"Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place
Give me something I can believe
Don't tear me down
You've opened the door now, don't let it close" -All I Need by Within Temptation
Three weeks had passed since my father had showed up. For some reason my mother had decided to let my father move in with us; maybe she was punishing me.
Every time I asked her why he had to stay with us she always said that it was to "help us reconnect as a family". I had just laughed when she said that. Reconnect? It was more like forcing me to watch as my father relentlessly tried to make up for the past 10 years of my life he had missed out on.
He tried to talk to me, but every time he tried I would get up and spat some snarky remark at him before leaving.
My father being back wasn't the only change that had occurred; I had fallen back into some of my old habits and picked up some new ones.
Almost every night Kol and I would go out and feed. I had gotten to the point where I could stop myself before I went too far; I would feed on a few humans, heal them with my blood, compel them to forget, and send them on their merry way.
Honestly, I was happy, for the most part anyway. I still had nightmares about Collin, so I never got more than a few hours of sleep every night. But, I was still happy.
Kol and I were closer than ever. I sometimes found myself questioning my decision to stay friends with him, but I reminded myself about the last time I had let myself fall for someone. Admittedly falling for someone to me meant opening yourself up to hurt and becoming vulnerable, and I was terrified of that.
Another weekend rolled around and I was desperate to get out of the house. I called Kol and asked him if we were going anywhere; he said that he thought of the perfect place to go. He pulled up in front of my house a few minutes later, so I left my room and headed to the front door.
Before I could leave, my father blocked my path. I huffed and rolled my eyes. "What the bloody hell do you want?" I snapped.
He tried to hide the hurt look in him eyes. "I just wanted to talk to you. You always seem to be out of the house." he insisted innocently.
"There's a reason for that." I spat. "Now piss off and move." I pointed to the right of where he was standing.
He rolled his eyes. "You're still so damn stubborn." he muttered. "We're going to have to talk sooner or later Juliet." he said, lightly placing a hand on my shoulder.
I shrugged it off. "I'd prefer later." I said. I walked around him and opened the front door before slamming it lightly behind me. I walked quickly over to Kol's car and got in on the passenger side.
"More family drama?" he asked, looking over and raising and eyebrow at me. He chuckled before he looked away started the car and began driving.
"Of course." I muttered. I had bugged him with my problems since my father had come to live with us and luckily he was always willing to listen.
I leaned back in my seat and pulled a cigarette out of my bag. I rolled the window down a little before I lit it. I brought the cigarette to my lips and took a drag of it.
I looked over to Kol who rolled his eyes. "You know how disgusting that is, right?" He scoffed.
I shrugged. "You know I don't really care, right? Besides, I only smoke when I'm stressed and right now I am definitely stressed." I replied, taking another drag and blowing the smoke at him.
I smirked as he scrunched his nose in disgust. "Well, do you want to know what I do when I'm stressed?" he asked, glancing over to me for a second.
I grimaced. "I don't think I wanna know." I said, laughing a little.
He rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant, darling." he insisted, shaking his head at me. "I like to go out into the woods and knock down trees." he said nonchalantly.
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?" I asked, not mockingly, but curiously.
Kol nodded. "Really. It's always been the best way for me to clear my head."
"Even better than killing or beating the living hell out of someone?" I asked playfully.
He laughed, rolling his eyes. "Yes, even better than that. Violence just tends to make me angrier." he said.
"Is that where you're taking me?" I asked.
He nodded. "Yes. I've never taken anyone else with me to do this, so don't tell anyone." he insisted. The hint of playfulness in his voice was replaced with seriousness.
It was moments like that that I was reminded of how much we were alike; we were both very private and tended to block people out. He wasn't just trying to help me get rid of my stress; he was letting me in on something personal of his.
I nodded. "I won't." I replied honestly. "I promise."
He nodded, not saying anything else, though he was genuinely thankful.
A few minutes later, he turned onto a little dirt path that led into the woods. We drove a while longer before he stopped the car and got out. I got out after him and dropped my cigarette on the ground, rubbing it into the dirt with my boot.
"Come on!" Kol called impatiently. I glanced up and saw that he was already on top of a hill at least 150 feet away.
I rolled my eyes. "Hold your horses, I'll be there in a second." I replied. I ran using my vampire-spreed and flashed to his side in a matter of seconds.
"Come on." he said before he darted off into the woods. I quickly followed after him.
