Author's Note: Hello again. My realization that today is in fact Valentine's Day provoked me to bring a smile to all you Stelena fans out there. Enjoy.

A Valentine's Day Joke

February 14.

The day when boyfriends give their girlfriends exquisite chocolates, teddy bears, and cheerful hugs and kisses.

Simply because this particular day is stamped with a heart.

And if you're single, Valentine's Day is just another reason to stay indoors and order a pizza, avoiding the lovey-dovey couples.

Ding-dong.

"Pepperoni pizza with light sauce?"

"Yes, that's mine." Elena's lips turned upwards in a grateful smile toward the pizza delivery guy.

"Thanks." he responded kindly when receiving his tip. "Have a nice Valentine's Day, miss." With a knowing wink, he was gone.

And not a moment too soon, Elena thought to herself with a sigh. Returning to the couch, she opened the box, letting the delicious aroma fill the air. With an upward glance at the movie playing, her mind trailed to the one thing she forced herself to forget.

Stefan.

This is a future memory: it's where your boyfriend whispered to you that he loved you.

It seemed almost impossible to refrain from replaying their last conversation over and over again in her head.

She believed he would be able to feel again. Convinced it was a façade of his, pretending like he didn't care. And at the ball, just for a moment, being in his arms was what gave her hope. When she looked into his imploring green eyes, she saw a glimmer of something she hadn't in a long time.

She saw her boyfriend again.

Elena frowned, silently cursing at the movie projected on the TV screen for making her think of him again. Damn Hallmark.

I can't think of a better reason die.

He would die for her but the thought of letting her back into his heart, made him bolt.

Deep in thought, the sound of a knock on the door made her nearly jump out of her skin. But what stood behind the heavy wood is what made her heart stop.

"Stefan?"

Elena couldn't believe her own eyes. Even the sight of him wasn't enough proof.

"Elena." The corners of his lips lifted just a tad, just enough for her to see the real him shining through. "May I come in?"

For only an instant was she distraught at the thought of him entering and finding her all alone with a corny romance on and a half eaten pizza. "Yeah…sure, of course." She stepped aside for him to come in.

Stefan stood on the foyer, not sure how far he should go or whether he should've even come. His hands were settled behind his back with his heavy eyes focused on the floor. "I'm very sorry to have come—"

"I'm glad you did." She encouraged with a smile, hoping she'd stopped any doubts from entering his mind.

"But,"

Elena's eyes flashed to the ground, hiding her disappointment.

"I just wanted to give you this." He shyly handed her a brown stuffed animal.

"A teddy bear?" her eyes did all the teasing.

"Elena…"

Her smile broadened, squeezing it. "From Build-A-Bear?"

Stefan frowned upon her amusement, secretly masking a small grin of his own.

"Did you stand in line with all the other little girls and stuff it with love too? Aww…" She was clearly enjoying this but her laughter died down and she looked into his eyes. "Seriously, Stefan, why did you get me this?"

"The teddy bear was just an excuse. Elena, I came so I could ask you something…" The way he turned from humorous to sexily serious always fascinated her. "What did the paper clip say to the magnet?"

She let out the breath she'd been holding. "What? You tell me you don't care, you don't want me…and then you show up and ask me a corny joke? Sometimes, Salvatore, I swear—"

Stefan stopped her insistent rant by taking her shoulders and pulling her close. "Elena," he breathed and his eyes locked with her dark brown eyes. "I find you very attractive."

Her smile was inevitable.

Before she could speak and tell him how utterly ridiculous his joke was, his lips were pressed to hers in a smile.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Elena."

Author's Note: Terribly OC at the end there, but oh well. Let me dream. To be honest, I've never been a big fan of Valentine's Day nor a hater of this holiday, therefore I'm stuck somewhere in between. However, a little Hershey's Kiss (a review, if you will) would make my night. :)

Always,

summerpopsicles