AN: So I decided to go on with the story. This is my first fanfic, so please any reviews would be great.. What you liked/didn't like.. any ideas of how things should go between the characters.. just anything :)
Hope you enjoy it ! :)

xx

Elena woke up with a smile on her face. She had dreamed of Stefan that night and she wished that she didn't have to wake up. Her dream was better than reality- wasn't it always the case? She'd taken Stefan's number when they were at the football match, almost three years ago. She decided to give it a shot and text him.

Elena: Stefan! Twas really good seeing you again yesterday. I hope you're feeling better today ;)

She knew that it was a cheesy text, but she didn't regret sending it, she was only hoping that his number hasn't changed over the years. Minutes slowly turned into hours and her phone remained silent. Elena came to the conclusion that his number had changed when suddenly there was a quick Beep.

Stefan: Yeah! It was awesome seeing you again! I hope to see you before you leave. I'm a lot better today ;) see you soon!

Elena: I hope to see you too before I leave. I was looking at pictures from last night and I was laughing alone.

Stefan: Hahahahahaa. You'll show them to me :) we'll probably see each at Caroline's party.

Elena: I hope that you'll behave at Caroline's

Elena remembered that Caroline had vaguely mentioned her party but she wasn't sure whether it was still on. Then again, that was a stupid thought because Caroline's party never fail and they're always a blast.

~!~!~!~!~!~

Elena got to Caroline house with Aunt Jenna and Jeremy. They were one of the first ones to arrive. Caroline had asked them to buy a couple of things on their way because she wasn't sure that she had enough, so them arriving early was actually perfect. Elena was always amazed whenever she got to Caroline's house. It was by far one of the most beautiful houses that she's seen. When you walked up the pathway, you came next to a pool surrounded by a wooden deck. There was a railing around the deck. You could easily think that you entered a hotel. As Elena was helping Caroline, she figured that tonight would be the first night that she would see Stefan properly, as in, sober. Half an hour passed and Elena grew anxious by the minute because she knew that he would arrive anytime soon. At that moment she wished that Elijah were by her side. Elijah was her childhood friend, one that truly cannot be replaced. She and Elijah were closer than she and Damon. Damon was her best friend; Elijah was her brother from another family. Both their families moved to Europe together and they ended up living in the same block. If Elijah were here, he'd know what to say to Elena to calm her down. She didn't talk about Stefan to anyone since New Year's, nor did she plan to, she liked the fact that it was her little secret for now. However, if Elijah were here, she would have told him everything without thinking twice about it. She hated the fact that he had stayed in Europe for the holidays and didn't come back to Mystic Falls. Elena stopped thinking about Elijah when she heard Meredith say her name. Elena and Meredith met recently, but things immediately clicked between them. Elena was racking her brain trying to remember what Meredith has asked when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She didn't have to turn around to see who was the owner of the hand because the touch had sent shivers through her entire body and only one person could do that; Stefan.

"Hey Lena," he said as she turned around, his emerald green eyes locking in her chocolate ones. They stood like that for a moment before he smiled and looked over to Meredith to greet her. As he let go of her shoulder, she instantly missed his touch, she felt cold. She smiled at Meredith and excused herself. She headed towards the bar and poured herself a drink- that was bound to keep her warm. Elena went back to Meredith, but her eyes were darting back and forth, searching for Stefan. She somehow felt more relaxed when she saw him in a deep conversation with Damon, very animated one too. Stefan used a lot of hand gestures as if trying to make Damon picture his story.

Elena's drink was once again finished and she walked over to the mini bar that Caroline had placed by the pool. Stefan made his way to her and poured himself a drink.

"So, where are you staying?" he asked.

"The usual house down the road."

"Fun? So, when are you leaving for Europe again?"

"It's not so bad. I'm going back the 15th," Elena answered half-heartedly. It was the 5th and she had only 10 days left in Europe. She knew she would have to make the most out of those days.

"Elena, come with me." He led her to a chair that was placed a little further from the rest of the chairs, as if someone had wanted some alone time and placed it just far enough not to be part of any group conversation. The chair was in plain sight, everyone could see it, but no one bothered to place it back next to other chairs. "Sit here. I remember you taking pictures during New Year's Eve. Do you mind showing them to me?"

