So sorry it's late, please forgive me! Here is chapter 3!
Stefan
"You not tired of blueberry pancakes yet?" said Caroline. She was a five- foot six-inch blonde with pretty blue eyes and a broad smile.
"Not yet," said Stefan. "Although I think I'll swap out the orange juice for apple."
"Feeling adventurous are we Mr Salvatore?"
"Mr Salvatore makes me sound old, you could just call me Stefan."
"You got something against old people." Caroline raised her eyebrows in mock horror. "How old are you anyway?"
"How old do you think I am?"
Caroline tapped her pen against her chin. "At least forty… if I'm being kind." She grinned and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Elena shouting her name.
"Your mums on the line," said Elena. Her eyes hesitated on Stefan before she focused them on Caroline.
"What's she done now," Caroline muttered. "Elena can you." Caroline waved the notebook in the air and gestured to Stefan.
Elena glanced around The Diner but once she saw there was no other free waitress she reluctantly nodded and took the notepad from Caroline.
"I'm sorry about this," said Caroline. She gave Stefan an apologetic smile before she weaved her way through the tables and hurried to the phone behind the counter.
"Either you really like blueberry pancakes or your hounding me," said Elena as she ran her eyes over the order. They were red and weighed down with bags. She looked as if she hadn't slept in a while.
"For me to be hounding you I would have to be having some kind of contact with you," said Stefan.
"Your presence is contact enough," said Elena. "I thought I made it clear there was nothing to talk about." She glanced around checking no one was in earshot before she bent low towards Stefan. "I don't want to talk about Kai."
"Does your brother know about him?" said Stefan leaning forward, shortening the distance between them.
"If my brother knew about him, do you think we'd be having this conversation," said Elena sharply. "I'm sorry for getting you involved but just drop it ok."
"Talk to me about what happened properly and I will."
"Caroline will be back with your juice." Elena pushed herself off the table, made her way to the till where she inputted the order, before she disappeared into the kitchen.
Not too long after he Elena left, Caroline appeared wearing her signature smile and holding a cool glass of apple juice. "There you go." She placed it on the worn coaster to the left of Stefan.
"You and Elena are friends, right?" said Stefan. "I just see the way you guys are together I assumed..."
"You assumed correctly. We've been friends since childhood. The three musketeers we call ourselves."
"Three?" said Stefan raising an eyebrow.
"We have another friend, Bonnie Bennett. She's been away for a couple of weeks." A troubled expression appeared on Caroline's face. "I'm kinda hoping that's why Elena's in this funky mood. We've never been apart this long."
"It could be that." Stefan brought his cup to his lips. "Or it could be down to a man called Kai Parker."
Caroline's face paled and she grabbed the table for support before she slipped into the seat opposite Stefan. She reached the pitcher of water on the table, filled the empty glass beside it halfway, and took a healthy sip. "What do you know about him?" she said after she had managed to somewhat compose herself.
"Nothing except that Elena fears him."
"You've seen him with her?" said Caroline.
"Who is he to her?"
"Somebody she knew better than to get herself involved with. I'm sorry, I-I really shouldn't be talking about this with you." She placed her hands on the table and pushed herself up. "Thank you for telling me. I know where her head is at now."
"He a bad ex?"
"It's a bit more complicated than that."
"How so?"
"He's the guy everyone believed kill her parents," said Caroline. "I'm sorry it's a long story and I should be helping." She gestured to the long queue of people by the till.
"Caroline." Stefan caught her hand as she turned. "I don't want her to think I'm interfering, would you mind being-"
"Discreet." She smiled softly. "That's my middle name. Well actually it's Elizabeth after my mother, not that you needed to know that."
"But now I do."
"I think it's only fair you tell me yours."
"Guiseppe," said Stefan. "After my father."
Stefan put the key in the ignition of his truck before he patted his pockets frantically. A light tapping on his windows caught his attention.
"Caroline," he said winding down the window.
"Looking for this," she grinned. She waved his phone in the air as if it was a white flag, before placing it in his waiting palm.
"Thank you," said Stefan.
"You're welcome. My kindness doesn't come without a price."
"What payment would look like?"
"You never told me how old you were," said Caroline.
"I bet I'm a couple years older than you."
"How old do you think I am?"
"Forty?" teased Stefan.
"Do you want to go for a drink, at The Grill, with me?" said Caroline. She smiled nervously and wrung her hands together.
Stefan was about to reply when suddenly his phone began to ring in his hand.
"Popular guy," said Caroline. "You got someone special back home?"
"This is my home; well it was before I left."
"Why'd you come back?"
"Because there was no one special to keep me there."
"Good," said Caroline smiling.
The phone lit up and the same number flashed on the screen.
"Who is it?" said Caroline.
"I don't know."
"Answer and find out." Caroline winked before she turned on her heel and headed towards The Diner.
"Hello," said Stefan pressing the phone to his ear.
"Hello brother, miss me?" said Damon.
Stefan ended the call before throwing his phone against the dashboard. He turned the key in the ignition before he peeled out of the lot. It wasn't long before he found himself parked outside Anna's house. He pressed his forehead against the steering wheel and howled.
"Dammit." Stefan reached across the seat for his now cracked phone. He scrolled through his contacts and hovered over the name Lexi Branson before he tossed the phone onto the passenger seat.
"You looked stressed, bad day Salvatore?"
Stefan snapped his head around to see Kai standing by his window. "What are you doing here?"
"Visiting an old friend. Bye Anna." Kai waved to a beaming Anna who stood at the front door of her house.
"How do you know her?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," said Kai. "Have a good day won't you."
Stefan stepped out the car and hurried up the steps towards Anna. "Who was that?"
"Family," said Anna. Stefan couldn't ignore the warning in her words. "He told me he ran into you and Elena last week."
"Yes."
"I've bet you've heard all the rumours about him."
"No one's told me anything. I just reacted to what I saw."
"He's innocent," said Anna firmly. She narrowed her eyes at Stefan. "I don't care about what anyone says. He didn't kill them."
"If the police say he's innocent then he is."
"Tell that to everyone else round here. Tell that to the Gilberts. It was disgusting what Elena did to him. But nobody will ever know about that will they?"
"What did she do?" Stefan stepped closer to Anna.
"Nothing," said Anna. She shook her head. "Forget I said anything."
"Tell me."
"What good will it do? Don't worry," said Anna as she patted Stefan on his cheek. "Kai's sworn me to secrecy so your friend's little secret is safe."
"She's not my friend."
"Maybe you should keep it that way. We don't want a conflict of interest now do we?"
"Why would there be a conflict of interest?"
"Because Kai might be ok with letting her getting away with what she did, but I'm not."
"You just said her secret was safe?" Stefan narrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"People lie dear, get used to it."