A/N: Hey all! So, here's CH.24! Hope you all like it! Enjoy & Thanks for reading!
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR-Waking Up In Vegas-
Elena's P.O.V.
You know how every story...Every good story in a girl's life when you're in your 20s, usually starts with "That bitch"? Well. If you don't know..Then, you've never met my best friend Caroline Forbes-Mikaelson.
It's been two days since Stefan and I have been back home and just as he promised he went to go talk to the other magazine company..The LA times. Leaving me to fend for myself and try desperately to get my job back.
I exhale deeply as I pull open the door that leads into Caroline's office. Her curly blonde hair is bouncing everywhere as she shakes her head and yells into the phone. "That Bitch, stole my story!"
I want to laugh, I really do. But, I stop myself as I watch Caroline turn her chair around, feet planted up on her desk, her red and glistening patent Jimmy Choo's are like a blinding reflection of glitz and glamour as I take a seat across from her. Watching as she nods and gives me a saddened look, hanging up the phone in a huff.
"I'm sorry for being so mean to you! This place sucks since I told you to take a few weeks off. What the hell was I thinking, even telling you to go anywhere. Elena, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be so harsh." Caroline comments, looking up at me from a pile of articles and unfinished papers on her desk.
I nod at her. Silently praying and hoping that Caroline hasn't found out that Stefan and I have been seeing each other, after she told me not too. But, the funny thing about the media and paparazzi is how fast they work, spreading words across magazines and newspaper articles. So, as I stare at her, seeing that small hint of anger in her blue eyes. It's unavoidable and I feel myself sink down into the chair a bit when Caroline throws a magazine at me, the cover nearly shouting BUSTED! on it.
"Care to explain your little 'excursion' with Stefan Salvatore, after I told you not to see him anymore!" Caroline yells at me, watching as I give her my best smile, a sweet one..You know, the kind when you feel your eyes smiling with you too.
"Uhh...It's not what it looks like. I mean, My family gave me a ticket to Paris for a few days and it so happened that Stefan was there too." I tell her, hearing when she scuffs at my words. Crinkling her nose at me and looking disgusted.
"Liar! You and Stefan went there together..It's all over every single magazine and newspaper in the city! You can't really miss the picture of the two of you kissing on that empty street with the background of the Eiffel Tower behind the two of you!" Caroline informs me, watching as my shaking hands grab onto the magazine cover and sure enough, there we are..making out in the middle of a street in Paris!
"Oh my god! Stefan told me that he didn't know anyone in Paris. That we'd be fine." I tell her, hearing as Caroline lets out a loud laugh.
"That's cute. Honey..Have fun explaining that one to the media tomorrow!" Caroline tells me as my mouth nearly drops to the floor and I lock up at her, watching when she throws a piece of hair back behind her shoulder.
"Media...What are you talking about, Caroline?" I ask, hesitation in my voice.
Caroline smiles wickedly, handing me an invitation. My name is neatly written in cursive on it. I open the envelope up and read it out loud, my jaw tightening when I get to the point where it clearly reads 'LA Times invites Miss. Elena Gilbert & A guest to the 25th Annual Journalism Gala and Dinner. Hosted by yours truly, Ashlynn Peterson."
That bitch! She invited me and Caroline to a Gala and Dinner hosted by her! For the love of God! I stop myself from crumpling up the damn piece of expensive and thick stationary and, instead I place it back onto Caroline's desk full of papers. Staring intensely at my best friend as she smiles, leaning forward and placing her hand onto mine when I hear her speak.
"Elena, it's okay. We all got one. It's this huge event for Journalists and their families. I'm sure everyone will be there. Plus, maybe this will be a good opportunity for you and I to talk to her about her trying to sabotage us!" Caroline tells me, a sinister smile on her face as I nod at her. Yeah, she's right. Maybe this will be a good opportunity for us to put this little rivalry to rest for our companies sake and our imagine as well in the limelight!
Hours later, I open the front door to the house. But, just as I do so. I hear a beep of a car and turn around slowly, watching Stefan wave at me when he parks the BMW in the driveway. I swear the guy has like four different cars that he barely drives around. But whenever he does, it's always his dark blue BMW convertible.
I unlock the front door and lean against it, watching as Stefan steps out of the car. His sunglasses hanging off his shirt when he locks the car doors behind him and runs up to me, joy and pride on his face as he says "I talked to her!"
Shit! I want to scream it out loud, I want to shout it off the mountain tops that Stefan going to talk to Ashlynn...was after all a very bad idea! But, I bite my tongue and smile at him, leaning in to kiss his cheek and wrap my arms around him.
"That's great, baby! Did she say that she's going to stop all this crap and halt her stupid photographers from getting pictures of us?" I ask him, watching as he locks his eyes on me, suddenly the pride and happiness fizzles out when Stefan clears his throat and speaks in a soft tone. "Not, exactly...Um...Well, under one condition." He says, staring down at the floor as I step away from him and let out a laugh.
"She wants conditions? Oh God! I'll give anything for her just to stop this madness! What does she want..money? We can manage that...But, I cross the line at-" I start to say, watching as Stefan lets out a laugh. "No...She wants a date with me."
"Excuse me?" I ask, tilting my head to the side, trying hard to control the jealousy in my voice as I scuff, my eyes wanting to bulge out of my head because if I heard him correctly..He just said that the bitch wants a date with MY boyfriend...My boyfriend...fucking seriously, what is this..the bachelor?
