A/N: I'm really glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter! Thank you for favoriting, following and reviewing my story! Your comments inspire me to write the forthcoming chapters, so keep them coming... ;)

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.

I spent the rest of the morning thinking about my encounter with Katherine. Safe to say, I was not paying attention in class. Now that she knew about me, or at least about a part of me, I realized I had to talk to my friends. I knew from experience that Katherine was capable of keeping secrets- but only those that she had an interest in. I really needed to tell them that I was gay before she did.

And I was not looking forward to it.

I went to the restroom after lunch break, and was about to go out when Elena suddenly came barging in.

"Elena?" I was really surprised to see her there, since she hadn't come with me earlier when I'd told her in the hallway I was making a detour to the ladies room before heading class.

She seemed nervous and began pushing open every restroom door, looking under each one in search of someone.

"Elena? What are you doing?" I asked slowly, very suspicious. Since she didn't answer me, and was still busy pushing doors, I finally felt the need to reassure her.

"Don't worry, we're alone."

She stopped and turned around, walking toward me with an upset expression on her face.

"Stefan told me that you asked them to stop protecting you," she informed me, her eyes worried and her brows furrowed. Her arms were crossed around her chest tightly and I could easily infer that she was angry at me.

"Elena…" I whispered gently, trying to soothe her.

"Have you lost your mind?" she demanded, coming toward me. "Are you trying to get yourself killed by Katherine?"

"Says the girl who lives in a house Katherine comes and goes from of whenever she wants…" I answered, trying to light up the mood. She glowered at me. "Would you rather see her hurt Stefan?" I asked in a resigned tone, knowing that bringing up Stefan was a low move. Sudden pain flashed over her features.

"Don't say that." She took a quick and angry step forward, placing herself a few inches away from me.

"I don't want Stefan or even Damon to be hurt, but I don't want anything to happen to you, either!" She looked at me intensely, despair gliding through her chocolate brown eyes. "How could you even think otherwise?" she added, hurt audible in her trembling voice. "I couldn't survive without you. You know that..." she whispered, water invading her beautiful doe eyes.

I couldn't handle Elena crying; it was breaking my heart utterly and completely. But this time, it was even worse because I knew exactly how she felt. I had witnessed her have near death experiences too many times, and I had even seen her die in front of my very eyes. My heart had stopped beating with hers at that precise moment, and I started breathing again only once she had awoken, alive, in the abandoned witch house after the ritual.

In the meanwhile, I had just been a brainless zombie, numb and completely oblivious to what was happening around me. She was my life preserver, my family, my everything. And I knew that even though she wasn't in love with me, she felt the same way about me.

All I wanted to do right now was to cup her cheek and wipe her tears away delicately with my thumb. But I couldn't, so I took her gently in my arms. She immediately put her arms around me and hugged me tightly, her hands clenching at my shirt. I tightened my grip in return and she nuzzled the side of her face against my neck. I closed my eyes, enjoying just for a second her perfume and her warmth. There were things about her that just always, instantly made my body relax.

"I'm going to be fine," I whispered softly, my voice raw with emotions. "I promise."

"You can't promise that," she murmured sadly.

"I can. I just did." I felt the corner of her lips curling slightly upward against my skin, and I knew I managed to get a smile out of her.

"You should let them protect you. Please," she pleaded anxiously, pulling slightly on the back of my shirt.

"I only dismissed them because I noticed Katherine was more aggressive when they were around. But don't worry. I'm extremely careful…" I explained in a smooth tone. "The hard things you feel on your back right now are my wrist stakes." I informed her jokingly. She chuckled a little against my neck. "And you know that I know how to use them efficiently. Plus, I have a bunch of badass friends who can help me if I'm in trouble!"

"You're in trouble already…"

"When exactly at least one of us is not in trouble?" I asked teasingly.

She laughed sadly at my statement.

"I'm not taking any risks, Elena. I'm fine. And I will be fine," I reassured her again.

"You better be," she mumbled through my hair, tightening her hug even more. The door suddenly flew open. Caroline appeared in the frame door, quickly followed by Bonnie.

