Day 1
Stefan stopped the car in the parking of the motel and looked at the passenger seat. Caroline was still unconscious, her head against the glass of the window. He looked at the scar on her chest and clenched his jaw, worried.
"You'll probably kill me when you wake up" he said. "You're going to be furious, more than you are already, I mean."
Stefan sighed and looked at her calm and relaxed face. He brought his hand closer to her head and ran his fingers through her hair. He held his breath in the throat for a few seconds and then released it, feeling something he had not felt in years. It was as if he had been drowning all this time, as if he had been frozen in time, until he touched her again. He felt alive again, and although Caroline hated him and talked to him harshly, he preferred that than her silence or her ignoring him completely.
His eyes caught her scar again and his body tensed.
"Yup, furious…" he whispered, distracted. He looked around to make sure that there were no people nearby.
He got out of the car and walked around to open the passenger door. He sighed at seeing her so quiet and innocent, because that would not last long. Caroline Forbes was not easy to handle and he was ready to be humiliated by her as she had been doing the whole afternoon. The truth is that he was not surprised. Caroline had always known how to be shady. Actually, it was something that he always liked about her. Her character, the way that she would not stay quiet to say what she thought.
And she used to always be right. But this time, they did not share the same opinion.
He bent down to stand on tiptoe and look at her from below.
"Now that you're unconscious, I can tell you how much I've missed you."
She did not flinch, but Stefan stared at her for a whole minute, trying to record her image in his mind to have something to hold onto. He swallowed and stood straight to pick her up in his arms. Then, he closed the car door with his knee and headed to the stairs.
He looked down and his heart jumped when he saw how close her face was to his. He stopped suddenly, amazed, once again, by Caroline Forbes.
He had not seen anything more beautiful in his life.
Day 3
"Can you just…?" Stefan tried to give her his jacket but Caroline pushed it away with her hand.
"Can you stop following me around the room with your jacket?" she asked, gritting her teeth.
Stefan looked at her with his jaw clenched.
"Caroline, did you-"
"It's not going to rain, okay? A couple of clouds doesn't mean it's going to rain. We're not in the North Pole."
"Caroline, it doesn't rain in the North Pole, it snows."
"Whatever."
"Before we arrived at this motel, we heard on the radio that there might be a storm today."
"Yes, but I'm going to the store around the corner, and it'll be just a moment" she said impatiently. "It's not going to start raining in two minutes, don't you think?"
Stefan ran a hand over his face at how stubborn she was being. Caroline gave him a fake smile and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Stefan pursed his lips and nodded. She had no remedy.
He sat on the bed and turned on the TV to distract himself with something. However, the screen went grey suddenly. Two lightnings were heard outside and the rain began to fall.
"Hah" he blurted, amused.
A couple of minutes later, the door opened and Stefan looked over his shoulder. Caroline had a scowl on her face and was soaked from head to toe. Stefan pursed his lips to keep from laughing and she glared at him.
"Yes, you were right, happy?"
Stefan sighed, shaking his head, and walked to her with a blanket and a cup of hot coffee in hand. She looked at him, somewhat confused, and then Stefan wrapped her in the blanket, putting it over her shoulders. Caroline looked down, a little overwhelmed. He held out the cup of coffee and she took it, looking up to meet his eyes.
"That will keep you warm" he said with a little smile. Caroline missed his hands already. "You're welcome."
Caroline felt how her hands started to get warm thanks to the hot coffee. Her heart, too.
Day 5
Stefan frowned when he heard the music blaring down the hall. Clearly, it was coming from their room. He hurried and opened the door, seeing Caroline with her hair in a bun and a cloth in her hand, and rubbing a stain on the wall frantically.
"Caroline?"
"Oh, hi" she said, looking at him over her shoulder.
"What are you doing?"
Caroline huffed and turned to him, rubbing her forehead with her arm to pull away some hairs from her face.
"What were you thinking?" she asked.
"What?"
"This room" Caroline pointed around. Stefan analyzed the room with his eyes. "The walls are full of black stains, Stefan."
"Mm."
"There's dirt everywhere" she continued, being completely serious.
"It's a motel room, Caroline" Stefan explained slowly. She glanced at him.
Caroline walked over to him and put the rag in his hand.
"No way" he said.
"Oh, come on."
"Caroline, we're only staying for a night, I'm not going to clean the walls."
"It'll be good to kill the time" she said. Stefan looked at her as if she had gone mad.
"Are you okay?" he asked, touching her forehead. "Can vampires have a fever?"
Caroline pushed his hand away, losing patience.
"Are you going to help me or not? I don't reach the high corners" she mumbled, looking away. Stefan stared at her for a few seconds. He really could not say no to her.
A few minutes later, both of them were rubbing a couple of stains on the wall. Stefan looked at her as she did frantically.
"Caroline, if you need to distract yourself or focus your attention on something, we can always do something else, you know?"
"Like what?" she asked without taking her eyes off the stain.
"Like… I don't know, we can… take a walk, or go to the movies."
Caroline slowed her movements down and looked at him. Stefan stared back at her too, cautiously, always afraid she would reject him.
"There's a good movie now, we could…"
Caroline could not help but laugh, shaking her head and returning her eyes to the stain. Stefan's heart jumped at the sound of her laugh. It had been a long time without it.
"What?" he said.
"We don't have time to go to the movies, Stefan" she said.
"Sure we do, we can always find time" he said.
Caroline began to rub the stain again, trying hard not to smile. She had to admit that the subtle attempts of Stefan trying to ask her on a date were cute.
"Maybe another day" she said.
Stefan smiled slyly, looking down at his stain. Caroline managed to finally erase the whole stain, and then looked at the corner of the top.
"I need you to pull me up" she said with her hands on her hips. Stefan followed the direction of her gaze and looked up at the stain.
"Caroline, no one realizes those spots up there. This isn't our home, it's not like we're going to have any guests."
