It was already Saturday when Elena realized she promised to be at two places at the same time. It was Alisson who made her realize it, saying she can't go to the game because she promised she would go to the damn book club party.
Stefan has been nervous for the whole day, and the day before. Elena had never seen him so tense. So when she told him she promised to be somewhere else, he frowned, but said nothing. And Stefan's silence was like the loudest scream out of them all.
She never even thought about missing his game, so she proposed they go to the party together afterwards. He said he will most likely be too tired to go, so she can go by herself if she wants to. One thing led to another and they got into a huge fight, which ended by him telling her, in the heat of the moment, that she doesn't have to come to the game at all.
So she didn't go. She got ready and left for the party. She knew she shouldn't have. She knew she should have gone to the game, sit in the first row, and smile at him every time their eyes meet. Especially for the first time, when he glances in the crowd and notices her there, and surprise washes all over his face. She knows he needs her the most when he's pushing her away, and she allowed him to push her away when she should have clung onto him. Because..
She doesn't even know why.
The party was being held in the house owned by Lucas and two of his buddies which was settled few minutes away by foot from campus. When she entered the house she met Alisson's curious look, but when she approached her Elena said she doesn't want to talk about it. Instead she took a cup of something poisonous and drank it whole. She knew she can't get dunk tonight, though. Firstly, she wasn't in the mood to think what these people will think of her, and she knows she wouldn't be able to keep her tongue behind her teeth if she heard any nasty comments. Secondly, she knew her thoughts will become that much heavier if she got drunk, and she didn't want to deal with them, not now, not here.
She got to meet some new people, like Lucas's roommates who are that much nicer than him. Few people she has never seen at the book club meetings but, apparently, are a part of it. The party was kept low, in a friendly atmosphere, not like the rest of the college parties. Alisson said it reminds her more of a business meeting than a party. But after some time, and a couple of more drinks, the music became louder, and everyone got more relaxed.
Anna suggested that they play the circle of truth and everyone wholeheartedly agreed.
"I'll go first," Anna squeals, "Alisson!" she screams her name, and Alisson wiggles her lips, trying to look cheerful, "Is it true that you got it on with Matty Kinley last week?"
Elena's eyes widen in surprise. She never expected Anna to ask such a question. Is it true that "The Princess Diaries" is your favorite book is something she expected Anna to ask.
Alisson furrows her brows. "Yeah, it is," she says with a low voice, probably displeased the word got out so fast. Alisson likes getting it on with guys, she just doesn't like everyone talking about it.
"He's so lush," she giggles and Elena rolls her eyes at her choice of words. Then she stops to think. Matty Kinley? He's on Stefan's football team. Anna likes a football player? Isn't he bellow her or something.
"I think that's the sign you had too much to drink," Lucas takes the cup out of her hands. Anna frowns, but doesn't try to fight him off.
"Elena!" Alisson sings out her name, throwing an arm around her shoulders. Elena looks at Alisson who clearly had enough to drink, while she, on the other hand, is sober. She has a feeling she's the only one completely sober in the room. "How many times a week do you have sex?" she wiggles her brows at Elena.
Elena shrugs. "Depends on the week," she takes a sip out of her cup, thinking how this night might go faster if she gets drunk.
She wanted to go home, she wanted to find Stefan and apologize to him. She wanted today to end and tomorrow to come so everything can go back to being normal.
"Approximately?" Alisson rolls her eyes, bumping her elbow in Elena's hip.
A small smile appears in the corners of Elena's lips. "Three or four times," she declares.
Few people gasp. "Isn't that a little too much?" one of the girls who gasped asks.
"Hey!" Anna frowns, "It's not your turn!"
Her words make Elena remember the times when she appreciated the rules. Now she sees no point in them.
"It's okay," Elena says lightly, keeping a smile on her face.
"Have you seen her boyfriend?" one of the girls asks, words stumbling out of her mouth, one over the other, "If he were mine, I'd have sex three or four times a day with him," her comment makes the room go quiet, for everyone except Alisson and Elena, who burst into laughter.
"Doesn't it bother you?" Anna asks, knitting her brows together, "To hear others talk about your boyfriend like that?"
Elena silences her laugh. "It used to," she confesses, "Not anymore, though. I mean, he's pretty.." Elena tries to find the right word to describe Stefan with, knowing very well such word doesn't exist. And trying to explain it any other way would be pointless, because no one understands. She's not sure she does either. "Wonderful," she smiles.
"What changed?" the quiet girl, Moira, whose name she finally remembered, asks curiously, "What made you stop worrying?"
She wonders when did she become the topic of discussion.