"Aaaaw, are we having a group hug?" Caroline asked in a cute, corny tone. I let go of Elena before Caroline had a chance to put her arms around us.

"What's going on here?" Caroline added suddenly worried, finally noticing Elena's teary eyes.

"Nothing. Everything is fine," I said in a convincing tone, a smile on my lips. Caroline looked at me suspiciously, then Elena, then me again.

"Do I look like I'm stupid?" she said with furrowed brows.

"Are you OK Elena?" Bonnie insisted, concern in her voice.

"I'm fine. Really," Elena answered with a reassuring smile on her face. I knew she was forcing herself and gave her a quick thankful glance for that. But unfortunately, it didn't go unnoticed for Caroline.

"Is this about Katherine?" she asked hesitantly, piercing holes in my skull with her eyes. The ability Caroline had to jump between being a bobble head and being suddenly insightful in barely ten seconds was extremely annoying. "Because I keep thinking about it since you told us, and I'm sorry but it doesn't make any sense!" she blabbed, her pitch getting higher.

"I agree with Care," Bonnie stated firmly. "Why would she suddenly want to sleep with you? That defies all logic."

And just like that, I snapped.

"Okay, I understand why every single one of you asked that question. I really do," I said half groaning, trying my best to contain myself. "But it's starting to be really insulting! Nobody thought that maybe, just maybe it was because I could be desirable?" I stormed out of the restroom and walked quickly into the hallway. I was fully aware that it was my ego talking but still. It had to come out.

They spent the whole afternoon giving me apologetic looks from their seats and trying to explain themselves awkwardly. I just told them that I didn't know what got into me but that it wasn't their fault, and reassured them that everything was fine. But as soon as the classes were over and I stepped outside, I knew I needed to get a change of air.

I quickly made up my mind and started walking, heading for the Grill at a sustained pace. I had barely passed a block that I knew Katherine was around. She was pretty insistent today. I took a slow breath and kept myself from reacting to her presence.

"You know your house is in the opposite direction, right?" she asked playfully, showing up right next to me. I forced myself to jump a little and put a startled expression on my face.

"Damn it! Why vampires keep doing that all the time? It's beyond annoying!" I shot angrily, giving her an irritated side glance.

"It never gets old. Tell me you wouldn't do it if you were a vampire…" she said, mischief glinting in her eyes. I restrained myself to laugh but I wasn't able to hide the smile growing at the corner of my mouth.

"I knew it." She giggled and gave me a conniving wink. "So, where are we going?" she asked in an innocent tone, matching my tempo.

"We are not going anywhere." I said strongly, shooting her an offended look.

"Aaaw…" she sighed, mock hurt in her voice and a pout on her lips. "I respected your choice to pick school over me, but since you're free now… I thought we could do some homework." She purred her sentences suggestively, leaning her shoulder closer to mine.

"I'm not that easy," I shot back, half laughing. She snapped her head to the side and looked at me seriously.

"I really don't see the problem with women embracing their sexuality. It always annoys me that a guy can be praised for being a ladies' man, but a woman is just called a slut for the same behavior," she stated in an irritating tone. "It's so archaic and sexist…" She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

I was really surprised by her reaction. Well, not exactly surprised since we all knew Katherine was completely embracing her sexuality, but she really seemed to care about the subject. I realized it was the first time I saw her being honest and serious about something else than threats or sex. So to speak.

I couldn't agree more with her point of view, but I couldn't possibly tell her that. It would just give her more ammunition to try to get in my pants.

"That's not what I meant…"

"Then what did you mean?" she asked smoothly, curiosity in her eyes.

"That I need more than 'I want to have sex with you' to actually sleep with you," I answered dryly. "Or anyone for that matter."

"Oh! You want me to buy you dinner first?" Her tone was playful and she was looking at me provocatively through her eyelashes. I returned her gaze with an annoyed one.

"Not what I meant either."

"Oh come on… You're really trying to make me believe that you're the kind of girl who needs feelings to sleep with someone?" she shot back in a know it all tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I stopped dead in my tracks, feeling very offended. She gave me a cocky smirk and stared at me with amused eyes.

"It's a compliment, actually."

