A/N: I'm so glad that so many of you are excited about this story. I hope you will all keep loving and reviewing.
Ready? I have a feeling that some of you are really going to enjoy this chapter... ;) Happy Reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters. This is a work of fiction written for entertainment purposes, but the original characters and original storylines present in "My Paper Heart" are my own work.
The conversation with Damon last night had been emotionally exhausting for me. I had fallen asleep without even realizing it, only to wake up early again.
I felt drained as soon as I opened my eyes and lazily decided to just pour milk into my cereal; I couldn't be bothered with anything more extravagant.
I took my bowl and dragged myself to the living room, hoping I could finally watch my "True Blood" episode in peace.
As soon as I passed the door frame, I felt her. I restrained myself from sighing forcefully, but I was really in no mood to deal with her. She was standing in front of the same window she had broken a panel from, smiling at me joyfully.
I responded to this by promptly shooting daggers at her with my eyes.
"You shouldn't have repaired that," Katherine said, pointing to the panel with her finger. "Unless you want me to break another one," she added with a mischievous smile on her lips.
Even though she was talking to me through a closed window, I heard her perfectly.
But since I wasn't supposed to be able to, I pretended I couldn't hear her by frowning and pointing at my ear. She shifted her weight on one leg and raised one of her eyebrows, gazing back at me blankly. I put my bowl down on the coffee table and was about to sit on the couch when I caught her turning backwards very slowly out of the corner of my eye.
I looked up at her, suddenly getting a bad feeling about this. She turned around swiftly, coming towards me again with a flower pot in her hand, preparing herself to throw it through my window. I rushed suddenly in front of it, waving my hands wildly to signal her to stop. She froze for a second, shooting me an expecting look. I sighed and pointed a weary finger to the side to indicate the front door.
I reluctantly strode the few steps leading to the door and took a deep breath before opening it. Katherine was already standing right in front of it, posed in a seductive manner.
"You have to stop doing that!" I shouted, annoyed.
"I will if you stop ignoring me," she answered, not even bothering to look at me. Her eyes were too busy roaming over my body. "Nice PJ's..." she purred, a satisfied smile gracing her lips.
"Like you didn't see them yesterday," I deadpanned.
"I did. But the sun makes me see them in a whole new light." Her gaze lingered on the entire length of my legs that my boy shorts were revealing. She also stopped to stare a little too long at my breasts, molded in my camisole top.
I knew perfectly well that she couldn't see through my PJs. She was just trying to make me uncomfortable. But as I folded my arms over my chest in a daring manner, I admitted to myself that the way her eyes were undressing me would be enough to make pretty much anyone nervous.
"I get it, you won't be ignored again, so stop breaking my windows! Comprende?" I asked harshly, purposely ignoring her flirtatious behavior.
She finally met my eyes for a moment as she raised one of her hands gracefully to the top corner of the door. Leaning her chest against the frame casually, she gave me a lazy grin. Even though I knew that there was an invisible barrier between us, I forced myself to resist the urge to take a step backward.
"Someone's feisty, today…" she purred, a provocative look in her eyes.
"I would say grumpy, but I really have no idea why I would be…" I shot back, narrowing my eyes at her. My voice was dripping with sarcasm. I knew she would get the hint, but she just made a big show of her amused little smirk. I slammed the door in her face.
I almost ran into the living room to catch my bowl before she could show up at my window again. Gulping down my cereal, I rushed upstairs to get ready for school.
Once I had showered and gotten dressed, I grabbed my bag to head for the door downstairs. I stopped in the middle of the staircase, trying to feel whether or not she was still there.
She was. Damn it!
I descended the rest of the stairs as quietly as possible and tiptoed carefully toward the kitchen, aiming to sneak out the back door. I closed it silently behind me, but I hadn't taken three steps before I could suddenly feel her again. I closed my eyes for a second and clenched my jaw, mentally preparing myself for round two.
"This is getting fucking creepy…" I groaned through my teeth.
"I agree. It looks like you're trying to rob your own house," she said, hands on her hips and her head slightly titled to one side.
