Ever since he's overheard the conversation between Elena and Caroline, he's noticed a change in his blonde friend. No longer would she text him or call him or drop by for random visits like she used to. Their relationship was sinking further and further into the drain and he personally didn't want that to happen. Caroline is a great friend, one of the best you can have and he didn't want to lose her which is why he's now waiting at one of the tables outside Mystic Grill for her. He made a call asking her to meet him for lunch and he heard the hesitation in her voice, but he was glad that she had agreed. Bonnie was out grocery shopping so he figured that now was the perfect time to meet her.

He stood and smiled seeing her walk down the sidewalk and hugged her once she was close enough. He wasn't sure if that was a bad move but at the same time, he needs to act like he doesn't know that she's in love with him and just act like he normally would and his normal self would've hugged her.

"How are you, Care?"

"Pretty good, I've just been pretty busy lately with school and all."

"Yeah, I just wanted to meet up so we could catch up. I feel like I haven't talked to you in months."

She smiled then wiped it away. "So how are things with Bonnie?"

"Good, very good, actually. She's great, I'm very lucky to have her." He starts to regret his words seeing the look on her face. "So how are things with Tyler? Did you two work everything out?"

She sighed. "Nah. I can't deal with a sired Tyler and he's been in the mountains for months trying to break the bond so we've grown apart."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

She shrugged, "It's fine. I mean I guess that we weren't meant to be."

"Or maybe you just need a little space to realize that you both are."

She nodded slightly in thought before letting out a breath. Stefan knew that she was over the topic so he was going to start another one when his phone dinged. Seeing that it was from Bonnie, he immediately smiled then read the message.

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

He chuckled then shook his head as he replied that it was the chicken and waited a few seconds.

Good answer and since you answered correctly, I'll treat you later.

In what way?

A nice, long massage by yours truly.

Can't wait. I love you.

I love you too.

Stefan smiled slightly placing his phone back in his pocket but then frowned looking up. "I'm sorry, Caroline, that was rude of me."

"No, it's fine. I should get going anyway, Spring formal is in a few weeks and I need to start planning."

He nodded then stood as she did and hugged her before she walked off. He sighed stuffing his hands in his pockets before walking I'm the opposite direction.

-()-

Bonnie frowned then moved to lay beside him. "You're not enjoying it?" She's been giving him a massage for a few minutes now and during that times she tried to have a conversation with him, but he always acted like he wasn't interested. She's changed the subject, but nothing seemed to work.

"It's not that, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Like what?" She asked moving her hand across his bare back.

"I want to tell you, but I can't. It's not my business to tell."

She narrowed her eyes. "Who's business is it then?"

He let out a breath then met her eyes. "Caroline's."

She grew even more confused. "You mean my best friend, Caroline? I think I would know if something was going on in her life."

"It's not-" he lets out a breath, "I wasn't supposed to know, I heard her and Elena talking about it."

"So my best friends are keeping things behind my back?"

"Bonnie, please don't feel upset by it." Any anger within her that was boiling was removed off the fire and started to cool. "I'm sure that someone will come clean sooner or later."

She nodded then rolled to her left lying on her back staring up at the ceiling. Stefan was right, someone will tell her what's going on sooner or later. She just hoped that it wasn't the latter.

"Hey, come here," he wished that he didn't bring it up seeing the look on her face so he wanted to comfort her.

Bonnie smiled slightly as his arms wrapped around her. He kissed her head then pulled her in close.


Bonnie stood on a ladder hanging up the decorations Caroline wanted for the dance. She was excited to go with Stefan and sneak away to makeout with him in the hall against the lockers.

"Bonnie," Caroline said snapping her out of her head. "Can you please stop daydreaming and start decorating?"

"Yes, ma'am." Bonnie knew how stuck up and bossy Caroline gets when it's around the time for any event that she plans and she learned to do just as the chick says and everything would run smoothly. She quickly grabbed onto the ladder then looked down feeling it shake some. Stefan stood on the ground below looking up at her with a slight smile.

"Stop staring at my ass, Salvatore and get back to work."

He chuckled. "Come down here," as she made her way down he stepped back but once her feet were on the ground, his hands were on her. "I was thinking that," he started nuzzling his head against the side of her neck, "we take a little lunch break." He kissed the side of her neck.