Caroline got distracted for a few seconds after hearing the word 'our'. That smile and short word provoked a tingle of excitement in her stomach. She shook her head and cleared her throat.
"We can't leave those stains there after erasing the others" she said.
"Is it worth to disagree?"
"No."
"I figured."
Stefan dropped the rag and bent down next to her, on tiptoe, with his back to her. Caroline bit her lip and put each leg over his shoulders to sit on them. Stefan stood up and took her hands instinctively so that she would not lose her balance.
"Everything all right?"
Caroline cleared her throat.
"Uh-huh."
"Okay."
Stefan stood in front of the wall and Caroline brought the cloth closer to the stain. However, at the last second, Stefan took two steps backwards and Caroline let her arm drop and squeezed his shoulder with her other hand. He chuckled.
"Stop playing and bring me closer."
"Sorry."
Stefan took two steps forward again and Caroline lifted the cloth, but then he walked backwards quickly again and she closed her eyes and pursed her lips, gathering patience as he laughed.
"I'm going to kill you" she murmured.
"How? You can't do much up there" Stefan said in a victorious tone.
Caroline gritted her teeth, but then she realized that she had his hair literally at her fingertips.
"You sure?" she asked.
Stefan frowned and Caroline started to mess with his hair.
"Hey, hey, wait" Stefan said.
"What? You don't like me to touch and mess your hair?"
"Caroline!" Stefan raised his arms in an attempt to grab her wrists but they started to struggle, laughing, until he lost his balance.
Caroline slipped from his shoulders and fell backwards, but Stefan turned around at full speed and held her in his arms on time. She, who had closed her eyes waiting for the impact of the fall, opened them one by one and looked into his eyes, distracted.
"You can put me down" she said nervously.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Stefan, I'm sure."
Caroline stood on her foot on the ground and as soon as she did, he shoved him in the shoulder.
"Ouch! Why did you do that?"
"We're not 5 to be playing when there are stains on the wall, Stefan."
"Do you know how long this takes?" he asked, pointing at his hair.
"You'll survive."
Day 7
Stefan left the bathroom and found Caroline sprawled on the couch. She had fallen asleep with the book that he had bought on her lap.
As the only source of entertainment they had apart from the TVs that there were in the motels where they stayed, they both were reading it at the same time. And Caroline had taken it as a personal challenge because she wanted to read faster than him to finish it before he did.
He sat on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees, dropping his chin on the back of his hand as he stared at her. Caroline sighed in her sleep and stretched her legs a bit, but did not wake up.
Stefan smiled, looking in awe at her, as if there was not a more perfect work of art than her sleeping with shorts and one of the white t-shirts that she had stolen from him. The thought of knowing that his shirt would be impregnated by her scent gave him a tickle in the stomach.
He continued watching her, scratching his chin a little tired. They had spent the last two days travelling and both of them were exhausted. Proof of that was that Caroline had fallen asleep at 9pm.
Something inside of him asked him to lie down beside her and wrap her in his arms to bury his face in her neck and breathe her in completely. But he knew that if he did, there was a strong possibility that Caroline would push him out of the couch as soon as she woke up in the morning.
He chuckled quietly and stood up to grab the open book carefully to place it on the table.
"Three years" he mumbled, looking at her. "Three years and I haven't been able to move on, not even a little."
Stefan shook his head, laughing at himself. He looked at her again and brought his hand closer to her cheek to stroke her skin with his thumb.
"How could I?" he sighed. "Just look at you."
Stefan stroked her hair with his fingers.
"You're perfect."
Caroline moved slightly and sighed in her sleep. Stefan smiled a little and looked tenderly at her, walking backwards until his legs hit the edge of the bed and he sat down on the floor, knees to his chest, arms over these, and his chin on them.
His eyelids felt heavy and his legs ached for driving so much, but that view was worth every sleepless night.
Day 10
"So, it's about a human, a dog, and weird beings living in a post-apocalyptic world?" Stefan asked.
"Uh-huh" Caroline licked the cream of the Oreo and passed the cookie to him. He brought it to his mouth.
"And there's a princess called Lumpy Space Princess and is a kind of… cloud?" he asked with his mouth full.
"Yeah."
Stefan and Caroline were sitting on the pillows of the bed, their backs against the wall, as they were watching Adventure Time while eating Oreo.
"Are you sure this doesn't hide any subliminal message?"
Caroline rolled her eyes and held out another cookie after licking the cream.
"What's your favorite character?" he asked.
"I don't know" Caroline said, looking at the TV. "Finn, I guess."
"Mm, so the hero" Stefan mumbled.
Caroline blushed and took another cookie to get distracted as Stefan looked at her from the corner of the eye with a little smile.
"Oh, look" she said suddenly. "That's a vampire. Female Damon."
Stefan chuckled.
"You're cuter."
Caroline did not think before turning her face to him, and then she realized that Stefan's lips and teeth were black and she started to laugh.
"What?" he asked with a frown.
Caroline threw her head back, resting it against the wall as she laughed nonstop.
"Your mouth is black" she said.
"Oh" Stefan pursed his lips. "Thanks for laughing at me."
She kept on laughing and Stefan let the sound overwhelm him completely.
Day 12
"Only the essentials" Stefan said as he pulled the cart down the supermarket corridor.
Caroline, walking next to him, snorted as she looked at the shelves.
"And by that I mean not buying any cleaning product to clean the motel room where we're staying now" he said.
Caroline looked at him askance.
"You're a killjoy" she said with a fake smile.
"Yes, I'm sorry for ruining our 'Mr. Clean' party."
She rolled her eyes at his "joke". Actually, she had found the comment funny, but she would not show it for anything in the world.
"Wait" he said, grabbing her arm to stop her. "We should take bandages and that kind of stuff, in case we have a dangerous situation in which one of us can get hurt. Now that we're in the pharmacy area" Stefan said and she nodded.
