Chapter Two: Dude, You Can't Cook

Bonnie brushed her usually curly chestnut hair in her grandmother's gold and red vanity. Grams was in the basement doing laundry so she took the opportunity to use her mirror. Growing up, she always loved the room and its apple candy scent from her grandmother's incessant need to keep candles in the room and even slept in her grandmother's bed whenever she had bad dreams about Abby. Bonnie stood up to check out her outfit - a plaid skirt and a white button up that was long-sleeved.

For the occasion, she did straighten her hair, but in Miami's weather, it would never stay. She grabbed her purse and began to walk out the door. However, it wouldn't be a smooth walkout because Abby was right there. She was in the kitchen drinking coffee which was typically unusual for that time of the day. In a way, Bonnie was glad there was nothing alcoholic in her mother's cup.

"Still going to that dinner? Acting like you that girl's parent or something." Abby muttered that last sentence.

"Yes, Abby I am. Yet you're " Bonnie gritted with her hand right on the front door's handle.

"You're just fixing yourself to get your feelings hurt. You just want to witness how in love and happy they are."

Bonnie responded by not really responding, she slammed the door so hard it made Abby jump. Sometimes, she didn't how to use her words against her mother but she couldn't use violence either. Slamming the door was just her preferred happy medium. Bonnie's air conditioning was broken, so she rode with her windows down to Elena's house, praying that the humidity wouldn't frizz up her just flat-ironed hair.

She gave Elena's door three knocks before being invited in. She was welcomed with a smile and a warm oven. Elena had on a pink apron in the kitchen and she did a small spin showing her mini-chef get up. Bonnie couldn't help but smile, she was so cute. She was told to take a seat but she ended up going near the stove to see if Elena cooked any of that food.

"Well, thank you, God, for Fresh Market because lord knows you would have burned this building down."

"I did make something," Elena said lightly patting off her apron and opened her oven to show a yellow mix in a glass bowl. It was supposed to be cornbread according to Elena, but it had been in the oven well over 20 minutes and it hadn't hardened yet. It was from the box and she managed to mismatch the steps.

"Oh, I am sorry, Bonnie I didn't turn the oven up, it's only at 240. I was just trying to keep everything else warm, not actually overcook it."

Bonnie just didn't know how Elena could mess up something so simple, she herself wasn't the best cook but most of it was just common sense. Maybe the brunette should stick to medicine and caring for the sick because the kitchen was not her forte. It took a quick fix but all Bonnie directed her to do is move all the store bought food to the top of the oven and turned the temperature to 350 so that the cornbread could bake quickly.

It was around 7 o'clock and Bonnie was already sweating, and she wasn't even hosting. However, in Elena's case, she was moving a mile minute, cleaning off the surfaces with sanitizer. She went into the front room even to sit the pillows straight. Bonnie was on her phone in the meantime, she was going to be a stress-free guest from here on out. Her friend could keep her mini anxious spazzes about the dinner to herself.

Bonnie later found out through Elena's ranting that the man in question was running late. Bonnie didn't have anything nice to say about that information but she didn't. The two were now sitting on the couch talking, well Bonnie dragged Elena to the couch in a half-successful attempt to make her relax and ease the anxiety away.

"Maybe I should go check on your cornbread-" She was stopped by Bonnie's hands resting on her shoulder.

"No, you sit, okay. I'll bring you a glass of water too, you look parched." Elena nodded and smiled. Oh, my thoughtful Bonnie.

Bonnie got up from the beige couch and walked a short distance to the kitchen. They didn't put a timer on the cornbread, so she just assumed it was done since A) the house wasn't on fire and B) it was well in the oven for over 20 minutes. She was careful of course, oven mitt gloves were on her hands as she took the glass dish out and placed it safely on the counter. Then, she went to fix that cold glass of water she promised Elena.

She did hear noises in the kitchen so she decided to go check it out, she didn't want Elena to stress out anymore over a dinner. If Stefan never showed up, it could just be the two of them and she was fine with that because that always was the case with her and Elena. When Bonnie came around the corner, she wished that she had waited a couple of minutes before seeing what it was.

