A/N: Hey guys! So, I promised TVDVampireKat another chapter...lol. Here is it. :)
Hope you all like it!
Rumor Has It- Chapter Two
"Damn it!" Katherine mumbles under her breath as she places her hand into her Michael Kors white clutch, searching for her cell phone.
"What's wrong?" Bonnie asks, smiling as she leans against a wall outside of the building. Their shifts have been over for about 20 minutes and as they had walked out, Katherine hadn't noticed anything was missing- until now.
"My cell phone. It's not in my purse and I most likely need to go back in there and get it." She replies, already making her way towards the double doors, turning back to Bonnie when she adds. "You can go, Bon. I'll just call you when I get home."
"But-." Bonnie begins to say, looking around the already darkened parking lot and wanting to tell her that she's not leaving. But, from the look on Katherine's face. It's evident that she doesn't want her there.
"This doesn't have to do with Stefan, does it? Do you think he took it?" Katherine hears Bonnie ask and spins around, lifting up her hands in the air and shrugging her shoulders back with a bit of tension and annoyance. "I don't know. But, I'm about to find out." She shouts, watching Bonnie bid her good luck as she starts walking back to her car. Katherine makes it to the doors,enters the store number on the keypad to get back inside and then pulls the door open.
When she walks in, it's quiet and most of the lights are already off. Most of the staff have already gone home for the night when Katherine passes the maintenance guy named Ralph as she walks back towards the break room, silently hoping that she doesn't run into anyone else.
"Forget something?" He asks, noticing that she looks distressed and tired, her hair in a loose ponytail and her makeup already beginning to melt off her face a little bit from her long day.
"My cell phone. I think it's probably still in the break room or something." She tells him, smiling when he nods. "Alright, I hope you find it. But, you shouldn't be in here." He warns, picking up the rest of his supplies as she watches him leave the store and she heads down a set of stairs towards the employee lounge.
"Where the hell is it!" Katherine exclaims, bending down under one of the tables in the break room to try and find her missing phone. But, she stops when she hears footsteps approaching.
"Anyone in here?" He asks, startling her so much so that when she lifts her head back up from under the table, she hits it- hard enough to possibly leave a bruise.
"Ouch!" Katherine shouts out in pain, holding the top of her head when she gets up and leans back into one of the chairs with her eyes closed. She didn't notice him. Not until she opened one of her eyes and took a moment to rub her head.
"Katherine?" Stefan asks with a small smile. It's funny, she thinks. The way she's been trying to avoid him and yet, at all costs- he still shows up anywhere she seems to be.
"I forgot my phone." She explains, opening both of her eyes as he walks further into the room. She watches his back tense a little as he pulls up a chair across from where she's sitting and places his hand into his jean pocket, tapping his other hand against the table and glancing up at her.
"About earlier.." He attempts to say as he notices that she's looking up at the clock on the wall that reads 10:15pm. She's avoiding him once again, distracting herself and her thoughts.
"Stefan, it's late and I need to get home. I don't have time to talk about this." She tries to say, hearing him sigh and watching when he runs his hands through his hair in frustration.
"You never have time to talk about this. About us. That's the problem." He proclaims as she gets up and extends out her hand to him. She's angry that he's talking about it, she's tired too and she just wants this day to be over. But, knowing him- he won't let it go.
"Give me my phone. Please, Stefan." She snaps, narrowing her brown eyes on to him as he looks up at and pulls out the cell phone, handing it back to her when he tries to explain. "I found it on the ground and I knew it was yours."
It's password protected, she reminds herself as she mutters out. "Thanks. Now, have a good night." She tells him, starting to walk out, hearing him following her. "It's late and you shouldn't be alone in that parking lot, waiting for the bus. It's not the safest of places to be. I'm done for the night too. I can drive you home." He offers, watching her stop and when she does, slowly turning back to him- he's hopeful for a moment.
Katherine swallows down her words. He's got her, right where he wants her and she knows it. Her shaking voice can be heard echoing throughout the room when she locks her eyes on to his and laughs out a nervous chuckle. "This was all a ploy. Wasn't it? The elevator and now finding my cell phone and taking it. You did this on purpose."
Stefan shrugs his shoulders back, attempting to hide the small smirk playing across his lips at her realization. It wasn't supposed to be a ploy..It just worked out in his favor and here they were, alone all over again.
"No, it wasn't at all. I promise. Listen, have a drink with me, right now? We can leave here and go to that favorite bar of yours, the one with the live music, Lakewood Landing. Please, Katherine. It's the only decent bar in all of Mystic Falls... I just want to talk to you." He's nearly begging her and she can see the desperation in his green gaze when he looks down at the floor because she's quiet for far too long.
