He licked his lips, his gaze still fixed on hers, piercing right through her, like it usually did.

"I'm leaving, Caroline."

She nodded, feeling her guts twisting at his words. She knew, she knew. Yet, she found herself unable to accept it. But she couldn't say anything, either. It was not planned, this was not the way she was supposed to feel. She was supposed to be relieved.

Instead, she only felt an emptiness, the well-known feeling of loss.

"I have, however, decided to grant you a graduation gift."

She looked up at him, a frown spreading on her face.

His facial expression had suddenly changed, his jaw clenching and his eyes skipping away from her. Then, finally, he looked right back into them, his gaze even more intense than before as if he wanted her to listen closely to what he had to say.

"Tyler will be here in a few hours."

Her eyes widened, her mouth falling slightly open. What?

There was a connection between them, she saw in his eyes that he'd expected this reaction of her. He was treating her with more respect for the person that she was, than anyone had ever before, always approaching her on an equal footing. It still left her surprised, but at the same time she melted right into it.

There was always some kind of distance between her and other people, she always needed to change her ways a little, to fit their needs.

With him she was herself.

"We've come to an arrangement. You can have him back," he said, his eyes brimming with emotion again. But at the same time he was composed, serious.

She still couldn't believe this. He, of all people, the one who had tried to kill her to get back at Tyler, had mercilessly slaughtered twelve teenagers simply for disobeying him, who'd killed Jenna and even Elena in some way out of pure enjoyment of cruelty.

Despite how she acted on the outside and what she hoped, she was always anticipative about his reactions to what she'd ask.

Now this was almost surreal.

And for some reason painful, the tugging in her stomach only worsened. No.

Don't go.

What was even happening to her.

He was doing this for her, despite the fact that she hadn't given him anything in return. How-

"Thank you," she whispered, disbelief in her eyes, her voice raspy.

He nodded and she saw it again in his eyes. Nobody had ever appreciated her saying that like he did, before.

Then, he leaned forward, distinctive, yet careful, keeping his eyes on hers all the time, scanning for some kind of reaction. His hands were placed on her shoulders and he pulled her closer to him.

Her breath caught in her throat and she was confused to a level that she could almost not deal with anymore.

She wasn't sure that she was in control of herself, that she wouldn't do something she regretted, later.

But he pulled her in and softly placed a kiss on her forehead, his hand running through her hair.

"Remember," he whispered "The offer still stands. You can come to me whenever you want."

And then, suddenly, with a gust of wind, he was gone, leaving her behind in her graduation outfit and with an utter and deep turmoil raging in her chest.

She didn't even want to think about Tyler returning, somehow it had lost all importance to her. She wanted to feel guilty about that but instead she felt her heart clenching for a whole other reason.

Maybe what you wished for wasn't always what you wanted in the end.