They. Are. Kissing. It wasn't a full on make-out session eventually to sex type of kiss, it was sort of an "I missed you so much, so glad you're here" kiss. Bonnie didn't care how sweet it was she wished that there was no mouth on mouth action directly in front of her. Even though she did walk in on the two unexpected.

She breathed in and out, bracing herself. This was Elena's home and she was an adult who had a partner. Partners show each other affection, that wasn't and shouldn't be some complex equation hard to solve - it made perfect sense. Bonnie cleared her throat making herself visible to the couple, who was now breaking out of their liplock. He was holding flowers and a bottle of wine. Elena took the wine from him and set it on the dining table.

While she was gone, Stefan took the opportunity to introduce himself to Bonnie. She reluctantly returned his pleasantries, she didn't understand why he was still holding the flowers. There were exactly 12 of them enclosed in the clear packaging. Bonnie remembered that from focusing on the flowers instead of his tongue in Elena's mouth to settle her rage.

"These are for you. I just figured it was proper etiquette." He said, smoothly.

Bonnie slowly held her hand out, taking the flowers. Her hand accidentally brushed his but it was a silly imperfection, something she could forget and push in the back of her mind. She eyed his appearance momentarily. He was suave but humble which were two conflicting vibes he was giving off. Bonnie couldn't figure him out and the flowers which were bright pink snapdragons definitely weren't platonic nor were they openly romantic. They represented something different; like a blossoming and unlikely relationship. That was it, she hoped.

Elena sure does have good taste...atleast this one time.

"Thank you." It was short and in a high voice.

"You're welcome." It was framed as if there would be more times to thank him.

The two walked to the dinner table where Elena quickly was setting the plates in a troubled hurry. Obviously, the dinner wasn't ready yet so Bonnie announced she was going to find a vase for her flowers. Elena probably didn't even hear her because Stefan came to her aid.

"Elena, please sit down and relax. It's just a dinner."

She followed suit because it was best for her to sit down. Her heart rate was up and she knew as a nurse she would instruct a patient or a member of a patient's family to just reflect and take a few breaths. Stefan put his hands on her shoulders, slightly massaging them. It was a friendly dinner, they didn't want to get too crazy in the kitchen. She closed her eyes just imagining his hands as comfort and release, it made her feel less anxious.

"I know, it's just that you two are so important to me. I can't mess this up because I can't cook."

Stefan bent forward to plant a kiss on her neck. "You won't and you haven't. Just focus your attention on the now."

Elena laughed, "Your lips on my skin? No, that might be actually worse than stressing over a small dinner."

"Touche," Stefan replied backing away, with his hands up playfully.

"Please, you're so dramatic."

"Me, dramatic? With your "I can't breathe if you're touching my skin" monologue. I don't know, I definitely think you take the cake for that one." Oh, he had jokes.

Elena tried stifling an incoming laugh with her hand, and it ended up turning up into giggles. Stefan shook his head smiling walking around the table to find a seat farthest away from her.

"Are you serious?" Elena asked, half serious.

"Yes, you can't control yourself around me, you said it yourself. You're a dirty girl, Miss Gilbert."

Before Elena could respond easily, Bonnie came practically tumbling in with pans of food. The poor girl was only a staggering 5 feet with minimal body strength. Elena didn't seem like she was leaving her seat, so Bonnie took the initiative and got the food herself. Only if she predicted the weight of it before doing so. Stefan went to her side. grabbing most if not all of the pans.

She thanked him once they were seated and of course, she got a 'you're welcome' back. Again. Elena smiled, seeing the two interact was enough to keep her happy. She really hoped she wasn't being a lazy hostess by letting them self-serve. There seemed to be no problem with it, their light chewing proved to be the case for that.

"So, Stefan, what do you do?" Bonnie just wanted to break the ice.

"I'm an engineer, I love it, it's just that my office is 45 minutes out the city and they request me so much."

"In other words, you're a workaholic but you want to keep your social life."

"I wouldn't say workaholic necessarily but my social life was never much to begin with but it totally just went down the toilet when I joined the profession."

Elena spoke up, "We actually met through Katherine-"

"I know, Elena, you told me this already." Bonnie gritted, almost viciously. She could say the text message from 3 months verbatim of her saying that she was going on a date with Katherine's 'hot friend.' One date wasn't supposed to turn into a season-long relationship. Bonnie wouldn't be here in the first place if they didn't connect so much on that first date.

