The restaurant was relatively empty. The university students were still arriving back on campus and it was a weeknight, so Vienna and Joshua were able to find a table quickly. Vienna smiled across the table at Joshua, who was fiddling with the edge of his menu.

"Okay, so what are you thinking?" she asked. "Let me guess- carbonara?"

Joshua glanced up with a faint smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Am I that predictable?"

"Only in the best ways," said Vienna, setting her menu on the table. "But you could surprise me, you know. Shake things up."

He laughed, running his hand through his hair. "We'll see. Maybe tonight's the night I try something new."

Vienna raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "I'll believe it when I see it."

The server came by to take their order, and when Joshua ordered the spaghetti carbonara, Vienna burst into a fit of giggles. He looked sheepish but smiled anyway, shaking his head at her.

"It's a classic for a reason," he complained.

"I'll stick with my risotto. Can't mess with perfection," said Vienna.

The server finished taking their order and left them alone. Vienna leaned back in her chair, watching Joshua as he poured them each a glass of wine. His movements were slower than usual, his focus lingering on the bottle even after he'd finished pouring.

"So," said Vienna, swirling her glass. "What's been the highlight of your day so far? And don't say dinner, because that's cheating."

Joshua's lips curved into a small smile. "Is it still cheating if I said it was seeing you? I've been looking forward to tonight all week."

Vienna's heart gave a little flutter, and she tried to play it cool, her cheeks warming. "You're just saying that because it's our anniversary," she said, nudging his leg with her foot.

"Maybe," he said, leaning forward slightly. "But it doesn't make it any less true."

Vienna smiled. Moments like this always made her feel like the luckiest woman alive. She rested her chin on her hand. "If you weren't stuck with me tonight, what would you be doing? Plotting your next big business empire?"

Joshua laughed, but it sounded a little forced. "Maybe. Or probably just watching a movie at home."

"Thrilling," Vienna teased, raising her glass in a mock toast. "To avoiding another night of Netflix and chilling."

Joshua clinked his glass against hers, his smile lingering as he watched her take a sip. "What about you? What would you be doing?"

Vienna pretended to think for a moment. "Not drinking this wine, that's for sure," she joked. "Josh, you know I don't like merlot."

Joshua grimaced. "Sorry about that, Enna. It totally slipped my mind."

Vienna smiled. "It's okay, I can drink it. Okay, to seriously answer your question. I'd probably be trying to convince Ivory to borrow her fancy curling iron again. She never lets me go near it unless I bribe her."

"You don't need any of that. You always look beautiful."

She froze for a moment, caught slightly off guard by the compliment, before smiling shyly. "Okay, now you're just trying to win points."

"Is it working?"

"Maybe," she said, her tone playful.

Their food arrived shortly after, and Vienna began to eat, humming in delight. "I swear, this is the best risotto in the world. I don't know why we don't come here every week."

Joshua nodded, though he hadn't taken a bite of his own meal yet. She noticed his hesitation, the way his fork hovered over his plate before he set it back down.

"Everything okay?" asked Vienna, tilting her head.

He glanced up quickly, his smile practiced. "Yeah, of course. Just thinking about stuff."

Vienna raised an eyebrow. "What kind of stuff?"

Joshua hesitated, his gaze dropping to his plate. "Just life, I guess. Where we're going. The future."

She smiled, reaching across the table to rest her hand over his own. "Don't get all philosophical on me, Josh. We've got dessert to look forward to, remember?"

He laughed, and the sound was a little more genuine this time. "You're right, Vienna. I'll save the existential crisis for later."

"Good plan," said Vienna, squeezing his hand briefly.

The couple continued to eat, talking about their breaks and their plans for the semester. Vienna noticed Joshua seemed a little tense, but when asked about it, he shrugged it off, saying he was just tired from traveling back to campus.

"Do you want to sleep over?" asked Vienna as they walked hand in hand back to campus. "Ivory's staying at Rosalie's."

Joshua sighed. "You know, Enna, I'm really tired tonight, so I'm just going to sleep in my room," he said, looking almost uncomfortable. His palm felt sweaty in hers.

"No worries," said Vienna, trying to shrug off her disappointment. "I'm tired too."

"I promise I'll pick you up and walk you to physics tomorrow," said Joshua, squeezing her hand.

Vienna smiled. "Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, once they reached the fountain that stood between her hall and Joshua's.

Joshua pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Good night, Enna."

"Good night, Josh," said Vienna. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said. "Thanks for a nice anniversary."

Vienna walked back to her room alone, trying to ignore the nagging thought that something was dreadfully wrong.

...

an: i'm sorry but they're actually killing me to write. that's it, that's the author's note. have a lovely day, willow <3