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Must Love Dogs- Chapter Ten

"What made you decide to stay in Florida?" He asked her, watching as her eyes grew and she let out a small laugh.

"What makes you think that I want to stay here? This little arrangement is temporary by my mothers and aunts standards." Elena clarified as Stefan smiled, continuing to look out towards the water and placing his arms on to his knees.

"Yeah, sure it is. If it's so temporary. Then, why did you have a bunch of real estate books in your living room?" He asked her, watching her face contort into a puzzled look.

"Oh, that? That's nothing. I was just looking at places, apartments really. Just in case if I wanted to stay here. But, that's still in debate." She told him, smiling as he coughed out a breath and then he shrugged his shoulders back.

"Well, if you ever need a real estate agent or something. I do own an agency. So, feel free to ask me about good places to live." He pointed out as Elena glanced up at him.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to ask you...So, what's the deal between you and that blonde bartender, Caroline? She seems to like you, a lot." Elena said, changing the subject and causing Stefan to look as if he had been punched in the gut.

"Caroline? She's harmless. She's been my best friend since we were kids. We went to the same schools, lived in the same neighborhood...During college, we even dated for like two weeks. But, we decided that it was better that we just kept our friendship what it was without all those pesky emotions of getting intimately involved. So, we broke it off and have still remained close ever since." Stefan explained, hearing Elena let out a small laugh as the wind picked up and blew her hair in front of her face, causing Stefan to instantly react.

Elena felt his cool hands on her face, brushing her hair out of her eyes and smiling up at her when she was able to see clearly again. Her laugh made him soften too, the small chuckle made him relax a bit while he was with her and it felt good to laugh again.

"She still looks at you like she's in love with you or something." Elena pointed out, hearing Stefan sigh out a breath. Elena watched him shake his head in disagreement.

"It's because she is. But, I made it clear how I feel too. You know when you've been friends with someone for so long and when you try being something more, that it gets weird. And until that happens, you think that there might actually be possibilities of it working out?" Stefan asked Elena as she smiled and nodded. She knew it all too well with the guy back home that she had loved and over the years, it had become something that was straddling the line of love and friendship.

"Yeah. I do. A guy back home that I was friends with, he was my best friend and well, feelings got involved and then, I told him I was leaving to come here for the summer." Elena revealed, watching Stefan nod his head.

"How'd he take the news?" Stefan curiously asked her, hearing Elena laugh when she added. "He wanted to come with me, asked me if he could stay at my aunt's house. When, I told him that it probably wasn't a good idea. He told me that he loved me and that when I came home, that he'd be waiting. It's because of him that I don't get too attached to people. I don't like it." Elena confessed.

Stefan rested his hand close to hers as she spoke, his thumb accidentally brushing up against her skin as Elena glanced up to see him smiling at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I just.." He began to say as she laughed, placing her hand on to his shoulder and locking her eyes on to his. "It's fine, it's not like you tried to kiss me or something. Now, that would have complicated things."

He laughed, turning back towards the water as abruptly blurted out. "What would you do if I did try to kiss you?" Stefan asked her, causing Elena's laughter to subdue when she pulled back to look at him with astonishment. She couldn't believe that he would have even considered it.

"Have you thought about it or something?" She asked him with a laugh, shrugging her shoulders back and watching as he looked over at her with an intense gaze.

"It would make things complicated, Stefan. And, I avoid complicated, I avoid feelings... You're divorced, Caroline loves you and then, there's me...I'm just a girl who is training your dog." Elena explained, hearing him huff out a breath as he got a little closer to Elena on the blanket, his hand touching hers softly as he locked his gaze on to her. "You're not just a girl, Elena…you're beautiful." Stefan told her in an honest tone as her eyes widened and she smiled at his words, licking her lips.

"I know what you're doing and it's not going to work." She told him. Stefan cocked his head to the side with a slight smile, lifting his hand and brushing a strand of her brown colored hair out of her eyes.

"What am I doing?" He asked with a curious tone, leaning towards her when he whispered the words, his fingertips sliding down towards her chin, stroking her jawline.

"You're trying to make me feel something for you. Which, I already told you I wasn't going to do. I won't be your rebound girl. Stefan Salvatore." Elena expressed in a serious tone as she felt her body involuntarily leaning towards him. Their faces just inches apart. She could feel his hot breath against her face, the smell of mint coming from his mouth and she could feel her heart rate pick up as he touched her face, the back of his hand stroking her cheek.

