TWO MONTHS EARLIER

Bonnie smiled then liked the photo that Caroline had posted on Facebook. The one where she's on Mason's back in the park, back when Stefan was dating Elena as he struggled with his memory. I can't wait to spend the whole week with my two favorite people on the planet, Caroline had captioned it. Since Stefan was leaving for LA early tomorrow morning to film for the week, Bonnie thought that it would help speed up the time to invite her over.

So excited! Bonnie commented.

"Hey, babe?"

"Yeah?"

Stefan sat close to her on the couch holding his laptop and placed it on his right thigh and her left to share the screen. "I wanted to show you my new castmates." He had multiple tabs open but the screen that was showing now was an article informing its readers about who the actors will be on the show. "So this is Natasha Annabel playing Rein who is my love interest on the show." He clicked on the second tab which was a google images page filled with Natasha's face. Her skin was a little tan and appeared to have long brunette hair with highlights. "Next is Jasmine Madekwe playing Demi," he opened the tab next to Natasha's and appeared a woman with a matching complexion to hers and short brown curly hair.

"After reading the first script, I think she'll be my favorite in the series."

"Wow, thanks, babe."

"You'll be a close second, don't worry."

He shook his head. "Anyway. Justin Hansen playing Sam," a man with a pale complexion and blonde hair and blue eyes displayed in the search engines grid. "And the last main character is this guy named Stefan Salvatore playing Hunter."

Bonnie rolled his eyes as pictures of her husband appeared but decided to play along. "Damn, that guy is sexy. You think you can introduce me?"

"I'll do a lot more than just introduce you."

She chuckled. "They look like nice people, I'm happy."

"Yeah, me too. I just hope they actually are and we get along."

"I'm sure it'll all be fine. Did you want anything special for dinner?"

"As long as you're my dessert, I don't care." He kisses her twice.

Bonnie watched as he closed his laptop and stood to head back into their room. She shortly followed behind him and got on their bed, resting her upper back against the pillows. "Come here," she smiled at the intriguing look on his face. She opened her arms and he placed his body between them, resting on her.

"You smell so good." He practically moaned.

"I may have hidden some nice gems in your suitcase,"

"Yeah?" He looked up at her.

"Mmhm." She nodded, biting her bottom lip.

"You know what?" He stood on his knees and removed his shirt. "I want my dessert early."

She giggled as he moved her shirt up her body.

...

The next morning, Bonnie took Stefan to the airport. "I love you, baby, I'll miss you so much." She hugged him tightly.

"I'll miss you more. I love you,"

"Call me when you get land so I know you're safe."

He held her face. "Okay, babe. Don't have too much fun without me, I hate that you're not coming with me." He kissed her.

"I won't, baby, I promise. The distance will make us stronger in the end."

He sighed, meeting their foreheads. "I love you so much."

"I love you more." She lifted her chin and stood on her toes to meet their lips several times. "You have to go or else you'll miss your flight."

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" He held her face, looking into her eyes. "I'll buy you a whole week's worth of outfits including underwear and bras if you come."

She smiled. "Come on, I'll walk you in as far as I can go." She took his hand and they walked inside together.

Bonnie held her best friend tightly in her arms as they greeted each other outside the airport. They broke away then got inside the car. "It feels like forever since I've last seen you," Caroline shook her head.

"I know, it's crazy."

"How are things?"

"Pretty good,"

"Uh oh,"

"No, it's good, it's good. As you know Stefan is in LA filming and weeks before he left we decided that I would stay back and he goes alone especially since it's only for a week."

"Okay,"

"But he just- I don't know, I'm scared that I'll sound somewhat coldhearted."

"What?"

"He kept begging me to go with him like he would die without me or something and I was a little...turned off by that. I mean I still love him a hundred percent, but we spend every day together, we're constantly around each other. I'm happy for this little time apart. It's not like a regular marriage where I don't see him from nine to five, so. I don't know,"

"I get it. Everyone needs their space sometimes and there's no problem with that just as long as you want to see that person again."

"Which I do. I guess I'm just a little annoyed by the fact that I'm a little annoyed with him but he's not annoyed with me. Unless he is and it's all an act, but I doubt it."

"You also have to include the fact that he has some mommy issues, it's like women with daddy issues but in reverse."

"I didn't think about that,"

"So maybe he's projecting a little bit and all we can hope for is that when he returns, things will be a little better. He realizes that maybe some time away from you feels a little good."

"Yeah," she exhaled. "Anyway, are you excited to see Mason?"

"Of course, I'm so happy that I was able to swing this, honestly. I know you'll miss Stefan, but I miss the three of us all hanging out and having fun."

Bonnie smiled. "And you're sure you're okay staying with Mason?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"No reason, I know he's your boyfriend but I just didn't want you to feel pressured staying with him the whole time but if you aren't then I won't steal you away."

Caroline chuckled and shortly they were parked outside of Mason's complex. "Do we have any plans set?"

"I was thinking either a later lunch or dinner but I don't know what or if Mason has planned for the two of you so just call or text me and let me know and during that time we can plan our week."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you later,"

The friends hugged before Caroline got out of the car. Bonnie watched her for a few seconds then headed home.

"You have any plans later?" Stefan asked via FaceTime.

"Caroline, Mason, and I are going out tonight as a little I hate to say party but a party for Care."

"So you're going to a club or something?"

"I don't think so, I'm pretty sure it's just dinner, I let them choose. I was honestly really hoping that we all go to lunch and they enjoy the night themselves but Caroline told me that Mason had prepared lunch for her already so,"

It was silent between the two for a few seconds.

"So how is your hotel room and everything?"

"Pretty good, I'm just scared that I won't be able to sleep without you."

She smiled. "I know, I feel the same."

"Especially with this time zone difference." He sighed. "If you ever change your mind, babe about coming just let me know."

"I will, I promise." Her screen changed to alert her that Caroline was calling but she ignored her. "Hold on, babe, Caroline just called let me text her that I'm talking to you."

"We can end this if you want,"

"No, just give me a second, I just don't want to seem rude." She sent the text then went back to FaceTime. "What's wrong?" She noticed a look on his face.