"Okay, I'll go get toothpaste meanwhile."
He nodded and followed her with his eyes until she disappeared behind the shelves. After he got everything he needed, he pulled the cart to look for her until he saw her at the end of a corridor. A woman was talking to her and showing her a product. Caroline looked worked up and it seemed that she wanted to get rid of her. Stefan, confused, walked over to them.
"Hey, what's going on?" he asked.
"Hey, nothing, really. We can go and-" Caroline seemed nervous, and Stefan realized that the woman was a salesperson and that what she had in her hands was a sexual gel.
"Oh, please, wait" the woman said. "I haven't finished explaining the characteristics and ingredients of the gel yet. Besides, the taste is fruit of passion, I'm sure you'd like it."
Caroline rubbed her forehead and Stefan bit the inside of his cheek.
"Now that your husband is here, I can explain to both of you" she continued. "Although, seeing you two, I don't think that you may need much to keep the flame of passion alive. Sex must be great, but-"
"No, uh…" Caroline pointed at Stefan and then at herself. "He's not my husband, we're not…"
The woman looked at them with her mouth open.
"Oh, sorry. I saw the ring on your finger and I thought…"
"Nope" Stefan said. Caroline nodded. "I'm crazy for her" he suddenly said. Caroline looked at him, wondering what the hell he was doing. "But she's engaged to another. And she has these… mixed feelings, she's confused and needs to clarify them, because, honestly, she's driving me crazy. But, well, there's this great possibility that she really loves her fiancé, Ric."
The saleswoman looked at him, nodding.
"That's not true" Caroline said, folding her arms.
"Isn't it? You don't feel anything for Ric?" Stefan turned to her in the same way, folding his arms.
Caroline opened her mouth but did not know what to say. Stefan raised his eyebrows, giving her a questioning look.
"I think I should… go see if another customer needs my help" the woman said before leaving them alone.
"What are you doing?" Caroline asked harshly.
"I thought that since we were being honest, we cold be honest about everything" he said. "You said 'that's not true'. Does that mean that-"
"Did you take the bandages?" she asked, interrupting him, and he clenched his jaw.
"Yes."
"Good, because you're going to need them."
Caroline turned around, arms crossed, and Stefan let out a long sigh.
"Great" he said before pushing the cart to follow her.
Day 15
As another night of many, Stefan found her sleeping on the couch with the book on her lap after he left the bathroom. This time, however, it was nearly 1 am.
He put his hands on his hips and sighed, shaking his head. He put the book on the table and bent slightly to pick her up. Caroline, asleep, buried her face in his neck instinctively and put her arms around it, clinging to him and letting out a sigh of relief.
Stefan closed his eyes for a few seconds when he felt her breath against his neck and gulped hard. He would have spent all his eternity just like that, but he had to think clearly.
He left her gently on the bed and covered her with the blanket careful not to wake her up.
"You need to stop falling asleep on my couch, it's not comfortable" he whispered. "Although, if it means to take you to bed and have you in my arms for a few seconds, it doesn't seem such a bad idea to me…"
He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and looked tenderly at her.
"Sleep tight" he said, tapping his finger on the tip of her nose.
He turned around to head to the couch, but something grabbed his pinky. Hers. Caroline had hooked her pinky finger to his in a brief moment of lucidity. He looked at her, realizing that she was still sleeping. He looked down at their hands, and realized that she was not wearing the engagement ring.
It was the first time that she had taken it off, and he could not help but feel hopeful.
"Don't…"
He looked up at her. Caroline was talking in her sleep.
"Don't leave" she murmured, and sighed.
Stefan climbed into the bed carefully and lay down beside her, watching her face carefully, scared of walking her up and of her pushing him away by hitting him.
But Caroline did not wake up and Stefan was ready to look at her all night. He could always get up before she woke up.
When she did, Caroline saw the tray on the nightstand. Orange juice, coffee, a toast, and a cupcake. Also, a small note that Stefan had written.
Buying some gasoline.
Sorry for the fight of the other day.
Caroline shook her head with a little smile on her lips. Her heart, inevitably, had melted.
Day 17
Caroline blinked several times before opening her eyes completely and looking through the window. A lot of palm trees were passing on either side of the car as it moved on, something that confused her a bit.
"Wait…" Caroline looked at Stefan, who smiled, still staring at the road. She could smell the salt that seeped through the open window of Stefan's door.
He stopped the car in front of the coast. The sun was rising and there was nobody on the beach.
"I thought we could take a walk along the shore before arriving at our next motel room."
Caroline looked at the sea, thoughtful. Stefan nudged her.
"Come on" he said.
A few minutes later, they were walking barefoot next to the sea, letting the water wet their feet. It was very early, the typical time when people take their dogs for a walk. Proof of this was that a Lab had approached them while moving his tail.
It was a little windy, and Stefan thought that the way the wind moved Caroline's hair was something worth seeing. She hugged herself with her arms and Stefan took off his jacket. She looked at him with a frown.
"Don't be proud" he said. Caroline rolled her eyes and Stefan dropped his jacket over her shoulders.
"Thank you" she murmured. Stefan nodded, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
They walked in silence. These were no longer uncomfortable. Maybe they had never been.
Stefan stopped suddenly and bent down to grab two shells.
"For the girls" he said, giving them to Caroline.
Caroline raised her head to look into his eyes, a lump in her throat. Stefan smiled slightly and Caroline looked at the shells.
"They're going to love them" she said with a small voice.
Her eyes suddenly filled with tears and she pursed her lips, looking away.
"Hey…" Stefan hesitated at first, but then he stroked her arm with his hand to calm her down.
Caroline shook her head and covered her face with her hands, starting to cry.
"Hey, hey" Stefan wrapped her with his arms and hugged her tightly.
Caroline rested her forehead against his chest and sobbed.
"I miss them, Stefan" she said between sobs
"I know" he said, stroking her back.
