A/N: Hey all. Just a little AU one-shot that I wrote up. Not even sure if I will continue this. But, I might later on. :)
Rumor Has It
Katherine Pierce wishes she could sit down and not have to deal with the people in the long lines in front of her. She wishes that she could just go home and sleep the day off. But, she needs this job more than she's ever needed anything else and so she shrugs it off and plasters a smile across her mouth, tasting her warm peach flavored lips, like she's on some sort of sugar high. However, there is one thing that Katherine wishes that she could keep staring at and yet, she hopes she could just go back to avoiding him...The young and handsome security guard that now works at her store. Her ex boyfriend, Stefan Salvatore.
They had broken up a few months ago after rumors about their relationship had spread around all the departments like wildfire. And, just as she's been trying to mend her broken heart and move on from him. Katherine has spotted him around the escalators a few times this week. Tonight, he's talking to one of her managers about something and glancing back at her more often than he has in the last few days. And, every time that he does it. She feels the butterflies in her stomach increase and her heart rate pick up just a little more.
"The more you stare at him, the more he's going to keep doing it back." Her co worker, Bonnie Bennett teases as she nudges Katherine's shoulder and turns back to her cash register with a wide grin. "I can help whoever is next!" She shouts as she winks at Katherine who has bent down to grab a paper bag with handles for one of her customer's stack of clothes.
"I just wish he'd talk to me." Katherine groans, throwing the receipt into her Mrs. Lamberts bag and telling her to have a good night, watching the old red haired lady give her a beaming smile as she says. "Men are complicated creatures, sweetheart. Maybe you, should talk to him." Before bidding both young workers a good night and leaving the checkout area.
"He can't risk it, Katherine. You know that relationships inside of the company are frowned upon and you being with Stefan was a huge 'no,no'" Bonnie adds, exhaling heavily and adjusting her diamond studded earrings as she finally takes a breather to notice that the line has died down and they've got two more people just about to walk up to her register.
"No one knew about us, Bonnie." Katherine replies, trying her hardest to really believe her own words. But, once she feels Bonnie place her hand on to her shoulder and laugh a little. She knows that her words are a false statement.
"No one knew about the two of you? Ha, Honey..Everyone knew!" She exclaims, shrugging her shoulders back and straightening out her thin red blouse as she walks over to a little old lady on the sales floor, trying to pick out a pair of jeans for herself.
Katherine shakes off Bonnie's words and quickly throws herself into her work, finally after a good twenty minutes goes by. She sighs out a breath and looks up from the catalog that one of her customers left behind, that's when she spots him again. He's wearing plain clothes this time around. A tight black t-shirt and a pair of loose fitting dark jeans with his black boots. He looks as handsome as he always has- she thinks as she continues to watch him walk around. His hair is a perfect tousled mess and Katherine wishes she could run her fingers through it once more..She misses him.
She quietly goes back to pretending that she didn't recognize him. Looking down again at the catalog and reading about the deals for their next sale date. That's when it happens, she get's interrupted by a knock on the counter top where she's been working at for the last two hours.
"I need to talk to you. Once you get a minute." Stefan suddenly says in a soft tone, watching her glance up at him. Her mouth is opened a bit, attempting to form words. But, nothing except for reluctancy and annoyance reach her tone.
"I'm busy." She shoots back because that's the only thing that she can think of- the best that she's got. While she stands there in front of him and feels her heart breaking at just the sight of him being near her.
"You don't look busy to me. Please, Katherine. It's important." He begs her, finally watching her brown eyes soften as she adjusts the necklace that he had given her a year earlier for their anniversary around her neck. He gives her a look, partly surprised that she still has it.
"Whatever it is, Stefan. It can wait until our shifts are over." She replies back, her eyes deadlocked this time on his face as he leans forward a bit. Both of his hands are flatly laying on the glistening white counter top when he states. "It can't wait. Meet me in the stock room, near the freight elevators. I'll go first and then you follow me." He concludes, turning away from her and heading towards the back as she crosses her arms over her chest and looks down at her throbbing feet that are wedged into her Steve Madden plum colored high heels.