Elena smiled and sat down on the chair while he sat on the arm. She took the camera out of its case and started flicking through the pictures she had taken on New Year's. In nearly every picture he was there- the consequences of spending an entire with Elena Gilbert, she paparazzis everyone. Nearly every picture of Stefan that passed, he made a disgusted face, as in ashamed of how he behaved. One of the pictures was of him with his eyes half-closed, arms in the air and his blue button-down shirt was open revealing his perfectly strong torso. An immediate "oh no!" escaped his lips and Elena giggled. She stole a quick glance in his direction and she realized that he was blushing and his hand was on his forehead as if trying to remember what he was doing when the picture was taken.

"Don't worry Stefan, you didn't do anything stupid", she reassured him.

"I literally don't remember anything from that night. I mean, I remember seeing you and giving you a gigantic hug while telling you that it was awesome seeing you again. After that, it's a blur of images."

Elena couldn't stop herself from smiling while remembering the hug they had shared when they first saw each other at the party. "Yeah, we were well into the hug when you told me that out hug should last at least a minute and you were timing it."

"No, no, no no no," he said while shaking his head. Elena couldn't stop heself from giggling, he was simply adorable when he was embarrassed.

"You seriously can't remember anything else?" asked Elena.

"When I look at the pictures you took, I remember the moment, what was happening during the shot, but if you hadn't shown me anything then no… Nothing." Elena stayed silent, she was slightly sad. She had wanted him to remember his night because to her, New Year's Eve was memorable because of Stefan. Every memory she has of that night includes him. What she didn't know however was that Stefan's memory of the night includes her, only her. He didn't remember all the words being exchanged, the conversation that he had with some people or the music that was playing, but he remembered that she was there. He wanted to hold onto that thought and never let it go, but she didn't need to find out.

"Let's go get a drink," Stefan said without thinking, bringing them both to reality.

They made their way to the bar and joined Damon who was already pouring himself a drink. He smiled as he saw Stefan and Elena approaching together. He didn't say it out loud, but he couldn't stop thinking that they would make an amazingly cute couple. Damon couldn't help but notice that there were sparks, no, there was fire between the two. His smile widened at the thought of his two best friends dating and he sighed.

Elena started telling stories about the 31st December and the things that both boys did. None of them could remember due to the alcohol that had affected them during the night. They did stuff they couldn't even imagine like hugging a coconut tree, or lying in the parking lot singing songs by Bruno Mars, sitting on chairs and continuously asking for a refill of water. As they reencountered stories, Stefan poured them each drinks-Malibu mixed with pineapple juice, perfect mixture.

"Let's go talk with Jenna," Stefan suddenly said to Elena.

"Let's go talk."

"No, let's talk with Jenna," he repeated.

"Let's go talk, as in, you want me to come with you?" she asked with a slight smile playing at the corner of her lips.

"Yes, please?" he asked and his eyes locked with hers. She simply couldn't say no when his stare was so intense, as if she could burn if he continued. She looked away, confused by the feelings that she could get only by looking into his beautiful eyes. She knew she was falling for him; she wasn't even going to deny it to herself.

Elena and Stefan got to Aunt Jenna and she was more than delighted to see him. Apparently she was his teacher when he was around 8 years old and she hasn't seen him since she left for Europe, 10 years ago. Just a proof of how small Mystic Falls actually is. Imagine seeing Stefan as an 8 years old kid and then suddenly seeing him when he's 18, quite the shocker. Elena smiled while observing the interaction between her aunt and Stefan, they easily fell into a conversation about the past. She couldn't help and think what would her parents think of Stefan, would they approve, would they feel as comfortable as Aunt Jenna?

"So, you guys are leaving on the 15th, so soon. You can already start counting on your fingers." Elena looked down at her hands and realized that every day she would use one finger less to count her remaining days. At the thought her heart clenched up, she didn't want to leave.

