CHAPTER THREE

'So how do I look?' Elena asked as she stepped in front of Stefan. She was wearing a gray and black plaid shirt, that was unbuttoned revealing a black tank underneath; she had on black jeans. She had her long brown hair in soft curls. Stefan didn't know what to say because she looked stunning.

'you look amazing Lena' he replied with a smile

'thank you' she said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, that was a nervous habit of hers 'you don't look so bad yourself' she said as she checked him out. He was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans along with a dark gray button-down shirt with a black V-neck underneath. Elena could look at him all day long, but that would be creepy.

'see we are the perfect couple, we even match without meaning to' Stefan said with a chuckle

'hmm, you're right. This deserves another selfie don't you think?' she asked, she was enjoying being able to post picture of the both and have everyone think that he was hers.

'yeah it is' Stefan said as he took out his phone and stood behind Elena. He wrapped his arm around her waist and snapped a picture. He posted on his Instagram and his Facebook with the caption, aren't we adorable?

'that's cute' Elena said as she looked at the picture 'do you mind if I changed my messaging app profile picture, to make it more believable of course'

'no go ahead, I will do the same' Stefan said as he started to change the picture 'ready for the party?'

'yeah let's go'

They got to the party and were greeted by a cheerful Nik

'Mate! Come on in, and the lovely Elena. Come come, enjoy the festivities' he said as he led them to the kitchen for a drink

As they were walking, Stefan felt Elena stop walking next to him 'hey what's wrong?' she was looking to the other side of the living room

'you have got to be kidding me' she groaned. Stefan followed her stare and they came to a stop at a blonde with blue eyes, Matt 'of all the places in Chicago'

'hey, calm down, look at me.' He said as he grabbed Elena's chin to so that she would look at him 'this could be in our favor, have him see that we are together, and he can get the hint' he said calmly 'or if you want to leave and not deal with it, we can leave no problem'

'you're right let's do this' she said as she intertwined her hand with his and continued their walk to the kitchen

Matt had seen Elena and Stefan walking to the kitchen. He planned to confront them, he had seen their pictures and it boiled his blood that they were finally together.

Back in the kitchen Stefan asked Nik how he knew Matt

'He's best mates with a colleague from work so I guess he tagged along, kind of a bloke for my taste though' he replied, 'why do you ask mate?'

'that's Elena's ex' he said as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze

'aww this must be awkward for both of you' he said as he took in their intertwined hands

'not really' Elena said 'I just don't want him to make a scene here'

'don't worry about that love, if he tries something I got Stefan's back, that bloke won't lay a hand or bother you

'thanks' she replied with a timid smile

They made small talk for a while and he had told them that they wouldn't be meeting the other two tenants of the building given that they were away for the weekend. They talked about work and they learned that Nik was an editor of a highly ranked magazine. They talked about going out the following weekend. Throughout this talk Elena and Stefan had constant touch, whether it be hand holding or him giving her a kiss on her forehead or stealing longing glances at one another, anybody would believe they were together.

'well look who's here' Matt shouted as he approached the trio, his face was blotchy, he was drunk, and he wanted to confront Elena and Stefan. He was followed by dark haired guy.

'hey there mate' Nik replied without any hint of friendliness

'not talking to you' Matt said as he glared at Nik for a second, then he turned his attention to Elena 'you look good Lena' he said slurring at the end.

'hey Matt' was all she said without meeting his eyes, she had always disliked Matt when he was drunk

'so, I see you got Stefan here to be your rebound guy, yeah?' he said turning his attention to Stefan who just put his arm around Elena.

'Matt come on, let´s go, you´re trashed' said that guy that was with him, he turned his attention to Nik 'sorry Nik, didn't know he was such a light weight'

'no problem mate just get him out of here yeah'

At hearing this Matt turned to Elena again, this time with anger in his eyes 'so tell me before I leave, are you really together?'

'Yeah' she looked at him, but couldn't hold his gaze, Elena had always been a terrible liar

'you´re lying' Matt accused, seeing right through her

'what makes you say that mate? They look pretty together and seem rather good together as well' interrupted Nik, he was really getting tired of this bloke. He had known Matt from his friend Tyler and he had never really liked him.

Matt glared at Nik 'once, again I am not talking to you, but if you say you are dating then prove it. Kiss' he said with a smirk

'what are we in high school?' Stefan questioned, he had noticed the way Elena had tensed and he knew if they did kiss Matt would know they were lying, and he would go back to bothering Elena

Before he could speak again Elena beat him to it 'fine, I mean if you want to torture yourself like that'

'it's no torture, because I've been watching you all night, and not once have I seen you guys kiss.'

'fine' Elena said. She turned to face Stefan, she knew she just had to do it, if she thought too much about it she would lose her grip. So, she quickly threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her lips.

Stefan was caught by surprise, but after a second all he could think was he was kissing Elena, the girl he had fallen in love since the day he met her. Her kiss was nothing like he had imagined, it was so much better. Her lips were so soft, and her kiss tasted so sweet and he swore that the moment that their lips touched he felt an electrical charge.

Elena felt no different than Stefan, she felt a charge when their lips touched and then she could taste the sweet yet minty taste that was Stefan. She felt dizzy and lightheaded, she had never felt like that when she kissed before.

The sound of Nik's voice is what made them break apart, 'so there you have it mate, that kiss seemed pretty real to me'

'fine, but Elena, I know this piece of nothing won't be able to give you what you deserve, and when you realize that I'll be there waiting for you, because you and I belong together' he finished as he gazed at Elena and took her hand in his.

Stefan grabbed his hand and squeezed until he let go of Elena, 'then I guess you'll be waiting for quite a while, because I have no plan to let her slip through my hands like you did' he said as he smirked at Matt 'Nik I think we'll leave now, thanks for the invite, we'll see you around' he said as he put his hand on Elena's lower back.

'goodbye Nik' Elena said as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, she decided to ignore Matt. Given that he had kind of scared her with the we belong together thing, that seemed a bit stalker like.

Once they were back in their apartment, Elena was the first one to speak

'I am so sorry about the kiss, it seemed like the only option, and I just want to get rid of him once and for all she rambled on, thinking that he had not liked the kiss and had only gone along to help her

'hey Elena, don't worry I know it was something we had to do, I knew what we were getting into when I suggested the idea' he paused and looked at her 'good thing I'm single though, I don't think my girlfriend would like it if I had one' he finished, he was trying to calm her down.

Elena glanced at him and then got up from the couch 'you're right, I'm going to my room. See you tomorrow' she said as she walked to her bedroom. Once in her bedroom and when she was in her bed ready for bed, she lay there thinking and reliving the kiss with Stefan.

Stefan in his bedroom did the same thing, and that's when he decided that he would fight for Elena´s heart and he would make her fall in love.