"It's just…" Caroline threw her head back and Stefan urged to wipe the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "They'd have loved to come here" she glanced around.
"We can still bring them" Stefan said. She looked at him with teary eyes. "When Bonnie's problem is over. If you want."
Caroline knew that Stefan was referring to the fact that he had said 'we', in plural. He was asking if he could still be part of her life and the life of the twins. In any kind of way.
"Yeah, that would be good" she said.
Day 20
Caroline tapped her fingers on the table, waiting for Stefan. As if they had telepathy, he appeared suddenly with a plate of a tower of pancakes.
"What…?"
"You still like them with chocolate and extra cream, right?" he asked, putting the plate on the table and sitting in front of her.
He knew that Caroline had been a little down the past few days. She missed the girls and that had made her sad. In fact, he did not know how she had not had moments of weakness before. He knew that she was strong, but it still surprised him.
Maybe her obsession with pancakes would cheer her up a little. He held the forks and they started eating.
"Mm" Caroline closed her eyes, enjoying the small pleasure, and Stefan chuckled, taking one bite. "Oh my God, I-"
Stefan lifted his head to look at her and Caroline closed her mouth quickly. She put a lock of her hair behind her ear, and Stefan realized that she seemed nervous.
"I hadn't eating pancakes in a long time" she said weirdly, her cheeks flushed a little.
"Were you going to…?"
"What's our next destination?" she asked quickly. Stefan sighed.
"San Francisco."
Caroline nodded and then Stefan decided to do something very foolish. He suddenly spread some cream on her cheek to distract her, and she gaped at him.
"Oops" he said.
"Have you just-"
"Yup."
Caroline gave him a scowl and in the blink of an eye, she threw a piece of pancake soaked with chocolate at his forehead. The piece was sticky so it got stuck to his skin and she could not help but burst into laughing. Stefan was getting ready to rub a whole pancake all over her face, but just when he took it, a waiter approached their table.
"Excuse me, but I'm afraid that if you keep playing with the food, you'll have to leave" he said. Caroline and Stefan looked around, realizing that all the customers were looking at them with serious faces.
"I'm sorry" Stefan apologized. "We'll stop immediately."
The waiter nodded and walked away. Stefan and Caroline cleaned their faces with napkins and he was happy to see that there was a cheerful spark in her eyes. There was nothing that made him happier than making her laugh.
It was then that he realized that there was some cream in the corner of her mouth. Without thinking, he brought his hand closer to her face and wiped it with his thumb. Caroline looked at him, frozen, even though her legs threatened to start shaking any time soon.
He led his thumb to his mouth and looked at her with raised eyebrows and an amused face at seeing the red color in her cheeks. Caroline cleared her throat and looked back at the pancakes.
"So, San Francisco…"
She continued talking nonstop, trying not to think about how her heart sped up when he rubbed her lip with his thumb, and how she had been about to say 'I love you' before asking for their next destination.
Day 21
Stefan returned to the room after spending the whole afternoon cleaning the car with the rays of sun against his neck. Everything was quiet and there was no sign of Caroline. It was 9.30pm, so he assumed that she had gone down to the bar to order a couple of pizzas and a couple of beers as she used to do on Friday nights.
He took off the shirt full of stains and dropped it to the ground, thinking that he had to remove it from there before Caroline arrived in 15 minutes unless he wanted a slow and sure death.
He opened the door of the bathroom, but his feet suddenly stopped. Caroline had just finished wrapping her body with a towel. Her hair was wet and drops of water fell from the tips. She looked beautiful without makeup, and that towel was extremely and dangerously small, emphasizing her figure and her curves.
Caroline felt the air and turned to the door, realizing that Stefan was there. Shirtless.
"Oh, hey" she said.
"I'm… sorry, I didn't know you were here" Stefan said, averting his eyes to fix his gaze on her ankles. He needed some distraction. "I thought you were at the bar."
"I'm going now" Caroline said, unable to look away from his chest. "Beer as always?"
"Yup."
Caroline nodded and Stefan looked up. She did it too, quickly so he would not catch her looking at his bare chest, but it was a little too late. Stefan pursed his lips to keep from smiling, and Caroline swallowed, a bit nervous.
"So…"
"Oh, you want the shower" she said.
"Have you left some hot water this time?" he asked with amused tone and a raised eyebrow, walking over to her.
"You're so annoying. You don't even like to shower with hot water, you just say that to tease me" she complained, walking next to him and sticking out her tongue.
Stefan chuckled but he was quick and grabbed her arm in time to stop her and make her turn to him.
"Wait" he said, placing his hand on her collarbone, next to the scar, to analyze it.
Caroline felt a tingle in her stomach when his fingers stroked the skin around the scar.
"This doesn't look very good, you know?" he said with a worried frown.
"I'm fine."
"Does it hurt?" he asked.
Caroline stared at him silently for a moment, lost in her thoughts. But when he looked up at her, she flinched and winced in pain, squeezing his wrist tightly. Stefan looked worried at her.
"I'm just kidding" she said, laughing.
Stefan rolled his eyes and let her go.
"Caroline…"
"Chill, okay? I'm fine, perfect. Dandy."
Caroline patted him on the chest and left the bathroom as he followed her with his eyes and fixed his gaze helplessly in her ass, covered with the towel, and her long legs, until she closed the door behind her.
He ran his hand over his face in order to try to release some tension. The cold shower would help, no doubt.
"Stefan! What did I say about leaving dirt clothes on the floor?" she yelled from the room.
Day 23
Caroline led another corn snack to her mouth as she moved her foot to the beat of the song playing on the radio and looked outside, letting the wind move her hair.
Stefan reached out to grab a corn snack and Caroline gave him an aggressive look.
"You shouldn't eat when you're driving, Stefan" she said. "What if suddenly you lose control of the wheel and we die because we run into a tree?"
"We're vampires, Caroline" he reminded her.