"You have to start trusting the person you're with. As you fall in love, that trust comes naturally, as it usually is one of the reasons why you fall in love," she smiles as she remembers how rapidly her feelings for Stefan changed, and how soon she went from looking at him in displeasure to trusting him with her own life. "I know he would never do anything to hurt me, so it stopped bothering me, since I know it's a you can look but you can't touch deal."
"It's true," Alisson nods, "Stefan is the sweetest boyfriend ever. He would literally do anything for Elena," she rubs her friends arm with her hand.
"He's always there for me," Elena smiles at her friends support, "Literally always."
"Have you had multiple sexual partners?" Lucas asks out of the blue.
Elena furrows her brows at his question, but answers truthfully, "Yes."
"Do you think that makes you a slut?" his question silences every murmur and everyone turn their looks to Elena, awaiting her answer.
"No," she spits out, "I think that makes me a girl who had two long term relationships."
Silence.
"Uhm, guys!" Anna starts waving with her hands in the air, "You should see Elena's book collection, it's pretty impressive!"
"I'm sure it's not as impressive as mine," Lucas huffs in Anna's direction, and Anna's look falls on the ground.
"I think Elena should be a judge of that," one of the Lucas's roommates, Ian, suggests, "Why don't you show her?"
Lucas jumps to his feet in a hurry. "Gladly," he says, walking towards the stairs, "Follow me," he calls out even though Elena never agreed to it.
She didn't want to argue, though, so she sighed, got onto her feet, and followed Lucas up the stairs. By the time it took him to get upstairs, and judging by how many times he stepped on his fingers with his other foot, Elena knew that he had one too many.
"My room is this way," he points down the hall once they reach the top, and starts walking in the direction of the door he pointed at. Elena follows him. Once they find themselves inside of the room, Elena realizes he's been right, his book collection is much more impressive than hers.
She hops towards the shelf to study all of the books on it.
"Your collection," Elena exhales in awe, "It's amazing."
"I know," he says, which is when she realizes he's standing right behind her, and she wonders when did he get so close. She hasn't even heard him walking towards her. The next thing she knows his hand is flying fast under her dress, and before she knows it his open palm is resting on her thigh. "So are you," she feels his hot breath on her ear.
She turns around in a hurry, his hand falling from her thigh and going back to the side of his body. Confusion and a little bit of fear flashes inside of her eyes. "You're drunk," she states, her back pressing onto the shelf.
"I am," he confirms, "I know what I'm doing, though," he smirks, his head slowly falling in the direction of hers.
Somehow, she wiggles herself away from him and moves towards the door. "I think I should go," she grabs the door handle, turns it, but the door do not open. She does it a few times in the row, breath escaping her lungs in the process, but the door do not open.
"Don't bother," he says casually, "I've locked the door."
She turns around slowly and presses her back against the door. Her breathing becoming faster, more intense.
"Lucas.." she says his name as a warning.
"I just don't get it, Elena," he pulls his fingers through his thick, coal black hair, "You're so intelligent, witty, beautiful," his eyes roam up and down her body, keeping his look on her bare legs for little too long, "Unbelievably sexy," he bites his lower lip, "So what are you doing with a guy like him?"
She swallows, her fingers forming into a fist, fear and anger creating a bitter taste in her mouth. She doesn't answer his question, though.
He makes few steps towards her and raises his voice, "I asked you a question!" the tone of his voice makes her close her eyes after jumping a little. On place, or out of her skin. He presses his body against hers, and when he speaks, she can feel his breath on her face. "You said your boyfriend is always there for you," his hand falls on her leg again and starts going up her thigh, his thumb brushing over the hem of her panties, so she releases a silent cry which he muffles with his palm which he presses over her lips, "So tell me, where is he now?"
Despite winning the game, something didn't feel right. He hates fighting with her, even if it's over trivial things, things he knows they will forget by tomorrow.
But he didn't want to wait until tomorrow. He didn't want to wait one more minute. He shouldn't have treated her like that, or say all the things he said to her. He should have never pushed her away.
So he decided to go to the party. Once he arrived, and let himself into the house, in which the music wasn't so loud, and everyone were chatting away, his eyes fell on Alisson by the snack table, but Elena was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey," he approached Alisson, putting his open palm on her arm.
"Stefan," her eyes widen in surprise, "Hey!" she greets him with a kiss on the cheek.
"Where is Elena?"
"Lucas is showing her his book collection," she nods.
"Is she coming back soon?"
"Actually," she knits her brows together, "They've been gone for a while now.." she wiggles her lips.
Stefan frowns upon hearing that, but before he gets a chance to say anything, a scream echoes through the house.
A scream that makes the blood in his veins freeze.