Stefan was lying on his bed looking at the ceiling blankly. He was thinking of what should he do with himself. Lately he doesn't even know what he says, and how he acts. He just goes on instincts. He doesn't think through anything before acting upon it. That's what he did last night too. He went to Caroline's to apologize, and instead he asked for more. He didn't even realized when he blurted out for help.
She was shocked to hear him. At first, she just stared at him, and he knew the moment, when the words came out of his mouth, she would think of him as a crazy person. And he was correct. She was laughing, (at him? He wasn't sure about that). She assumed that he was just being funny. He wasn't.
He should have let it go with the flow, and should have joined her in her laugh. He didn't.
Instead, he told her that he is serious about it.
She stood there, and her laugh slowly faded away. He cursed himself again.
He knew exactly who she was and where she comes from. But, he guessed that she didn't knew anything about him. If she had known, she wouldn't have been so good to him. According to Lexi, it's kind of a girl code. Whatever happens, right or wrong, the girl will take her girlfriend's side. But, he doesn't know if people believe in such things or is it just a myth as he did heard about a parallel bro- code. Damon has broken that code two times already, so he didn't believe in such stupid rules.
"I don't know what to say." She said awkwardly, shifting on the couch.
"You can take your time." He told her casually.
"I don't know if time is what I need." She mumbled but he couldn't hear her.
"I can pay you if you want to make it professional or something." He told her, but when he saw a frown on her face he bit his tongue. He has lost his touch in saying the right things.
"I already have a job, well even if it is a part-time job, I have one, and I don't need your money." Her tone was a little harsh than she intended it to be.
"I am sorry, I didn't mean it in that way… but, a little extra money won't do any harm." he tried to phrase himself but felt like failing.
"I don't think if I can do this. I am not trained in… whatever you are asking for. If you are so willing to spend money on this, then why not go to a professional?" She said after a while.
"I don't need a professional. Like I said, I don't want the news to go into my father's ears." He told her
"Why? I can't do things if I don't understand the reasons behind it." She asked finally.
"Look, you don't know my father, and it would be better if he stays away as far as possible. He enjoys in ruining other's lives, be it his own son's." he said keeping the truth about his father out of the question. He thought the less she knows about his family, the better.
"And what about Damon?" she asked cautiously
"What about him?" he asked her, keeping his voice calm
"Why is it that, every time I mention his name, you jump off the edge? Why do you hate him so much? I know he is kind of a person who can make someone's skin itchy, but he is your brother, and no one can hate their own family." She said. He was going to snap at her but when he looked into her eyes, he saw a glitter of concern, and he couldn't shout the words out. Instead he laughed humorlessly.
"That's my family. My sweet, twisted family. I don't like to talk about them, Caroline, so if you can do me a favor and change the subject, it will good." He told her with bitterness in his words.
"I am sorry, I shouldn't have ask that question. It's your personal matter and I don't have any right to ask." She said softly. Stefan thought that she might be hurt by his rough tone, but her face didn't have any sign of it. Caroline Forbes, the shallow girl. She didn't looked shallow to him at that moment.
"But, you should know, that your brother Damon is my best friend's boyfriend. And I want to be honest with you. If there is some tension between you and your brother, and if that implies that, there is some problem between you and Elena too, then I don't know if I will be able to do this." She told him upfront.
For a moment, he felt as if the blood stopped pumping into his veins. He had assumed that Caroline didn't know anything about him and Elena, but now when the truth was in front of him, it was getting hard for his heart to beat every next time.
He was aware of the situation, when Caroline wasn't there and Elena couldn't reach her.
And when they dated, she wasn't able to get to talk with Caroline so much.
But, they are in contact now, and if she knows about Damon, she should have known about him too. He felt a dagger stabbing in his chest and twisting it hard. Elena could have told her friend about the love she used to call epic once upon a time. He thought he deserved at least to be recognized like that. She has erased him as if he never existed.
He looked at Caroline and didn't know what to say. He is no one to tell her the truth about her friend. If she gets the truth from him, she will be mad at Elena, and he couldn't do that.