"Nothing,"

"Are you tired?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"You know that I love you so much,"

"I know."

"Baby, what's wrong?"

He looked over hearing knocks on his door then went to answer it. "Thanks, man," he set his phone aside then took the platter and set it on the table before grabbing his wallet to tip him before he grabbed his phone again. "My food is here,"

"Okay, I'll call you later before I leave unless I can make something really quick and we can eat together?"

"I should really go over my lines,"

"Okay. I'll see you later, I love you."

"I love you too."

Bonnie set her phone aside as he ended the call and let out a breath then frowned some. He's acting as mysterious as he was when his memories were faded and it's scaring her a little especially since she knows he is holding something back and just refuses to tell her what it is. Bonnie looks over as her text alert goes off and it's Caroline asking her to call her when she's done talking to Stefan. She waited two minutes before calling her back. "Hey,"

"Hey, how's Stefan doing?"

"How much time do you have?"

"Oh no, what's up?"

She exhaled. "He's acting super weird. It's like he wants to tell me something but he's not and it's eating him up inside. I just don't know what to do, he's barely talking to me."

"I'm sorry, Bon, that sucks. Have you tried asking him what was wrong?"

"Yes but he just denies that anything is wrong every time. Maybe it's just in my head, I don't know. Or he's just pissed that I chose to give us some space."

"Maybe. See how things go within these next few days, I'm sure he'll get over it."

"Fingers crossed. Anyway, what's up, what's the plan?"

"Well, we were thinking just a casual dinner and possibly bar hop a little bit if you're not feeling up to it—"

"No, I'm coming, a little time out is exactly what I need."

"Alright, be ready by eight."

"Perfect, see you later," Bonnie ended the call then laid back on the bed, exhaling.

Stefan narrowed his eyes, hearing knocks on his door but went to answer it and raised his eyebrows at the woman smiling at him. "Umm,"

"Sorry, I'm Jasmine, I'm your castmate." She extended her hand.

"Right, of course," he shook it. "Sorry I just wasn't expecting anyone."

"Trust me, you're not the only one who gave me a crazy look." She smiled. "Anyway, I was just going around to everyone trying to put together a nice dinner before we film tomorrow, are you in?"

He exhaled. "Uh, I don't know,"

"Come on, everyone's going, it'll be fun."

He watched her smile again then sighed. "I'll think about it,"

She frowned. "Everything okay?"

"I don't really want to get into it."

"Sure. Well, we'll be leaving at eight, I'll knock again and hopefully, you can join us. It was nice meeting you."

"You too." He softly closed the door once she walked away then sighed realizing that he just made a horrible first impression and wonders if he doesn't go out tonight if she'll tell the others and that will make this experience even less exciting. Cursing, he decides to take a nap first so he could stay up longer.

Bonnie propped up her phone then took several steps back to show Stefan her outfit for the night. "I think I'm gonna wear my hair in a ponytail though."

"You look beautiful."

She smiled then walked back up to her phone, taking it in her hand. "Is the time difference weird?"

"Definitely, I may actually go to sleep well for the first few nights because of it. I'm uh, actually going out with the cast tonight."

"Really, that's great,"

"Yeah, your possible series favorite set it up."

She chuckled. "That's great though, you all will get to know each other better."

"Yeah, I'm actually pretty excited." He watched her smile. "I miss you."

"I miss you too. I just wanna hold your face."

He chuckled then heard knocks.

"That must be them." Bonnie walked towards the door then opened it and smiled seeing the couple before hugging them. "Say hi to Stefan," she held up the phone and they greeted each other. Mason told him that he'd call him in the morning.

"Alright, I'll go now. Have my wife home by ten-thirty."

Bonnie shook her head. "I love you."

"I love you more, babe."

They hung up. "I'll go put on my shoes and we can roll out." Bonnie walked back into her room and slipped her shoes on before joining the two.

"Stefan seems in much better spirits," Caroline noted.

"Thankfully, I think he just needed a nap. He says he's hanging out with the cast tonight so I hope that goes well so it'll make his stay more enjoyable."

They piled into the back of a black SUV.

"So how have y'all's day been so far?"

"Pretty good, after lunch we caught up a little bit then took naps before getting ready," Caroline answered.

"Where are we going by the way?"

"There's this really nice jazz pub downtown, great food and of course music. We can probably hang at a club afterward for a change of scenery." Mason responder this time. "So Stefan was in a bad mood or something?"

"I wouldn't classify it as a bad mood, more he was just acting a little strange. I think it was just the flight." Bonnie shrugged it off. "Do you think the show will get picked up?"

"I don't see why not, at least ten episodes in the beginning. The television world is so fickle, but he was urging me for one,"

"I guess sometimes you need something more stable in your career like a show rather than only movies where you do it and you let it go. With a show, things tend to stay put at least for a little while."

He nodded. "Would you want to be on a show?"

"I'm very indifferent. A part of me is like 'not this soon' and the other is like 'it'll be a fun experience'. Which ones are easier to land would you say?"

He thought for a moment. "That's tricky, but I'll go with TV. There are more characters and the producers are more willing to hire lesser-known faces, I feel like in movies people want an Angelia Jolie to actually get it to theaters while on TV it doesn't really matter. As long as it has a good plot line and acting it'll more than likely receive a chance."

"True."

"But then there's more indie movies or low budget movies that don't care for the high-status celebrity and have great scripts and win film festivals."

"Have you talked to Elena since the book?"

"I have,"

"How's she doing?"

"She's doing pretty great actually, she has a few big things coming up. What about you, has she reached out?"

"No, but I wasn't expecting her to. I did want to reach out to her myself though. Every time I think about it I forget the next day. Maybe I should text her now and just be weird about it."

He chuckled and watched her text Elena. "I think she'll be happy to hear from you."

Bonnie smiled then her eyes widened as her stomach growled causing him to laugh.

"It's a good thing we're here," Caroline said, gaining their attention.