Stefan laughed, attempting to ease the tension. "It's not that special of a story for you to be retelling so frequently."

Elena frowned and ate whatever was left on her plate. Ever since Stefan walked through the door, her friend had been distant and cold towards her. She didn't like it one bit and it did nothing but put her in a bad mood. When she wasn't actively there, it was like Bonnie was kinder to Stefan. She'd hope the formula would work again when she told the party of two that she would be going to her room to go rest.

While Stefan never questioned her about her decision to be alone, Bonnie did. She did it so smug, too. Her elbows were propped on the table and she had a slight smirk on her face.

"Because you're pissing me off." She wanted an answer and she got one while watching Elena's cute ass walk off down the hall, angrily at that.

Bonnie stood up, pushing her chair in, preparing to stack the plates.

"She'll get over it," Stefan stated, also standing up to help put the food up.

Bonnie shrugged nonchalantly, she knew Elena too well. "Oh, I know she will."

They walked into the kitchen doing their various jobs. Bonnie smiled as she saw her snapdragon still sitting pretty on the counter. She turned to face Stefan, who was in the refrigerator deciding what to put away where.

"Thank you again for the flowers, they're really gorgeous."

He smiled, slightly closing the refrigerator to see Bonnie on the other side. "No problem. I didn't think you'd like them to be honest. They're too bright and pink for my liking."

"Well, they're just right for mines."

Bonnie was right near the sink, placing the dishes in hot, soapy water. She knew if she came in contact with the water her hands would melt. She leaned her back against the sink counter just settling into her thoughts. She was shocked when she saw Stefan walking towards the sink area and leaning his back on the counter just like she was. Was he trying to start a conversation with her?

Bonnie looked down at the black flip flops that held her perfectly polished french-tip toes which were perfectly polished. Then she looked how close her and Stefan's feet were. Perhaps too close, like he was testing her space.

"If Elena never comes back out tonight, we never got to open that wine. I was looking forward to it."

"Let's leave for her. She's gonna need it for the next few days."

Then they just started talking about their work and passions. Stefan told her his job kept from important dates and he had distanced himself from his family and close friends at times because of the stress. He also expressed his worries of not being enough for Elena. Bonnie could see his character and how much he truly cared for her. She hated to admit but Stefan was good for Elena. Seeing them interact and hearing the way they talked about one another just sealed it for her.

"You're good for her," She said staring down at her feet. "It took me the whole night to realize that.."

Stefan looked at her shrunken state and responded, "You are too. Probably better. You two have a history that I can't compete with."

Bonnie looked up. "Well...yeah. That's the thing, I just don't how to move on without her if she wants to be with you."

That last part shouldn't have been said but Bonnie didn't give a damn anymore. if she could admit her best friend was falling in love with a great guy she could hint on how she felt about her. It wasn't a platonic defense against him, and he knew that now. Stefan held her hand. He didn't have to reach out far either. Bonnie's eyes trailed down his arms and then to their touching hands. Then, they traveled up to meet his smoldering gaze.

"Maybe you don't you have to."

He leaned down so his lips could meet hers in a slow, idiosyncratic kiss. Now that she was that close to him, Bonnie could recall exactly what his fragrance was. A swirl of amber and leather packaged in a gold box. She hesitated and closed her eyes shut when his face came in contact with hers. Kissing her best friend's boyfriend was beyond shitty but his lips felt so right on hers. Hell, the fact that he also kissed Elena earlier tonight made their liplock taste twenty times better.

Bonnie was in complete euphoria right now, it was a high that she was scared she wouldn't survive. So, when they parted, she felt dazed and unable to stand on solid ground. She leaned on the sink counter to steady herself and swallowed nervously. Bonnie never got nervous. Just in perfect timing, Elena had come back, announcing that she was no longer mad.

"Like I said," Stefan told her as he walked back to the dining table. "You're dramatic."

Elena smiled and pulled him into a hug, murmuring into his shirt, "Okay, maybe I am."