"What do you want?" Katherine questions, watching him leaning against a dark colored stone wall when she finally walks into the stockroom. Boxes of merchandise are stacked up on one side beside him as he looks up at her and then he finally says. "Let's go somewhere a little more private."
"A little more private? Stefan, this isn't a damn date. You told me to come over here. So, here I am..Taking time out of my work night to talk to you. If I leave my area, my manager will notice and they'll call my name over the intercom. And, because of everything..I really don't want that to happen tonight." She retorts, hearing him let out a laugh, licking his lips and pushing himself off of the wall, slowly walking over to her.
"I wanted to say that I was sorry, okay? And, I wanted to see you, privately." He confesses, watching her brown eyes brighten as she tilts her head to the side and looks around the packed stockroom in total confusion.
"You wanted to apologize to me at work and in the stockroom? How romantic. Stefan, we're over! You made that very clear the last time we saw each other." She tells him, trying to hide her hostility that she still feels towards him, the anger simmering a bit as she watches him press the freight elevators button to go down.
"I know. And, I was an idiot. Now, let's walk and talk. Come on, in here." He says, pulling her by the arm and reluctantly into the elevator just as the doors close shut and Katherine rolls her eyes at him.
"This is against a lot of company rules and we could both get fired for it." Katherine murmurs as he laughs and glances over at her shaking his head when he adds. "Since when have you given a damn about rules?"
She looks down at her freshly french manicured nails and then back up at him as she flat out states. "Since I almost lost my job by getting involved with you and since everyone found out about us."
"Right. You're afraid of what everyone's going to think about you and me as a couple. Yeah, I seem to forget that." He says back at her, suddenly feeling the elevator come to an abrupt halt when they both stumble backwards and the screeching is heard as it just stops moving completely.
"What the hell!" Katherine exclaims, pushing herself up off the dirty floor when she hears Stefan exhale heavily, cursing under his breath. "We're stuck. The elevator's stuck." He explains, watching as her eyes widen and she blurts out "You've got to be kidding me!"
He misses her. Even if he's been trying to deny it for the last few hours. He can't and being stuck inside of the small space brings up faded memories of their time together. "For what it's worth. You should know that I really did love you. I still do." Stefan comments, watching Katherine lift her head up from her resting spot against the wall of the cabin.
"I know you did. But, you broke my heart." She chimes in softly. She's getting tired and annoyed, being stuck in the small space with her ex boyfriend wasn't how she had imagined the last three hours of her shift. Katherine heavily sighs as she tries to reach a signal on her cell phone and realizes that all the bars aren't even coming up at all. "I don't have a signal at all." She mumbles, leaning her head back against the wall and groaning out in what sounds like agony.
"I already called them an hour ago, remember? I used the call button over on the keypad. They said that the maintenance guy is on his way to get us out. He should be here soon." Stefan informs her, noticing that she's shivering a little and her hands are trembling.
"Come here." He tells her, watching as she lifts her head up again and shakes her head.
"I'm fine, Stefan." Katherine says in a tone that's barely , he knows her all too well. He knows that she's, trying to play it off as nothing and that she's lying to him- once again.. "It's your sugar, isn't it? I know that you have low blood sugar, Katherine." He asks as he can see her face fall just a little.
"I didn't eat anything at lunch. But, I thought I was going to be fine." She confesses, looking over at him when he stretches out his legs and pats the space between them, watching her slowly get up and reluctantly walk over to him, taking a seat in between his legs. Katherine rests her head against him when he places his arms around her, instinctively and protectively.
"I'm sorry too. For hurting you the way I did…" Her voice cracks a little when she feels his fingers tangle into her hair, placing his hand against her back and making small circles against her back, kissing the top of her head.
"I miss you." He admits. "I thought I wasn't going to miss you when we broke it off. But I do." He tells her, swallowing the lump in his throat as she inhales the scent of him. She misses him too. More than she could ever admit to anyone. But, she can't seem to find the right words to say, so she stays silent and listens to his heart beating against her ear instead. The rhythmic sound is calming as he tightens his arms around her and softly whispers. "We're going to be okay. I promise, help is on the way and I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Katherine."