They exchanged looks then got out of the car. Mason walked up to her and held her hand and Bonnie walked a few paces behind them as they entered the place. Mason told the hostess about their reservation and they were shortly led to their table.

"This place is nice," Bonnie said sitting down, looking around.

"Yeah, one of my favorites," Mason mentions, taking hold of his menu.

They sat in silence for a minute going over their menus and by the time their waitress came, they were ready to place their drinks and food orders.

"So, Care, how's everything back in Mystic Falls?"

She sighed. "The usual. I'm actually thinking about moving for a change of pace. I'm just so bored, especially with you gone, and I built up a good amount of experience at the company."

"So you're thinking about moving here?"

"Maybe. Just definitely somewhere else. I think I'll just apply for jobs out of state and see what I get and decide based on that."

They nodded.

"Well if you get a job down here, you can stay with me or at least for a little while until you get your own place or whatever you'd like."

Bonnie hid her smile but didn't try so hard now that their drinks were being placed in front of them.

After getting full off of their meals, they decided to go to a club to dance and drink a little more. Bonnie danced around the two and with Caroline on and off until she felt her phone vibrating. She took it out of her purse and saw that Stefan was trying to FaceTime her so she informed her friends and answered it, moving towards the exit.

Stefan narrowed his eyes barely seeing her but the music told him that they were at a club when she told him that's where they weren't going to be or go. Let alone it's ten-thirty and though he was halfway joking, he actually expected her to be home or at least on the way home by now.

"Hey, babe, sorry," Bonnie spoke once she was outside.

"So you all went clubbing, huh?"

"It was last minute, we wanted to get a couple more drinks and thought we have just a little more fun while doing so." She explained.

"Well, I wanted to call you because I'm about to head out with the cast but you're busy so,"

"We can still talk, I'll just go in the car."

"No, go have fun, we're filming tomorrow so I'm not sure how often I can talk to you for the rest of the week."

"Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be?"

"Your voice, it sounds like you're upset."

"Well I wanted to fucking talk to my wife for thirty minutes but you're out partying."

"I offered to sit in the car-"

"But I'll feel like an asshole for taking you away from your friends."

"Stefan, I don't want to fight. I love you, baby, I'm with them all week, who cares about a few minutes." She closed the car door.

He took a deep breath then let it out. "I love you too. I'm sorry, I just- I really miss you. So much, baby."

"Baby—"

Stefan looked up, hearing knocks on his door then glanced over at the clock. "They're early."

"Okay. I'll text you, okay, I love you."

"I love you too." He ended the call then went to answer the door, putting on his best smile.

He introduced himself to the group and others did so back before they headed to the elevators.

Jasmine looked over to her right, laughing along with the table at the story Natasha just shared but seeing the look on Stefan's face made her smile drop. She wondered what was on his mind, possibly whatever it was earlier but she figured he was over that since he decided to hang out with them. From the movies she saw, he was a great actor, but now she's realizing that he isn't the best when the cameras aren't rolling.

Later in the night when Natasha and Justin excused themselves over to the bar was when she decided to at least try to get into his head. She slid him a shot and sat down next to him. "Shot for your thoughts?"

He chuckled then exhaled, eyeing the glass.

"What's wrong, I honestly thought you'd be the life of the party."

"Really? Why?"

"Not to out myself or anything but I'm a fan of yours and you seemed to be a very outgoing and charming guy."

He raised his eyebrows. "Thanks. I usually am more upbeat, but I just have a lot on my mind."

"Not to toot my own horn, but I'm very good at listening and providing others with advice." She offered him a smile once he finally turned to look at her.

He exhaled. "Alright. Maybe if I talk about it, it'll just be over with."

Jasmine scooted in a little closer as he took the shot

"You know how I'm married, right?" He watched her nod. "Bonnie, my wife, I really wanted her to come with me on this trip. This is my first television pilot ever and I wanted us to celebrate this together. I wanted her on set and just to be there when I got off, I just- I wanted her here and she would rather stay at home and go clubbing with her friends. I'm pissed but at the same time, I miss her like hell. I can barely talk to her without getting upset."

"Well did you tell her how you felt?"

"Not really. I told her that I miss her and that I wanted her to come but not so much of the reason why."

"I get it, you wanted her to realize how special this is to you and make the decision on her own to come."

"Exactly. But as time passed before I knew it, she's dropping me off at the airport and I beg and bribe her to come but she's all about the distance making us grow founder and all that bullshit. Like she couldn't wait to get rid of me."

"I'm sure that's not entirely true, but I see what you mean. If it's truly bothering you this much then I suggest fully telling her."

"It's too late, it won't be the same. I just have to accept this and move on."

She frowned and placed her hand on the side of his face. "Trust me, it'll get better starting tomorrow." She moved her hand away. "You in the mood for ice cream?"

He chuckled. "Sure, why not,"

She smiled widely then grabbed her purse before standing Stefan followed a little after her and they laughed together seeing their two other castmates making out at the bar.

"Let's hope Justin isn't the jealous type and makes your life hell because he can't separate TV from real life."

"That's the absolute last thing I need right now."

She chuckled then squinted her eyes as flashes started to appear continuously.

"This is why I hate LA." Stefan told her in her ear.

Jasmine grabbed hold of his arm and they started walking a little quicker to their desired place. Stefan paid for their cones and they decided to take a seat at one of the round tables inside.

"I think that's my third time getting paparazzi'd ever."

"When Bon and I first got together, our relationship was basically documented. Luckily though the paparazzi kept their distance, I feel like here in LA, they're a lot more in-your-face."

"I can't believe you just got plain vanilla out of all the choices." She shook her head at his white scoops.

"In hindsight, I probably should've gotten something more colorful."

She laughed. "Next time. I mean I would offer you some of mine, but I'm very possessive." She gave him a firm look.

He watched her eyes taking into account her deep brown irises for the first time. He looked away once he realized he was looking at her a little too long then cleared his throat. "We should probably head back."

She nodded, stopping herself from shivering under his gaze for so long. They walked back to the hotel in almost silence until they reached her door. "I'll see you tomorrow,"

He nodded. "Thanks for getting my mind off of things tonight."

