"I don't like this one either" Elena said, getting quite frustrated with her outfits. Stefan would be at her house to pick her up in 20 minutes, give or take. And she was on outfit number six. She knew why she was frustrated. It had nothing to do with her clothes, really. She would have to see all of the people she went to school with at this Founder's Day celebration. All the people she had not talked to since the accident because she had not been back to school. It was going to awkward. She would have to politely tell them that she was "fine". Worst of all, she would be with Stefan and it would confuse everyone greatly. While she and Stefan were not an item per se, they wouldn't be fighting in public which would completely throw people off.
Jenna smiled. "Elena?" she asked. Elena turned around in a huff to see what her aunt wanted. "You look beautiful in anything" she said. Elena rolled her eyes and turned back to her mirror. The dress just didn't seem right to her. "Do you want to tell me what's really going on?" Jenna asked.
Elena unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor, grabbing a pair of jeans and a tank top. "I don't want to go. But I told Stefan I would. And he'd probably have a bitch fit if I canceled" she said, pulling her jeans on, then her top.
Jenna stood from her spot on Elena's bed and pulled Elena's hair back, playing with it slightly. "Are you nervous about seeing all of your friends from school?" she asked. Elena looked down, avoiding her aunt's eyes in the mirror. "They just want you to be happy. I bet they will be glad to see you" she said, giving a small smile. Elena still wasn't so sure. "Let me put your hair in loose curls" she said, pushing Elena to sit in the chair as she grabbed the curling iron. '"It's good for you to be getting out of the house. Now that school is out, hopefully you will get to spend more time with everyone." Elena sighed as she watched her aunt pick up a strand of hair. This was a mistake. A big one.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Stefan, come on in" Jenna smiled, moving aside for him. "Elena is just finishing up" she said, closing the door behind him. "You can go on up and see if she's ready" she suggested, knowing Elena would probably stay in her room the whole day if no one pulled her out of it.
"Thanks, Jenna" he said, beginning to climb the stairs. Part of him wondered if he should have brought Elena flowers. He had thought about it during the whole drive over to her house. But he had something else for her. This was a date but technically, not really. He could bring flowers next time. Stefan stopped at her door and knocked.
"Come in" Elena said, setting her lip gloss down. She dabbed at the corners of her lips briefly before looking up to see who it was.
"Hey" Stefan said, coming into her room and shutting the door. He stopped and stared at her for a moment. She looked really beautiful. "You look really nice" he said, wondering if it sounded as bad to her as it did to him.
But she accepted it. "Thank you" she said, standing from her chair. "We should go" she said quickly. She thought about telling him that he looked pretty good too, which he did, but that would be misleading for him. Because this wasn't a date and they were not a couple. It was simply two people, going to a community event, together. Maybe she should have told him she would meet him there.
"This is for you" he said, handing her a large black book.
Elena turned it over and glanced over the cover. "You got me a yearbook?" she asked, somewhat surprised that he would think of it. She loved yearbooks and really hadn't thought about missing out on it this year until he had given it to her.
"Yeah. I knew you wouldn't be coming back, so I picked one up for you and had our class sign it" he told her. He had been very adamant that no one say anything about being sorry about her parents or her accident. "Some of the Freshman signed it too. Sneaky little bastards got to it before I could stop them" he joked. Not that Elena didn't like the underclassman. A lot of the guys had the cutest crushes on her. Elena smiled as she turned to the first page. The entire inside of the front cover was written by Caroline. She would recognize that writing anywhere. Caroline was the only one Elena knew who dotted her letters with hearts. Elena turned the next few pages and saw all the little messages written to her. She wondered if he had signed it too. "Do you like it?" he asked, having trouble reading her fluctuating facial expressions.
Elena looked up at him, forcing herself not to cry the happy tears that she wanted to. "I love it Stefan. Thank you" she said, shutting the book and setting it on her bed. She wiped at one of her eyes, hoping her mascara wasn't smearing. Elena noticed the concerned look he got when he saw this. Damn guys thought something was wrong no matter why girls were crying. "I guess I didn't realize how much I would have missed not having a book this year" she said, putting his worry to rest.