He was amazed that even after all of this, his heart couldn't handle to give pain to Elena.
"I have issues with my brother, and if your concerns lie with you friend, you should talk to her and let me know you answer." He told her and without any other conversation, left the apartment.
Elena was looking at her phone, staring on the screen which was popping her name out. She didn't know how to tell her about Stefan. It wasn't so hard to tell her that she dated someone before Damon, but she didn't told her about Stefan, not even mention about him, and Caroline has been in touch for a year now, so it wasn't the matter of not being on talking terms. She can't give that excuse either. She will not get mad at her that she dated, but she will be mad for not telling her. She decided to call her anyways.
"Hey, so finally you remember that I exist." Caroline said sarcastically
"Care, I do know that. Don't ever think that I have forgotten you." Elena tried to convince her.
"Then why do I feel like you are keeping everything that happens in your life away from me." She asked angrily
"That's why I am calling you. I am sorry for doing this to you Care. I am ready to tell you the things that we missed out in the past conversations." Said Elena biting her lower lip in nervousness. She heard her sighing on the other end, which meant that she is ready to listen too.
"Fine, what's the news?" asked Caroline
"I am moving in with Damon." Said Elena with half a smile
"That's no news to me, as I already figured it out Elena. But, my congratulations to you." Said Caroline, still keeping her voice toned down. "However, I assume that's not the only thing you were hiding from me Elena." Her voice was losing the patience.
What is it that you are keeping from me for so long?" she asked her finally.
This time Elena sighed. She had to get it out now. "I heard that you met Stefan." She started and stopped to hear her reaction.
"Yes I did." Said Caroline
"I…. we dated each other when we were in high school." Said Elena. Dating would have been a wrong word to describe their relationship. He was one of her epic love, a love which made her fall in love. There was silence on the other side, she called Caroline's name but couldn't hear anything.
"You dated Stefan?" Caroline asked alarmed, when Elena called her name the third time.
"yeah." Said Elena
"But, Stefan is Damon's brother." Asked Caroline again
"yes." Said Elena. She knew that Caroline is going to judge her, but she didn't knew how to explain it to her.
"So, you were in a relationship with Stefan, and then you guys broke up and then probably you hit your head and then chose to fall for Damon instead." Said Caroline
"You have all the right to be angry on me Caroline, but as I have already asked for more than once, don't be mean about my relationship with Damon." Said Elena
"I am not angry, I am just trying to understand it, that why would you go for the most unbearable person from a less bearable person?" asked Caroline casually.
"Care, it is not….. Wait who is less bearable?" asked Elena
"Stefan." Caroline said while rolling her eyes. "Sometimes he is really sweet and then the very next moment, he reminds me of Damon, just minus the snarky comments Damon love to give." Explained Caroline
"Care, Stefan is the kindest person I have ever met in my compassion showed me what love actually is He can't even hurt a fly, Caroline." Said Elena with fresh tears in her eyes.
"Then why did you guys broke up? What happened between you two?" she asked Elena
"I don't know to be honest. We drifted apart somehow, and I think it destroyed him. I wish I could have done something to take away his pain.
Caroline was intrigued by the truth she heard. The Stefan she met sounds opposite of what she heard of today. She has seen him being rude, getting wasted, and say anything without even thinking about other's feelings. But Elena's Stefan sounded like a fictional character. No one that good exists in real life.
"Sounds like he is really changed." Said Caroline "Thanks for telling me the truth by the way."
"So you are not mad." Stated Elena
"Yup, I am not mad." Said Caroline
"Why?" asked Elena. She knew that Caroline can't handle to be out of the loop, and the way Caroline was acting in the past year has scared Elena and Bonnie both.
"It was your life and you kept it away from me. It's all fine." She wasn't the shallow girl anymore. So, she won't bring her insecurities back in her life.
"How are you Care?" she asked suspiciously
"I am great, as usual."
"You can tell anything to us, you know that right." Elena was not convinced that everything was fine with Caroline. She has grown into herself, which was good. But, somehow she can see a wall she had made around herself in which no one was allowed.
