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SHAY'S EYES FLUTTERED FLEETINGLY, as she came to. She was in the living room of the Salvatore Boarding House, laying on the couch. She was extremely sore, barely able to move. Standing above her was Stefan Salvatore, her boyfriend? (she didn't have a definitive name yet, they had to talk), his older brother Damon Salvatore, Bonnie Bennett, her sister and best friend, Caroline Forbes, Enzo St. John, and lastly, Alaric Saltzman. She smiled weakly as Bonnie gasped, bringing her hands up to her lips as Stefan sighed in relief, and Damon and Enzo smirked.
"Little S, you cockroach!" Damon chuckled as he bent down to hug her. She groaned in pain but he still hugged her anyway.
"Damon, still sore here," Shay mumbled against his shoulder. Damon sighed and pulled back, patting her head. Bonnie hugged her sister next, rubbing her shoulder.
"Don't ever pull something like that again, please," Bonnie begged. Shay laughed as Bonnie pulled back. Shay couldn't blame her. What she pulled in the last twenty hours was absolutely absurd.
"Fine, I won't," Shay chuckled. Alaric hugged her next, while Enzo just patted her shoulder and Caroline almost squeezed her to death. And last was Stefan. The group left the two alone as Stefan sat at the edge of the couch. The fire was blazing, warming Shay's sore bones.
"So..." Stefan began. But Shay jumped right ahead.
"I'm sorry. I am so so so so sorry Stefan! I had to do everything to sell to them that I was on their side and I was going to help them and I know I should have informed you guys about the plan but it was all so fast and -" Before she could finish, Stefan hugged her, softly, making sure not to bruise her nor make her feel sorer than she already was. She cried instantly, hot salty tears flowing from her eyes as they pierced Stefan's shirt. She was in shambles. She felt incredibly guilty. She knew she hurt him.
"Hey, hey, it's OK. I understand. I know you had to make your plan work. If we knew, we probably wouldn't have sold it as well if we did," Stefan admitted as he pulled away. Shay shook her head as she wiped her tears.
"It was still wrong," Shay confessed. She looked over at the fire, avoiding Stefan's gaze. He sighed and cupped her face, turning her to face him. His eyes were warm and he was crying too.
"I love you," He breathed. Shay's heart stopped. Her breath hitched in her throat as her senses froze. He said. He said the three words she had imagined he would say to her the moment she realized she liked him. he loved her. She, Shay Bennett, witch daughter of Abby Bennett and successor of Qetsiyah. Stefan Salvatore loved her. And she knew right then and there, she loved him.
"I love you," And their lips collided, a burst of emotion and warm feeling spreading down to their toes. It overwhelmed them, consumed them to the point of no return. And they didn't stop. The next thing she knew, he was on top of her. They were still kissing and if Enzo hadn't charged into the room...
