*she strums her guitar tentatively, slowly. a soft melody floats through her bedroom*
"'Cause if I fall, you fall and if I rise, we rise together.
When I smile, you smile. Don't worry 'bout me, don't worry 'bout me"
"Well would you look at that, Miss Bennett's finally gone and done it."
*she stops playing after a few minutes and looks around the room, then looks up and down"
"See? It only took me 10 years to play a decent tune. You should be proud of me."
"Oh, I am, love. More than you'd ever fathom."
*she sighs heavily, her eyes get misty as she runs her fingers over the strings, unaware of the presence in her room*
"You're here…somewhere. I know it, I just know it and I hate myself every day for not trying harder and I-"
*her breath hitches*
"Bonn-"
"I know what you're thinking. "It's all fine, it's okay, it's okay to move on." And I have. I just-"
"You're allowed to grieve for however long you need."
"I need to grieve every once in a while. Don't worry about me."
"Ah, still playing the tough nut after all these years."
*she lets out a wet laugh through her tears*
"You probably made some stupid comment about how I don't want others to worry about me when I worry about everyone else."
"You saved Elena. And the entirety of Mystic Falls. Give yourself some credit."
*she rises from the floor and carefully places the guitar against the wall. she looks around the room wistfully*
"So, Caroline and Elena have set me up on a date for tonight."
*his eyebrows raise in amusement*
"That sounds splendid."
"Please don't be jealous, I'm sure there are tons of…female ghosts to keep you company."
*he chuckles*
"I'm afraid there's only one sassy little witch for me."
*she smiles and bites her lip, kneading at it for a few seconds*
*he swiftly stands behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders*
"You're going to be okay, love."
"I'm going to be okay. I'm going to be okay. I'm probably out here just talking to myself but I'm going to be okay."
*she takes a deep breath and touches the locket hanging from her neck*
"I guess I should start getting ready before Caroline arrives, she's gonna go insane planning this."
*he smiles and steps back*
*she goes to open her closet and her hands are met with black cloth. she pulls it out and finds it's a short, backless halter dress… something she used to wear back in her early twenties*
*his eyes gleam as he recognizes the dress*
"New Year's eve."
"Yep. New Year's eve…"
*her thoughts trail and she puts the dress back. she opts for a plain white dress instead*
*Caroline arrives a while later, ecstatic. she smiles and does a little twirl, much to the blonde's delight*
*he laughs and smiles, wiping his eyes. he backs away until he's left the room*
*Caroline kisses her cheek and leaves once she's ready. she gets off a call with Elena who's on her own date with Damon. she sits back down on her bed and looks around one last time*
"I guess I'll talk to you later then… miss you."
*the silence beats a jagged rhythm in her heart*
"Don't worry about me, Enzo."
"I can't not. But I trust you'll be well, Bonnie Bennett."