"Don't say that Stefan," Elena said, she couldn't bare the thought of leaving. She didn't want to hear anymore of the conversation so she turned around and saw Tyler coming her way. She smiled and started talking to him. She liked Tyler, they've never been closed, but when they saw each other, they could really talk, have proper conversations. They both eventually made their way to the railing surrounding the pool. Caroline, Meredith and Rebekah were there already, talking. Elena walked up to Caroline and hugged her as a way of saying thank you for the party. The blonde immediately understood and returned the hug.

"Thank you, Care."

"You're more than welcome Lena! I just wish you weren't leaving so soon."

"How about we don't bring that up right now, yeah?"

"Sure thing," Caroline answered with a slight twinkle in her eyes. She was extremely emotional when it came down to people she loved leaving.

Damon and Stefan came up to the group of girls and they all started talking. Although Elena was talking with Damon, she could feel someone staring at her. She quickly glanced to the side and sure enough, Stefan was leaning against the railing listening to Caroline, but staring at Elena. Their eyes locked for a few seconds, but it was enough to make the gravity between them increase by 100%. She suddenly felt someone tug on her hand and she noticed that Damon was trying to get her attention again; he then pulled her to the side, away from the group of friends. She broke eye contact and followed Damon. As she looked over her shoulder, Caroline was doing the same thing Damon was doing to Elena, trying to get Stefan's attention.

"What's with you and Stefan?" asked Damon, going straight to the point.

"Nothing," she answered. It was true, there was nothing going on between them, just a whole lot of staring.

"Cut the crap Lena. You guys are literally having a hard time keeping your eyes off of each other."

"I swear Damon, there's nothing between the two of us," answered Elena while stifling a laugh. She loved it when Damon was being so curious and was trying hard to prove a point to her and was failing. "He's just a friend that I've found again."

Damon didn't say anything but looked at her with a puzzled look. "'A friend that you found again'… What, was he lost before?" he sarcastically asked. Elena laughed out loud. Damon loved that about her; he could actually be himself with Elena because she understood all of his jokes and his dry humor. "Lena, I've been hanging out with Stefan every holiday for about four years, I got to know him quite well. Let me make this clear for you, he has never looked at anyone the way he looks at you; so intensely all. The. Freaking. Time." Elena smiled and felt her cheeks reddened. She was thankful that where they were standing was somewhat dark because she didn't want Damon to find out she was blushing. The music that was playing from the iPod suddenly picked up and Damon held out his hand to Elena. She took it and he instantly twirled her. They started dancing on the deck to the beat of the music. Caroline who was still standing by the railing of the pool turned around and stared with a smile on her face. It's official, she thought, they're the best dancers anyone has ever seen. The way Elena moved and responded to Damon's body, it was as if she knew what he was going to do and when he would twirl her. Caroline knew that it wasn't the case because every time she saw the couple dancing, it was different, not once was it ever slightly similar, it was always completely improvised. Caroline sighed, she wished she knew how to dance like that, it seemed so much fun. Elena and Damon slowed down and Caroline noticed that her best friend was teaching Damon new dance moves. She first slowly showed the move itself and then showed how it could be put into the dance and then they tried it out to the beat of the music. Caroline was amazed by how quickly they had learnt it, barely a minute and it already looked as though they've known that new move forever.

~!~!~!~!~!~

Elena was next to the bar again.

"Let's go get a drink", came Stefan's voice from behind her. She smiled, it was about the third time that he asked her for a drink tonight. He took out two glasses and poured quite a bit of Malibu into one of the glass.

"Hey hey hey. That's enough!"

Stefan looked up and smiled. "Are you going out tonight?"

"Yeah…" He didn't think twice about pouring Elena more Malibu. He added pineapple juice. As she tasted it, she could feel the drink go down her throat and through her stomach. It tasted amazing.

"So," started Elena, not sure whether she could have a proper conversation with him. "What's up with Ashleigh?"