"Mm."
Caroline threw another corn snack to her mouth and Stefan looked at her from the corner of his eye.
"You shouldn't eat that much crap, Caroline. I'll have to start feeding you with real food."
"We're vampires, Stefan" she repeated in a mocking tone.
"Touché."
She smiled slyly, looking out the window.
"This car must have cost you a fortune" she murmured, staring at the dashboard. "I'm going to…"
Caroline started playing with the browser to look for a radio station that she liked, but she pressed the wrong option and the screen went white. It restarted and everything was in another language. Something like Chinese or Japanese.
"Oh, oh" she said.
"Great" Stefan mumbled.
"I was just trying to change the station, grouchy."
"It's a complex browser. You should have asked me. I spent the other day saving your favorite stations. It took me hours to find them and configure each one of them for each state, but hey, thanks."
Caroline looked at him, perplexed. Only Stefan did such things.
"What?" he asked, noticing her gaze on his face.
"Nothing" she said, with an incredible desire to pounce on him and cover him with kisses. She closed her eyes at realizing what she had just thought and shook her head. "Sorry, I'll ask next time."
"I'm not mad, Caroline" he said quickly. "It's just…" he sighed and looked at her. "You drive me crazy when it comes to car stuff. You also broke down the GPS of the Porsche some years ago, remember?"
"But I bought you a new one" she recalled.
"That's not what-"
"Where's the Porsche, anyway?" Caroline asked, putting her feet on the dashboard.
Stefan looked at her feet and then at her, realizing that she was not wearing the belt.
"Can you sit like a normal person and not like a cat and put the belt on? You're making me nervous" he said. Caroline laughed and sat straight, putting the belt on.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Mr. Salvatore policeman" she said. "Well, what happened to the red Porsche?"
"I had to burn it when Rayna was after me."
"Mm, what a shame. I liked the Porsche" she said with nostalgia, looking out the window. "So many good memories inside."
Stefan frowned.
"I still remember the day I made out with Matt inside" she sighed and Stefan clenched his jaw and squeezed the steering wheel with his fingers, pressing harder on the accelerator.
Caroline pursed her lips to keep from smiling.
"It was very kind of you to lend it to us, by the way, we had a great ti-"
"Caroline" he suddenly said with a warning tone, looking at her.
She rolled her eyes, finally smiling. Stefan looked back at the road and they remained silent for a few seconds until he opened his mouth.
"I'm glad I burned that car" he muttered.
Day 25
Caroline moved in the bed for the fifth time and Stefan looked at her from the couch. He knew that she was awake, for that reason he had not been able to lay down beside her as he usually did every night.
"Caroline?" he asked in a whisper.
"Hm?"
"Everything all right?"
"Yes, it's just… It's nothing."
Stefan turned on the light and sat on the couch.
"What's going on?" he asked.
Caroline looked around, worried. The truth was that she did not want to worry him too. Maybe she was just imagining it. Or maybe she was not.
She led her hand to her scar and rubbed it over the shirt.
"It had never happened, but it stings, and hurts" she said. Stefan stood up immediately.
"Why haven't you told me sooner?" he asked, looking worried.
"I didn't want you to worry, maybe it's just-"
Stefan opened his backpack and started looking for something inside.
"What's going on?"
"What do you feel?" he asked, ignoring her question.
"I just told you" she said. "It stings and hurts. It's like… the scar is going to open and start bleeding."
Stefan grabbed a small bottle and headed back to her to sit on the bed.
"What's that?" she asked, looking at the herbs.
"What you feel means that Bonnie is trying to focus too much on you. She's trying to follow your track, and see if anything can reveal our whereabouts."
Caroline looked at him, scared, and Stefan shook the bottle in his hand.
"These herbs allow you to hide your whereabouts, apart from relieving the pain. Elijah sent them to me through a friend earlier this year."
Caroline nodded and rubbed the scar above the shirt. Stefan took her hand and looked at her.
"I can help you, but…" Stefan hesitated a few seconds, thinking about how to say it. "I need to pull the shirt a little down."
"Oh" she said. She had not thought about that.
"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or-"
"It's okay" she said. "I just need to relieve the pain."
Stefan nodded and pulled the short sleeve of the t-shirt down to put it below her shoulder. He then did the same thing with the strap of her bra, pulling it down carefully. Stefan swallowed and looked at the scar.
"I told you it didn't look good" he said.
"You don't lose any chance to say I told you so, huh?"
Stefan chuckled, smearing his fingers with the herbs, and started to spread them over the scar. Caroline grabbed his wrist very tightly, pursing her lips.
"I'm sorry" she said.
"Caroline, are you really apologizing for squeezing my wrist?"
Caroline sighed, but she started to feel the pain leaving and she relaxed her fingers around his wrist. Now that she had all her senses awake, she realized that Stefan was touching her skin. She felt a tingle in her stomach. She had not felt anything like that in years. Particularly, since the last time Stefan had touched her before everything became a mess.
Once he finished, Stefan brushed the tips of his fingers around the scar to soothe and calm the skin, almost touching her cleavage. He looked up to meet her eyes, but she looked down, somewhat tense.
"You know? As much as you want to avoid the subject…"
Caroline looked up, fearing what he would say.
"That shirt you're wearing is mine, and someday you'll have to give it back" he said. Caroline giggled nervously.
"Stefan, you have like 5 of these" she said.
Stefan slid his hand to her shoulder and neck, brushing her skin gently. Caroline held her breath and Stefan looked at her lips.
"Better?" he asked, dropping his arm. Caroline nodded, pulling the strap and the sleeve up.
"Thank you."
He nodded, leaving the bottle on the table.
"If it hurts again, or if you need anything…"
"I know."
Stefan went back to the couch and Caroline turned off the light, still feeling the ghost of his fingers against her skin.
Day 26
"Done!" she exclaimed, holding up the list.
