Maybe It Was Love At First Sight
Stone pathway leading to a secret garden, trees covered with fairy light, candle lanterns hanging from the trees and set along the cobbled pathways. Moon and the starry sky adding to the beauty of the evening, Stefan's wandering eyes came to a halt as he saw someone –a girl.
Sitting between two brunettes she was swinging on a swing that hung from a tree, she was laughing and giggling. Light from the moon and the fairylights bouncing off of her blonde hair making it look even more golden and beautiful, white dress and flower tiara making her look absolutely angelic, he was lost in the melody of her child like laughter when Damon's voice broke his reverie.
"Enjoying your first Harvard Secret Society gathering little brother?" "Yup, not bad actually," said Stefan
Walking towards the blonde now talking and giggling with the girls under a tree was the last thing that Stefan remembered, he didn't know what this girl was doing in his arms
"I am so sorry, and thank you so much I tripped over this root…. of this tree and… but you saved me from falling, I am Elena by the way and thank you" said Elena to possibly the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
Stefan's eyes were still fixed on the blonde standing behind Elena when Damon shouted, "earth to Stefan"
"Yeah sorry, I am Stefan "
"Hi Stefan, I am Elena"
Eyes fixed on Stefan Elena forgot to introduce others hence stepping forward Bonnie introduced herself and Caroline. Damon introduced himself too,
" Hi I am Damon Salvatore , Stefan's elder brother and that girl over there is Jenna Hamilton my girlfriend" said Damon pointing to the long hair petite girl walking towards them .
After sometime of hanging out and small talk, Damon suggested they play a game
The game was simply that one would be handed small post-it stickers and then they had to talk/seduce/work their charm on a person and stick the post-it anywhere on the person where the post-it would be slightly difficult to find and this had to be done without that person knowing of it and to make it more interesting they were split in couples and the more people one tags while themselves remaining untagged wins.
While Damon was explaining the game they were joined by Kai and Jeremy. They were then split in couples – Damon obviously teamed with Jenna, Jeremy was crushing on Bonnie so he insisted on teaming with Bonnie. Kai and Elena used to date at one point and neither one of them could tolerate the other by the end of it and ended on a bitter note so there was no chance of them teaming up plus he and Caroline were very competitive hence were very happy to team up so the only one's remaining were Stefan and Elena.
The game began, Jenna and Damon set off to tag people, Damon was very popular and girls flocked around him making it easy for him to tag them. Jenna on the other hand wasn't much of a party person she was a writer and liked to observe.
After a few too many drinks Bonnie and Jeremy got busy flirting with each other and made out a few times
Elena was very happy on being paired with Stefan and wanted to win the game with him. Girls were very intrigued by Stefan and wanted to know this new, hot mysterious guy making it easy for them to tag, meanwhile Caroline was getting bored,
"Ugh, this is getting too easy and boring, there needs to be some fun and twist, this is boring and I need a drink" she babbled to Kai.
She noticed majority of the girls flocking around Stefan, he was the new mystery guy also Damon's brother aka Royalty, if Caroline had to win this she had to make it difficult for Stefan to tag, she had to distract him. Sipping her drink she was thinking what she could do when she heard the girl standing next to her grunt, "damn these girls, all of them throwing themselves at MY Stefan, don't they understand he is MINE". Now THAT peaked Caroline's interest and before both of them knew they were striding across to Stefan.
"Stefan, I believe she was looking all over for you" Caroline said in a voice so innocent but devious at the same time,as Valerie literally pounced on him shoving all the other girls away from HER Stefan. Caroline whispered GAME ON to Stefan, her warm breath on his skin made his skin burn… and she just walked away leaving him dazed. The game was almost to an end the only two teams remaining were team Stelena and team Kairoline. Kai decided to take on Elena, he thought if he could just get her irritated enough she would just quit but, instead what happened was- she pretended to cry, Kai fell for it and ended up quitting instead.
Caroline was standing by a tree sipping her drink thinking how she would win this thing, when…
"Dance with me" whispered Stefan in her ears sending a shiver down her spine. Lacing his fingers through hers he led her to the dance floor, her chest pressed flush against his, eyes dancing between her eyes and lips. Everyone around them stopped dancing, just the two of them at the center of the dance floor also probably the universe, or so they thought. Everyone else watching them in awe, they weren't aware what song was playing they were just following the rhythm of their heartbeats. Him in a black suit and her white chiffon dress swaying at the wind's command bouncing off of the floor. He didn't know what these rush of emotions were, maybe it was just his head spinning from dancing and yet how was he still in control? He hated dancing or so he thought but then again this wasn't dancing this was probably just him floating in those sea blue orbs of hers.
