeks telling himself that was enough.

So why was she sitting beside him now, looking at him like that, and making him want to smile?

He tightened his jaw.

"You seem to have had a good morning."

Vivienne smiled.

"I did."

He glanced at her.

"Because of your preparations?"

"Partly."

She paused.

"Mostly because I was looking forward to today."

Damian’s chest tightened.

He turned toward her.

"Volunteer work?"

Vivienne gave him a look.

"Of course."

There was something in her expression that made him suspicious.

Then she smiled.

"And seeing you."

Damian stopped breathing for half a second.

Vivienne laughed softly.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You look surprised."

"I am."

"Why?"

Because I thought you didn’t care.

The thought came so quickly that he almost said it.

Instead, he shook his head.

"I didn’t think you’d be this happy to see me."

Vivienne’s expression softened.

"Why wouldn’t I be?"

Damian didn’t have an answer.

That was the problem.

She looked genuinely confused.

Not guilty.

Not defensive.

Confused.

As though the idea that there could be something wrong between them had never occurred to her.

Perhaps that should have made him angry.

Instead, it only made him tired.

Maybe she really hadn’t understood.

Maybe she hadn’t realized how much that day had hurt him.

And if she hadn’t realized—

then perhaps his decision to step back had been based on something she hadn’t even intended.

He looked at her again.

Vivienne was watching him.

"What?"

She smiled.

"Nothing."

"You keep doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Looking at me and then looking away."

Damian sighed.

"I’m thinking."

"About what?"

"You."

The words escaped before he could stop them.

Vivienne’s eyes widened slightly.

Damian immediately regretted it.

She smiled.

"Me?"

"Unfortunately."

She laughed.

There it was again.

That sound.

That ridiculous ability she had to make him forget why he was supposed to be angry.

Damian leaned back against his seat.

He had been trying to control himself for less than an hour.

Already, he was failing.

Vivienne nudged her shoulder lightly against his.

"So, you did miss me."

Damian looked at her.

"I didn’t say that."

"You didn’t have to."

She smiled triumphantly.

He shook his head.

"You’ve become very confident."

"Maybe."

"Too confident."

"Maybe."

She laughed again.

Damian couldn’t help smiling.

And that was when he realized something he didn’t particularly want to admit.

He had missed this.

Not merely seeing her.

This.

Her voice.

Her teasing.

The way she sat too close.

The way she seemed completely comfortable with him.

The way she could turn an ordinary morning into something he would remember for the rest of the day.

He had missed her.

Of course he had.

He had known it all along.

He simply hadn’t wanted to admit it.

The vehicle continued through University Town.

Vivienne turned toward the window, humming quietly to herself.

Damian watched her for a moment.

He should have been angry.

Part of him still was.

He hadn’t forgotten what happened.

He wasn’t suddenly going to pretend it hadn’t hurt.

But perhaps he had been too quick to decide that she didn’t care

She was nineteen.

He was twenty-two.

He should be more understanding of her.

Maybe she had simply been careless.

Maybe she hadn’t understood the weight of what she had done.

And perhaps, if she was willing to act like this now, then maybe—

He stopped himself.

No.

He couldn’t start building hopes again.

Not yet.

He had spent two weeks learning how to step back.

He could still do that.

Even if Vivienne was making it extraordinarily difficult.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke.

Then Damian glanced at her.

"Did you have breakfast?"

Vivienne turned toward him.

Her eyes brightened immediately.

There it was.

That familiar attentiveness.

She smiled.

"Not yet."

Damian frowned.

"Not yet?"

"I was running late."

"I thought you said you spent too long getting ready."

Vivienne smiled.

"I did."

He shook his head.

"You should have eaten."

"I know."

She gave him a small, almost apologetic smile.

"But I didn’t have time."

Damian glanced at the time.

They had done this twice already.

Breakfast or lunch before heading into East Junction had quietly become part of their routine.

There was no reason to change that today.

"All right," he said. "Then let’s stop for brunch first."

Vivienne’s smile immediately returned.

"Okay."

Damian looked toward the driver.

"Let’s stop at the restaurant we went to last time."

The driver nodded and changed course.

Vivienne settled comfortably into her seat.

She glanced at Damian.

"So we’re having brunch again."

"You’re the one who hasn’t eaten."

"I know."

She smiled.

"I like this routine."

Damian looked at her.

"Do you?"

"Mm-hm."

She leaned back.

"It’s nice."

He didn’t answer.

But the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

Vivienne noticed.

Of course she did.

She smiled to herself.

Maybe he really was getting over his shyness.

And maybe, if she kept teasing him, she could bring him back to how he had been before.

She looked out the window.

For now, she was simply happy.

They were together again.

And somehow, everything already felt familiar.