"Fine. I'll hear you out and then, you'll drive me home. I'm hungry anyways, I could use some food and a drink." She finally replies, clutching her phone as she catches his side profile in her peripheral vision. He's smiling just a little as he nods. "Great." He says. "So could I." He adds, following her out of the store without another word.
Lakewood Landing is a crowded smoke filled place and the liquor is free flowing as they step into the small Mystic Falls bar. But, it's always been her favorite and Katherine has always felt the most comfortable here. Although tonight, she's feeling a bit uneasy when she feels Stefan's hand slide down against the middle of her back as they search for a pair of seats near the large plasma TV that's loud and has a few people crowded over it, throwing money down. She can hear the patrons arguing loudly as they bet on a football game that's playing on the TV set and when she glances over at them. She's happy that she can't recognize anyone.
"I forgot how packed this bar was on a Saturday night." She muses, stepping away from his touch as Stefan grabs her hand and pulls her towards the front of the bar area, taking a seat just as the tall and dark haired bartender glances up at them with a friendly smile. "Ah, Stefan Salvatore and Katherine Pierce. Nice to see you two again." He says with a grin, placing a white rag over his shoulder as he watches them give each other a knowing look.
"So, what can I get started for you two tonight?" He asks them. Katherine leans forward, pushing her long brown curly hair to the side as she clears her throat and smiles with a look of sudden seriousness. "Give me the strongest drink you have. I'm going to need it."
Stefan lifts up his hand, taking out his wallet and throwing a 20 dollar bill against the brown and rusted looking table top as he chimes in. "Give us a bottle of your best and strongest whiskey. And two shot glasses. Thanks."
Katherine lifts up her eyebrows at him, tilting her head to the side as he gives her a small smile. "You said you wanted something strong." He winks, watching her roll her eyes when she taps her plum colored high heels against the chair and looks straight ahead, not daring to look at him as she speaks loudly enough for him and a few others to hear. "So, here we are, just like we used to do a few years ago. In a very familiar place. What do you want to talk about?"
Stefan places his elbows on the table, placing his chin against his hands when he looks over at her and says. "I meant what I said earlier. I'm still in love with you." She's quite suddenly, shrugging her shoulders back and giving him a sympathetic look.
"You shouldn't be, Stefan. We broke up and we both messed up our relationship in the process. Everything that we went through…We just changed because of it. We grew apart..." She wants so badly to finish her sentence. Although, it's too hard and he notices that the tears have returned once more just at the mention of what they both know had been the cause of their downfall.
"I can't stop thinking about you...Everything, reminds me of you." He admits, glancing up at her as she looks up over at him. Her cheeks are red, her eyes are glazed over when she abruptly gets up from her chair and pushes past a few people in the bar. She isn't really sure why she's running from him. But, once she steps outside and into the back alley way. Katherine finally feels her lungs expand and a fresh gust of air makes her feel better momentarily- until the doors push open and he's standing there, locking his intense forest green eyes on to her.
"You moved out and I thought that you'd come back...I waited for you." She blurts out, her voice getting smaller and smaller when she adds in. "I waited for six months! In an unfurnished apartment space, with the engagement ring and with a few unpacked boxes all around me. I waited, because I thought that you'd come back and that we'd be okay..I thought that we could live the life we had planned together. Even after everything that happened between us."
Stefan exhales heavily, creating a foggy plume of air as he steps in front of her, placing his cold hands onto each side of her over heated cheeks, staring directly into her tormented brown eyes. "I waited for you to tell me that you still loved me….That we were going to be okay." She repeats, inhaling sharply as his thumbs run across her skin.
"I'm sorry, okay. It was hard on me too! Don't you get that? I wanted to marry you, Katherine. I didn't think you'd find the box. But, you did and then, we stopped talking. Katherine, you shut yourself out to me and that was it! Because, you wanted to rather act like it never happened!" Stefan shouts, releasing his touch from her and taking a step back, She watches him run his hands through his hair when he heaves out a breath.
She's crying, leaning against the red brick wall as she wipes away at her tears. She hates it, the pain that she caused him and the fact that he left not long after. She hates the fact that she's to blame for their miscarriage.
"Because, it's easier. Wasn't it? You left first and then, I didn't have to stay. I never wanted this, Stefan! I never wanted to see you again, I never wanted to be near you after it happened because I felt like I caused it all. I made you move out. Don't you see that I blame myself for what happened? I blame myself because I didn't take care of myself. I was 19 years old and just starting out my life as an adult in New York. I was too stressed out and too young to handle it..I…didn't know...I didn't know about the baby until it was too late.." Her voice breaks, as he leans forward, kissing her forehead and pulling her against his chest without a word as she sobs into the curve of his neck and repeatedly says. "I'm sorry, I am so sorry."