"I know. I am really glad that we talked. Thanks for clearing my mind." Said Caroline.
They talked for a long time that day, talking about college, their studies, parties, gossiping about others. Elena asked her if she found someone new, and Caroline's mind kept hovering around the house across her apartment. She snapped the thought out of her mind.
Stefan was a mess and she was not ready to give in for another mess. It was very difficult for her to come out of her own messy relationship. She won't be able to handle all those pain of a heartbreak once again.
After she ended the call she thought a lot about Stefan's request. She still didn't know how she can help him and was undecided. Her brain was exploding, so instead of hitting around the bush, she decided to take a walk outside. She can grab a coffee on the way then.
Stefan was taking a walk in the park when he saw a little girl sitting on the bench and sobbing silently. He went to sit with her.
"Hey, are you lost?" he asked the girl, and the girl shook her head. The girl has a little blonde curls, which were bouncing on her shoulder. She was wearing a pink dress with laces on it. "What's your name?" asked Stefan softly
"Emma and I hate my brother." The girl said.
"And why is that?" asked Stefan
"Because, he took my doll and broke it." Emma said with a little anger. Stefan chuckled to that.
"Well, you can get a new doll." Suggested Stefan
"No, that was a gift from my Dad. I will never forgive him." Emma frowned.
"I am sure he can buy you a new one, but the relation with your brother is special. Don't ruin it for a doll." Stefan said
"You don't know my brother, he can't see me happy." she was in a full complaint mode.
"Sounds like my brother." Muttered Stefan.
"Do you hate your brother too?" the little Emma asked Stefan. The question had strong stinging effect on him.
"No one can hate a brother, you know." He told Emma, thinking about a similar conversation not long before. But in reality he did felt anger and hatred not only for his brother but the whole world.
"I am sure he will come to his senses. But, until then you can have this." Stefan took out an angel hairpin with stone glistening and shining in the dark.
"When my mother died, she came in my dreams as an angel and said that this will always bring my wishes come true, and it will always protect me." Said Stefan giving the pin to her.
The pin belonged to his mom, who died when he was 9 year old. He always kept that thing with him. When his friends got to know that he carries a girl's hairpin, they usually laughed at him, and he always tried to suppress his cries.
But, then it was always Damon who used to come for his rescue. He encouraged him to do what his heart said. Damon told him, to keep the pin or whatever that makes him feel that his mother is still with them.
Sometimes he misses the brother he used to have, who was always there to fight with him as well as fight for him. He didn't know where did he lost his Damon. How did it turned so twisted that, he never wanted to be in his so-called family now.
"I can't take this. What if you need the luck and protection?" the girl had stopped crying now.
Stefan smiled at her and said "I don't need the luck anymore. My mom told me that when my wishes will come true, I have to give this to a pretty little girl whom I will meet in the park. And she also asked me to tell her to keep a smile on her face." Stefan smiled and winked at her.
The girl just giggled at that, and kissed him on his cheeks, and went towards her friends to play again. Stefan looked at her and sighed. He wished he could go back in time and be a kid, away from all the worries, his miseries, and away from falling in love with someone.
Caroline was standing behind a bush and was looking at Stefan and the little girl he was talking with. She was having a walk when she heard his voice.
At first, she hid herself behind the bush so that she won't bump into him, but then she stayed there longer than needed, so that she can listen to their conversation.
She was amazed at how a person so blunt and mean can be charming too. She was shocked to see him giving away something belonging to his dead mother to someone else. It was a selfless act she has never witnessed.
Although it was a small gesture, but who does that in this evil century. Everyone is selfish today. Even though he hated his own brother, he didn't let the negativity to that little girl. For the first time, she saw Stefan in a bright light. When he winked at the girl, she was pretty sure that the little girl was blushing. Who wouldn't? Caroline smiled at the thought.
She couldn't resist but to think, if his break up is the only thing which is making him miserable. May be it's because of his brother. But, there was one thing she was sure by now. She can at least try to give him a peace in the battle he has been having with himself.