Stefan stopped the car in front of the quick stop and rested the head against the seat, looking at Caroline with amusement.
"What?"
"You and your lists" he said, taking the paper.
"We have to be clear about what we buy. Besides" Caroline opened the door of the car. "I'm going with you. The last time I asked you to do the shopping, you brought half of the things I asked you."
Stefan shook his head, smiling, and followed her. Caroline began to walk among the shelves with snacks, pointing at what they had to take, and Stefan carried out everything in his arms.
"All this can't fit in your stomach" he muttered, half of his face covered by snacks. Caroline glanced at him over her shoulder, challenging him. "Yeah, okay."
5 minutes later, Stefan dropped all the flood on the counter, and the saleswoman looked at them, surprised. Stefan pointed with his head at Caroline, who seemed distracted by something behind the counter.
"Hey, look" she said, elbowing him in the arm. "Snow globes of Helena. Don't you want to buy some? You know, in case you have to make a special gift?"
Stefan clenched his jaw and looked at Caroline from the corner of the eye. She gave him a fake smile.
"You'll never let it go, huh?"
"Nope."
Stefan sighed and looked at the saleswoman.
"Could you show me the chargers you have?" he asked. "For the car."
"Sure" she said, placing them on the counter. Caroline tapped her fingers, a little bored. "Could you give me your phone?"
Stefan pulled it out of his pocket and placed it on the counter. The woman began to try all of them until she found the compatible one. Then, she unlocked the screen and showed it to him. Stefan opened his mouth to tell her not to do it and try to stop her, but it was too late.
Caroline had perfectly seen that the wallpaper photo of his phone was still her.
"When you plug it in the car, there will be two options. You have to press the first one and it'll begin charging. Like this" she showed it to him. Stefan nodded, scratching his chin. Caroline looked surprised and a little nervous. "You look great in the picture, by the way" she said to Caroline.
"Yeah, thank you" she said, looking down.
When they returned to the car, both were very quiet. Until Caroline could not stand the silence anymore and opened her mouth.
"Why-"
"You know why" he said.
"But…"
Stefan sighed and looked at her.
"Caroline, I love you" he said. She looked into his eyes and he smiled softly. "That's never going to change. And I don't care if…" he looked down. "If you don't love me anymore. Loving you is enough for me."
She looked at him, shocked, not knowing what to say. Although she was dying to tell him that she still loved him and she knew that deep down, he knew it too. But she wanted, she needed to do things right this time.
"By the way" Stefan pulled out a snowglobe of Helena of his pocket. Caroline looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I bought you this while you weren't looking."
Caroline took it and shook her head, smiling.
"I hate you" she said, laughing.
And she laughed too. Because he knew that 'I hate you' actually meant that she did not hate him, at all.
Day 27
Caroline blinked several times before opening her eyes completely, catching Stefan looking at her while driving. Stefan looked away quickly and swallowed, feeling a bit stupid for being so obvious. She yawned with a smile on her lips and looked through the window.
It was night, and apparently, they would keep travelling until dawn.
"Where are we?" she asked, somewhat disoriented.
"Do you mind if we make a brief stop?" he asked. "I'd like to show you something."
A few minutes later, he stopped the car on a hill from which the whole city and the stars in the sky could be seen perfectly well.
"What do you think?" Stefan asked. Caroline looked at the sky in awe. From that place, the artificial lights of the city did not hide the natural starlight.
"It's… beautiful" she said.
Stefan stared at her, wanting to reach out and simply stroke her cheek, or her hair, or just kiss her at once. But Caroline, noticing his eyes fixed on her, straightened a little nervous.
"We should keep going" she said, even if it was the last thing that she wanted.
Stefan pursed his lips and nodded. He turned the key, but the car would not start. She looked at him with a frown.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know, it won't start" he said, trying to start the car again and again.
"Oh, no" she said. Suddenly, she grabbed the neck of Stefan's jacket and pulled him, shaking him. "What if a bear eats us?"
"Caroline, calm down" he said, laughing, and taking her hands gently to pull them away. "Let's get out and see if we have coverage."
They went out and tested their phones, but they did not work.
"What are we going to do now?" Caroline asked.
"We can…" he began, looking at Caroline. She gave him a questioning look. "Just sit and enjoy the view while we wait."
She looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"Are you trying to… turn this into a date?" she asked, folding her arms. Stefan put his hands in his pockets and began to sway in his feet.
"Maybe?"
"No way" she walked over to the car again, but Stefan sped to stand in front of the door.
"Okay, then it's not a date. It's just a night in which two friends are going to sit down and watch the views and talk."
She looked at him, not very convinced, and he looked at her pleadingly. She sighed and sat on the hood of the car. He joined her and sat next to her.
They remained silent for a few minutes, watching the sky and leaning on the glass of the car to get a better view. She sighed again, feeling very small.
"I've never brought anyone here" he said, breaking the silence. Caroline looked at him.
"You've been here before?" she asked, and he nodded.
"I lived here for a while, after one of my ripper periods. I felt I needed to be away from the civilization so I wouldn't lose control" he shrugged. "So I hid here. It sucks to be a monster, huh?"
Stefan smiled sadly and Caroline sighed, shaking her head.
"Stefan, you haven't been like that in a long, long time" she reminded him.
"I know" he said. "Thanks to you."
He looked into her eyes and Caroline could not help but smile a little. Then she saw something in the sky and stood straight to point at it, excited.
"I just saw a shooting star!" she said.
"Yeah" he said, standing straight too. "There's a meteor shower tonight."
She closed her eyes tightly, concentrated. He could not help but laugh.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I just saw a shooting star, Stefan" she explained. "I have to make a wish."
Stefan could not help it and, without thinking, he pressed his lips against her cheek softly. Caroline did not open her eyes instantly, but when Stefan pulled away, she looked at him, somewhat amused.