"You're dodging the question," I shot back harshly.

"Okay. Since you want to know…" she trailed off slowly- on purpose, of course. I rolled my eyes at her antics.

She turned slightly to position herself straight at me and looked at me with an intense gaze. "I have been stalking you for a week, and told you many times bluntly that I wanted to have sex with you… And you never blushed. Not even once," she said simply, titling slowly her head to the side. "I outrageously flirt with you, invade your personal space, and undress you with my eyes and yet, it never made you nervous. You're not even fazed by my crude innuendos, and it never takes you more than a second to whip out a comeback," she pursued, stopping a few inches away from me and staring at me like she could see right through me.

"I just have a witty spirit…" I answered awkwardly. "And I'm really good at pretending." I flashed her a cheeky smirk.

"All of this body language is more than enough to let me know that you're very comfortable with your sexuality…" she purred, looking languidly at my lips before finding my eyes again.

"Supposing that's true, it doesn't mean that I'm all booty calls and one night stands," I pointed out in a sarcastic tone.

"If you know a romantic girl who doesn't run in the opposite direction when you ask her to sleep with you the first time you meet, you should give me her number…" she shot back playfully.

I kept my mouth shut because I knew she had a point. But even though I already knew she was very observant, it was beyond annoying to actually be her subject. I just settled for narrowing irritatingly my eyes at her.

"But if I needed more to convince me… I would just have to see you dance to be sure," she concluded with a knowing smile, insight sparkling in her eyes.

"What?" I asked baffled, shooting my eyebrows up. I was deadly sure I haven't danced this past week. I haven't even danced in months! The last time it happened was during the Decade high school dance, and I only got a chance to have a slow dance with Matt before everything went messy. And since Klaus was there, I was pretty sure Katherine wasn't. "What are you talking about? You never saw me dance…" I stated firmly, my brows knit in confusion. She nodded her head slightly and narrowed her eyes, pretending to go through her memories.

"Hmm… The bonfire," she whispered huskily. "I think pet wolf was the one who brought the vodka," she continued, looking at me with a satisfied grin on her lips. I was petrified. The party she was referring pretty precisely to had happened a year ago! She couldn't possibly know that! All kind of crazy thoughts stormed inside my head making me panicking until I finally found one rational reason to her presence that night.

"Were you snooping on Stefan?" I whispered hesitantly, an intense questioning look in my eyes.

"Maybe, maybe not…" she giggled lightly. She leaned her face closer, her nose now at 2 inches of mine. Her eyes roamed over my features before settling on my eyes. "Would you be jealous if I said yes?"

"No!" I shot offended, moving my head back slightly. "I would actually be relieved," I admitted, realizing it was true as I spoke. "It would look a lot more like you."

"That you know of…"

She was playing with me. She had to. I needed to keep myself for being dragged in her little mind game, and stop wondering if she had planned all of this for much more longer than any of us had assumed. The sudden movement of her arm made me snap out of my haze. She raised her hand up, and took delicately the end of a lock of my hair in her fingertips.

"Those moves you got hmmm…. devilishly sexy," she purred with a lustful smile, referring to that particular night. "You obviously had too many drinks and were completely uninhibited but it was more than just that… After a while, you just became free and careless… Completely oblivious to the party around you." There was something that looked like fascination in her eyes. "You were… purely wild. The way you swayed your body, the way you became so carnal… It was just like watching you have sex with an imaginary lover…" she breathed out lasciviously, curling her finger around the lock of my hair.

The air had become decidedly heavy around us. Her words made me grow hotter despite my effort not to, and the intimacy she forced on me made me completely forget that we were in the middle of a sidewalk. I needed to get the hell out of here before doing something I would regret for sure.

"You're right about me… on one thing." I reached for the lock of hair wrapped around her finger and pulled softly on it. She quickly glanced at my hand then back at me again, with a knowing smirk. She straightened her finger to loosen her grip and let go of my hair. "I don't need feelings to sleep with someone," I continued quietly. I locked my eyes on hers intensely and added firmly, "but I need to be attracted to more than just a body."

With those words, I started to walk backwards slowly, turning around only when I'd reached the Grill doors.