Bonnie put her hand in the soapy water, it was cold now. That meant it was time to go. Her face would show it all if she stepped in that room with Elena. When she said her quick goodbyes, Elena expressed her worries about her dear friend traveling so late at night. Even Stefan offered to take her home to which she declined swiftly. The couple in their loving embrace wished her a good night. All Bonnie could think about the entire ride home is how long it took the soapy water to go from hot to cool. Plus, her hair was a mess and it had nothing to do with the humidity.

The kissed gnawed at Bonnie for the next three days. She didn't have enough courage to call Elena over the phone. If she was going to come clean about her betrayal it would be in person. Friday was actually a great day to do it. By that day, Bonnie's week was essentially over from dealing with school and her mother seemed like she would be leaving Gram's house soon. That was the almost ultimate relief - Abby finally fucking leaving. After all these years, Bonnie didn't request much time from her anymore.

She couldn't even talk or rant to Elena about it because she felt so guilty about Monday night. So, Bonnie planned a meeting at her house. Unlike Elena's house, which was completely independent of her own affluent family, Bonnie's still held memories from when they were younger. Something about it made it easier to reveal what she'd done because of the things they'd done there. Various sleepover, dinners, and cookout had happened there and Elena was there to witness plenty of them.

"Grams, how do you tell your friend that you..did her dirty in your words I guess," Bonnie asked meekly.

"Why, child, what have you done?" There was a doorbell ring. Grams shot daggers with her eyes at Bonnie. Her granddaughter had been acting funny all week since that dinner and she didn't like it. She only asked once about it, promising herself she wouldn't get into young folks business. Maybe she should have because unannounced visits at her home made her more uneasy than most.

"It's only Elena," Bonnie reassured.

She opened the door to a courteous Elena. The brunette was clad in a pink v-neck ruffled short dress. It stopped right at the top of her knees. Bonnie and Elena shared them his and she was let in. Grams stood with her arms open and a welcoming smile. Elena practically sprinted into her arms; Grams was the closest thing to family.

"Mrs. Sheila, I missed you. You don't look a day over 60."

Grams laughed, "We all know that ain't true but I'll take the compliment. How's that's nursing."

"Good. Overworked but not quite underpaid, I love it. I had to rock this cranky newborn for about 30 minutes but once he went to sleep - finally, it was the most beautiful thing, Mrs. Sheila."

"Did it make you wanna have one of your own?" Bonnie's eye twitched at the mention of children.

"No," Elena laughed, "Definitely not yet. I haven't even been there six months and baby fever will not get the best of me."

"Well, love," Grams held her arms and wrapped up, "It was nice talking to you. Tell that Katherine I said hello and she still owes me for Lebron's bitch ass moving to L.A. I dn't know why that girl thought he was coming back here of all places."

Elena laughed as the older woman went upstairs to her room. Her sister knew next to nothing about sports. She put her hands on her sides, for the lack of pockets on her dress and looked at Bonnie.

"Pillow talk?"

"Pillow talk."

Elena and Bonnie sat criss-cross with two fluffy pillows between them in Bonnie's bedroom. It was way smaller than Gram's master bedroom, the one that they both adored. Bonnie placed her hands on top of the pillow. This had become a common meeting place for them when Elena swore Bonnie made feathers levitate. All she did was slam her hand down on it and then the feathers emerged. They both knew what, but that would suck the magic from that day as young girls.

"I can't keep this from you any longer," Bonnie breathed in and out, closing her eyes. "I kissed Stefan."

If Elena's eyes could get any bigger, they had now. She didn't miss Bonnie's decision to take ownership of the kiss. Bonnie opened her eyes again and before she could say anything, Elena steadied her shoulders.

"Bonnie, it's fine, you're fine and forgiven if that's what you wanna hear. You've always taken care of me and I love you for it."

Bonnie was confused; Elena should be crying and slapping her right now.

"Elena, what? I tell you I kissed your boyfriend and you're not even mad with me or him for that matter." Yes, she stalked Elena's social media and the nurse posted something about him as early as this morning. So, her being mad at Stefan was out the question at this point. Bonnie couldn't exactly prepare herself for her bestfriend's vague response.

"Do you remember what I told you?: What's mines is yours."