"What are you doing?" she asked. Stefan sighed and rested his hand on the hood, behind her.
"Making my wish come true" he said. Caroline blushed slightly and shook her head.
Stefan dropped his gaze to her lips and leaned to kiss her, but Caroline, getting nervous, quickly covered his mouth with her hand, laughing. Stefan snorted against it, looking at her, and suddenly licked the palm of her hand with the tip of his tongue playfully. She covered his whole face with her hand then and looked away, laughing, until she let her arm fall.
"You're a pain in the ass" she said. Stefan bit the inside of his cheek and Caroline noticed something sticking out in the pocket of his jacket. "Wait!"
"No, wai-"
"This is a piece of a car, Stefan" she said.
"Really?" he asked with an innocent face.
"It's not funny."
"I just wanted you to enjoy a night without worrying and… Are you mad?"
She sighed, wanting to say that she was. But deep down, she was not, and that was the actual reason why she was angry.
"I guess I'm not" she said.
"Weird" Stefan murmured. She elbowed him so hard that Stefan had to hold to the hood to get steady. "What did you wish?"
"What?"
"The shooting star. What did you wish?"
She looked at him for a moment and then back at the sky. Never losing him again was her wish.
Day 28
Stefan heard her sigh in her sleep and looked at her from the couch. She was sleeping peacefully, uncovered as usual. He approached her and covered her with the sheet and, as he usually did every night, lay beside carefully not to wake her.
His nights consisted in that, basically. He did not know how many hours of sleep had lost in the last month, but he did not care. Watching her sleep all night was his favorite pastime. And it was worthy when she suddenly laughed or started to list the things she had to do next day while being asleep.
"Stefan…" she sighed, turning to him in bed.
His heart jumped and he wanted to jump as well and shout, but he restrained himself. She had just said his name in her sleep. Her fingers brushed his hand and, as if sensing his presence near, she moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, burying her face in his neck.
Stefan, frozen the first few seconds, began to relax and closed his eyes.
When the first rays of sun went through the window, Caroline frowned, still with her eyes closed. She moved slightly but assumed that it was too early, so she decided to keep sleeping with that comfortable pillow.
She smiled and moved closer to the body beside her. The body beside her.
She opened her eyes suddenly, finally being aware that there was something unusual. She lifted her head slowly and saw Stefan's chin, sleeping quietly beside her, his arm around her waist, and their legs intertwined.
She froze, not knowing what to do, but when she felt his fingers stroking her back unconsciously, fear hit her and she pulled away quickly and so clumsily that she fell off the bed, making Stefan wake up.
"Caroline?" he said, blinking.
She stood up and looked at him, breathing hard. Stefan realized what was happening. He had fallen asleep the night before, he was still in her bed, and Caroline had caught him.
"I can explain" he said, nervous.
"You!" she said, pointing at him.
"Caroline, clam down, please" Stefan said, getting out of bed slowly with his hands raised.
"You! There!" she said, pointing at the bed.
"Listen, I…"
Caroline, half angry, half hysterical, headed to the door and left the room. Stefan, more confused than ever, followed her at full speed and when he reached her, he wrapped her waist with his arms from behind to pick her up and stop her from leaving.
"What are you doing? Let me go!" she yelled, kicking in the air.
A couple in the hallway that was returning to their motel room looked at them askance.
"Good morning" Stefan said, walking backwards to return to their room.
"Let me go!" she said again.
Stefan closed the door with his foot and then released Caroline, who glared at him.
"Explain" she said, folding her arms.
"Okay, listen… I swear I never, never, cross the line. I don't even move closer to you."
"What?"
"I just lie down next to you and make sure nothing bad happens or-"
"Stefan, you can't do that."
"I know, I'm sorry."
Caroline stared at him silently and he looked down.
"I'm sorry" he repeated, scared that one misstep would make them go backwards again.
Caroline nodded and looked at the coffeepot.
"I'll make some coffee."
Stefan nodded and Caroline passed next to him. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, missing her already.
Day 29
Things had calmed down since the previous day. Caroline had been the one trying to make as if nothing had happened, joking with Stefan and talking to him about the book that both of them were reading and about to end.
It was 7 in the afternoon. Caroline and Stefan were sitting on the pillows on the bed, with their backs against the wall, as they ate popcorn and watched a movie that was airing on TV. Love, Rosie.
Choosing the person you want to share your life with is one of the most important decisions any of us make. Ever. Because when it's wrong, it turns your life to grey. And sometimes, sometimes you don't even notice until you wake up one morning, and realize years have gone by. We both know about that one, Alex. Your friendship has brought glorious technicolor to my life. It's been there in the darkest of times, and I am the luckiest person alive for that gift. I hope I didn't take it for granted. I think maybe I did, because sometimes you don't see that the best thing that's ever happened to you is sitting there, right under your nose. But that's fine too. It really is. Because I've realized that no matter where you are, or what you're doing, or who you're with, I will always, honestly, truly, completely, love you.
It was one of those occasions in which a movie scene could describe the story of your life, and both seemed to have realized that that one had definitely described theirs. Caroline, feeling a little nervous and noticing Stefan's gaze fixed on her, looked at him.
"Accurate" he said with a little smile.
Caroline was about to look tenderly at him, but she suddenly felt a pain oppressing her chest and as if she was suffocating. She touched her scar and led her other hand to her neck. Stefan approached her quickly, looking worried at her.
"Caroline, hey, hey…" Stefan grabbed both sides of her face and Caroline's eyes began to fill with tears. "No, no, no. Don't you dare, do you hear me?" Don't even think about it."
"I… can't breathe" Caroline muttered weakly.
"Calm down, okay?" Stefan said with wide eyes, worried, scared of what might happen, and making a great effort not to lose control and go crazy. "You need to calm down and try to breathe, okay?"
Caroline nodded, squeezing Stefan's arms, and trying to breathe. Stefan stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, trying to calm her. That happening could only meant that Bonnie was going through a dangerous situation, life and death one, since her life was linked to Caroline's.
