"Soooo," Caroline squeals with a big smile on her face, "How was it?" she nudges Elena with her elbow.
Elena's face flushes as she pulls a wide, bright smile across her face. She lowers her look down when the waitress approaches their table and puts their orders on it.
Elena pulls her hot chocolate towards herself, and raises her look to glance at her friends. Her cheeks are still red, only getting redder from the hot stream of her beverage, and there's still a smile on her face, smile she can't erase from her lips. She doesn't have to say anything to answer Caroline's question, her smile says it all. Both of her friends smile back at her.
Hot chocolate reminds her of Stefan. It's warm and it makes her skin prickle, almost burn. She tightens her grip around the cup so she can feels its warmth.
"Caroline almost came here to spy on you," Bonnie says, rolling her eyes, "But I was able to stop her," she exclaims victoriously, sipping her apple - cinnamon tea.
The girls practically dragged Elena to the Grill. She had to beg her dad to let her go since he wasn't too pleased with her sneaking out last night while he was napping. As much as Elena loved having her dad home, she hated it as well. He is incredibly controlling. If anything is any different than he would like it to be, he acts like it's the end of the world. He tried to force his kids to feel the same, which never sat right with Elena. Jeremy and her had their own lifestyle, life their dad was rarely part of, and every time he comes home he asks them to change their ways. To act differently and live differently.
No matter how he acts, he is her dad, though. And she loves him. So she never complained.
"Well, if you came here, you wouldn't find us," she tilts her head to the left, smiling.
Bonnie and Caroline share a look before looking back at their friend. Elena grips the cup with both of her hands before she lifts it up and sips a little bit of chocolate from it.
"So, where were you?" Bonnie frowns curiously.
"Cinema?" Caroline wiggles her lips, knowing cinema would be a disappointing option for a date.
Elena shakes her head no, pulling her fingertip over the edges of a cup.
"The Grill and the cinema are the only places where people go to dates," Bonnie furrows her brows. She always gets worked up when she doesn't have an answer to whatever is bothering her. "So, if you weren't on either of those places, where were you?"
"Oh," Caroline squeaks like she's in pain, "Please don't tell me you slept with him!" she looks at Elena with a pleading look in her eyes.
"No," Elena says through laughter. Few weeks ago she would be more defensive about the subject. She looks into Caroline's eyes who doesn't seem to believe her. "No!" Elena exclaims one more time, trying to make Caroline believe her.
She remembers how weak she was. How light she felt because of his touch, and if he tried to make a move, she probably would have let him. She feels a little ashamed because of it, because that's not her. It's not like her to let boys get so close so soon. None of the boys made her feel like Stefan does, though. So light, so weak, so giggly. Well, no one but Stefan and Winchester brothers.
She couldn't recognize herself sometimes, when she remembers how she had let him touch her, or where. He started occupying her thoughts on daily basis, making her mind wander, distracting her from more important things.
No one else made her feel more wanted. No one else made her feel better. Like she's actually worth of bother. Now she knows, when she enters the classroom, someones eyes are actually on her. She didn't know why he decided she's worth it, but out of some reason, he did, and she found it selfish to question his motives.
She did not know is this change good for her or not, but part of her didn't care. Part of her simply wanted him because he made her feel good. He made her feel alive.
It was weird, though, her friends making such assumptions after just one date. Thinking she would actually sleep with him so soon. Since when did things change so much, that her best friends doubt her morality? Did she gave them a reason to? Did she gave them a reason not to?
Maybe she wasn't able to guarantee for herself that she wouldn't sleep with him if he kept doing what he began, but the thing is, he had stopped himself. He was so persistent, so willed, so sure they won't sleep together. And it's a big step for him, since that's the only thing he ever knew how to do.
But this time, he tried to be better. Better for her. So how can she not want him, when he clearly thinks she's worth it?
Worth of something. Anything.
"He took me to La Rosa," she smiles shyly.
"No way!" Caroline exclaims in disbelief.
"I've heard that place rocks," Bonnie says.
Elena indulges herself by reaching into her memory and admiring the place all over again. She remembers the pleasant smell of a rose from the candle on their table, and the sound of the night coming from outside, slow romantic music that makes one more relaxed than they already are, dimmed lights.