"I meant you stalking me," I shot back dryly.
"Well, would you have invited me in if I had knocked at your door?" There was a sarcastic smirk at the corner of her lips.
I kept my mouth shut but gave her a deadly look.
"That's what I thought," she added with a knowing smile.
"That doesn't mean that you can't try to act a little less perversely."
"You're the reason I'm acting this way," she stated matter-of-factly. "If you weren't so hot, I wouldn't even have noticed you." Irony caused her lips to curl upwards.
"Oh, of course!" I raised my forefinger up to my chin to fake a sudden understanding. Dropping the act a second later, I gave her a harsh look. "How shallow of you…"
"Are we fishing for compliments?" she asked with a mischievous expression on her face. The way this woman was twisting my words was absolutely frustrating.
"I thought I had been pretty clear earlier that I wasn't fishing for anything," I said in a steady and serious tone. I knew perfectly well that she would get the innuendo.
She stared at me for a few seconds with an intrigued look in her eyes.
"Actually, you never said anything about it," she pointed out, an amused smile on her lips. "Where is your personal escort by the way?" she suddenly asked, looking around, effectively changing the subject and the atmosphere. "I never thought a little snag would scare Damon away…" she continued, laughing lightly.
"I dismissed them actually," I informed her coldly. The very pleased grin growing on her lips did not seem good to me. "Don't imagine things. I did it because I didn't want you to hurt them," I continued sternly, making it perfectly clear it wasn't because I wanted to spend some alone time with her.
"What about you?" she asked in a soft tone, but there was a ferocious smirk on her lips. I swallowed carefully.
"One is better than three, I suppose…" I tried to appear as nonchalant as I could manage.
"You shouldn't sell out your life like that." Her voice was surprisingly firm, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Oh please! Like you care whether or not I'm dead or alive."
"I do. How could I sleep with you if you're six feet under, hmm?" She purred her sentences smoothly, drawing them out.
"Then don't kill me."
"I wasn't planning to," she said lightly, raising an eyebrow. "Unless you give me a good reason…" Her eyes turned cold for a second and she flashed me a devilish smirk. I froze at her implied threat. I took a quick breath and bent my muscles, ready to use my wrist stakes.
"Well, I think I'm about to give you one…" I started, scrutinizing her reaction. Her attitude suddenly changed from mischievous to clearly displeased. I cleared my throat and braced myself.
"I'm not interested in your indecent proposal," I finally said, as firmly as I could mutter. To my surprise, her face immediately relaxed, a glint of amusement shining in her eyes.
"You're not?" She tilted her head to the side, a soft smile on her lips. "That's funny. I thought you would… since I look just like her," she continued with an intense gaze, her soft smile still on her lips. Her words felt like a dagger right in the heart. She couldn't possibly know that. None of my friends had figured it out. I was suddenly feeling very exposed and had a hard time breathing. I couldn't let Katherine get a hold on me. Especially not with this. I knew it was pointless to play dumb, but I needed to respond very carefully.
"I don't sleep with my friends," I answered simply, acknowledging that I understood her innuendo, while at the same time faking a little bit of shock.
"The fact that you don't sleep with them doesn't mean that you don't want to…" she sing-songed, taking a few steps toward me playfully.
"I don't want to." I affirmed this point strongly.
"Good thing I'm not one of them, then…" She nodded her head in front of my face with a mischievous expression.
"What didn't you understand about, 'I'm not interested in your proposition'?" I asked unbelievingly, raising slowly my eyebrows at her. If I had to admit one thing about Katherine, it would be that her perseverance was impressive.
"Nothing. I just don't believe you..." She chuckled childishly.
"Ok, I don't get it," I said, confused. "You can obviously have anyone you want, using natural or vampiric ways… And it's not like I'm the only, supposedly, 'hot' person in the state! Not even in this town... So since I said no, why are you still insisting?" I narrowed my eyes at her, a bit baffled.