She smiled. "I'm glad I could help. Good night."

"Good night." He stood by her door until she was fully inside then headed towards his room. He showered and got dressed before passing out for the night.

Bonnie woke up still feeling off about her conversation with Stefan last night and figured that she would start packing to stay with him for the week. Sure, she'd miss out on hanging out with Caroline, but she has Mason and they could hang out together some other time. The look on his face when he told her that he misses her crushed her, and if she was honest, she's missing him a lot more than she thought she would. She knew she would miss him but thought it would come in flashes and not be as constant as it is now.

She rolled on her back and started with her morning by checking her emails. She smiled seeing a Google alert about Stefan and his co-star Jasmine hanging out last night. She hopes that he had a nice time despite everything and clicked on the link. She had Siri send him a text wishing him good luck while it was on her mind and as the pictures popped up, she wished that she could take it back. She stopped her mind from swirling seeing photos of him talking in her ear, her arm wrapped around his, holding his bicep, the smiles on their faces.

What the fuck was Stefan thinking? Could this be some type of revenge for her clubbing last night? He's trying to make her jealous or just plain upset by hanging out with only Jasmine to get ice cream? She growled and rolled her eyes at the heart emoji he replied to her with. Any plans she had of going to LA quickly vanished and Stefan was starting to vanish in her mind too.

"Cut! That's lunch,"

Stefan relaxed his face then walked off the stage. He grabbed a water bottle and started on his way to get something to eat, getting ready to FaceTime his wife.

"Hey, care to eat together?" Jasmine joined his side.

"I'm going to call Bonnie, but I'll join you later."

She smiled and nodded, walking ahead of him. Stefan watched the screen waiting for Bonnie to answer and smiled when it stated that it was connecting. "Hey, babe," he smiled once her face appeared.

"Hey," she smiled. "How's everything going?"

"Pretty great actually, we're breaking for lunch now, I thought I call you."

"Yeah, it's just so weird with this three hour difference between us."

"I know, it's crazy. What have you been up to today?"

"Nothing much, Care's coming over in a few minutes so we can have some girl time but other than that, pretty boring. How's filming so far?"

"Pretty great, actually. Everyone came prepared making the day run smoothly so I have no complaints so far." He watched her nod. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, I just woke up from a nap basically. How was last night?"

"It was okay I guess. Um, Natasha and Justin got a little more acquainted, so Jasmine and I decided to leave a little early."

"Natasha plays your love interest right?"

"Yeah so that's a little awkward but not really at the same time. Hold on, I'm gonna fix a plate okay?"

"Okay," she watched him place his phone in his back pocket and waited about a minute or so before she was met with his face again. "What are you eating, I wanna see."

He chuckled then flipped the camera around showing her his plate of food.

"Do me a favor and priority mail me In And Out."

He laughed, turning the camera back around. "Text me what you want and I'll see what I can do."

She smiled watching his eyes. "I love you, baby."

"I love you more. I'll call you later,"

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too." He watched her wave before ending the call then he let out a sigh then looked around before standing, joining Jasmine at a table with Justin and Natasha.

"How's Bonnie doing?"

"Great, it's just so weird cause it's like four o'clock over there."

"How's the time difference treating you?" Justin asked.

"I'm adjusting better than I thought I would honestly especially since I haven't been on this side of the country in quite some time."

"I got here a week earlier to help me better adjust," Jasmine mentioned.

"That was a good idea. I may have to do that next time."

"So if the show gets picked up will you move here?"

"Maybe not permanently, I think I'll get us an apartment first, and depending on how well the show does, we may lease a house or something. All of you live here?"

"I live in Manhattan actually," Jasmine said.

Stefan lifted his brows. "Nice, we need to hang out."

She smiled.

Caroline frowned listening to her friend talking about the photos of Stefan and Jasmine. She could tell that she almost wanted to cry but was holding it in like she always does and a part of her just wanted her to let it out knowing that she would only feel better if she did.

"You know Stefan would never cheat on you though right?"

"I know and I don't think he is it's just so weird seeing him out alone with another woman like he whispered in her fucking ear and she's holding onto his arm like they're dating, it's frustrating. And I was planning on going there and everything but the moment he takes me on set I won't be able to stop my eyes from rolling at her and the last thing I want is to cause drama so I'm just gonna stay here."

"You know what, tomorrow we'll officially have a girl's day. I'll spend the night, we drink wine and dance all around this place— oh, we reenact The Notebook!"

Bonnie chuckled. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but that sounds amazing."

Caroline smiled widely. Bonnie looked down at her phone and gasped seeing who texted her.

"It's Elena. She said we can hang out tomorrow. Should I invite her to the party?"

"Okay, I know you two have a history so I never admitted this to you but I'm a big fan of hers."

"Get out."

Caroline giggles. "I'm sorry! I saw that movie they did together and I went down this wormhole and before I knew it I was making a fan account on Twitter."

"Please tell me you're joking about the fan account."

"I'm joking about the fan account."

She watched her eyes. "Let me see your phone."

"Let me just do something really quick,"

"Caroline!"

"I'm seriously joking, here."

Bonnie took her phone and opened the app, checking to see if she had a second account. "I will spare you a slap." She handed her phone back. "But I guess if Elena wants, she can join our party." She said texting her the idea. "I actually think you two will get along… You know I just realized how...strange my life is." She shook her head.

Caroline chuckled. "Sorry I contributed to that strangeness."

"Water under the bridge. My relationship with Elena is twice as complicated."

"Why do you want to hang out with her anyway?"

"I don't know, I just feel like I should. It's like a gut feeling." Bonnie looks down, receiving another text. "She says she's in."

"I'm so glad I packed my Polaroid camera."

Bonnie laughed, shaking her head.

"Shit, baby, I'm sorry. Why didn't you tell me you were going to sleep?"

"I texted you." When he didn't respond, she reached to turn on the light and sat up in bed. "I'm sorry, I had a long day."

"And I didn't?"

"Stef—"

"Good night." He ended the call then shut off his phone before hopping into the shower.

