Stefan and Caroline had been best friends for as long as anyone could remember.
It all happened one day when they were four and Caroline was riding her tricycle in front of the boarding house. She turned too sharply causing the bike to fall over and tears to run down her cheeks. Stefan, who had been reading in his treehouse, ran as soon as he heard the sound and ever since then they had been inseparable.
They were with each other through everything and they always supported each other. Stefan was at Caroline's house every night when her mom worked late and she couldn't help but smile when he walked through the door with her favorite snacks. Caroline held Stefan's hand at his mother's funeral and laid in bed with him as he finally cried.
They had known each other for years, through heartbreaks, school projects and laughing fits. It was now senior year and they were as close as two friends could be.
So naturally Stefan had panicked when he felt butterflies for the first time.
It was during sophomore year when Stefan, Caroline and all of their friends were having a movie night. He didn't mean to stare, but when he noticed the curve of her cheekbones and splash of freckles on her nose he couldn't look away.
He soon became infatuated.
But he didn't do anything because she had Matt and then she had Tyler and then she had Jesse. Also he had Elena and he would try to make it work with his ex because he couldn't be with Caroline.
They were friends. Best friends. And he needed that.
However when Elena broke up with him and cheated on him he didn't really care. Of course it hurt that he wasn't enough for her, but he understood why she did it. Elena said that his heart wasn't in it and she was right. After all, his heart already belonged to someone else.
So when a grinning Caroline Forbes knocked on his door Stefan couldn't stop the grin from appearing on his face. It was movie night and even in the middle of senior year they still upheld the tradition.
"Why are you dressed up?" Stefan asked, looking Caroline up and down.
Instead of the normal hoodie and leggings she was sporting a tight black dress, which hugged her in all of the right places. He couldn't stop his mouth going dry, as the dress didn't leave much up to the imagination.
"We are going out, so get dressed up because we are going to a club," she announced.
Stefan rolled his eyes, "No way, we are not going clubbing."
Turning around, Stefan strode into the living room and began turning on the dvd player.
"Ugh Stefan come on!" Caroline whined, "Elena broke up with you a month and a half ago and Klaus dumped me five days ago, I need to go out."
Stefan groaned at the sound of that name. Klaus kept trailing Caroline along and Stefan had held her so many times while she cried over him. She could do so much better.
He could treat her so much better.
"Please Stefan," Caroline whispered and Stefan knew what she was doing.
Sure enough, when he turned around it was to come face-to-face with the classic 'Caroline Forbes Pout'. He tried to say no, he really did, but he could never say no to Caroline. Especially when he got lost so easily in those eyes.
So he just shook his head and went upstairs to get changed, which lead him to where he was now, nearly three hours later. Caroline had been talking to people all night, which wasn't shocking, as she was always popular. However, she never left his side, until fifteen minutes ago when he had finally stopped dancing.
He always hated it, but one look at that pout and he always danced with her. But he had danced with her for a while and he needed a drink of water, since he was driving, although, he didn't expect what he saw after he got the drink.
There was Caroline. His Caroline. Grinding on a guy, while he stuck his tongue down her throat.
The burn of jealousy consumed Stefan and he had to clench his fists, in order, to stop himself from breaking them apart. He knew that his feelings were getting out of hand, but he didn't know that they had gotten this extreme. He knew that he had to get over her, but he had no idea how and the fact that he was just staring as she made out with another guy probably wasn't helping.
But right before Stefan turned away he saw the guys' hands start to roam Caroline's body and her hands trying to push him away. He could hear her start to protest over the music and he knew that he had to do something.
Stefan began seeing red and before he knew what happened his hand was stinging and the guy was on the ground with a bloody nose. The music cut out, as Stefan pulled a swaying Caroline into his side.
"What the hell man?!" The guy yelled, standing up.
"Leave her alone," Stefan snapped firmly.
The guy was clearly buzzed, but you could tell that he was aware of what he was doing. Caroline was another story, proven by the fact that when the guy walked towards them she barfed on his shoes.
The grin that appeared on Stefan's face couldn't be stopped and it didn't disappear, until he was helping Caroline into the car. He hated it when she got drunk because he had to practically support her body and she always became so sad.
Sure enough, when Stefan entered the car Caroline was silently crying, with her head leaning against the window. Stefan's face morphed into one full of pain and without a word he took off his leather jacket and draped it over her like a blanket before silently stroking her shoulder.