She moaned quietly which he heard loud and clear causing him to move his head up from her neck and kiss her. "I have to talk to Caroline first."

Hearing her name caused him to get out of his boyfriend daze and back to reality making him back away from her. Bonnie narrowed her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just, uh thinking that you would talk to her now."

She seemed to buy it in his eyes as he watched her walk up to Caroline who was already looking their way. He closed his eyes sighing in defeat and turned his back towards the girls running his fingers through his hair.

"She says we have twenty minutes." Bonnie walks up to him.

He chuckles and wraps his arm around her as she stood beside him leading them out the gym.

-()-

She didn't know what to think. Elena made her come to a realization that she wasn't sure if she ever had in the first place. Was she in love with Stefan? She loved him as a friend as far as she knew, but now she wonders what the difference is. Love is love, sure it might feel different compared to a boyfriend, but it's still love.

She started watching them more seeing if their relationship has any affect on her and she's starting to realize that it does. It's starting to affect her relationship with one of her best friends and she doesn't like that. She could always turn to Bonnie for whatever the reason and she would always be there for her no matter what so she doesn't want a boy to get between them, but at the same time, that boy already has.

Yes, Stefan is in love with Bonnie and Bonnie only, but she can't stop her feelings towards him. Since day one, she's always wanted him, found him attractive, found him to be mysterious and interesting, but he wanted Elena. Fast forward a few years later, the two break up and she's there for him. She's the one he went to for the hard days and when those days were over, she's the one he went to when he realized that he was in love with Bonnie. She was friend zoned and it was partly her fault, but she didn't give that much thought. The thing about love is that whoever you love, you want them to be happy so she helped Stefan. Trying to get him alone with Bonnie, trying to get him to talk to her or just randomly plant one on her. She's never seen him so timid and afraid about talking to a girl since she's known him, so she knew that this would be different. That this love would be different from the rest.

When the time actually came that she caught the two together in bed, she was happy. Stefan had turned into a project for her, a project distracting her from her true feelings of him and seeing the two was like her project had been completed and that she had successfully succeeded. Then she started to get a little obsessed with her little project. It was like she planted a seed and watered it for one day then the next it was a full-blown flower. She would wonder how everything just moved so fast to the point where she figured that someone had planted a potted plant right on top of her seed. Then Elena came and started telling her things that she had put in the back of her mind. Things that sounded ridiculous at first but the second it registers it makes all the sense in the world.

She felt horrible, she felt like a horrible person and best friend and now, when she knocks on her door, she not even sure if she'll be her best friend at all. Maybe not even a friend.

It was the right thing to do, she kept reminding herself as she walked up the short flight of stairs. She texted her earlier letting her know that they needed to talk so she knew that Stefan wouldn't be around. She smiled as best she could when the door opened and Bonnie invited her inside. She turned down the drink she offered and that's when she just said it.

"I think I'm in love with Stefan."

Bonnie blinked several times at a loss for words. That was the last thing she would ever expect her friend to tell her and she has no idea how to respond to such a statement besides, "What?"

Caroline closer her eyes, "I'm in love with Stefan." She opened her eyes then. "I've always been, but we were nothing but just friends so I didn't really have a chance to think about it. And then there are things with Tyler that got all jumbled and my life just twisted upside down. I'm sorry, Bonnie, I am truly sorry, but I had to tell you." A tear left her right eye. "I couldn't hide this from you. Not anymore. I'm so sorry."

"So are you going to try to steal him away from me or something?"

"No." She answered immediately. "No, I would never do that. I want nothing more than for you two to be happy, I don't want to get in the middle of that."

"You kind of already did, Caroline."

"Bonnie, please. I don't want this to ruin our friendship, you're my best friend."

She sighed and just closed her eyes running her fingers through her hair. "I- I just need some time to think about this. I just need some space."

She nodded. "Okay. I guess I'll see you at formal."

Bonnie nodded then watched her friend leave and shortly her drive off. She sat down on the couch not believing what she just went through which led to her shedding tears.


Stefan frowned. His girlfriend just told him the news that he never wanted her to know about and now he has no idea what he's supposed to say or do in this situation. He's been in Bonnie's place before more than once with his brother and he knows how she must feel. Their situations were a little different, but he could still very much understand what's running through her head.