We ran for what I could assume were a few miles for he finally stopped. We were surrounded by a mass of skinny trees. I looked over at Kol expectantly.
He kept looking out at the trees. "After you, darling." he said, gesturing to the trees in front of us before looking over at me with his characteristic smirk on his face.
I laughed. "If you insist." I replied. I took a deep breath before running over to a tree and snapping in half it easily. I laughed before breaking another and then another.
After I had destroyed 5 or 6 trees, Kol joined in. He broke his faster and easier than I did. We unknowingly made it into a contest, which Kol ended up winning.
We had been at it for a few minutes before I decided to stop. Kol stopped too and came to stand by my side. We looked around at the small clearing we had created, satisfied.
I flopped down on the ground a spot that was clear of any fallen trees and laid down on my back, looking up at the cloudy October sky. Kol laid down next to me and let out a sigh.
Our hands were just inches apart. Not realizing it, we moved our hands closer together before they were barely touching. The moment his skin made contact with mine a little shock when through my body. I gasped quietly and moved my hand back.
I turned my head to face him; he did the same. Neither of us spoke; we just stared into each others eyes, sharing a look of uncertainty and longing.
Slightly horrified of the feeling that were overwhelming me, I quickly sat up.
Kol sat up and moved closer to me.
I turned to face him. "Kol," I started. My voice was full of hesitance and uncertainty. "When you said that we should just stay friends, did you mean it?" I asked quietly.
He was quiet, avoiding my gaze. Finally he answered. "No." he said in a low voice. No. One simple word that seemed to restore the ember of hope that had been burning in the back of my mind, the hope that we could be more.
"Then why did you say that?" I asked. My voice was now barely over a whisper.
"I thought that was what you wanted. You agreed it was what was best." he said, now whispering too. He looked up and met my gaze.
"I know. I don't know why I said that." I replied. I laughed halfheartedly. "I guess I'm just...afraid. The only other time I've ever felt something for someone ended badly, obviously."
He laughed quietly. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." he agreed, halfway smiling "But, how do you know that every other relationship you will ever have will end badly? You can't just assume that just because one person broke your heart means that someone else will." he said knowingly. There was something in his voice that let me know that he knew what he was talking about.
I looked down at the grass. "People I let myself care about seem to have a way of leaving me. My father, old friends, old boyfriends. After a while I guess I just started pushing people away. It's just easier than getting hurt." I admitted. A few tears came to my eyes. I fought them back; I hated crying in front of other people.
"I wouldn't do that to you." he promised. I knew he was telling the truth. "I know what it's like to be hurt so many times that eventually you just figure that it's easier to never let people in. It's for that that reason that I haven't let myself get close to anyone in a very long time." he said quietly. He reached out and pushed a stray curl behind my ear.
I laughed lightly, a small smile playing at my lips. "We're just two pieces of the same broken puzzle, aren't we?" I asked, looking into his deep brown eyes.
He laughed. "Yes, I guess we are." he agreed, smiling.
"So, does this mean we're going to try to make things work?" I asked cautiously.
He nodded. "Yes, if that's what you want." he said. He looked at me in a way that seemed to make the Earth itself stand still.
My heart started to beat a little faster, nervously. I smiled. "Nothing would make me happier." I said. A wide smile pulled across my lips; Kol's smile mirrored mine.
I leaned towards him, carefully. He leaned toward me with the same caution. We were just a breath apart when I pressed my lips against his. He kissed me back, sending an electric shock throughout my entire body. This kiss was so different from the first one, more confident and passionate.
I didn't know how long it had been, but eventually we parted. I smiled and laughed quietly.
Kol looked at me questioningly. "What?" he asked, laughing a little also. He reached out to pull a blade of grass from my hair.
I shook my head. "Nothing. It's just been a while since I've felt like this."
A.N.- So, what'd you guys think? I decided to make them be officially together now. I'm going to get more into the action in the next few chapters so I decided to go ahead and give them their moment before everything begins. I hope Kol is in character! He was never with anyone in the show, so I just kind of had to fill in the blanks on what he would be like in that situation. Please continue to review, follow and favorite. Your support is really appreciated! Let me know if you guys have any questions.
Responses to the latest reviews:
FanFicChikk: I'm glad I surprised you. Thanks Rach, it was :) and yes, I did just call you Rach. You need a nickname!
xxMadison143xx: haha I agree! I guess she took your advice in this chapter ;D