Bonnie grunted the shut off the light, going back to sleep.


She checked her phone for the tenth time and sighed still not receiving a response back from Stefan. She could barely stay asleep last night so she tried calling him multiple times but it just went straight to voicemail telling her that he shut his phone off. So she resorted to texting, texts which he still hasn't read yet. She got up and stripped to shower and vent while doing so but she stopped talking to herself hearing her phone ringing. She jumped out of the shower and rushed to her phone on the nightstand and answered the FaceTime call and frowned at his face. "Why are we fighting so much? We never fight this much."

"Because we're apart."

"That makes no sense." She chuckled.

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I love you so much."

"I love you more." She sighed. "How much time do you have before you have to go?"

"Why?" He lifted his right eyebrow.

"I wanna show you something," she tilted her phone down giving him a quick glance at her naked, wet body.

"Damn. Let me double lock my door real quick."

She laughed then moved to set up her phone as he went to lock the door.

"Drinking at eleven am? I feel like I'm sixteen again." Bonnie cheered.

The girls chuckled and drank some. "You know, Bonnie B, when you reached out to me I wasn't sure how to take it. I mean I heard you saying that you would in an interview or two, but why now?"

"Those times I did actually mean to talk to you but something would happen and I would honestly forget. But I was the third wheel to Care and Mason yesterday and we were talking about you and I decided to just do it right then and there so I wouldn't forget."

"Talking nice things, I hope."

"I just asked how you were doing honestly. So how's the book doing?"

"Pretty well. No hard feelings?"

"You were speaking your truth and I appreciate it. Though to set the record straight, nothing happened at that party. Nothing that extreme at least."

She nodded and let out a breath. "So how are things with Mason, Care Bear?"

"Pretty great, actually. And since we're clearing the air, I would say that it kind of sucks that he's still in love with you." She shifted her eyes to her best friend.

Elena widened her eyes and sat up straighter in her seat.

"Caroline—"

"I have absolutely nothing against you at all, not even a little but I feel like dating him was a mistake because I really like him and he's really smart and talented and so kind, but he loves you, Bonnie. The way you two were talking just in your own world the other night made me see it clearly. And I know that it's never on purpose, I know, but you two have this chemistry that we two don't have. And it's nobody's fault."

"I'm—"

"There's no need to apologize."

Bonnie looked away for a moment. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No, please don't change or act any different or anything like that, that's not why I said it. I just– how do you feel about it?"

"Honestly I don't think he's in love with me. You see it and Stefan sees it but I just think that we have a great friendship. When I look at him, I don't see love in his eyes."

"But you used to?"

"In a way, yes. Honestly what I think we had was just a little lust. When I first met Stefan he wasn't the romantic he is now and Mason was the nice one and because of that, we were able to get a head start on our relationship then my relationship with Stefan followed shortly after."

"Wait, so Mason was there from the beginning?" Elena wondered.

"Yeah, it was like a little get together between us three. And I'm not saying Stefan was some big jerk or anything I think he was just a little nervous and acted not himself. But then we started hanging out without Mason there and our relationship evolved and maybe the abruptness of that is why things are so confusing to him."

"I really think you two should talk."

"We have."

"Maybe one more time then."

Bonnie watched her eyes seeing that she wouldn't let this go, then exhaled. "Okay."

Caroline sipped her drink. Elena looked between the two then exhaled herself, not expecting that conversation to happen at all. "It looks like you're finally reaping what you sowed,"

"Elena—"

"No, she's right." Caroline sighed. "For some reason I just- it feels like I'm always falling into your shadow which is crazy because we're not even after the same things. I mean some things sure but still. It's hard to explain."

"No, I get it. I just can't completely understand it just like you can't but,"

Elena sighed. "I say let's put a little pep until this party's step," she reached in her purse and took out a baggy of brownies.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at the look on his face. They decided to get some fresh air and enjoy a nice evening walk while swapping stories when he paused in the middle of his sentence causing her to look over at him and notice the face he was making. "What?"

He chuckled then shook his head. "My wife left little pieces to remind me of her in my suitcase and I just found one in my pocket."

Jasmine took a minute to comprehend them nodded in understanding. "How many have you found so far?"

"This is my first one, actually, I'm not wearing much of my own clothes anymore since we're filming."

"Makes sense." She smiled up at him and a little wider as he looked down at her.

He faced forward seeing flashes and cursed. "Ready to head back?"

"Yeah, sure." She held his arm. "So where were you?"

"Uh… right, so, they hand me three balls to juggle and I'm just standing there looking down at them in kind mind cursing up a storm and I was ready to tell them that I lied, that my manager forgot to take it out of my resume during editing but then I was like; you know what, fuck it. I've seen people juggle before, I think I know the basic moves, so I throw the balls up and I fucking juggled."

"No way."

"It was for maybe ten seconds, I stopped when I knew they would fall but I did it."

"Did you end up getting the part?"

"No. But thankfully so, I'm sure I would've had to practice my ass off and though at the time and still now a little, I wasn't in the position to simply turn roles down I don't think I would've been interested."

"That's probably the best beginner's luck story I've heard."

He chuckled. "What about you, have you had any beginner's luck?"

"No, not yet. It's probably because I really don't venture out as much as I should, everything I do, I've done it before."

He thought. "Have you ever played darts?"

"No, why?"

He grabbed the hand that she had on his arm and took her into a bar.

Jasmine met her hand to her face causing him to laugh. "Well since we know I for sure- without a doubt don't have beginner's luck with this, can we please leave so I won't embarrass myself any further?"

He chuckled. "It's not embarrassing, but yes, let's leave, I lost track of time." He gathered his things and they walked together to the hotel.

She faced him as they stood outside her door. "Thank you for being so nice and welcoming. My experience here would not even compare to be the same if it wasn't for you."

He smiled then hugged her. "No problem. I feel the same way." He let her go then watched as she made it safely behind her door then walked two doors down to his. He sighed, sitting on the end of the bed, and pulled out his phone seeing a few texts from Bonnie then decided to call her. As it was ringing he put the phone up to his ear and waited.