For her this was scary, she was losing control, he had all the control right now- his gaze demanding attention, him leading and directing their movements effortlessly and her surrendered to him. No she couldn't let this go on she needed to gain back her lost control, she slowly ran her hand along his neck, fingers entwined in his hair, her touch was affecting him and she liked it, she was gaining control again and so making the most of it she tagged him at the inside of his collar and whispered as he spun her back in his arms, " I tagged you Stefan, game over."
"What?" asked Stefan, clearly still lost, it took him a moment to take in the surroundings.
" I said game over Stefan, I tagged you first"
Everyone started cheering on her win. Stefan's voice cut the cheering easily locating where she tagged him, he removed the tag from his collar. After a moment he spoke
"Except you didn't Caroline, I tagged you the moment I took your hand to dance"
"What? No, that's not possible" she started checking her dress but could not see anything even Elena helped her look for it.
"There is nothing here Stefan"
"Look at your palm Caroline" said Stefan
There it was the pink colored tag. Caroline had been so affected by Stefan's touch that she failed to notice the tag. She smiled at him bemused
"So I guess you won, congratulations" to that he looked down and smiled shyly rubbing his neck.
Jumping in his arms Elena said, "Oh My God Stefan we WON"
Damon too came over and congratulated him
"That's my little brother"
Bonnie and Jeremy arrived back at the party upon hearing noise and congratulated Stefan and Elena
"You guys make a great couple! I mean team" said Bonnie to which she received a pointed look from Elena.
Elena also blushed at the compliment and Stefan furrowed his brows all the while his eyes scanning the place for Caroline but she was nowhere to be seen.
"Umm, can you help me find Mr. Salvatore's cooking classes?"
"Yes, this way please."
The girl at the reception of the Babington house led her through the beautiful hallway of the 18th century manor house converted to a private members club. Reaching the end of the hallway the girl pushed open the double doors and led Caroline to a beautiful kitchen,
"Mr. Salvatore, I have Miss. Forbes for the cooking lessons."
"Tell her there will be no cooking classes, she is late."
"Look I am sorry okay, I got caught up in work and then it took me some time to find this place, if you would just let me speak with Mr. Salvatore I am sure he will excuse me this time ," said Caroline to the young man standing with his back to her.
"You are speaking with Mr. Salvatore, Miss. Forbes," said Stefan turning around now facing the blonde
"Caroline!"
"Wait, Stefan Salvatore? As in Harvard Business School graduate, you are going to teach me how to cook?" (She had expected some old guy in a traditional chef's uniform wearing a double breasted jacket and a toque- blanch)
"No, I WAS going to teach you to cook," said Stefan giving her an exasperated look.
He was not up for this today, it was already a bad enough day. Today 8th of Jan would have been their 4 year anniversary . Exactly today last year he had asked Elena to marry him and she had rejected him saying she had feelings for someone else. It had been hard getting over her. He had moved out and away from US, away from those people, away from Elena and everything else that reminded him of her. Always being interested in the hotel business he converted the Babington Manor his family owned in a hip country house hotel .It was his New Years resolution that he would leave his heartbreak behind and focus on the hotel more, hence the active part taking in new activities that he would enjoy and the hotel would benefit from as well but it clearly wasn't getting any easier, there was no way he was teaching Caroline to cook . She was Elena's friend since school and then throughout Harvard, she would be a constant reminder of the past. So he strode forward to his room upstairs without looking back.
Caroline followed calling out to him, "Hey! Where are you going?"
She followed him until he just disappeared, "Wow he had not changed at all since she last saw him as nice and polite as ever". The manager (Jo) saw Caroline and made her way towards her,
"Miss Forbes, I apologize on Mr. Salvatore's behalf, he is usually very polite".
"Not when it's me", Caroline muttered under her breath
Caroline walked out of the Babington House slightly less angry since Jo gifted her spa coupons as an apology but then she realized she had to drive back home-an hour long journey and just like that she was grumpy again.
Getting comfortable in her bed Caroline had busied herself searching for other cooking classes on the internet when she heard her phone beep
Tomorrow 5:30pm sharp. Don't be late
-Stefan