He knew drunk Caroline. First, she threw up, then she cried, then she confessed whatever was on her mind, before finally falling asleep. Even though, Stefan knew that she would stop crying soon and that this was just her pattern it still made him sad. He hated her crying when they first met and that still hadn't changed.
He had been driving for a few minutes before her tears stopped and she was silent for most of the drive, until they came upon the road that lead up to the boarding house. There was no way that Stefan would let Caroline's mom see her like this. Besides Damon was away for the weekend with Elena, so no one was home.
"I don't get it Stefan," Caroline whispered.
"Don't get what Caroline," Stefan sighed, parking his car in front of the door.
Caroline turned to Stefan and he could see the sadness within her orbs.
"I don't get why Klaus keeps doing this to me," she whined, as Stefan got out of the car and went to her side, in order, to help her out. "He knows that I like him and I thought that he liked me too, but I don't know anymore. You know?"
Stefan wrapped his arm around her lower back, as he unlocked the door. He tried to keep his anger at bay, in order, to help his friend, but his jaw clenched. It wasn't fair that Caroline had to suffer because of Klaus, or anyone, she didn't deserve what she got.
"I do know Caroline," Stefan admitted, picking her up bridal style after locking the door. He learned years ago that this was the fastest way to move Caroline up stairs when she was drunk.
"I saw him flirting the other day with that girl called Hayley," she rolled her eyes at the name, "and I don't get it. Like I try so hard, not just with him, but everyone and I'm never the one."
Stefan paused at the top of the stairs when he heard what she said. He wanted to scream that she was wrong, that she was more than good enough and she could have anyone. She was 'the one' for him and Stefan knew that he would be amazing for her, but he knew that, that wouldn't do any good, especially when she was drunk. Caroline never remembered anything when she was drunk.
So Stefan just nodded and walked into his room before setting her down on the bed. Caroline started blabbering about 'what a slut' Hayley was, as Stefan grabbed her a pair of her sweats and one of his old shirts before quickly changing into his pajamas.
When he exited the closet Caroline had abandoned her dress and was lying on his bed in just a bra and underpants. A lump formed in Stefan's throat.
"Where's your dress?" Stefan asked, his voice hoarse.
"On the ground, it was too tight."
Stefan just rolled his eyes and began sliding his shirt over her head. He also tried to get her to put on the pants, but after many tries she refused, so Stefan just left her in his shirt, that was basically a dress on her.
"Goodnight Caroline," Stefan called, before walking towards the door.
"No!" Caroline quickly snapped. "Please, stay."
Stefan wanted to resist. He knew that the temptation and butterflies would intensify in the bed and he didn't know if he had that much self control.
"Stefan, please," Caroline whispered.
The way that she spoke his name, as if it was something precious, made him turn around. Before getting in, he hastily closed the door and turned off the light before climbing in behind Caroline, who was on her side.
It was completely silent before Caroline finally broke it, in the most heartbreaking tone that Stefan had ever heard. "Do you ever feel like there's not a person in the world who loves you?"
Stefan shook his head, as he gazed at her golden locks.
"Caroline so many people love you. You can't listen to guys like Klaus because they don't deserve you. You're bright and funny and optimistic. People like you make the world a better place and I'm so thankful that you're my best friend. So don't ever say that again because there are people that love you. Okay?" Stefan finished off his speech only to be met with silence.
At first he thought it was because she was hesitating, but after a minute Stefan finally sat up, only to find that Caroline was in a deep sleep. He chuckled quietly and gazed at her, while her chest rose and fell. Even facing away from him, Stefan could make out one flushed cheek and half of her rosy lips. He had wanted to kiss those lips so many times that he'd lost count.
He was in a daze, just watching, before he realized that it was past three in the morning and he needed to go to bed. He debated on leaving, but the image of Caroline was too tempting and he couldn't bring himself to leave. So very carefully he positioned himself behind her before slowly placing an arm over her waist.
He held his breath, as Caroline snuggled into him and he couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face, as he smelled the familiar lavender shampoo. It was times like this where he was glad that he had these feelings for Caroline. With the feelings he noticed so many things that he hadn't noticed before, like the way her eyebrows rose when she laughed and her different types of smiles.
He hated the torture and the wanting, but he had accepted long ago that the pain was worth this. The pain was worth it, as long as he had Caroline.
But he still needed to admit something. "I think I'm in love with you," he whispered quietly, before placing a kiss on her forehead and laying down to sleep.