"I cross the line at that!" I tell him, watching as Stefan tilts his head to the side and says in a reassuring tone. "But, it's just one date."
Stefan's P.O.V.
It's just one date. A night at the Gala that I know Elena and everyone else is invited to. But, I can tell that Elena nearly wants to strangle me as I tell her the unsettling news. She looks like she's going to pass out from anger, turning on her heels and throwing up her hands when she shouts "Awesome! And you agreed to this? What the hell were you thinking!" She yells, opening the front door to the house, stepping around a few of her unpacked boxes and leaning against the wall, taking off her high heels.
"I had no other choice. I was thinking about you the whole time..Come on, sweetheart. It's just a stupid date to a gala for journalists. It's not that big of a deal!" I tell her, watching her closely when she rolls her eyes at me and starts to take her shirt off, heading into the bedroom to change.
Elena's pissed off. I can tell by the way her body stiffens when she pulls another shirt over head and slips out of her skirt, replacing them quickly with a pair of her dark capri sweatpants. "It doesn't mean anything..Elena, if it will stop her from medaling into our personal lives and if it saves the magazine that Caroline has worked so hard to maintain from going underwater. Then, personally I'm all for it." I tell her, watching as Elena sits down on the bed, rubbing her face with her hands as she looks up at me and smiles.
"Fine, then. I guess I'll be the third wheel in between Katherine and Damon! It's going to be amazing..I can't wait. Look, Stefan..Thank you for going to talk to her. I guess you're kind of right. It won't be that bad...We're doing this for the company..for Caroline!" Elena exclaims, getting up from her spot on the bed and walking over to me, kissing me roughly, arms wrapped tightly around me as she smirks against my lips. "Plus, maybe it will be fun to try and make her jealous...And, you too..Oh, maybe we can test out the role play thing that you wanted to do in the bathroom at the Gala. No one will notice, they'll all be too drunk to even realize that we snuck off..." She says, caressing my face and giving me a lust filled glance as I laugh a bit.
"Yeah, That would be interesting...You and me...Sneaking off from a very important night at a party that your rival threw, Getting hot and heavy in one of her 8 bedrooms." I tell her, watching as Elena's face lights up at my words.
"What?" She asks, her voice in shock. Eyes glued to me as I nod my head and respond slowly.
"Yeah, when she invited me to go with her..She told me to meet her at her house in Malibu. Apparently last year she threw the event at a huge hotel. But, She wanted something a lot more private and different this year. So, now the LA times..The company that she works for now. Asked if they could throw the event at her house, which is a 10 acre beach front property." I tell her, hearing as Elena exhales deeply and laughs.
"Of course it is! My God..Malibu Barbie is going to be stealing my boyfriend for the night and showing off her overly expensive shit! What is a girl to do?" She says, smiling at me wickedly. She's got that intense and serious look in her eyes that only means one thing...Trouble. But, I try my best to ignore it as I smile at her, grabbing her hands into mine. "Don't worry. You'll just have to win me back..Plus, remember one thing..You and I can sneak off into one of her 8 bedrooms...It'll be fun!" I tell her, watching Elena nod, standing up on her tippy toes and leaning into me as she speaks.
"Oh, It will be for sure..Just you wait..You'll see. We'll give them all a show that they'll never forget. Plus, the media wants a story. Let's just say that this story will be the best one of the year! But, if you're going as her date..I'm going to need one too." Elena comments, placing her hands onto my chest and pushing away from me, grinning widely as she shouts over her shoulder. "I'm going for a walk! I'll be back soon. Call if you need anything."
Elena's P.O.V.
The sand is still hot against the back of my legs as it kicks up behind me. Maybe running on the beach wasn't a good idea. But, I'm angry at everything. I don't want Stefan to be her date! I know, I know..It's just for one night. But, still..I can already see her gleeful face pressed up against my boyfriend's as they talk to each other and all I can picture myself doing is walking over to her and ripping her blonde hair extensions out of her head!
My mind is racing and my heart is pounding when I stop to catch my breath after a while. I can't help but picture the look in Ashlynn's eyes when she see's Stefan in a suit and I'm instantly jealous all over again.
Stop it! I want to shout out loud. To tell myself that this is totally childish...Me being jealous of her because of the agreement that Stefan and her made. Yet, I can't help it. So, I guess that's why I find myself dialing his number. If Stefan can take her as his date, I'm going to need a date as well, to distract myself from wanting to kill Ashlynn. So, I call up the one person I know that will be fun to talk with and a good distraction. I smile when I hear his deep voice answer, holding the cell phone closer to my ear as I talk into it. "Hey! Look, I know that it's been a long time...But, I was wondering if you could do me a favor. Just, whatever you do..Please, don't tell Caroline or Klaus that I called you!"
I smile to myself as I hear him laugh and then he responds in a cool tone. "Don't worry, darling. I won't. So, What do you need me to do? Replace Stefan for the night?"
A/N: Hmmm...Stefan going as Ashlynn's date (Elena's rival from the LA Times?) Uh ohh...I see a lot of drama and jealousy in the next update! Oh and Who did Elena call to be her date to the event...any guesses? ;)
Please let me all know what you think!
-Until Next Time-
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