"I just … I wanted you to still be included, even if you couldn't be there" he told her honestly. Damn him. He was going to make her cry all over again. Elena nodded her appreciation as she worked on regaining her composure. Before she could stop herself though, she was walking towards him, placing her arms around him. Stefan smiled, pulling her closer. A hug. Initiated by her. It was a start he thought.
"Hey Elena" Jeremy said, opening the door. Elena jumped back from Stefan quickly. Jeremy stared at them in bewilderment. "What's going on?" he asked. "This doesn't look like fighting to me."
"Nothing, Jer" Elena said. "Stefan and I were just getting ready to leave" she announced.
Jeremy leaned against her door and smiled. "Wait, he's the guy you have been obsessing over what to wear for the past five hours?" Jeremy asked, both in disbelief, but also in a taunting manner to embarrass her.
Elena began to blush and was ready to throw Jeremy out. Stefan was already grinning. "You spent five hours obsessing over what to wear for me?" Stefan asked, clearly amused. He was even more amused at how embarrassed she was.
"No!" Elena said defensively. "It was only three hours. And … and … we're late" she stated.
"You got your hair all done up pretty for him too" Jeremy continued. As frustrated as Elena was with her younger brother, she was glad he was able to joke around with her. He had been just as gloomy as her lately.
"Get out" Elena said, grabbing her purse and pushing her brother out. Stefan followed, all the while laughing.
Once they had gone downstairs and Jenna had given Stefan a speech about what time she expected Elena home, which was, by midnight, they said their goodbyes and were off. Stefan had opened her door for her, being a complete gentleman. Elena was impressed.
"Five hours getting all done up for me" he said, still highly amused as he drove down the road.
Elena rolled her eyes. "It was three. And it wasn't all for you. In case you forgot, the whole town will be there today" she reminded. She had to look presentable today, because everyone would notice her appearance and try and analyze how she was doing.
Stefan shook his head, a smile still present. They neared the town square and Stefan spotted an open parking spot. It was starting to get busy. "Here we are" Stefan announced. He looked over at Elena who was staring straight ahead. He could tell she was nervous. "Hey Elena?" he asked. She hadn't heard him. "Elena?" he tried again, grabbing her hand. Elena looked down at her hand and then up at him. "Whenever you feel like leaving, we'll go" he said, making sure she knew she had the option. Elena just nodded. She took a deep breath and opened the door to get out.
Stefan joined her and they began walking toward the vender's booths. Elena scanned the crowd constantly, looking for people staring at her. She saw the staring faces instantly. Some were even whispering to one another. Stefan was oblivious to it all, saying hello to everyone he recognized. He did notice that Elena had dropped a few steps behind him though. "You okay?" he asked, slowing his pace, which only made Elena slow her pace even more. Stefan grabbed her hand but Elena quickly pulled away.
"Yeah, fine" she lied, continuing to watch those staring at her. "I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll catch up with you" she said, darting off toward a building to her left. Once Elena was inside, she rested her hands against the sink and closed her eyes. She wasn't ready to be here. Elena quickly turned the faucet on and ran her hands under the cool water.
When Elena emerged from the bathroom, she stopped suddenly when she saw Stefan leaning against a tree just outside. She quickly looked around to see who might see them. "What are you doing?" she asked. "I told you I would catch up" she said, a little on edge.
"I didn't want to leave you" Stefan answered. "What's going on, Elena?" he asked. They hadn't even talked to anyone yet.
Before Elena could answer, Bonnie and Caroline were running towards her, clearly excited to see her. "You came!" Caroline said, throwing her arms around her. Elena felt herself relax a little in Caroline's embrace. "I'm so happy you're here." Caroline stepped back and let Bonnie hug Elena next.