"I'm sorry too." He tells her softly, holding on to her tightly in his arms as he feels her push away from him. Her hair attaches to his face a bit and he brushes it back with his fingertips, the small gesture makes her exhale and lean against him. The street light above them outside of the building shines as he too breathes out a breath when he states. "You need to know that and I wanted to come back, I wanted to. I just, after you told me about the pregnancy and after we lost the baby.. I needed some time to be on my own. So, I tried going back to school. But, I couldn't do it without you there. It was too hard."
"Three years together. We were happy- for three years. I loved you, I loved you so much." She tells him, thinking about the span of their relationship and the fact that they both had to hide it from everyone for that long. Up until the point where everyone Katherine worked with, started talking about her and Stefan. The painful news of the details of them being together and their circumstances were spun into nothing but rumors and untruthful tales around the college town where they both lived.
" But, once people started finding out about us at the old store and around campus in New York, the rumors grew and I had to come back home to Mystic Falls. I had no other choice. I thought no one was going to know about what happened back then at this new place between us. Because no one really remembered me here. However, the rumors followed me here too. That's why I've been avoiding you. I didn't want people knowing that we knew each other. Truthfully, the moment I saw you around the store. I wanted nothing to do with you. Although, it didn't take long for people to find out about us and start asking me questions about you." She admits as she shakes her head and takes a few steps back, turning away from him when she suddenly feels his hand being placed on to her shoulder.
" I don't blame you, for what happened. I never did. It wasn't your fault. You had taken on a lot of stress after high school and it was just, it took a toll on your body." He replies softly, watching her slowly turn around as she finally looks up at him, walking over slowly. He closes his eyes when he feels her placing her warm hand onto his cold cheek, stroking her thumbs against the stumble that's formed just around his jawline.
"I was 2 months pregnant, Stefan. I should have stepped back from the stress of school and taken care of myself. But, I wanted more than anything to push forward and succeed. Being at NYU was my dream and I knew I couldn't just lose it all. So, I piled on the stress and instead of being careful. I was reckless and stupid. I'm the reason we're not together anymore. It's all because of me." Katherine reflects, leaning her head against his shoulder as she delicately whispers into his ear. "Please, just take me home..Please, I just want to go."
She's too tired to argue with him when she realizes that they aren't in front of her house. But, in front of his two story townhouse on the outskirts of the city. The lights are all off and there's an old rolled up newspaper sitting in front of his door as he glances over at her. He reaches over for her, relieved that she isn't fighting him when he takes her hand into his own touch and kisses her palm with his lips.
The small sensation, the warmth she feels when he touches her causes her eyes to tear away from the lock they have on the park that's across from his small gated community. "Stay with me tonight. And, I can drive you home in the morning." He promises as she glances over at him. He can sense it, without her saying anything. It's evident that she's uncomfortable with the idea of staying over. But, she plays it off with a small smile and opens the car door, stepping out into the dark night and crossing her arms over her light blue button up jacket that she's wearing.
She watches him lock the doors to his red Honda Civic and walk up beside her, placing his hand on to the small of her back once again. Because, he's not really sure how she'd react if he tried to hold her hand like he did in the bar. He doesn't want to make her uncomfortable. Yet, he knows that he probably already has by bringing her to the one place she doesn't want to clearly be at tonight.
" It took me a long time to get over the fact that I was alone, after you left." She suddenly says, hearing the door open when Stefan unlocks it and pushes inside of his house, turning on the porch lights and telling her to watch her step when she follows him inside.
"It took me a long time to get over the fact that you said you wouldn't marry me." He states, turning to look back at her and helping her take her jacket off. She watches him place it on the armrest of the couch. Stefan smiles when he notices her nose crinkle. "You haven't done anything new with your place..It still looks the same, smells the same too." She observes, looking around the room and exhaling deeply when she hears him ask. "Are you still hungry?"
Katherine nods, licking her lips involuntarily when she see's him step into the kitchen, turning on the light and taking out a cutting board.
"I have some stuff here that I could make us." He smiles, seeing that she's sat down on the brown leather couch in the small sized living room, placed her shoes next to the coffee table and it just about to turn on the TV when he asks her. "Do you still like chicken cacciatore?"
His cooking was amazing and she remembers it well. As she nods once more and goes back to flipping through the channels on the TV. But, something makes her get up and walk over to him. Maybe it's the fact that she feels so out of place in his house now, maybe it's because she knows that once the sun comes up, this will be over and they'll go back to barely knowing each other- that it will be like a dream.
