DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.
Mystic Falls, June 17th
"Caroline, for god's sake, would you hurry up already? We're going to miss our flight!", Elena shouted from down the stairs, pacing back and forth in the hallway of the Forbes residence. They were supposed to leave for the airport twenty minutes ago, causing Elena to grow more impatient by the second.
"I can't find my curling iron! I am not leaving without it!", Caroline yelled back, her tone of voice sounding particularly agitated.
"You've got to be joking," Elena murmured under her breath, she allowed herself to let out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes, "It doesn't matter Care, we'll buy a new one when we get there, just come on, we're late already!"
It stayed quiet for a few seconds. Elena had lost count at how many times she sighed and rolled her eyes, and figured she'd just go upstairs to get her. Before she could, she heard the blonde let out an irritated growl as she grabbed her suitcases and made her way downstairs. Jeremy and Bonnie couldn't help but laugh a little, it was just so typically Caroline, she wouldn't go anywhere without her hair looking absolutely flawless.
Today was the day Elena and Caroline would leave for Italy as exchange students. They decided, after having spent their whole lives in Mystic Falls, not counting the year at Whitmore College, it was time for them to go out and see the world, starting in Europe. Originally Bonnie would come along with them, but her grams became gravely ill and she wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, before it was too late. As upset as the other two girls were about the fact that Bonnie wouldn't get to experience this with them, they understood where she was coming from. They would feel horrible if something happened to her grams while she was overseas.
Caroline's mood changed almost instantly from peeved to joyous when she saw how Elena was jumping up and down from excitement, causing her to smile and run up to the giggly brunette to hug her tightly.
"We still have to get to the airport, so we better get going, right now." Jeremy stated as he walked past the two hugging girls to grab the suitcases and walk them to his car.
The car ride to the airport was, loud, as Jeremy would describe it, but it couldn't make him happier to see, or rather, hear his sister sing her heart out from excitement with the other two girls, though completely off key, he enjoyed listening to them. Even Bonnie participated, despite being sad she had to miss her friends for such a long time, it couldn't make her more happy to see her friends going off on this incredible journey.
Richmond International Airport, Virginia
Silence slowly fell upon arriving at the airport, the feeling of leaving Virginia behind became more real by the second. Elena felt a rush of anxiety flowing through her body and swallowed hard. This was it, she was actually going to do this.
She opened the car door and stepped outside, while running her fingers through her hair she let out a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second.
"Hey, are you okay?" Caroline asked as she stepped out of the car and reached out for Elena's arm.
"Y-Yeah, yeah I'm fine, it's just... I can't believe this is really happening, you know? We're actually going to Europe and I'm so excited, I really am, but I can't help but feel scared as well."
A soft smile appeared on Caroline's face, and she pulled Elena into a hug, reassuring her that it was going to be okay, even admitting she was a little scared to leave everything behind as well.
Having unloaded the suitcases from the trunk of the car and making sure both girls had their passports and plane tickets ready, the time to say goodbye was upon them. Bonnie was blinking uncontrollably, trying to keep her tears from flowing, but failed, which caused the other two girls to start bawling their eyes out as well. Even Jeremy had a few tears running down his cheeks.
"You two be safe, okay? And you better call me at least every day!" Bonnie said, pointing her finger firmly at them.
Elena chuckled through her tears, "We will, and you keep an eye on Jer for me okay? And call me the minute he hurts you in any way so I can kick his shins."
She turned to look at Jeremy, and gave him a look that screamed 'I mean it', a look that Jeremy knows all too well, before walking up to him to give him a hug.
"You know I won't hurt her. Just like I wouldn't let anyone hurt you, I love you sis."
Hearing those words, Elena felt a huge weight fall off her shoulders. Sure, she knows Jeremy loves her and would do anything for her, but hearing him say it always makes her feel better, and she definitely needed to hear it at that moment. Her remaining anxiety washed away, as if she had never had it in the first place.
"I love you too, Jer. I'm going to miss you, both of you."
She waited until Caroline was done saying goodbye, and grabbed her suitcases. Before they walked off into the airport, she looked back at the couple and smiled when she noticed how Bonnie's head was resting on Jeremy's shoulder and how Jeremy had his arm around her waist. It was still weird for her to see how her little brother was dating her best friend, but she was happy for them.
"So, what is the first thing you want to do when we get to Rome?! We should definitely go to the beach, and oh my god! We have to go babe spotting, seeing as we're both single now!"
Elena couldn't help but laugh at how silly Caroline was acting, it was as if she was a little girl who just got the pony she always wanted for her birthday.
