ISCLAIMER; I own nothing Covenant or Vampire Diaries related, just Verity and the plot.
Song; Keane; Somewhere Only We Know
Chapter Two.
All throughout the remainder of the week, Stefan and Verity shared history, English literature, French and human biology lessons together, they had spent three morning breaks together and one lunchtime and had revisited the café once. They would text constantly and when they were in the library with their separate friendship groups, they would catch each other's glances.
Stefan had made a few other friends in his other classes and was pleased to hear when his closest friend from his last school had moved in to the area, joining him in this quite new place.
Verity still missed her old friends and the city, but her new friends and Stefan kept her mind occupied.
Friday had arrived and in her free period her father had called to tell her that her car was ready for her so she had gone to collect it with her new best friends Jaz, Ann and Caley. Jaz had also announced she was leaving town shortly to go on a tour and release an album and Caley was travelling back and forwards to college, Ann spent a lot of time working in the local animal shelter, so Verity had begun work at the stables. She had loved horse riding whenever she had visited her grandfather in Connecticut so she seized the chance to ride regularly.
As the girls drove back to school in the shiny new BMW, they blared the music and had the roof down, with the laughter filling the car and the wind in her hair, Verity suddenly felt very settled, like she was going to love her new life here. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and took a quick look at it, it was a text from Stefan.
Ann put her head over Verity's shoulder and read the text.
"Oooooh Stefan wants to know if you're still on for a game of pool!" Ann exclaimed loudly, causing the other girls to pump Verity for the latest gossip.
"Stefan's a nice guy, remember I said I met him at the book store? Well I'm showing him Nicky's tonight, and we're going to play pool." Verity explained.
"Can you even play pool?" Jaz asked, a smile appearing on her face as Verity blushed.
"No, but he said he'll teach me. How hard can it be? You just hit a ball with a stick to hit another ball."
"Aw Verity, you are so clueless it's cute! Where did you go to date guys in New York?" Caley asked.
"I didn't date guys in New York, I hung out with a few guy friends but then they dated my girl friends."
"Aw Verity! You've never dated? Have you even kissed a guy before?" Ann asked.
"No, I always wanted it to be a special thing, no big deal." Verity blushed as her friends laughed and called her innocent and gushed over her lack of experience.
"I think it's sweet!" Jaz announced. "It's romantic and very old fashioned!"
"Thank you Jaz!" Verity smiled, pulling up in her designated parking spot at the school.
"So, what are you going to wear?!" Caley asked.
"I thought jeans." Verity answered, looking puzzled as to why her arrangement with Stefan had caused so much of a stir.
"And? Heels? Flats?" Ann demanded.
"Um, I thought heels and a vest." Verity replied, getting a little more in to the conversation. "I have some bright blue jeans I wear with a black vest, it looks good for Nicky's."
"Ooooh yes! Wear that!" Jaz cried out.
Just as they were discussing this, Stefan walked past to get to his own car, hearing the conversation he tried his best not to smile and to pretend to rummage in his bag for his keys, not wanting to cause Verity any embarrassment.
The girls suddenly stopped talking and watched him get in to his own car. Once he had driven off, they all burst out in to fits of laughter.
The school bell announced it was time for the next lesson of the day. They all groaned at the boredom ahead of them.
"That's my cue to leave ladies, I shall see you tonight!" Caley got out of the car, followed by the rest.
"Maths for me and Ann now. Boring!" Verity wrapped an arm around Ann's shoulder and pretended to fall asleep.
"Oh God! I forgot my homework!" Ann cried, looking pale as the realisation hit her.
"You can quickly copy mine, don't worry!" Verity reassured her.
"I have physics next, I HATE physics!" Jaz informed them. Each of the girls rolled their eyes and waved goodbye to Caley who go in to her own car to go home, Jaz walked to the left wing of the school and Verity and Ann slowly walked to the right wing, Ann attempting to copy Verity's homework while they walked by leaning her paper on her friends back.
Two boring hours later, Verity had dropped Ann off at her house and gone straight to the Pope estate, where she and her family were now living. It was a vast and old mansion house, the staff wing was in some sort of order and half the main house was liveable, but the gate keepers cottage was derelict and the whole house was cold and the larger rooms were filled with dust sheets, scaffolding and various vats of paint, varnish and polish. It was cold and eery and Verity didn't like being there alone. Which is why she was grateful when Ann said the shelter had an Australian sheep dog puppy for adoption, she and her parents had fallen in love with the puppy, which Verity had named Bella, after her favourite book character.