"How is she?" Caroline mouthed to Stefan. He shook his head uncertainly. "Hey Elena" Caroline said. "They have these amazing fruit smoothies. Come on, we need to get one" she said, grabbing Elena's hand and tugging her along. Elena went with her willingly as Stefan watched. Bonnie wasn't far behind them.
Maybe Elena's mood would change if she got to spend some time with the girls. Stefan spotted Matt and went over to say hello, hoping to avoid Tyler. He didn't want to deal with him today, especially not with Elena here.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Six hours. It had been six hours and Caroline still had Elena. Stefan had gone over to see Elena a few times, but she didn't seem to have any interest to leave Caroline's side, who was doing all the talking for her. So Stefan bounced back and forth between sitting with her friends and walking around by himself. He had to admit though, Elena looked happier sitting with her friends. She had relaxed quite a bit.
When it had finally gotten dark, Stefan made his way over to stand and watch the fireworks that were starting to be shot off into the sky. He had to admit, the day hadn't really turned out like he had planned. What had he planned for him and Elena? Fun. A lot of fun. Together. He envisioned winning her one of those ridiculously oversized stuffed bears by knocking down the milk bottles, then having to carry it around for her as they looked at other games. He envisioned holding Elena's hand and her smiling and laughing at the fact that he had to spend nearly 30 dollars to win her the bear because he had refused to give up. He wasn't mad at Caroline or even annoyed really. Caroline was being a good friend to Elena, something Stefan had never been up until the accident.
Elena had been watching Stefan stand across the grassy area by himself for quite a while now. She felt guilty spending the whole day with her friends when he had been the one to invite her. But it was safe with her friends. It was comfortable. Being with Stefan was scary because it was brand new. And she did not know if she wanted to start out new right now in her life. Then again, maybe she owed it to herself to move forward and take a huge leap. Maybe she owed it to him.
Elena excused herself from her group of friends and made her way over to Stefan. His back was to her, but he recognized her hand grabbing on to his as she moved to stand next to him. "The fireworks are really beautiful" she said, staring up into the sky. He wanted to tell her she was more beautiful, but decided against it. "I'm sorry I spent the whole day with my friends, and not with you" she added quietly. "I just … needed familiarity" she sighed.
Stefan turned to her slightly, taking his eyes off of the sky and moving them to her. He understood. He really did. "I know" he nodded. "I went about today all wrong" Stefan admitted. "I wanted it to be all about you and me and that's just not realistic right now" he said, looking back up at the sky. She needed her friends. She needed to do the things she used to do before her accident.
Elena remained quiet for a moment, thinking about what he had said. She gave his hand a light squeeze, reminding him that she was still there. "Maybe it is" she said. Stefan looked back at her, waiting for her to continue. "Maybe I just need to try harder. It's just … It's hard for me." Stefan squeezed her hand back. "I was so worried about what people would think when they saw us together today. Which is stupid because it doesn't matter what they think. It matters what I think" she told him.
"And what do you think?" Stefan asked her.
Elena smiled softly. "I think that I kind of like having you around now" she admitted shyly. "You've seen me through my worst and you're still here. That has to count for something."
Stefan smiled too. "I kind of like having you around too" he agreed. He tugged on her hand, pulling her closer so he could wrap one arm around her. They continued to watch the fireworks for a little while.
Elena pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the time. It was nearing 11:00. The fireworks were starting to come to a halt and people began slowly dispersing. Elena pulled her head away from his shoulder and stepped back from him. "Come on" she said, pulling on his arm. Stefan gave her a questioning look. "We still have time for you to try and win me a stuffed animal" she said, a small smile appearing.
"Try and win?" he asked, playfully taking offense. "I will win one" he said confidently, following her back towards the game booths. They stopped at the milk bottles and Stefan pulled out his wallet, catching Elena out of the corner of her eye already looking at the stuffed giraffe she wanted.
"Five dollars for three balls" the attendant announced. Stefan handed the man a five and collected the balls. Elena stood over to the side and watched. Others had gathered around too. The star quarterback of the Mystic Falls High football team was going to put on a show.
