Caroline was walking towards her car when she sensed a chill of cold breeze.

"You shouldn't walk alone in the nights like this." She jumped in fear, but slowly her heart paced down to normal speed. She never thought that she will meet this mystery guy once again.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him with a little relief.

"Stalking you." The answer was straight, making her heart beat faster again. But he laughed it off, and so she let it go.

"Um, actually I was hoping if I can see you again."

"So was I." there was something in his smiles which was warning her to turn around and drive far away from him, but she didn't.

"Maybe we can have the drink, together."

"You are way older than me." The words came out not for the stranger but to convince her own self.

"And you don't care about it." He was good in manipulations, like there was something in his eyes which can compel anyone to submit to him.

Maybe this was something good, and she could finally find something, someone who wanted her first.

"I am Caroline Forbes, by the way."

"Damon Salvatore."

"Seriously?" Stefan raised his eyebrow when he saw her walking towards class.

"What? Now I can't even come to college?"

"Not when doctor has specifically told you to rest."

"Well they say a lot of things. Plus I am fine now. And I have a meeting for charity event that we are doing next week." She was still weak and when she moved it stung her like million needles in her spine, but she was stronger, and physical pain won't let her stop from finishing her unfinished tasks.

"Caroline, there is a reason they call it a twenty-four hour bed rest." Stefan frowned at how careless she was behaving.

"The class is going to start." She walked passed him, and he sighed in his loss. He realized he can never win with that girl.

"Here are all your assignments checked and graded." One by one, Ric handed them the sheets.

When Caroline stretched her hand forward, there was a jerk in her movement, and she felt a jolt of pain cracking through her backbone.

"Are you okay, Miss Forbes?" Ric was confused to see the look on her face.

"I have to go to the washroom."

Stefan looked at her from his seat, his eyes moving in the same direction until she was out of the door. He didn't thought twice, when he stood up to go after her.

She was standing in the washroom, inhaling and exhaling, to let go of the pain. He knocked once, and then when he heard her breaths coming uneven, he rushed inside.

"Caroline, are you… okay?" He looked calm. However, more he saw her face turning pale, the more his heartbeat raised higher.

'I am fine Stefan, it's just a little pain. I must have pulled my muscle or something while driving, and it added up to my injury."

"Caroline, you need rest. Let's go home."

"But, wait. What about the meeting. What am I-"

"We will manage it. For now, just don't worry about it. Okay?" his eyes were sincere when they directly beamed into her. There was a lump in her throat started to develop. The sound of the word "we" was even more melodious when they struck the chords somewhere in her heart and soul. She didn't had anything to say, but smile with admiration.

"Shall we?" She didn't argued this time.

The whole time they walked towards her car, his eyes never drifted away from her, watching her carefully. He didn't wanted to take any chances, and let her fall in the stinging pain once again.

We reached home, Stefan. You can go to your apartment now. Stop hovering over me." A light chuckle left from his mouth on her teasing.

"I can come inside if you want, you know. What if you need something?"

"Stefan, I can take care of myself, you know. And I will call you if I need you. Now, go." She started turning the keys when she realized the door was already unlocked. When she opened the door her eyes became wider in shock.

"So, where is Caroline? Have you seen her?" Bonnie was worried when Caroline didn't showed up to their regular cheer-leading practice.

"I don't know, it's not like Caroline." Elena said casually, while putting the sunscreen lotion on her body.

They both gawked when the blue Camaro pulled on their side. They were even more shocked when Caroline kissed the guy on the driver's seat and they both came out of the car.

"Caroline, we were a bit worried about you. Where were you?" Bonnie asked while her eyes examined Damon suspiciously. The guy looked dangerously stunning, and it's never a good sign.

"Got late a bit. By the way, this is Damon." Caroline started introducing them. "Damon, this is Bonnie, and this is-"

"You must be Elena Gilbert." His eyes were glued on the brunette in front of him. Elena couldn't help but smile at him.

"Yes… yes I am." The grin was wide when she looked in his blue eyes.

Caroline's eyes were going back and forth from Damon to Elena, Elena to Damon, as if there was a perception of tension between them.

"Damon, let's meet after my school when I will be free." Caroline's voice was enough to break their stares.

"Sure, babe." He kissed her and drove back with a smirk on his face.

"Isn't he a little older for you?" that was the first thing Elena asked her.

"And I should care for it because…?"

"Because, it is unlawful."

"Elena, I will take the boyfriend advice from you if I would need it. For now, let's just… concentrate on the practice." With a smile on her face Caroline went forward to give the commands to the girls.

Bonnie and Elena looked at each other, and Elena almost rolled her eyes.

"What else could I have expected as an answer from her?" Elena commented and both of them joined the rest of the team.

"Caroline? What happened?" Bonnie was following behind on her trail closer than required. Something was wrong. Her sixth sense which she liked to call as the witch power was indicating the bad omen.