"How," he sighed not knowing what to say, "how do you feel?" He figured that was the best thing to ask in a situation like this.

"I don't know. She's my best friend, but at the same time I'm angry at her but at the same time I understand. She knows you a lot better than most of us so I can't say that I'm all that surprised, but I am."

Stefan nodded then placed his hand on her back moving it up and down. "Look at me." When she does he continues. "I want you to know that though Caroline is a great person, I only want you. You're the woman who I can't stop thinking about, the woman who drives me insane who makes me smile and laugh. You're the woman that I love. I will always choose you."

She smiled then pulled him in for a hug hugging him tightly. "I love you too. Thank you."

Stefan knew that telling her this could help her restore things with Caroline. He meant every single word he said and knew that nothing was better than some reassurance. Bonnie probably already knew those things, but he wanted to personally tell her so that she knows what she's thinking is correct.

"What do you think I should do?"

He hugged her tighter. "I think you should accept it. She's your best friend and I'm sure some other guy would come along or maybe even Tyler would show up again and then she'll forget all about me. It's only a matter of time."

Bonnie nods then thanks him before they pull away and decide to go for a walk.

-()-

They were the couple that made heads turn as soon as they stepped inside the gym. Bonnie was dressed in a peach strapless ruched chiffon long evening dress with a diamond necklace in the shape of a V around her neck and studded earrings. Stefan was dressed in an all black suit with a tie matching the color of her dress. Their outfits were simple but that didn't make them look any less stunning.

She smiled as Stefan turned her having the skirt of her dress twirl gently along with her and wrap around his legs some as he pulled her in close to his body.

"I can't get over how beautiful you look."

She smiled watching his eyes trail her face before they met here. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They shared a kiss before they started swaying together looking around the place as they did so. As Stefan turned them, Bonnie saw Caroline talking to Andrea and made a note that she needed to get her alone so that they could talk. She still didn't know exactly what she would say, but knew that she would accept her friend's feeling towards her boyfriend and try her best to not let it get in the way of things just as Stefan said. She was glad that she had him to keep her balanced at times because before he came over, she felt like she was going to explode.

"Want some punch?" He asked snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Why is it that at every dance known to man, punch is severed as the drink?"

Stefan chuckled then grabbed her hand leading her over to the table, "I don't know, I guess some people like to stick to tradition… Oh look, they now have lemonade."

She smiled then laughed as he poured. He smiled handing her the cup watching her take a sip before he took the cup out of her hand tasting some for himself.

"This is actually pretty good."

"I think it's the fresh pineapple."

Stefan chuckled then met their heads rubbing his nose against hers. She closed her eyes with a slight smile then opened them meeting his. "How often am I allowed to tell you that I love you?"

"You can tell me however often you like, but I might not say it back every time."

He shook his head. "Well, I love you."

"I love you too."

They kissed before he poured himself some punch then they looked around finding Damon and Elena sitting at a table. They walk over to them joining them and Bonnie gave her friend a hug. Stefan somewhat regretted coming over here because he now realized that he's lost his girl for the rest of the night. Her and Elena were in a conversation about random things then decided to get up and walk around as they talked. He sighed but looked over at his brother then reached out his hand silently asking for the flask. Damon handed it over then decided to sit in Bonnie's spot.

"So how did you do it? How did you land the former witch?"

"A man never reveals his secrets."

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously though, Stefan, I'm dying to know."

He sighed then sat the flask down on the table. "Well, we've been spending a lot of time together since she's turned which caused us to grow very close."

"What about that other chick you were dating?"

"I mean she was cool, but Bonnie was really the person that I wanted."

"So you used her to make Bonnie jealous?"

He shrugged, "It wasn't my intention, honestly, but it seemed to happen that way and after Caroline's party, we made things… official." He shrugged.

Bonnie and Caroline walked together outside of the gym for some privacy. She could tell that her friend was nervous, so she wanted to clear the air right away.

"I accept your feelings towards Stefan and I don't want this to get between us. I love you, Care, and I can't lose you. You're my best friend and if you happen to love my boyfriend then I guess it's a little OK. I mean I can see why you do and I can move past this if you can."