"Because I like a little bit of challenge," she purred seductively, taking another step toward me. "And you're definitely one." She finally stopped a foot away from me.
"Do you even like girls?" I was incredulous and very close to laughing nervously.
"Does that even matter?" she shot back in a bored tone. I pretended to genuinely think about it.
"Hmm… The way I see it, it probably matters for a vegetarian to like vegetables…"
"So naive of you. No matter the gender, it's the person that matters," she stated arrogantly, her eyes roaming over my body from head to toe.
"That would actually make a fantastic 'gay is great' slogan," I replied in a nerdy tone, pointing my finger at Katherine like she just had the greatest idea ever. She shot me a deadly glance as an answer.
"What about you?"
"What about me?" I frowned.
"Are you gay?" she asked me bluntly, mischief shining in her eyes. I froze for a second, trying my very best to keep my eyebrows from disappearing into my hairline.
"No," I lied shamelessly, trying to be as nonchalant as I could manage.
"Oh come on…" she purred, raising her finger up to touch my jaw. I moved my head back a little, looked at her finger, and then stared back at her in warning. She slowly pulled it away. "The way you discreetly scrutinize girls' bodies… The way you keep your eyes firmly on their eyes when they take off their clothes in the locker room…" she continued imperturbably with a knowing smile on her lips. Her words were making me panic furiously. She couldn't possibly know that about me. She was just in town for a week! I forbade myself from wondering how she could have even witnessed those reactions... and where.
"The way you look at her lips when she talks to you…" she almost whispered, her eyes suddenly devouring my own lips. The air grew hotter by the second and I couldn't help but look at her lips too. The sudden thought that she had snooped on Elena and I, however, quickly made me snap out of whatever this was.
"I don't know if I should laugh, or find it pathetic that you're obviously stalking me even more now than I initially thought you were…" I drawled, my voice coming out a little bit hoarse.
"I like to know my prey." A predatory smirk grew on her lips as she spoke. I stopped breathing at her choice of words. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone…" she pursued, winking playfully at me.
"There's nothing to tell-"
"Don't make me kiss you to prove my point," she warned provocatively, cutting me off. I wrestled with my pride, forcing myself to disregard her provocation just in time. But I was trapped. If I said something to defend myself, she would kiss me, and no way in hell was I going to let that happen. On the other hand, if I didn't say anything, it would come back to admit that she was right about me.
She was staring at me expectantly, obviously enjoying my dilemma.
"So that's why you think you have a shot with me? Because I'm supposedly gay?" I asked hesitantly, gauging her reaction. Since she didn't seem to make a move, I gained confidence.
"That's not exactly how it works…"
"I actually think I have many other arguments." She raised her chin, her entire being oozing cockiness.
"Really? Like what?" I asked haughtily, curling the corner of my lips upward.
"Well. I'm hot… sexy," she chuckled playfully but her eyes were burning holes in my skull. "I have a body to die for. I'm dangerous..." she continued with an intense look, power suddenly emanating from her. "Mysterious…" She leaned her head closer to mine, a seductive smile lingering on her lips.
"And full of yourself. Not exactly the most attractive trait ever," I shot back in a sarcastic tone.
"Actually, I think you kind of like that part… Otherwise you would have slapped me already." She laughed lightly, mischief glowing in her eyes.
"Don't think I haven't thought about it. But I have grown really attached to my hand over the years…"
"Smart girl. So! Now that we've cleared the air, what do you say?" She slowly raised her hand to grab the strap of my bag and pulling on it slightly. "Are we going to wallow ourselves in depraved sex?"
"You really don't bother with preliminaries, do you?" I deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at her.
"It depends whether you like that or not. I can do magic with foreplay," she sing-songed with a sparklingly playful smile. I knew I shouldn't have, but I actually laughed at her comment.
"Can I go to school now?" I asked, mock annoyance in my voice.
"Sure!" She let go of my bag nonchalantly. "But if you don't want to waste your time with boring activities, I can think of thousands of other fun things we could do together…" she purred, her entire face radiating with mischief.
"Goodbye Katherine."