"Hey, babe, long day?"

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't respond to your texts."

"It's fine,"

"I wanna see you." He moved the phone away from his ear and switched to FaceTime. He smiled seeing her sitting up in their bed. "You look so beautiful."

"Thank you, I had a nice girls day today." She smiled.

He watched her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothings wrong, it's just," she sighed. "Remember when I went out with Care and Mason?"

"Yeah,"

"Well today, Caroline voiced her opinion that Mason is still in love with me and I told her that I don't feel that way at all, truthfully I don't, and I could tell that she feels some type of way about it and she told me that she wanted me to have a talk with Mason about it and I told her that I already did and she said that she wants us to have it one more time. I want to ask you if that's okay. I mean I know you probably still feel the way the Caroline does so I don't know if you would like the idea of us being alone very much or,"

"When did you talk to him the first time about it?"

"After the Halloween party. I went to ask him if anything had happened and then we talked about our weird relationship. I thought I told you that?"

"You probably did, now that you say it, I kind of remember."

She waited. "So is it okay?"

"I don't know, Bonnie, I mean I want to say it is because I know what Caroline's going through but at the same time I just don't like it."

"I'm sorry,"

He sighed. "Just go and get it over with, okay?"

"Okay. I'll text him- or I'll probably just let Caroline know and she can talk to him first if she wants. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Did you do anything today other than film?"

"Not really."

"Are you mad at me?"

"No, I'm not mad, I'm just a little irritated that this shit is still going on."

"I know,"

"What happened at the dinner that made her think that?"

"Well we haven't seen each other in a while so we were just catching up and talking and Caroline said it was like we were in our own little world."

"So you both were basically ignoring her the whole time."

"No, just on the car ride to the restaurant."

"I can see that."

"It was unintentional."

"It still hurts, Bonnie. You both did that to me before, remember the night my interview aired? I asked a question and you two only acknowledged each other."

She frowned. "Stefan, I don't want to fight. I'm sorry. It's never my intention at all to make anyone feel hurt about anything, not just when it comes to things regarding Mason. If I could go back and do things differently, I would one hundred percent, but I can't so I'm trying to make up for it but it's like I fail every time."

"Bonnie—" he sighed, stopping himself from asking her why she didn't come with him on this trip. If she did, none of this would be happening. They would be lying in bed together watching whatever movie they could find on TV while eating dinner. They would be talking about happier things and brighter things followed by either sex or sleep. But she's not here, she didn't come with him and now they're discussing her seeing a man who she cheated on him with, a man that he knows still has feelings for her and she's planning to meet with him tomorrow. If he could do things over again he would. He would have never allowed them to have dinner alone together, he was trying to be open and nice but that turned out to be a bigger mistake that would now possibly follow him for the rest of his life. "I'm tired."

"Okay," she didn't want things to end this way but a part of her knew that she wouldn't be able to switch to brighter things. "I love you so much. I miss you."

"I love and miss you too."

"Bye, babe,"

"Bye."

She sighed as the call ended and sent Caroline the text before turning off the light and going to bed.

Mason looked at his girlfriend in disbelief when she told him that she had set up a lunch between himself and Bonnie to discuss their relationship. He knew that things were a little weird the first night but thought she would've gotten over that and made sure to keep his distance just in case she did start to feel this way about everything but his efforts were apparently useless because this is happening. He wondered if it was Elena who put things into her head at their little party last night, maybe she stirred some drama which was why she came home last night instead of spending the night over there as planned. He sighed as she walked away after kissing him once then decided to follow after her into the room.

"I don't love Bonnie, I love you."

"Let's say we break up and Stefan and Bonnie get divorced, would you pursue Bonnie?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because she's- Stefan is my best friend."

"Five years pass, he moves on and he and I give you our blessing,"

He sighed. "I don't know, I don't think so,"

"Why?"

"It'll be a little weird, I think."

"So in either scenario, you wouldn't date Bonnie with two different excuses, none of which state because you're not attracted to her or because you don't think you two wouldn't be good together."

"I do think that Bonnie is an attractive woman and I've always had, but that doesn't mean I want to act on it any more than I've already done. Bonnie and I are friends and I am completely one hundred percent happy with that. Okay?" He watched her eyes then exhaled when nothing more was said. He walked up to her and held her face. "I'll do whatever it is you ask of me, I'm not trying to get you to change your mind or anything, I just need you to know how I feel."

"Do you love her?"

"As a friend, yes. She is someone that I definitely care about."

"You're going to be late,"

"Where does this leave us?"

"How about you give me that answer after you're finished talking to Bonnie." She moved away from his hold and walked out of the room.

...

Mason smiles and stands seeing Bonnie making her way towards him and they meet in a hug before seating. "I talked to Stefan about this last night and to say the least he wasn't very pleased."

"Yeah, Caroline and I had a major discussion about this before I left so. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinions,"

Bonnie opened her mouth to comment but their waitress came up and took their drink orders.

"So do you really want to discuss this or just talk about something else?"

"I say let's discuss it because I'm going to be bombarded with questions later and I'm sure you are too and the last thing we need is conflicting stories."

Bonnie nodded. "So what did Caroline say?"

"If it's okay, I would like to ask you that first. What happened for her to even request this?"

She sighed. "Well Elena came over and we were just talking about the book and clearing the air and Caroline said that since we were clearing the air she quote, hates how you're still in love with me, end quote and I ask her what she was talking about and she mentioned how we basically ignored her on the way to dinner. I asked her if there was anything I could do to make her feel better or whatever and she suggested that we talk. I told her that we already had a talk about this but she said that we have another one."

He nodded. "Bonnie—"

"Your drinks," she sat them down. "Are you both ready to order?"

"I'll take the chicken club with regular fries, thanks,"

"I'll have the same," Mason handed her the menu.

"What were you about to say?"