"Care, there is no beach in Rome, and I don't know about that, Matt only just broke up with me."
The cheerful smile which was resting on Elena's face faded upon mentioning Matt. She was clearly not over him, granted, it has only been what, 3 weeks since they broke up? That didn't mean Elena couldn't have any fun, and Caroline was all about making sure Elena loosened up a bit on this trip.
"Ugh, I'm sorry, I know, but come on! You're allowed to have some fun!" the blonde asserted, "I mean, seriously, if Matt is having fun with that dumb slut Nadia, why on earth would you forbid yourself to have some fun with a very hot Italian guy?!"
She had a point, all Elena did was blame herself for how their relationship ended, while it was Matt who cheated on her, and she wouldn't allow herself to have any fun because she would feel guilty about it. Caroline may be a bit too forward at times, but the way she made her point always put a smile on Elena's face, and she knew she was right.
"Alright then, babe spotting it is," Elena couldn't help but form a little smirk on her face, "I guess I am allowed to have some fun with a hot Italian guy."
Pleased with herself, Caroline wrapped her arm in Elena's and squealed with excitement. "This is going to be an amazing year!"
Leonardo Da Vinci Airport, Rome, Italy
It was just before 11 PM when the two college students arrived in Rome, despite being extremely tired from the flight, they would still go through with the plans they made whilst on the plane, to explore the city a little after dropping off their luggage at their new apartment.
Breathing in the warm Italian air, they looked around them as they walked out of the airport, Elena had to pinch herself to see if it was real, she still couldn't believe she set foot on European grounds for the first time in her life, while Caroline couldn't take off the huge smile glued on her face.
Caroline started walking faster towards the only available taxi, telling Elena to hurry before someone else would take it. She fastened her pace to keep up with her, which wasn't really working considering she was strolling two heavy suitcases behind her. The blonde started running and calling upon the taxi driver, hoping the man would keep the cab free for them. He noticed them and waved them over, saying something in Italian. After taking care of their luggage, they got in the car and Elena told the man where they needed to go, trying her absolute best to pronounce the address correctly, but failing miserably.
"Aha, Americans! Welcome to Roma!", the man said, wearing a thick Italian accent.
The cab ride from the airport to the apartment, which was located in the centre of Rome, took a little over half an hour. Passing a couple of landmarks, including the Colosseum, left both girls in awe. Not much was said, leaving the car filled with mostly the sound of the muffled traffic and occasionally people speaking in Italian on the radio in between playing the latest pop music.
Normally they would have stayed with the other exchange students, who would arrive a week later than they had, but Caroline insisted on renting their own place, close to both the city centre and the university. Elena loved the idea, but argued with her about how they wouldn't be able to afford such luxury, even though having worked for a full two years all while graduating high school and going off to college. That money was mostly spent on paying for the exchange year and saved for necessities such as food and household supplies. Luckily a small scholarship covered most of the costs, but there was no way they could afford a place of their own, or so she thought.
Gilbert Residence, June 1st
"I already got us an apartment!" Caroline said as she clapped her hands together from excitement.
Elena, who was sitting on the couch opposite of her, narrowed her eyes out of confusion.
"What do you mean, you already got us an apartment?" she asked, not quite sure if she heard that correctly.
"Like I said! A few weeks ago I looked at a few places online that weren't too pricy and would suit our needs, and my dad and your aunt took care of the rest."
"Are you serious?" Elena brought her hands up to cover her mouth, unable to believe what she had just heard.
"It was Jenna's idea. She thought it would be good for us, so when I told my dad about it, he wouldn't have it, he didn't want her to pay for it by herself, so they came to an agreement, and split the costs!"
"We... Why didn't you tell me?!"
Caroline walked towards the couch and sat down next to her friend, "Well, at first I wasn't going to tell you anything about it until we arrived there, because I wanted it to be this huge surprise, but then this crap with Matt happened and I just hated to see you being so sad all the time, which by the way brings my mood down, too. So...Surprise!"
So that's why she brought up the subject, Elena was definitely surprised, but she was even more surprised how Caroline could keep this a secret for so long. Thrilled about the fact that they now had a place all for themselves, she threw her arms around Caroline and pulled her into a hug so tight, she almost suffocated her friend.
"Thank you, Care," she said, her voice sounding as if she was about to cry from happiness, "You're the best."
AN: Phew! First time actually writing down a story I've thought of, I honestly can't wait to write out everything.
I'm having so much fun with it, and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it :)