Capital Letters

five

"So, while Damon and I were making an enemy with Lockwolf," Nathan began, his voice laced with intrigue, "you and Stefan were speaking with Katherine?" He observed Aria closely, her expression reflecting a mix of uncertainty and guilt.

Aria parted her lips, contemplating her response. Her gaze drifted to the worn carpet beneath her feet before she finally conceded, "Yeah, basically. We got the jump on her, and then we failed. She's been drinking vervain for like centuries."

Nathan couldn't help but be baffled. "How the hell does she stomach that?" he inquired, his curiosity piqued. His brows furrowed as he added, "Better question, why does she stomach it? What the hell has Katherine been doing for the past century?"

Aria rolled her eyes, an air of resignation washing over her. "She says she's here for Stefan. And a part of her wanted to see you after all these years. But she has seen you, New York, and London. You never noticed her?"

Nathan's mind drifted back to those times, moments when he felt an unseen presence lurking in the shadows. His lips tightened as he mulled over the memories. "I had a feeling, I guess," he admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "But all the vampires I knew then were locked in a tomb, and I thought Katherine was dead. I never looked for her. I never cared to."

Aria sat down on his bed, stretching out languidly across it. Her head rested on her hands as she sighed deeply. "Ooh, did you hear that Stefan and Elena are fighting?" she chimed in, her words an attempt to change the subject, if only briefly.

Nathan scoffed, the bitterness evident in his tone. "Yeah, right. You know, Katherine's a bitch. She's playing games with all of us. I don't even know why I'm a player. But she's got Caroline in the game. She's threatening someone in her life, and that's why Caroline's acting like a total bitch."

Aria couldn't help but share his sentiment. "God, I cannot wait long enough for the day we get to kill her," she murmured, her eyes filled with simmering anger.

"Oh, oh, I forgot about this," Nathan's voice carried a tinge of concern as he leaned forward slightly, "but what's going on with you and Matt?" His brow furrowed with genuine curiosity. "He says you've been ignoring him."

Aria's response was casual, her shoulders lifting in a nonchalant shrug. "Yeah, well, you see, the last guy I was with was this huge jerk."

Nathan couldn't help but offer a dry chuckle, and he playfully tossed a nearby pillow in her direction. "Haha," he quipped, "I'm serious. When I saw you with him, you looked happy. And I think you deserve to be happy."

Aria leaned back in her chair, her eyes fixed on some distant point as she contemplated her next words. "Nathan, hello," she finally spoke, her voice tinged with a touch of melancholy, "are you forgetting that he's human and I'm not? There's no future."

Nathan tilted his head, his gaze steady as he tried to convey his point. "That's not true," he countered gently. "There's a future. Until he dies, but that's what, about sixty years away, maybe longer. Be happy, go talk to him or something."

Aria's reluctance seemed to waver, if only slightly, as she considered Nathan's words. Before she could respond, he brought up a topic of his own. "Why don't you go talk to Caroline?"

Nathan's eyes rolled heavenward as he sighed. "Because she's lying to me," he admitted, his voice laced with frustration. "She should've told me that Katherine was doing her thing and wrecking lives. I just wish she would've told me, okay? I don't know what I'm going to do. But what I do know is that I have to go to this founding thing. Are you coming?"

Aria nodded slowly, her features reflecting a mix of understanding and determination. "Yeah," she agreed, her tone resolute. "I'll show up later. I'll go talk to Matt and be happy or whatever."