Elena was glad that she wasn't invited tonight, but then again, Ashleigh was never friends with Caroline, they just knew each other cause Ashleigh had a fling with Stefan. However, as soon as the fling ended, Ashleigh clung unto Caroline. Caroline wasn't stupid though, she knew that Ashleigh was only clinging so she could stay close to Stefan. Caroline quickly cleared the tables between the two and told her straight up to stop using her to get to Stefan. Ashleigh had backed up in an instant.

Stefan went to sit on a sofa and Elena followed. Their knees were nearly touching but it was enough to send the sparks between them flying all over the place. Elena's heart rate sped up as she felt the electricity run through her.

"Did I kiss Ashleigh during New Year's?"

Elena paused for a moment trying to remember. She had definitely seen them talking, but that was it. "No, I don't think you did."

"Alright, good!" he answered sounding relived.

"Uhmmm… Explain your case," Elena requested. She was confused because he had seemed quite enthused when they were talking during New Year's.

"Don't get me wrong, she's a great girl and all, but I don't like how she treats people. When she came to us while we were at the shot bar, I knew that she pretended to be best friends with you because I was sitting right next to you."

"Quite modest, I see."

"You know I don't mean it like that," he said with a smile and placed a hand on her knee. "It's just that I know it pissed her off when I ended things with her. Ever since, she hasn't really grasped the fact that we're done and that it's time for her to just move on."

Elena and Stefan kept on talking for another good fifteen minutes and they were amazed about how easily the conversation came; neither of them were actually racking their brains to find a topic, it just came naturally. They ended up talking about when they first saw each other during New Year's Eve.

"It could have been really awkward. Like I would come say hi and then there wouldn't be any conversation. So I told myself that I would come say hello later. I was dancing with Damon and then I fell because of the wet floor."

"Really? I was the drunk one and you're the one who falls. Well done Lena," he said playfully. Elena couldn't help a giggle escape her mouth.

"Damon and I were sitting on the chairs around the dance floor and that's when I heard you say 'FINALLY'. I see you and that's when we had that humungous hug."

"That big hug, when we head out, you good for another one?" Stefan asked with a smile on his face and his eyes locking with hers. His hand was still on her knee and she couldn't think straight. Why did he have that effect on her? She was barely able to nod and then smiled.

~!~!~!~!~!~

Elena was walking on the deck when she saw Stefan walk up to her.

"Could I have one last look at the pictures you took on New Year's so I can at least have a say of which ones you're allowed to put on Facebook."

Stefan stood behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck, as if hugging her from behind. Elena flicked through the pictures trying to ignore the gravity between them. She instantly wanted to turn around and kiss him and it took all of her strength to remain in control. He judged each picture and was debating with himself about whether some of them were appropriate or not. When they were done, instead of loosening his grip on her shoulders, Stefan tightened it, making Elena lean into him. Her back was pressed against his strong torso and she unconsciously rested her head on his shoulder. It felt so natural and she knew that right now it was real, alcohol had nothing to do with their actions. They were both fully aware of what they were doing. He eventually loosened his grip only to slide his hand down her arm and intertwine his fingers with hers. Their hands fit perfectly together, her soft little hand in his warm large hand. He led her to the bar once again.

"You like the bar don't you?" Elena asked with her eyebrows arched.

"It makes me have a better night. It gives me confidence."

"Confidence? You don't have enough confidence when you're sober?"

"Nope," he answered popping the 'P'," I have some, but not enough. Like now, I have extra confidence but I'm fully aware of what I'm doing. I was confident enough to take your hand and not fear rejection, not fear the fact that you might've let go the minute I touched your hand." This somehow made Elena relax. She felt relived that he had fears as well, although he looks like a Greek God, it didn't mean that he felt like one. To make him understand that she was glad he took her hand, she gently squeezed his fingers. He looked down and smiled at the beautiful girl standing right next to him.

"Alright, we're taking shots. Vodka."

"Stefan, those are gross. Seriously, can't we drink something else?"

"Lena, I know they're beyond digusting, but don't think about it, just drink it."

There was only one glass, so they both had to take their shots individually. Elena took hers first. She felt the alcohol burn her throat and couldn't stop herself from pulling a face. Stefan laughed out loud, it was one of the funniest face he's seen a girl do while taking a shot.