Bella had rushed to the door to greet Verity.
"No parents again Bella? Better feed you then! Then take you out! At least this place doesn't seem so scary with you here." Verity hugged her dog and they went on in to the kitchen, verity shivered as she walked in, feeling a blanket of icy cold wrap its way around her. Verity fed Bella and they went out for a walk, enjoying the last of the September heat and fresh air. Verity pretty much did anything she could to stay away from that house, her nightmares were horrific, one night she even woke up locked in a cellar covered in bruises and hand prints! There were spiders everywhere she went! She had told Jaz, who told Alei, who had gone on to tell Ann and Pogue. Pogue and Alei looked pretty alarmed, but since she had met Stefan, the dreams weren't as bad, and she always remained in her bed now. It was as if, by magic, everything had changed. It still puzzled Verity, but she grateful none the less.
Once the walk was over, Verity rushed to shower and get ready, she was excited to see Stefan outside of school again, and this was a proper date, her first ever! She quickly text him that she would pick him up from the café in half an hour and dried her hair an applied a little make up. Stefan text her back almost immediately; I'll be there, see you soon Princess xx. Verity squealed and felt very giddy so turned up her music and bounced around her room, much to Bella's delight who though that chasing Verity's feet was a great game.
After another twenty minutes of prancing around in excitement and applying her make-up, Verity was ready. She had never been more nervous in her entire life! She gave herself one last look in the mirror and grabbed her bag and keys and headed out to her car. She got in and turned the music up so loudly she couldn't hear herself think; which was what she needed as she drove the half hour drive to meet Stefan at their chosen date destination.
The drive seemed to pass by too slowly, and in the dark driving seemed so much more difficult, Verity had only ever driven in Connecticut or the Hamptons and during the day, so she was a little nervous about crashing and failing to show up. But eventually Verity got there and in one piece, and she saw Stefan's red Porsche in the car park, so she parked next to him and gave him a smile and a wave. Stefan came out of his deep thoughts and a beaming smile took over his face, getting out of the car he too felt nervous; it had been a while since he had dared let himself get close to any one.
"Hey! Were you waiting long?" verity asked, getting out the car to meet her date.
"No, not at all." Stefan said, kissing her cheek. "It's good to see you again. You look amazing."
Verity blushed at his comment.
"Really? Thanks! So do you." A short silence ensued, but Verity soon changed it, determined her shyness would not cause her to lose her date. "Shall we go in?" She motioned.
"Yes, definitely. It looks a little quite though." Stefan observed.
"You wait, it's only eight; the place will be packed buy nine!" She smiled, and the pair walked in to the quiet bar, just a few regular patrons were propped up on bar stools; the stoners who did nothing but smoke and drink in between failing their classes, these were the preppy rich kids who were going through a rebellious "I'm going to fail every class until daddy buys me a new Ferrari" phase.
Stefan noticed three pool tables were set up to the rear left of the bar and placed a hand on the small of Verity's back and leaned in close.
"You want to grab a table and set up while I get us some drinks?" He said softly, his breath on Verity's neck caused a small tingle to run through her entire body.
"I have a confession to make; I've never played pool before." She blushed a little at her inexperience.
"I'll set up and you get the drinks?" He smiled, causing her to weaken slightly at the knees.
"Deal! What do you want to drink?" She felt relieved he wasn't put off.
"I'll just have a beer." He smiled, ordering a drink that he wasn't keen on to fit in; how many other teenagers drank scotch these days? None, he was willing to bet.
Verity nodded and walked over to the bar, while Stefan set up the table, he observed Verity; she avoided the gaze of the drunks and chatted happily to Nicky the bar owner and tender. He listened in on her conversation and smiled to himself as she shyly explained she was showing Stefan around because he was new, Nicky picked up on her blushes and wished her luck on her date, giving her Stefan's beer and her lemonade on the house.
By the time Verity had got back, Stefan had set up the table and greeted her with a smile.
"I think you have a friend there." He smiled, motioning to Nicky.
"That's Nicky, he owns this place., He's kind of like an adopted uncle to all the Spencer kids; gives us cheap beer and looks the other way at our partying but makes sure there's no trouble and we all get home in one piece. He has a large collection of car keys that belong to the drunk kids." Verity smiled, remembering the time that Nicky had bundled Jaz and her in to a taxi feeling rather ill after a cocktail night. The cocktails were meant to be non-alcoholic but Jaz's friends Pogue, Reid and Tyler made sure a few bottles of vodka were emptied that night.