He's not sure how long they've been trapped. But, he can see the relief on her face when the elevator begins to move again. Stefan pulls them up to their feet and holds on to her hand, smiling just a little when she doesn't pull away from his touch.
"Are you two alright?" The salt and pepper haired maintenance guy in a blue uniform with the name tag "Ralph" on it asks them, when the doors push open and he smiles up at the two ex- lovers that look exhausted and emotional from their time together.
"Yeah, we're fine." Katherine says with a hint of a struggle to push the words past her vocal cords. Stefan feels her brush past him, hearing the maintenance guy mumble something about how he has to go write up an incident report and hand it over to the store manager.
Stefan pauses for a moment near the elevator, exhaling heavily and thankfully sending out a silent prayer that he's alone with her again. But, soon he regrets it when Katherine spins around, her high heels thumping against the concrete floor beneath them and her facial expression is nothing short of pissed off.
"You can't do that!" She shouts at him, her voice echoing loudly as Stefan crosses his arms over his chest and tilts his head to the side. He's slightly amused by her sudden anger.
"Excuse me? Do what?" He asks her, licking his bottom lip with his tongue as he notices that she's watching him with a look of something that he hasn't seen in her eyes in what he knows is a long time- desire and passion.
"You still love me." He points out, chuckling a little when he places his hands onto his hips and spreads his legs, watching her face redden as she tries desperately to deny the facts that are staring them both in the face.
"No, I don't. What you and I had was a long time ago. It was a high school romance! I'm an adult now and I certainly know better than to get involved with you again. I don't feel anything for you, not anymore." She retorts, closing the distance between them and attempting to push past him in the wide open space. But, the feeling of his firm grip against her wrist causes Katherine to stop and lock her watery eyes on to his intense green gaze.
"You've never been a good liar, Katherine. Even in high school, you sucked at it." Stefan says, leaning forward just a bit when he lifts his hand up and brushes a strand of her hair behind her ear, his eyes piercing into hers.
"Tell me that you don't love me anymore and that you don't care about me. Then, I'll let you go. I'll never bother you again. I promise. " Stefan insists, the feeling of his thumb rubbing softly up and down her wrist makes her weaken for a moment when she suddenly tries to own up to what she's been trying to avoid. Although, the memory of the night that he left her, breaks her heart all over again and she can't seem to admit to anything.
She looks up at him instead. Watching his intense gaze fade and it quickly becomes replaced with relief and sadness. "Please, Katherine. Stop avoiding me, stopping acting like we never happened. Because I know that we did and what we had meant something to you. I know that it did. Because, it meant something to me too and I screwed it up. I'm sorry."
She shakes her head, releasing her grasp from his when she bites down on her lower lip, placing her hand in front of her mouth nervously. He feels her remove her hand away, tears welling up into her eyes when she adds. " I blame myself for the things that happened and I'm sorry...I can't talk about this with you, Stefan. Not right now and not any time in the future."
He nods, watching her push past him with tears in her eyes. "Tell me, Katherine!" He nearly yells after her, watching her stop near the double doors when she spins back around to him and finally admits with a pained tone. "I love you, Stefan. You know that I still do! But, this..Walking away..It's easier."
"Easier for who? For me or for you? Because, being apart from you like this is killing me!" Stefan says, his voice is riddled with anger and disappointment when her brown eyes met his he can see it clearly. Katherine's face is damp and tear stained as her shaky voice falls when she concludes as she turns away from him and starts walking."For me. It's easier for me to be apart from you. Because, we hurt each other, Stefan. We're not good for one another."
He doesn't stop her when she walks away. He lets her go as he exhales heavily, he feels the damp tears fall down his own face when he whispers out into the still silence. " You're wrong, Katherine. You and I both know that you are wrong about us. I love you, alright? I love you. I just can't watch you walk away from me again, Katherine. Please, forgive me. Just, don't walk away again, Please, don't go."
A/N: Hope you liked it and thanks so much for reading!