"Damon left." Caroline turned around to face her friends.

"Did he gave you any reasons?" it was Elena's turn to ask questions.

"No."

The instant reaction. Caroline didn't know how much she could tell them, or trust them for not telling her mom. So, she let it slip.

"It's a good thing Caroline. He wasn't right. Anyway you knew him for just one months or something." Elena's words felt like coming from far away in her trance.

"I know." And she knew, but still, it hurts to be left behind. But this happened for good, and she should be happy about it.

Stefan could feel the earth crumbling below his feet, the wave of Tsunami rushing and engulfing him whole, once and for all. He never realized when he stopped breathing, and when he started turning blue. All those memories he has been trying to lock up into a closet came rushing towards him, all at once, when his eyes direct fell on those doe eyes. His sight was dimming by every passing minute, and there was nothing in his hands he could do.

"Surprise." The words echoed in her apartment, when she entered and was too shocked to even give a response.

"What are you guys doing here?" she still couldn't process the fact that Elena and Bonnie were standing there, in her apartment.

"We are celebrating the day we met and became friends." Elena said excitedly, but her smile started to vanish when her eyes shifted towards him in the back. She tried say something, but he was standing still, and it was making her uneasy.

"Since when did you started remembering THAT. Last time I checked it was my department." Caroline was too excited to see them, and went straight to hug Bonnie.

"Well, we thought that we will surprise you. And, we haven't done this for a long time." Caroline jumped forward to hug Elena next when she heard her.

"Anyways how the hell did you guys came in?"

"Keys under the doormat." Caroline raised her eyebrow on Bonnie's comments. "What? We know you Caroline, and all your secrets."

"Of course we all know the little secrets about everyone, don't we?" Her heart sank in when the source of those words walked out of the kitchen directly into her living room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" her voice came harsher than she thought it could.

"Hello to you too Blondie." Damon as usual was being insolent, and his presence was making Caroline itchy.

"And that is the door, please make yourself comfortable while going out." Caroline pointed at the door, before giving him a fake grin.

"Caroline, please." Elena started, but when her eyes flickered in Stefan's direction, and saw him tracking his way back, she couldn't help herself. She needed to talk. "I will talk to you later."

Stefan's world started to collapse, when he heard them, both. He wasn't ready for it. He was drowning in the plethora of emotions, when his feet starts to trace their backward, his eyes never leaving her. He didn't even realized when and how he ended up facing her, standing three feet away. He was standing so still, even one minuscule of rift made the ripples in the still water.

'Hey Stefan." He turned back without saying anything, when she called him. He wanted to just continue walking and go into his apartment, but he stopped.

"Its… good to see you, Stefan." Elena took a step closer, and Stefan was getting deeper and deeper into the pit.

"Stefan… we need to talk." Another step closer.

"I don't want to." Stefan's grasp was tight on the knob, with every breath he was holding. It became even more suffocating when his brother decided to jump into the conversation.

"Brother I think we do. It's been a long time." Damon was standing across the hallway, when he decided to intervene.

Stefan turned around not knowing what to say, but he did find a way to finally speak.

"It might be long time, but not long enough for me to forget things." The awkward silence was surrounding them but not for long.

"My brother, who has been my brother for twenty-almost years, falls for the girl who was the love of my life, and she let it happen. Do you guys really think that it can slip so easily? I don't need you both for thinking so much about me."

They both were stunned when Stefan decided to walk away. Instead of going in his home, he took the stairs, leaving them behind, but he knew he could never run from the ghost of his past.

"I think we both got dumped." Damon was the first one to break the silence.

'Where did he go?" Caroline came out as fast as she could in her state of limping with pain.

"I think I should go check on him." Elena was still shocked to hear the harsh words from Stefan and she didn't know how to mend things, to make him stay in her life.

"No, you are not going anywhere." Elena stopped on her heels when she heart Caroline's voice.

"See, Stefan will talk to you whenever he will be ready. Just don't…. push him. Okay?" the words were still not convincing for Caroline herself. She was looking in the vacant space, where Stefan was standing a while ago. She wanted to run and check if he was okay. But, she knew he would have been gone by now.

She didn't know how long she stayed like that, but she couldn't stand there and let herself go insane on the thoughts of different worst scenarios.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked her when Caroline took out her keys.

"I will be back soon." She hurriedly took her cell and her wallet with her before heading towards the door.

"But, you are not looking so good. Caroline, you look a little weak."

"Bonnie, I am fine. You guys can make yourself comfortable and rest. We will talk when I will come home." She told them. "And you." She turned around to look at Damon. "Please don't be comfortable in my apartment. And the door is still right there." Damon still makes her blood boil, and she feels nauseated. But, right now nothing was more important than Stefan. She can deal with Damon later. To the way back to her car, she literally mapped out a chart and the places he might go, and from where to start her search.