Caroline smiled then pulled her friend in for a hug. "Thank you, Bonnie. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Bonnie hugged her friend back. "You should kind of thank Stefan too, I mean he was the one who—"

"Wait, you told Stefan?"

"Of course I told him, he has a right to know." Caroline sighed. "Don't worry, Care, you know how Stefan is. He won't act any differently around you than he does now, trust me."

She nodded then shortly they were heading back inside.


"Enjoying your party?"

Caroline forced herself to not look over at him. "Yeah, everything's going great."

"Do you want to talk or just not address it?" When she looked over at him, he saw a little confusion so he explained, "Bonnie told me that you two talked, so I was just—"

"Oh. I don't know, maybe some other time."

He nodded then watched her walk away sighing but smiled some seeing his girl walk over to him. He kissed her then moved his arm around her waist.

"So did you two talk?"

"No, she wanted to wait a little while before we did."

Bonnie nodded then reached for a chip. "Hey, can vampires gain weight? If not, I want to binge." She said eyeing the various snacks on the table.

"Why would you want to eat?"

"I guess it just makes me feel like there's still some human left in me. That I'm not completely dead no matter what's technically true, you know."

He nods, "Well to your luck I don't believe we do, but I honestly wouldn't know."

She shrugged then took a pinch full of chips tilting her head back dropping them in her mouth. Stefan shakes his head but can't help to feel a little turned on by it. A beautiful woman in a fancy dress and beautiful makeup reaching for every food that was on the table. He raised a brow when a chip fell between her cleavage and just as he was about to reach for it, Elena walked up to them.

"Damn, Bon, save some for the rest of us." She chuckled at her friend's full cheeks.

"It's not my fault that no one's eating, I'm simply trying to lessen the load."

She shook her head, "Well it looks like you dropped a little," Elena reached and took the chip from between her friend's breasts and held it up. Stefan frowned. Bonnie took it and added it to her mouth. "I would ask if you're pregnant, but…"

Bonnie rolled her eyes then swallowed. "Oh shut up." Elena chuckled. "Hey, have you seen Caroline around?"

She looked around a little, "Uh, no not in the last few minutes at least."

Bonnie frowned but wiped it away once her favorite song started to play. She grabbed Stefan's hands and dragged him to the dance floor leaving Elena there laughing at Stefan's face.

-()-

He looked over at her as she stared at the ceiling. They had just gotten back from the dance about thirty minutes ago and she's been like that since they arrived home. He knew what was on her mind and he wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it or not so he figured that he keep quiet until she says something.

"Tonight was fun."

"It was."

She sighed then turned to her side and he followed facing her. "I know what you said about never leaving me, but is or was there a part of you that felt something for Caroline?"

He thought for a few moments. "Maybe? I mean I never really had the chance to come to a conclusion, you know. I was with Elena and when that ended I wasn't really focusing on dating anyone but then I saw you for who you are and then my focus was on you."

"But do you think if it wasn't for me that you'll be with her?"

"I can't give you the answer that you want. A part of me says yes then the other says that we would've just remained friends. I can't be sure."

She nods then lets out a breath through her nose turning on her back again.

"I love you." She looks over at him and smiles. "I need you to say it back this time."

"I love you too."

He moved over to kiss her then rested his head under her chin holding her waist.


Damon turned to his girlfriend and narrowed his eyes. "Wait, Caroline's in love with Stefan?"

"You know you should really stop eavesdropping."

"It's a hobby," he shrugged.

"There's a possibility that she is. I feel like this is all my fault though."

"How so?"

"I'm the one who brought it up to her then after that she's been acting like she's depressed or something. She told Bonnie and she seems to accept it, but you never know."

"Look at my baby starting drama. I trained you well."

Elena rolled her eyes but couldn't stop her smile. He chuckled then kissed her cheek. "I wouldn't be so proud if I were you, I don't think I stated anything. Everything seems to be pushed under the rug."

"That is until someone just so happens to bring it up while everyone's around."

"Damon Salvatore, don't you dare."

"What, I didn't say that it would be me, for all we know it could be you."

"Well, it won't be. I think I have enough control to keep my mouth shut about such things."

Damon shrugged then laid back on the bed with his arm behind his head. Elena frowned hoping that she had enough control to really keep her mouth shut.


A/N: Come on, Elena, you can do it!