"I never said that I wanted a rebound girl." He commented, just about to lean into her as Elena exhaled deeply and suddenly she heard a loud barking noise.

"Stefan." She whispered, just inches away from his lips as his eyes fluttered closed and then Elena looked around the beach. "Stefan!" Elena said again in more of a high pitched voice when he finally pulled back and opened his eyes, noticing that Duke was gone.

"Duke, he's missing!" Elena shouted, pushing up off the blanket and looking around them, on the almost pitch black beach.

"Damn it.. That damn dog!" Stefan said, getting up from his spot on the blanket and looking around as he shouted the dogs name. "Duke! Come on buddy, Duke! Here boy!" He shouted, telling Elena to look around the parking lot as he was going to go look around the beach.

"Meet me back here if you find him or not." Stefan told her, watching as she nodded and pivoted on her heels, just about to turn away from him. But, his voice stopped her in her tracks. "Elena." Stefan said, watching as she turned around and glanced over at him.

"Yeah, what?" She asked, placing her arms over her chest as she stood across from him and waited for him to say what was on his mind.

"I meant what I said, about you...You really are beautiful." He said with a smile, turning around from her and walking back towards the other side of the beach before she could reply back to him.

"Katherine! You home?" Damon asked, stepping through the front door as he heard music playing and the faint odor of what smelled like vanilla and strawberries coming from the kitchen. "In the kitchen!" She shouted at him, humming a Sarah Bareille's song when she turned to see Damon stepping further into the kitchen, undoing his tie around his neck and placing it on the dining table that was set up with candles and a vase of red and pink flowers in the middle of it, two plates full of food on each side.

"Where's Izzie?" Damon asked her, watching as she turned around and smiled.

"Your dad called, took her out for ice cream with Rose. She suggested that Izzie spend the night with them tonight and I agreed." Katherine informed him as Damon tilted his head to the side and pointed towards the table.

"What's all this?" He asked her, hearing her let out a laugh as he watched her shrug her shoulders back, speaking over her shoulder as she explained.

"It's dinner, Damon and an apology from me, for the way that I've been acting. I'm sorry." Katherine said, turning off the stove.

"You cooked dinner?" Damon asked her, he looked stunned and impressed when Katherine brushed past him and smiled. "Yeah, I did. It's not that bad either." She commented, popping a piece of potato in her mouth as she chewed on it and savored the moment for a minute.

"It's edible, Damon. My cooking won't kill you." She told him with a wink, trying to step back into the kitchen. But, her husband's hand firmly gripping her wrist and pulling her closer towards him stopped her.

"I'm sorry too. For being so focused on work and not us. You're right, Katherine. We need to work on us to make this marriage work. Because, I love you. Not just because you're the mother to my daughter. But, because I've been in love with you since we were in high school and you're my best friend. I don't want to lose that. I'm not myself without you." He told her, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ears as she looked up at him and smiled, glancing over at the food.

"Damon...I love you too. And, I know that you're just trying to provide for us and this family. But, you overwork yourself and it's not fair." She told him, kissing his cheek as she looked up at him and in an honest tone she blurted out. "I want to help. That's what I've decided."

Damon stood back, taking Katherine's hands into his own and giving her a confused look. "Excuse me?"

"With Rebekah gone….Maybe you can talk to Stefan about making me the spokesperson for the company? We could make a good team, you and I. I could help you and then still take Izzie to daycare or to your dad's house. I could even take your mom out shopping." Katherine offered.

"You'd want to do all of that? Katherine, you're not the working type. You've had everything handed to you on a silver platter ever since you were a kid….Working isn't in your blood." Damon argued with her as she smirked, pivoting on her heel, laughing.

"Yeah. But, I want that to change, Damon. I don't want to become a bored housewife...Because, that's what I'm becoming, just sitting around and taking care of Izzie. Damon, I love our daughter, I really do. But, ever since we had her...You work and do things and I'm just a mom..I love it, I do. However, I want to be more useful...I want to make a name for myself again." She confessed, hearing him huff out a breath as he nodded and added. "I'll talk to Stefan and see what we can do. We'll have a meeting about it." He told her, watching Katherine's eyes glisten when she asked. "Can I come to the meeting too?"

"Yeah. I'll make sure that you're there." He replied, walking over to sit down at the dining table and smiled when she did the same, grabbing a hold of his hand and kissing it when she stated. "Good, I can't wait to sit in a meeting with you and the boys. Should be interesting."