Stefan threw the first ball and knocked the top bottle off. That was the easy one. It was those bottom two that were weighted down. He threw the second ball and nothing. He threw the third ball and still nothing. Stefan took out his wallet and handed over another five. The man set the bottles back into place. The next ball had moved the bottom right bottle while knocking off the top one. It was all about the angle he threw at, more so than the force he figured. He threw the next two balls and knocked over a bottom bottle finally. He was getting the hang of it.
Thirty dollars and fifteen minutes later, Stefan handed Elena the giant giraffe she had wanted. She was all smiles as she held it. "I can't believe you spent 30 dollars to get this for me" she said, handing it back to him when she realized it would be too heavy for her to carry.
Stefan gripped it with one arm and grabbed her hand with his other. "It was well worth it to see you smile" he said before he could stop himself. Elena stopped walking and turned to look at him. He was sure that she was going to make fun of him for saying that. "That was stupid, sorry" he apologized.
"No, it was really sweet, actually" Elena said. "But if my smile is that easy to get things out of you, you're in trouble" she announced as they began walking again.
"That so?" he asked. He had no doubt that she was a master at getting what she wanted with that smile.
"Yep. Because I plan on smiling a lot more from now on" she stated. She loved smiling and being sad and gloomy didn't exactly allow for a whole lot of smiling.
"Good" Stefan said. They continued walking, taking in the sights before everyone packed up for the night. Their last stop was the elephant ear stand. Deciding to share one, they sat on a nearby bench with Stefan in the middle of Elena and a giant giraffe.
Elena wiped her hands on her napkin. She turned to look at Stefan who had just finished his half of the elephant ear with remnants of cinnamon and sugar on his lips. "Thank you for getting me out of the house today" she said, leaning back against the bench. "It was just what I needed."
"Well thank you for coming with me" he said, leaning back as well. Elena smiled. Them being polite to each other was a nice change. Stefan checked his watch. "We should start heading back though" he said, keeping Jenna's conversation visible in his mind. He would have loved to keep Elena out into the early morning hours though.
"Yeah" Elena agreed, reluctantly dragging herself up off of the bench. "Here" she said, grabbing for another napkin when she remembered he still had sugar all over himself. "You have sugar all over your lips" she said, half laughing as she went to wipe it away for him.
Stefan caught her hand, gently lowering it as he leaned down to kiss her instead. He was going to take the chance, figuring she would push him away if she wasn't ready. To his surprise, she didn't push him away. She moved closer to him, tasting the remaining sugar and smelling the lingering traces of his cologne that she had failed to recognize earlier. Stefan let go of her hand, moving his hand to rest on the small of her back while his other hand gently held the side of her face, giving him better access for deepening the kiss that she was definitely responding to.
Elena gripped the sides of his sweatshirt, pulling herself closer to him. Any reserve she had earlier in the day about them seemed to leave for the time being. As much as Stefan wanted to keep kissing her, he had to get her home. He pulled away from her just barely, resting his forehead against hers. "We should go" he breathed softly.
Elena looked up at him through her long eyelashes and smiled. "I can be a little late" she whispered, moving her hands to the back of his neck and pulling him back down for another kiss.
So she was a little late. Fifteen minutes or so, but Jenna never came out to yell at them. Stefan stood with Elena and the giant giraffe on her front porch, playing with her fingers and dreading having to say goodnight. "Call me tomorrow?" she asked, looking up at him.
Stefan nodded. "Goodnight, Elena" he said, unsure if he should kiss her again. He really wanted to, but they had spent a lot of time doing that just before he brought her home.
"Goodnight, Stefan" she smiled, reaching up on her toes to place a quick kiss on his cheek. Then, she was walking through her front door with her giraffe, her big, beautiful brown eyes locking with his one last time as she smiled and shut the door. Stefan pulled his keys out of his pocket and smiled as he walked back to his truck. Elena leaned against the front door, closing her eyes and smiling. It was true. She was falling for Stefan Salvatore.