Stefan's gentle eyes on hers, centered on her lips every time she laughs. Every time he makes her laugh.
"Oh, it does guys," Elena says, overwhelmed by the memory of it, "It's so romantic!"
Caroline shoots her a jealous look, knowing Tyler probably won't ever take her there, since he's not one to pull big romantic gestures. Bonnie probably doesn't even hope, since Jeremy doesn't even have a drivers license yet.
"And then?" Bonnie puts her elbow on the table, and holds her chin with an open palm of her hand.
"Then what?" Elena tries to play innocent, but a faint smile appears on her lips. Smile she tries to suppress.
Bonnie ignores her try to come of as innocent. "Well, I assume you had dinner," she says, and Elena nods her head in confirmation, "So what did you do after?" she cocks her eyebrow in Elena's direction.
"Oh, we went for a walk," she answers calmly, although she's screaming from the inside.
Screaming because she can hear the slow and quiet stream of the river buzzing in her ears, sound of the night coming from the depths of the forest, the sound of the wind playing with tree branches. She remembers her fear of the dark, fear that's present with her since early childhood, and how quickly it dissolved into nothingness when he took her hand into his. She remembers his laugh, and how quickly her laugh followed his, and she realizes she can still feel the tips of his fingertips on hers. If she closed her eyes and tried hard, she's pretty sure she would be able to feel his hands roaming over her body, his fingers skipping to places she shouldn't have allowed to skip. She can very well feel his lips on hers, though. They have been burning and prickling since they parted last night.
"A walk?" Caroline asks wearily.
Elena furrows her brows. "Yeah, a walk," she says while nodding slightly, "We walked and talked.."
"Did he try to kiss you?" Bonnie asks with a smile on her face.
Elena giggles. "He succeeded in kissing me," she blushes slightly.
Both Caroline and Bonnie laugh, more at her giggle than at her response.
"So, did you charm her with your sex skills?" Rebekah asks while sprawled across Stefan's bed.
Stefan laughs, his hands on his stomach. "No," he shakes his head, crumbling the bed sheets beneath him, "No sex," he says happily, and he never thought he would ever be so happy because of lack of sex, "I did charm her with my other skills, though."
Rebekah gasps, faking surprise. "You have other skills?"
He takes a pillow and hits her with it. She squeaks a little, so it sounds more like a laughter, before she takes the pillow away from him and throws it on the other side of the bed.
This is how her and Stefan spend most of their time. Lying on the bed, listening to music and talking.
"Well, this is a first," Rebekah says with an indifferent tone of voice.
"What is?" he asks, furrowing his brows.
"You setting your eyes on someone and not dragging her into bed," Rebekah says dryly.
Stefan swallows when he realizes how ugly this sounds.
"Is that bad?" he asks, his voice cracking a little.
Rebekah raises her head so she's able to look at him. "No Stef, not at all," she shakes her head with a smile on her face, "It's quite opposite," then she frowns, "I was only thinking about why now and why her?"
Stefan wiggles his lips, trying to find an answer good enough, but he fails. He's not sure he can explain it. He's not sure he understands it himself.
"Don't get me wrong, Elena seems like a great girl," Rebekah defends her previous statement out of fear Stefan understood her wrong, "She's pretty, and smart, and funny, and I like her," she says because she does, she really does like Elena, "But," there's always a but, "You can't say none of the girls before possessed all of those qualities," she wiggles her lips.
Stefan ponders on that. The thing is, he never thought about any of those girls in a long run. He never thought about what kind of people they are. They were hot and available and that's all he cared about.
He sits on the bed, his legs crossed. His eyes lock straight on Rebekah's. "I know," he lowers his head a little, not sure why, "But none of the girls made me feel like she does," he tilts his head into the initial position.
A wide smile appears on her face, self indulgent one, like he proved one of her theories, maybe something she hasn't shared with him before. "Oh," she says half excitedly, half curiously as she sits on the bed as well, "And how is that?"
A faint smile appears on Stefan's lips, somehow making his face more brighter than it really is. "When I kissed her for the first time," his smile becomes wider as he remembers, "It's not only that I didn't want to stop kissing her, but I also felt like, when I wake up tomorrow, I'll want to do it again. And day after that, and day after that," he smiles, "And I never felt like that about a girl before."