"Do you need help?" She asks him, watching him line up a row of celery on to the cutting board and begin chopping as he glances over at her and says. "I've missed this. I've missed us."
Katherine wraps her arms around her stomach and leans her back against the edge of the counter when she admits. "I've missed this too."
"You know, I haven't cooked in a long time. So, I hope that this isn't too horrible." He reveals, hearing when she laughs a little and replies with in teasing tone. "What? You don't cook for anyone special anymore. Hm, what a shame. Look, whatever you make, Stefan. I'm sure it would be better than anything I could make us. I'd burn your kitchen down."
"You want to bet on that?" He jokes with her, a calming and warm feeling washes over him when he feels her hand being placed against his back and she leans into him a little, whispering. "I'd still lose."
She's noticed that he's stopped cutting and has placed the knife down, wiping his hands off a white kitchen rag. And, the moment he turns around to face her. Stefan's green eyes are filled with yearning and wanting. She can see that his face is hopefully when his hand lifts and he touches her face. His fingertips lifting up her chin, pulling her closer.
"I'm sorry." He tells her again, watching as she closes her tired looking eyes and leans into him again, this time their lips are just inches apart and she can smell the mint flavoring of his gum in his mouth. She whispers softly. "I am too."
He brushes a strand of her hair back, his rough skin stroking her cheek when he pulls her close and kisses her. The kiss is delicate, simple and yet filled with an underlined passion that he knows she feels too. Katherine smiles against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck and making it so that their bodies have no space in between. "Don't leave me again." She tells him, leaning her forehead against his when they break away from the kiss.
Katherine's eyes meet his, licking her chapped lips as she whispers in a barely there tone. "Please. I can't go through that again."
"I love you. I never stopped loving you." He declares, taking a hold of her hand and leading her out of the kitchen, watching as she gives him a puzzled look and then he clarifies hesitantly. "Come upstairs with me."
She feels her back being pressed down against the mattress as he lifts his shirt over his head and tosses it on to the bedroom. Stefan's knee is in between her legs when he leans down to capture her lips against his own in a searing kiss. His lips part from Katherine's for a moment as he brushes a strand of her hair out of her eyes and stares intently down at her. She lifts her arms up and pulls him down against her. Hearing him whispering softly. "Are you sure about this?"
Katherine stops and nods. She's smiling just a little when she swallows down her doubts that she has. She isn't really sure about anything to be honest. But, she misses him and she's sick of hiding it, sick of avoiding her true feelings for the man that she's loved more than anyone in her life.
Stefan feels her fingertips brush across his chin, her thumb touching the tip of his chin as her eyes look at him as if she's searching for answers, ones that she knows she has to find within herself before she can seek them in him. "Stefan, I love you. And, being away from you, forcing myself to be away from you was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do." She confesses, watching him lean down towards her, kissing her cheek when she exhales and pulls him closer.
"Stay." He murmurs again, hopefully this time that she'll consider his request. He watches her brown eyes soften, a small smile curling up at the corners of her mouth when he repeats it once more. "Stay the night with me...Please."
"Okay." She states, her voice is low and their faces are just inches apart when she leans forward and kisses his lips softly, deepening the kiss as she feels his hand slide under her back and his arms pull her up towards him so that he's sitting up with her in his lap.
"I'm serious. I don't want to wake up in the morning without you." He warns as she pushes back. Katherine's legs are on each side of his waistline. Wrapping themselves around his back as she sits in his lap and stares meaningfully into his green gaze as she replies. "You won't."
Katherine watches him come towards her, the scent of mint and a mildly scented soap consume her scenes when he opens his mouth to add something just as meaningful to their conversation. But, Katherine quickly stops him. "I'm not leaving, Stefan. Not this time." She reassures him, running her fingers through his hair as she clasps her hands together behind his neck and senses her body being pushed back into the mattress. Her body falls back when his hands begin to fumble with the buttons to her dark purple dress shirt, undoing just a few of them to reveal her black lacy bra underneath it.
Stefan kisses her neck, working his way down to the middle of her chest as she turns her head to the side and lets out a breathy moan. She pauses, clasping their hands together and feeling his fingers tighten around hers. Katherine smiles just a little wider when she feels her heart beat quicken and she kisses his chest, running her hands over his hot and soft skin as she listens to him groan and feels him place his hands over her stomach, leaning down to kiss the olive colored flesh. She sighs out a breath into the stillness of the room, locking her eyes onto his when she pleads. "Make love to me, Stefan."
A/N: Would it be mean if I just left it here and didn't add in one more chapter?
Possibly to be continued... ;)
Thanks so much for reading!
