The young brunette exited the terminal of the airport in Richmond Virginia. With a suitcase in one hand and a carry-on slung over her shoulder, the woman heads out to the pick-up area of the airport. Elena Gilbert has finally returned home from college. A 22-year-old whose life has been turned upside down since the passing of her parents when she was 16. Grayson and Miranda Gilbert had adopted Elena as their own after she was given up by her birth parents (John Gilbert and Isobel Flemming), whom she's never met. She had been told of her adoption by her aunt, Jenna Sommers, who had taken in both Elena and Elena's younger brother, Jeremy. Before Elena had left for college, Jenna was to be married to Alaric Saltzman, a high school teacher at Mystic Falls High. The same high school where Elena and her friends had gone. Though after an unfortunate accident, Alaric didn't survive. Elena had seem him as a father-substitute, not just for her, for Jeremy. Since then, Jeremy had been acting much differently and becoming distant. As for Elena, she had decided to go away to New York, attending NYU.
Before her arrival in Richmond, Elena called her oldest and dear friend, Matt Donovan to pick her up. The two friends have known each other since they were practically in diapers and shared a crib together. Matt was one of the few people who knew Elena before the loss of her parents. It was a 3-hour long drive from Mystic Falls. She had called ahead of time and didn't wait long, seeing Matt's pick-up arrive at the airport. She smiled upon seeing her friend step out of the truck. "Elena! Hey!" Matt smiled and pulled her in for a hug. Elena returned the warm embrace. Matt Donovan, known for his baby blues, had never been more happy to see his friend. He always had a crush on Elena for as long as they have been friends. "Matt! I missed you." said Elena.
"I missed you too. How was New York?" Elena was unsure of where to begin. Her four year stay in New York was quiet eventful and thought about discussing her college experience away from home and would be a good start. Yet, she knew Matt better than most. "Hectic. Though, enjoyable." Even if it was a short description, Elena thought it was the best she could give without having him press for more questions. She wasn't exactly ready to go into full detail with Matt about college. She pulled away from the hug when Matt suggested for the two of them to go out for dinner. Elena agreed and added that she would need to shower first as soon as they get home. They get into his truck together and they make the 3-hour drive back to Mystic Falls. "How was your flight?" Matt glances over at her during the drive.
"It wasn't half-bad. I'm glad to be home." Elena told him.
"I'm glad you are home."
After the 3-hour drive, the two friends arrived in good old Mystic Falls. It was a small town, not really recognizable on a map. The town's locals were friendly towards some of its visitors. There was nothing bad that had ever happened. The town itself was full of rich history that would often be taught in school. Elena had never been more than happy to finally be home after four years. She truly missed the life of living in a small town after having been in New York for college. She would only come by during the breaks when she could. Even then, the short visits weren't enough to see her friends and family. Elena and Matt arrived at her apartment, which she shared with her best friend, Caroline Forbes. Upon her arrival, Caroline wasn't anywhere to be found; and Elena had only assumed that her friend had gone out for the night. Elena unloads her suitcase in her room and goes to take her shower. After her shower, she gets dressed and fixes her hair when a knock sounds at the apartment door. Elena wasn't sure of anyone who knew her arrival date, only because she hadn't told anyone but Jenna. "Who else knows about my arrival?" She came out of her room.
Matt had been waiting in the living room and shrugged. "I haven't called anyone." Elena definitely wasn't expecting any guests anytime soon, unless Caroline had been the one to invite them over without Elena knowing. She heads over to the door anyway to answer it. "Stefan?" Stefan Salvatore, formerly a football player in high school, was Elena's ex-boyfriend before she had gone off to college. She was more than surprised to see him. Stefan was quiet, and yet he was good at football. Elena had fallen for him because he was far different from the other boys she had dealt with. They met when she was still on the cheerleading team, and it seemed like love at first sight. "I figured you be home today. You're dressed to go somewhere this evening." How observant. Elena thought sourly. While though they remained friends, their breakup wasn't as smooth as it was hoped it'd be.
"Yeah, Matt and I are going out for dinner. It's nothing special." Matt had formerly been on the football team with Stefan. Though they had never been all that close because of the way Matt felt about Elena and how she had fallen for Stefan instead. Elena had only seen Matt like a brother (almost). "Right. I should go then."
"Actually, you two should catch up. We'll have dinner another time."
"No, wait… Matt."
"See you Elena." Matt rushed out of the apartment before Elena could try and attempt to stop him. Elena was now annoyed with the presence of Stefan. And yet, she had once found complete comfort in him, even after the breakup. Maybe he understood her like no one else did. He saw her for who she really is, even during the time of her parents' death. Stefan had always been there for her. He was someone she could lean on and trust. "Hope I wasn't interrupting anything important."
"There was nothing going on between him and I. You know that." Stefan wanted to believe that statement. He had seen how close Matt and Elena were, as well as knowing that Matt still had a crush on Elena. Though he felt that Matt should just stop trying to pursue Elena, only knowing that Elena wanted more than just the small town life. "I missed you."
Elena sighed, "I missed you too."
"What's wrong?" With this, Stefan had hoped to get an answer. He had hoped that she would finally open up to talk to him. He could sense that something was bothering her and was unsure of what that was. Even after having been broken up, Stefan still managed to care about Elena. However, Elena completely evaded answering the question. "So, how about dinner?"