"He sounds like a good guy." Stefan observed.
"Yeah he is. He has a collage of photographs from various open-mic nights and theme nights. It's by the juke box, when you walk past you should take a look. Some of the pictures are pretty crazy!"
"Are you in any of them?" He was curious about Verity, wanted to know more about her life here.
Verity blushed, remembering the Hawaiian night she had come to on her second night in Ipswich.
"Unfortunately, yes I am!"
"Are you going to show me?" He smirked.
"Not at all! You'll have to find it for yourself."
"Show me, please?"
Verity shook her head.
"I was so nervous about my first night at Nicky's I got way too drunk! I came to a Hawaiian night in a denim skirt, checked shirt and converse! Jaz introduced me to her friend Alei and they re-dressed me up in coconuts and a grass skirt and giant novelty sunglasses! I went home looking like that! And to this day I have no idea where that skirt went!"
Stefan laughed at the image of shy Verity looking hopelessly for her lost clothes.
"You can laugh; you didn't go home to sleeping parents, jump on their bed and ask for cuddles and breakfast at 4am!" She told him, pretending to scorn him.
"I bet your parents loved that!" He smirked.
"Actually, my mom is used to it; I had my fair share of parties in New York. My dad however was not impressed. Every time I partied he was out of town, or I stayed at friend's house. We had a huge party on my parents boat once in the Hamptons, my mom called me and told me he was on his way down so we had to tidy up really quickly, my friends brother wouldn't wake up so we rolled off deck in to the water just as my dad was walking up the deck. It was a close call." Verity felt a pang of sadness as she remembered her friends from back home.
"Sounds like your dad's pretty strict."
"He's not that bad, he says I'm his girl so he has to look out for me." She shrugged, but the fondness she had for her father was obvious in her smile. "So, how do we play pool?" She asked, changing conversation before she could get too homesick.
"Well, you take the cue and hit the white ball, aim it at the spotted or stripped balls and try to pot one." Stefan handed Verity the cue and chuckled when she took it from him.
"What? What's so funny?" She enquired.
"The cue is taller than you!" He took a short one off the rack that stood up against the wall. "Try this one."
Verity exchanged the taller cue for the shorter one, it only reached her shoulders this time.
"Nice things come in little packages" She exclaimed, smiling at him.
"Indeed they do." He smirked. "Ladies first."
Verity smiled and looked at the set up of the game. She took aim at the white ball and hit it, causing the balls to scatter in opposite directions. A stripped ball went in to the pocket. Verity was thrilled and a big smile spread across her face at her luck. Stefan beamed at her excitement.
"Now you go again." He told her.
"Verity aimed and took shot; moving a stripped ball towards a pocket behind a spotted one, making it difficult for Stefan to pot.
"Nice moves." He smiled.
"Beginners luck." Verity retorted.
The games continued; Verity winning two out of three, their body language become more open and flirtatious, Verity became more confident and Stefan had begun to let her become physically close to him. By then it was 9:30 and the bar was filling up, Jaz, Ann, Alei and her boyfriend Reid and his friends Tyler, Pogue and Caleb had walked in, watching the pair intently, making bets as to what would happen next.
"Do you want to go? Maybe get something to eat?" Stefan asked, noticing Verity's self consciousness at being watched. She nodded.
"Sure, there's a nice Italian a short walk from hear close to the beach?" She spoke softly, leaning in to him so hear could hear her better above the din
"I'd like that, lead the way." He answered, taking her hand in his.
Verity and Stefan collected their belongings and headed out the door, she looked at the door the avoiding the glance of her observant friends, she knew she was going to get grilled for information the following day.
Stefan opened the door for Verity to step out, and once outside she made the bold more to place a gentle kiss on his lips. They were soft and warm, and he welcomed the sensations and feelings that began to enter him. He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, and it wasn't until her hands worked their way up to entangle themselves in his hair that he realised he was quickly becoming carried away.
He could feel his pupils dilating and eyes turning a deep pool of black, the veins around his eyes hardening and constricting, making their way to the surface of his skin. He pulled away quickly and face away from her, not allowing her to see what made him different to the rest of man-kind.
"Stefan?" He confused voice softly broke the silence.
He breathed deeply, not trusting himself to answer, he shook his head and though if an excuse.
"I'm sorry." He simply said, and as she tried to blink away her confusion, he used his gift of speed to disappear from her sight, leaving her more confused and alone.