An Elemental Difference - FIRE - Book 2 (Stefan Salvatore)

Chapter 65 - You need to get my references because explaining them sucks!

A/N: I feel so shitty at the lack of updates in the last six months that as I am high on medication, I'll update again. Enjoy xoxo

DEJA BREW, MYSTIC FALLS

Aella's lips curled into a contented smile as she savored the creamy sweetness of her triple-scoop ice cream, each lick sending a delightful shiver down her spine. "Mmhm," she murmured between licks, "You can't buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream, which is pretty much the same thing."

Jenna, sitting across from her, nodded in agreement as she indulged in her own triple scoop. "Oh yeah. Who cares about the calories," she chuckled, her laughter echoing through the cozy ambiance of the coffee shop. "Just makes me harder to kidnap."

Aella chuckled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Every day should start with coffee and end with coffee ice cream," she declared, thinking of the warmth of her coffee drink starting off the day, complementing the cold sweetness of her treat to end the day.

Suddenly struck by an idea, she gasped, "I can start a new trend. Even coffee-flavored blood–"

Jenna made a face, interrupting her, but Aella pressed on, undeterred. "Oh yeah, it's a thing. Stefan loved the blood/coffee recipes I concocted when he was getting used to drinking human blood again."

"No talking about men," Jenna grumbled good-naturedly, her mouth still full of ice cream. "While your man is a rarity, all men are a disappointment in their own way."

Aella's phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen to see Stefan's name. "It's Stefan," she announced, opening the message with a mix of curiosity and dread. Jenna's knowing hum only confirmed her suspicions. "I was right; Witchy Jonas needs something I might know," she reported, her tone resigned. Another message came through, and she sighed as she read it aloud, "And he wants to meet at the Boarding House where the Castor Troy wannabe and Benedict Arnold are."

Jenna paused, her ice cream momentarily forgotten. "Castor Troy?"

Aella rolled her eyes, momentarily exasperated. "Face/Off?" she clarified, hoping for recognition.

Jenna still looked puzzled, but Aella pressed on, determined to enlighten her friend. "They steal each other's faces! Like Katherine steals Elena's," she explained, her frustration evident. "If we're going to hang, you need to get my references because explaining them sucks!"

Jenna simply shrugged, unfazed. "I don't care right now because I'm eating ice cream; you can't ruin my sugar buzz."

With a huff, Aella finished her cone, feeling a mix of annoyance and brain freeze. She stormed back into the shop, leaving Jenna behind.

"Where are you going?" Jenna called after her, but Aella didn't respond. Instead, she emerged moments later, two scoops of ice cream balanced atop a chocolate wafer cone.

"And you call me unhealthy?" Jenna teased, but Aella paid her no mind, already lost in the blissful indulgence of her ice cream.

SALVATORE BOARDING HOUSE

Not ten minutes had passed since Aella had finished her ice cream indulgence at Deja Brew when she found herself seated across from Damon at the Salvatore Boarding House. The sweetness of the treat lingered on her taste buds, but her stomach now churned with discomfort as Damon laid out what Jonas wanted.

"No."

Damon visibly flinched at her blunt refusal, taken aback by her immediate rejection. He blinked rapidly, trying to process her response before he managed to utter, "What do you mean, no?"

Aella reclined in her seat, a picture of nonchalance. "I mean, no," she reiterated, her tone firm. She began ticking off points on her fingers, adding emphasis to her refusal. "Also known as nada, nope, never, niet, n-"