He exhaled and placed his hand on top of hers for a moment. "I hope you know that I do love you. And maybe sometimes the love that I have gets mixed up and at those times that's what people see, but you mean something to me, you're my friend and my best friend's wife and I love you for those reasons. I don't love you because I'm in love with you and I want us to get married, not gonna lie, that's how I felt in the beginning, but that's not the case anymore. I never want to put us back where we were last year and it's crazy to think that's it's only barely been a year, but- and I'm so sorry for pulling you into this, I should've just kept it all to myself and shut the fuck up but I didn't. And I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Please don't pin this all on yourself, it takes two to tango and I could've said no, but I didn't because at the time I did what I wanted to happen. Will we have to deal with this for the rest of our lives, probably but I really hope not. I feel like everyone is still so stuck on the past and we're the only two that have moved on from it."

"Right? Maybe it's easier for us to do in a way."

"Maybe. But everything with Caroline I never hang that over her head, Elena basically did and I defended her- I'm not trying to say that I'm better than her or anything, but the situation that we went through is so much worse than this one so I just don't- I don't know. Do you know if she read the book?"

"I didn't ask, I just assumed she didn't."

"Me too. The reason I ask is because Stefan was getting better with everything and then we read our chapters and now it's like he took twenty steps back."

"I'm surprised you even wanted to read them."

"I was stupid. I didn't think that she would only talk about our relationship. I thought she would touch more on our friendship and tell her perspective as to why we drifted but she didn't."

He nodded. "Do you really not remember what happened at the Halloween party still?"

"No,"

"I uh- you were getting punch and I walked up to you, I was drunk and I told you how sexy you looked and how much I wanted you. And then you pulled me over to where no one was, no one could see and we danced very sexually and I wanted to fuck you, I asked if I could and you told me that your pussy belongs to Stefan and that was it. When you came into my office the next day I thought that maybe— but it wasn't and you broke up with me and it took some time I'm not gonna lie, it did, but I've moved on."

"What did you tell Stefan when he asked?"

"I told him that we danced together. Which is the truth, I didn't tell him what was said."

She nodded. "Wow, that's a lot."

"I know. I probably shouldn't have told you."

"No, I'm glad you did, it just confirmed what I thought in my mind."

He nodded. "Do you think I should break up with Caroline?"

"Why?"

"I think she wants me to. I can't explain it, it's either she wants me to or expects me to."

"Well, I guess you have to ask yourself if you're able to put up with her possibly still assuming things about us or having to ask if it's okay for us to hang out and things like that."

"Like you do for Stefan?"

"I mean I don't look at it as a have to, I look at it as I should. Out of respect, you know. I would hate for a fan or paparazzi to come out with photos of us out here having lunch and for Stefan to see it and think the worst."

He watched her eyes. "You mean him and Jasmine?"

"Here are your sandwiches, let me know if you need anything else."

They said their thanks.

"Yeah. You know I was ready to go stay with him because we've just been fighting so much over FaceTime and he says he misses me so much, so I was ready to pack and then I saw photos of them together and it pissed me off so I didn't go. Now it's like every day there are new photos and Stefan hasn't even mentioned her to me other than once. And it sucks and I'd feel bad for accusing him of cheating on me so I'm just like holding it all in and trying to distract my mind from it all."

"It's not too late to go, I mean it's only a couple days but I'm sure it would be appreciated."

"I know, but I'm just gonna stay here. I'll do something special when he gets back. Have you talked to him?"

"Honestly I haven't, I've been trying to be a good boyfriend." They smiled. "I'll let you have him for a couple of days once he gets back then I'll bother him. Or do you think I should talk to him tonight?"

"I think you should wait."

He nodded then sighed before finally taking a bite out of the sandwich. Bonnie followed suit and frowned some when she could barely enjoy the taste with all of the thoughts swirling in her mind. "I just realized that I didn't tell you how I felt about you."

He looked up at her and stopped chewing. "You don't—"

She mimicked his earlier hand action by placing her hand on top of his throughout her first sentence. "You were the first person in "Hollywood" that was ever nice to me. You made me feel welcomed and that meant and means a lot to me. I think that's at least part of the reason why I was so drawn to you and honestly, in my mind, I knew in another life I would date you. But I had Enzo at home and Stefan and it was all too much, especially once I started developing admirable feelings for Stefan. Then honestly my feelings for you romantically were overshadowed with my romantic feelings for Stefan. Then you asked me out and we went out and then I started to remember what I was feeling. Then we kissed then everything with Enzo happened and that overshadowed that and then Stefan and I got engaged and that overshadowed everything and then the party happened and I broke up with you then Stefan got shot and then Elena snaking her way into the picture and fuck, it was a lot of shit that just kept piling on and I never had the time to truly process what happened between us or how I truly feel about you. And now this thing with Stefan and Jasmine I just- I can't tell you that I love you and mean it entirely. I know that I care about you and I want you to be the happiest and succeeding person but I can't place my focus on going deeper because I just- I never get the chance to breathe and think about something in comparison to everything else so small. And even sitting here trying to, I can't focus only on that without five other things popping up in my head."

"I get it."

"But I know that you're a great friend and business person and boyfriend. And thank you for loving me and I know that I love you too, but I can't say it at this very moment without it being one hundred percent sincere because I haven't processed it yet."

He nodded. "You're right and I wouldn't want you to say something that you don't genuinely mean but I see it in your actions so I know and it's okay."

Bonnie smiled. "Do you love Caroline?"

"Yes."

"Have you decided on what you're going to do yet? You don't have to tell me,"

"I don't know, I need to go for a walk or something. I mean I know I don't want to, but I don't want to be selfish with this, if me staying with her will always give her a suspicion that I don't love her or that I love you more, I don't want that for her. I don't want her to doubt herself any more than she probably already has."

"Yeah."

"What do you think I should do?"

"I don't know, I mean Caroline told me that she feels like she's always chasing my shadow and I get it, that's what I thought buried deep in the back of my mind, at least when it comes to boys, so a part of me wants things to be over between you two for her sake, but I know how much she cherished you and how happy you make her so the other part of me wants you both to work through this and fight for each other. And you love her so use that to reassure her any time it comes up like I have to do sometimes with Stefan. But we're also married so maybe I'm putting up with more than I would if we weren't but you know, maybe be selfish. At the end of the day, it's two of you in this relationship, not just one. If you're not happy with it, she's going to catch on and vice versa."

