Icy blue eyes were wide open, staring up toward the ceiling as he lay on his back on his bed. His hands were folded neatly over his chest and one ankle rested on top of the other. A small sigh caused his nostrils to flare momentarily. He was in the same bed he'd been sleeping in for weeks but there was something acutely different. He was keenly aware of Stefan's presence in the house; and he was also (to his annoyance) keenly aware of the lack of one Bennett witch. Instead of hearing Bonnie mumble in her sleep he was listening to his brother pace, which he'd been doing every night since Damon had gotten home once he thought Damon was asleep.

Honestly, though, who could sleep with him stomping around like an elephant?

How could he sleep when he'd been living with the same person for months, under the impression things would be this way for the rest of his life? He'd accepted it. This hadn't changed the way the two of them treated each other, but at the same time it had changed everything. Within the span of a day that had been turned upside down and once again his life had been thrown into upheaval. The woman he'd loved before all of this now viewed him as a monster, and the woman he'd spent the last several months with (who'd found a way back against all odds) was two hours away in her college dorm room. He'd gotten so used to her, learned her, from her nervous ticks to all of the buttons he could press to bring out her more colorful language. She'd seemingly gone back to life as usual, so why the hell couldn't he?

He turned over on his side and reached out to grab his phone from the nightstand. It was nearly three in the morning but did college students actually sleep anyway? Not from his previous experience.

He scrolled down his contacts and he didn't have to go far. He didn't have a very long list of A's and Bonnie was one of his few B's. He clicked on her name, opened up a new text and began to type.

Hey there Judgy. I'm sorry you lost Cuddles again. I can help you look for her if you want.

His finger hovered over the 'send' button before he scoffed at his own message. He quickly erased it and with a roll of his eyes he tossed his phone onto the mattress beside him. What was he, the stuffed animal patrol? Still, it would've been an excuse to get her to visit. She'd been avoiding him ever since they'd gotten back. Maybe she really did hate him as much as she'd told him she did when they'd first gotten stuck together. He wouldn't blame her if she did. He'd done terrible things to her and her friends and family. Unforgivable things. It was best to just let her go. What the hell did he care anyway? He needed to get back into the swing of things, just like she was doing. Business as usual.

And he would. Eventually.

At least that's what he'd tell himself so he could sleep at night.