"Alright. It's your turn now," she said when she had recovered.

"Elena, I'm going to puke."

"Listen, if you drink your shot and you need to puke, give me your glass and I'll take you to the bathroom."

"Why are you going to take my glass to the bathroom," Stefan asked confused and Elena didn't even try to stifle her laugh.

"Noooooo, you give me your glass and I take you to the bathroom."

"Riiiiiiight. Makes more sense now. Yes, please do that."

"I'm sure it does. Now, bottoms up!"

Stefan gulped down his drink and closed his eyes trying to stop the drink from coming back up. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he conclued.

"Hey, I just thought of that, you know when was the last time I saw you?" asked Elena.

"Yeah, New Year's," he answered with a smile. He was proud of his joke and she knew it. Elena cocked her head to the side trying hard not to smile. "Okay fine," he continued. "We last saw each other at the stadium during that football match. To be honest, I can't remember who won, I was talking to you the entire game."

"Wow, you actually remember," she asked surprised. She never thought that he would remember her at the stadium.

"Yeah, 'cause after all, you're pretty special," he said and winked at her. Elena felt her cheeks blush as he turned around and went to talk to Caroline.

~!~!~!~!~!~

The music picked up and more and more people started to dance. Damon walked over to Elena. "May I have a dance?"

"Of course Damon. You don't even need to ask, you know I'm always up for it."

He twirled her onto the veranda that had become a dancefloor. The music that was playing had a strong beat, perfect to hand-jive to it. Elena looked at Damon, and he nodded. He was thinking of the exact same thing: dance like there was no tomorrow. He started twirling Elena in every possible direction and as usual, people around stopped talking and stared at the couple, envying them. Damon let go of Elena's hand and she took a couple of steps back, people around thought that they'd finished and some were even disappointed. However, Damon ran to Elena and when he was close enough, he flipped her over backwards. Some people gasped, others just had their mouths open, while Elena landed elegantly on her feet and kept on twirling. In the middle on the dance, she and Damon high-fived, because they even had to admit that the flip was epically good- they really had nailed it this time. Stefan was standing on the edge of the veranda, watching Damon and Elena. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was amazed at how swiftly they both moved together. He was surprised at how Elena kept on moving even after all the twirls and flips; he didn't understand how she could keep up. The music ended, Damon and Elena hugged and both walked their separate ways. Elena was making her way outside, her head bent down. She felt someone hold her arm and say 'My turn'. She looked up and saw Stefan smiling down at her; she smiled back and nodded. She turned around and went back to where she was with Damon moments ago. As they started dancing, Elena and Stefan felt the magnetic pull strengthen. They danced to the beat of the music, everyone who was watching noticed that it was not as good as when she was dancing with Damon, but everyone could see that the chemistry between the couple was intense. Whenever they were facing each other, Stefan would stare down into her endless brown eyes, both smiling. Whenever Stefan was holding her body close to his, the electricity intensified, making their dance look like it came from a movie.

The party kept on going until some people wanted to take it to the club. They all agreed, but Elena knew that as soon as they would get to the club, she would lose Stefan- the club was just so big. As they were all making their way to the bus, Stefan turned around to look at the entire group of friends and literally screamed:

"I'm going to spend my entire night with Damon and Elena okay ?"

Elena looked away and blushed with a big smile on her face while Damon laughed out loud.

They got to the club and some people were having trouble going in, either because they looked to young or because the security wanted to keep people out just because. Stefan got to Elena's side and snaked his arm around her waist and whispered to her, "Lena, I've got a really bad feeling that we're not going to be able to get in. So, let's pretend that we're going out." He didn't give Elena time to answer or react that he took her hand and intertwined their fingers. Elena was completely confused by the situation that the only word that managed to escape her mouth was: "What?"

"Pretend like we're crazy in love; as if we can't live without each other."

As they walked to the door, Stefan squeezed her hand slightly as if to comfort her. The security looked down at the couple and then glanced at their intertwined fingers. A small smile came to his face as he nodded and let the couple pass. They got inside and Stefan ever so slightly pecked Elena on the cheek.