Damon laughed a little, dropping Katherine's hand and smiling when he looked down at his plate before starting to eat when he said. "Oh, it will be. Especially, when Stefan hears about it."

"Duke! Come on buddy..Duke!" Elena shouted, stopping when she heard a rustling coming from behind her as she turned on her heel, looking up to see that Duke was digging through a dumpster from the local bar and grill that she was standing in front of.

" Ugh...Bad dog! No!" Elena shouted, running over to him as one of the cooks opened the back door to throw out some more trash, shouting at her. "Get him out of here! Damn dog!"

"I'm sorry..Come on, you crazy dog." Elena commented, tugging him by his collar as she dragged him across the lot and back towards Stefan's car that was parked just a few feet away from where she had found him.

"Did you- Oh…" Stefan asked her, running up towards her as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "My god, where was he?"

Elena laughed, lifting a piece of something sticky from the top of her shoes, handing Duke over to Stefan as she threw it on the ground and grimaced at the dog. "He was dumpster diving, for hamburgers." Elena replied, shaking her head as he nodded, swallowing hard as she looked as if she was about to vomit.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, hearing her huff out a breath when she glanced up at him and sharply stated. "Yeah, totally fine. I smell though, like a dumpster because right after I found him, he shook off all the excess food that he was eating and it landed on my clothes. So, if you don't want to drive me back to my aunt's house. No hard feelings, I can find another way home." Elena told him, hearing Stefan let out a laugh, shaking his head when he pulled Duke into the back seat.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're beautiful, remember?" Stefan commented. Elena's smile widened, feeling her cheeks redden a bit at his words.

"So…" Elena began to say as Stefan walked over to the passenger side door, opening it as he leaned against it and pointed inside. "So, get in so that I can drive you home, Elena."

She wasn't really sure what to say to him as they drove and listened to music. Stefan was at ease as he smiled over at her, finally breaking the silence.

"You know, after Rebekah broke my heart and we divorced. I didn't think that I'd laugh or smile again for a long time. But, tonight, with you. I did and it felt good." He said, gazing over at Elena who sat silently in the car, glancing over at him on occasion.

"I guess I have that effect on people sometimes." She commented with a shrug of her shoulders, adjusting her seat belt as Stefan drove, turning down a residential road, about a block away from her aunt's house, she had noticed.

"Look, Stefan-." Elena began to say as he smiled at her again and then interrupted her.

"Business partners?" He stated, extending out his hand as she glanced down at it for a moment, taking a hold of it as she locked her eyes on to him.

"Yeah, business partners." She commented with a slight frown as he let go of her hand and looked out the car window for a moment, as if he was thinking. "Have a good night, Elena. I enjoyed your company." He told her, turning back towards her as she smiled, nodding when she opened the car door and stepped out, straightening out her outfit.

"Yeah, have a good night too, Stefan." Elena replied back, starting to make her way towards Jenna's house. But, the shouting of her name and footsteps coming from behind her, stopped her from walking any further from his car as she turned around to see him standing out of the car.

"Yeah?" Elena questioned, giving Stefan a confused look when he glanced up at her, stepping closer towards her on to the sidewalk as he said. "I forgot something."

Elena tilted her head to the side, eyes glistening as she opened her mouth and asked. "What did you forget? To tell me that I'll see you in a few days or something."

"No, I forgot to give you something." Stefan corrected her, placing his hands on to her cheeks, Elena's eyes widen when he leaned forward and kissed her abruptly, her lips parting just a bit as she felt his cool mouth over hers, leaning into her and deepening the kiss when Elena wrapped her arms around Stefan, backing away from him just a bit as they both caught their breath. He smiled at her, brushing a strand of hair from her face when Elena suddenly gave him a saddened look and glanced up at him as she let go of him, causing Stefan to back away to.

"Elena..I thought that you'd-." He began to say as she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders back and speaking over her shoulder, before walking away from him. "You just complicated things between us, Stefan. Not just as soon to be business partners. But, as friends too. You just got feelings involved and that, is going to be a problem for both of us. Because, I don't know about you. But, I made it very clear that I don't mix business with pleasure."

A/N: So they kissed and things just got really awkward..O.o Hm...How will they handle it the next time they see each other. Anyone think that they'll even talk about the kiss? ;)

Please let me know what you all thought. Love reading reviews & my readers thoughts. Hope you all enjoyed it.

-Until Next Time!-