He lived a pretty simple life as far as the romance goes. He had never let a girl get close enough for him to develop feelings for her, and he never felt the need to get close to any of them. And Elena, it's like she was always there, inside of him, waiting quietly. She didn't even try to get close to him, she was waiting for him to get close to her. And for the first time he wanted to take a step forward. All of a sudden everything didn't feel as useless anymore as it did before. It felt just right.
"I know it's probably just a crush," he shrugs it off, feeling like he revealed too much, "I know she's probably not the girl I'm going to spend the rest of my life with, and that this whole thing will fall apart as soon as we go to college. If not before," he looks into Rebekah's sad looking eyes. He feels like she's pitying him.
"So," Rebekah asks curiously, "What is it exactly about her that makes you feel this way?"
Stefan frowns, but there's still a smile on his face. "I have no idea," he shakes his head, a little frustrated, "I know I haven't been a saint, and I know how I used to say none of it means anything, how it's not worth it," he tries to find the right words, but finds it hard to do so, "It's not about how I finally found someone worth the bother, it's about how someone like her decided I'm worth of the bother," he finally says, honestly, "And if someone as amazing as her thinks I'm worth it, then there must be something good about me, right?" his voice cracks a little.
Rebekah looks at him surprised, maybe even baffled a little. She never thought he might feel like this. It never even crossed her mind. He always seemed so sure in himself and.. happy.
"Stefan," Rebekah reaches for his hand and takes it into hers, "There's something good about you whether she can see it or not," she caresses the top of his hand with her fingers, a faint smile present on her lips.
He smiles back at her, nodding, but he doesn't look like he believes her.
"Elena," she hears a voice coming from behind her, so she turns around, glancing at Caroline and Bonnie, who are standing beside her, as she does so, "I thought I've recognized your ass," Stefan smirks in her direction as he walks towards her.
Elena feels like her legs are turning into jello. Her stomach begins to stir, and her heartbeat raises its pace. She puts her hands behind her, the tips of her fingertips are touching her locker, making sure she doesn't crumble to the ground.
She smiles at him, not objecting to his provocations.
He stands in front of her, his eyes locked on hers, and he puts his hand on her locker, in level with her head.
His body is so close to hers she feels like she might scream.
She's afraid he will be able to hear the thump of her heart which only makes her heart thump louder, and she realizes how her fear doesn't make sense.
Nothing about this makes sense.
Her look falls on his lips as he parts his to speak, "I know where we're going for our second date," he says smugly, tilting his head to the side.
He smells like lemongrass and sunshine.
She shifts her look to his pure green eyes.
"I wasn't aware I agreed to another date," she says as she notices people staring at them as they pass by. They know something is going on, something new, something unexpected, and everyone will probably start gossiping about it in few minutes. Few seconds more likely.
All of a sudden she's not invisible anymore. Not to Stefan, not to her friends, not to the people around her. She doesn't find herself invisible anymore either.
"Then I'll just have to kidnap you," the corners of his lips crook into a smile.
Her look falls back on his lips, and she bites her own lower lip. His lips are so inviting. It's a strange feeling, she gets, like she's hungry for him, like she wants to taste him again, but she also feels like she had never tasted him before since she can't quite remember how he tastes.
But he would never kiss her in public, in school, where everyone can see them. Would he?
She rolls her eyes. "Where are we going then?" she asks calmly, and in reality, there's a certain weight in her chest, crushing her.
He reaches for his pocket and takes out a flyer out of it. He holds it in the air for her to see, a smirk still present on his face.
"Paintball?" she asks surprised. She didn't expect that.
She didn't know what to expect.
He nods. "I thought it would be good to keep your moments of weakness in control."
Redness attacks her whole face and she takes her look away from him.
"There's no need to feel embarrassed," he says with the same smugly tone of voice he used before, "I usually have that effect on girls. I don't see why would you be any different."
She takes her look back to him and grins, because really, that's the only thing she can do. "I'm so going to beat your ass," she says.
He grins right back at her. "We're going to see about that."
And then, before he turns around to leave, he lowers his lips on hers and gives her one small, quick, sloppy peck on the lips.
He runs, leaving her stunned.