He exhaled through his nose.

Jasmine watched him as he was practically scowling at his phone. She wanted to go up to ask him what was wrong but thought that it would be best if she kept her distance for now at least. From the moment he stepped on set, she noticed that he was in a mood much like when she first knocked on his door which made her wonder if he was having trouble with Bonnie again. They haven't talked about her at all like they did that first night so she assumed that they worked things out but maybe it was the opposite.

Stefan zoomed into one of the many photos that were posted of Bonnie's and Mason's outing. All the comments underneath were speculating that they're getting a divorce since he's been seen with Jasmine and now Bonnie's seen with Mason without her ring on her finger. So he zoomed to see if she was true, that she went to meet him without her ring and if he was strong enough to crush his phone with his hand, it would've been in pieces.

How could she do that? Go meet up with a man who she has a history with without her ring on and meet publicly outside. Even though Mason knows they're not in the midst of a divorce, everyone else doesn't and this makes them both look bad. He went to Instagram and posted one of the photos he took of Bonnie the night of their wedding rehearsal dinner. Missing my wife he captioned and tagged her before posting. He set his phone down and took deep breaths, wishing he could somehow teleport into his dressing room so that he's alone.

He opened his eyes hearing his ringer go off and stood walking quickly towards his trailer seeing it was Bonnie. "Hey,"

"Is this a bad time?"

"I have like five minutes left of lunch."

"Okay um, maybe you can call me tonight then or whenever you get off. So I can tell you about lunch,"

"Why didn't you have your ring on?" He asked her finally behind closed doors.

"What?"

"You didn't have your ring on and now people are speculating that we're getting a divorce."

She sighed. "I had the band on, I was running late and I slipped the ring on and I didn't even notice that I grabbed the band instead until we started eating."

He looked back hearing knocks on his door then someone let him know he was needed on set. "I'll be right there." He told the man. "I have to go."

"I love you,"

"I love you too." He ended the call then took another deep breath before stepping out.

Bonnie tested how everything would look through her front camera and was pleased with her setup. She texted Stefan and requested that they have dinner together over FaceTime and was happy when he agreed. She knew that he probably wouldn't make the effort that she's making to set up the scenery but set up the candles and flowers anyway and made sure that she had her ring on her finger. She was very surprised to read articles speculating that she and Stefan are divorcing but also understood because he's been seen getting real cozy with Jasmine lately and from the outside looking in, she probably would speculate as well. She read in another article that Stefan basically denied all rumors by posting a photo of her and calling her his wife and if she wasn't too scared to reload Instagram and Twitter on her phone, she would post something herself. Not yet, she thought, plating her food. Stefan should be calling her any minute now so she removed her apron so he could see her in her little black dress. She smiled seeing he was calling her now and answered it, sitting down. They smiled once they were connected.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you, I hope you're not too tired for this,"

"No, I'm fine, I mean I'm tired but I'll push through." He smiled when she did. "I'm not all that hungry so I'm not gonna be eating, I hope that's okay."

"Oh, that's fine, I don't have to eat either," she moved her plate to the side and hoped her stomach wouldn't growl loud enough for him to hear. She purposefully didn't eat earlier to save her appetite and she now regrets not at least eating a snack.

"No, you can eat, I just—"

"No, it's okay, I just really wanted us to, you know be together for a little bit and the dinner thing wasn't really all that important." She watched him nod. "So um, if you want, we can talk about lunch or just anything else."

"I don't want to fight, Bonnie and I'm scared that you'll tell me something and I'll get upset. I'm so fucking tired of being upset and angry with you. I love—" he narrowed his eyes hearing knocks on his door then excused himself quickly. He looked in the peephole and cursed seeing Jasmine before opening his door just enough to stick his head through. "Hey, can we talk tomorrow, now's not a good time."

"Oh, okay sure,"

He smiled then closed and locked the door before returning to his phone. "Sorry, everyone's going out tonight,"

"Oh,"

"Anyway, fuck, I forgot what I was saying,"

"You told me that you're tired of being upset with me then you started to say something else,"

He thought for a moment. "Right, I was just going to say that I love you so much and I hate feeling this way."

"I'm really not trying to do anything to make you upset with me but it's almost like everything that I do, you have a negative reaction towards."

"Honestly it's because I miss you so fucking much and I want you here and since you're not I get pissed off. And that's not fair on you at all, this is not at all how I wanted shit to be, this is felling like the longest and most stressful week of my entire life and I wanted it to be the opposite of that."

"Me too."

"I can't wait to get home to you."

She smiled. "I have a few surprises planned for when you get back."

"You're gonna pick me up though, right?"

"Of course,"

He closed his eyes then exhaled. "I'm picturing you in my arms,"

She smiles then closes her arms picturing the same thing.

"Fuck, I can't wait to kiss you."

"I miss your body so much, daddy."

"Stop it."

"I just want to crawl right through the phone and crawl right on top of you."

He watched her bite her lip. "Let me see you in that dress." He took hold of his phone as she stood and stepped back giving him a view of her full body. He took photos as she posed for him in that tiny dress then shook his head as she sat back down. "Damn. How come you've never worn that for me before?"

"Don't worry, you'll see more of my collection when you get home."

"I better."

"Can we go to sleep together tonight?"

"Anything you want."

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you say that."

"You're my wife, of course, I'm providing for you."

She smiled. "Kiss me please,"

They moved their phone up to their lips and Stefan kissed his camera while Bonnie kissed her screen.

"Hurry home."

"Come on, let's go to bed,"

She blew out the candles and walked back into their room. "I'm gonna switch to my laptop."

"Okay me too,"

"Okay see you in a sec." she ran to stuff her mouth with some food while her laptop was turning on. She finished eating in time as Stefan called and answered it, sitting on the bed. "What time do you have to wake up tomorrow?"

"Four,"

She nodded and took the laptop with her into the bathroom so she could do her nighttime routine as Stefan did with her, having small conversations along the way.