"Good, that's it, breathe" he said with a lump in his throat and teary eyes. If he lost her, if anything happened to her, he did not know what would happen to him.
"Stefan…" Caroline said with weak voice.
"It's okay, it's okay" he said with a comforting tone. "Don't talk, okay? Focus on breathing."
"Stefan, no… I…"
Her eyelids began to feel heavy, and she started to blink until she completely closed her eyes and lost consciousness. Stefan looked paralyzed.
"Hey, Caroline" he said, stroking her cheeks. "Caroline" he repeated, shaking her shoulders. "Hey, hey, wake up."
Caroline was inert and Stefan was looking at her almost without blinking, looking as if he was about to explode and lose control.
"Open your eyes, Caroline" he demanded. But she did not open them and Stefan hugged her tightly. "No, no, no" he murmured as his eyes filled with tears. "You can't, I won't let you."
Stefan buried his nose in her hair and pressed his lips against her forehead.
"Wake up, please" he pleaded in a whisper, about to start crying.
She did not, and Stefan left her carefully on the bed in order to start looking for something that could help him wake her up. But there was nothing. Bonnie was usually the one that used to have the answer in situations like those.
He threw his backpack against the wall, releasing a cry, and covered his face with his hands, unable to calm down. He was scared of looking at her, of seeing her still and lifeless.
But he needed to do something, anything. He sat on the bed beside her and took her hand.
"I can't lose you, okay? Not after all this" he said angrily.
Stefan looked away, clenching his jaw and making a great effort to keep the tears in his eyes. His stomach was spinning and he felt as if he was about to faint as well.
She woke up suddenly, opening her eyes widely and taking a deep breath. Stefan looked at her in disbelief and grabbed her face with his hands.
"Caroline, oh my God, Caroline" he said. Caroline grabbed his wrist, breathing heavily. "I thought… I…"
"I'm fine, I'm fine" she said with a slight pain in the throat. "We have to call Bonnie, make sure she's okay."
"Once we make sure you're right" he said.
"Stefan, please."
"I almost lose you" he said suddenly. She looked into his eyes. "I almost lose you" he repeated. "If something would have happened to you, I…"
Caroline looked at him a little worried because, deep down, she knew what extreme measures Stefan would take. That could not end well. Because the only possibilities she could think of were him turning off his humanity or him getting rid of his daylight ring.
"I'm fine" she repeated, stroking his cheek with her hand. Stefan placed his over hers, trying to calm down. "I'm sorry."
"Are you apologizing for almost dying, Caroline Forbes?" he asked, shocked. She shrugged, smiling, and he shook his head.
"Call Damon to make sure Bonnie's okay, please" she said, dropping her arm.
"Caroline…"
"Please" she repeated. Stefan sighed and reached out to take the phone.
"You're alive, that means she is too" he said. "But if it helps you stay calmer…"
She nodded and Stefan put the phone against his ear. He did not let release her hand in the whole afternoon.
Day 30
Caroline closed her eyes, learning back in the tub full of bubbles and essences. She needed that bath more than ever. Stefan had asked for the most luxurious room in the new hotel where they were staying.
She shook her head with a little smile on her face. After what happened the previous day, Stefan was around her all the time, spoiling her and giving her all she wanted. Even if she did not ask.
The door opened and Stefan appeared, but he stopped at seeing her.
"Sorry, I thought you were in the other bathroom" he said.
"It's okay" she said. "Can you give me that oil? The one next to sink."
Stefan gave her the oil and glanced at the bubbles.
"What would happen if I jumped into the tub doing a cannonball?" he asked with an amused tone.
"I'd kill you" Caroline said with a fake smile.
Stefan chuckled and headed to the door to leave, but Caroline called him.
"Hey, Stefan."
He turned around to look at her with a questioning look.
"Can we talk?"
"Sure" he said, and sat on the floor right next to the tub, resting his back against the wall and dropping his arm on the marble of the tub. He looked at her, waiting to hear what she had to say.
Caroline looked down with her mouth half open, not knowing where to start, but wanting to say everything she wanted to say.
"I talked to Ric this morning" she began.
"Oh" he looked down.
"I've been honest with him" she continued. Stefan looked up at her fast. "I told him… that I can't fool myself, or him."
Stefan looked at her, hopeful, and wondering if what she was saying was what he thought she meant.
"He understands" she said. "I think he always knew deep down" she shrugged. "I think I also did" she laughed, shaking her head.
"Are you saying that-"
"Uh-huh."
"You're not going to marry him."
"No."
Stefan could not help smiling.
"That…" he looked down, unable to hide his smile, and then looked back at her. "That sounds good. Great, actually."
Caroline laughed, grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him to her until their mouths collided clumsily and she pressed her lips against his. Stefan smiled against her mouth as Caroline pulled him even further to make him stand up and fell into the bathtub. They laughed when Stefan fell on top of her, being soaked up and down with gel and bubbles.
"You have your hair full of bubbles" she said, laughing nonstop as she tried to pull up his shirt.
"That's because you seem a little desperate" he said, smiling, and leaning forward to kiss her again.
Caroline let him separate her lips with this tongue. He sighed with relief on her mouth, wrapping her waist with his arms, caressing her naked body under the water, and by the way his hands were touching her, she realized how much he had missed her.
"I've missed you too" she whispered against his ear.
Stefan pulled away to look at her, but she pulled him back by the neck to bring his forehead to hers.
"I love you" she said. Stefan closed his eyes and brushed the tip of her nose with his.
"I love you too" he sighed. "And you've just made me so, so happy. And I'm not going to let you go ever again."
Caroline nodded and Stefan started to kiss her cheek, her nose, her whole face as she laughed. She grabbed his face with her hands and kissed him on the lips, both going under the water and hiding their heads under the bubbles.
The end.