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

Chapter 98 - I call it, 'Find my boyfriend's idiot brother,'

ALARIC'S APARTMENT

Outside his apartment, Ric stood, the atmosphere thick with the anticipation of impending chaos. His expression twisted in a wince at the cacophony emanating from within—objects colliding with walls, the distinct sound of disorder. It was the kind of noise that suggested an unwelcome visitor had made themselves quite at home. Ric had barely taken a step, contemplating escape, when his escape plan was abruptly intercepted by an unexpected sight.

Aella approached him, her strides purposeful, her gaze sharp enough to slice through the tension hanging in the air. There was a fierceness in her demeanor that Ric recognized all too well, yet it was the red rims around her eyes, betraying recent tears, that caught him off guard. She looked like a storm personified, ready to unleash fury on the next unfortunate soul to cross her path.

"How did I know you'd be here with him?" Aella's voice was a mix of accusation and weary resignation, as if Ric's association with the cause of her current state was a foregone conclusion.

Ric managed a tight smile, a non-verbal acknowledgment of the situation, carefully steering clear of mentioning the visible signs of her emotional turmoil. "Somebody had to invite him in," he replied, a statement laden with the unspoken weight of responsibility and the complex dynamics of their entwined lives.

Aella's eyes rolled skyward, a silent, theatrical expression of her exasperation as she closed the distance between them. "Yeah, I guessed," she quipped, her tone dry, yet there was an underlying layer of concern that she couldn't fully mask.

Ric, ever observant, arched a brow, his curiosity piqued not just by her sudden appearance but by the evident fact that she had been crying. "How did you know he was here?" he inquired, genuinely intrigued by her methods.

Without missing a beat, Aella brandished her phone, turning the screen to him. On it, a dot blinked persistently, a digital beacon in the night. "I call it, 'Find my boyfriend's idiot brother,'" she explained with a wry smile, her creative ingenuity shining through despite the shadows beneath her eyes. "Jeremy found it online; it uses something called Blueteeth to track someone. I attached it to Damon's precious leather jacket the last time he fucked up, and here we are again."

Ric couldn't help but stifle a laugh, a burst of amusement breaking through the grimness of the night. Aella's audacity, her willingness to bend technology to her will in such a unique way, was nothing short of brilliant. "He's not going to like that," Ric commented, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards in amusement. He could already imagine Damon's outrage upon discovering the invasion of his beloved leather jacket's privacy, a scenario that promised as much humor as it did drama.

Aella's smile broadened into a mischievous grin, her eyes twinkling with the thrill of her covert operation. "He's not going to know, Ric. Got it?" Her tone was playful yet firm, a clear directive that Ric understood all too well. With an immediate nod, Ric sealed his complicity in the secret. Aella's smile softened, her demeanor shifting as she stood on the threshold of what was to come.

"Now, unlike the said idiot," Aella began, her voice laced with a hint of disdain for the unspoken follies that seemed to follow them like shadows. She pushed open the door to Ric's apartment with an air of someone who knew no boundaries, literal or metaphorical. "I don't need an invitation."

The scene that awaited them was one of charged tension. Damon, with his signature blend of intensity and recklessness, had Katherine pinned against the wall. It was a tableau vivant of their tumultuous past and present, a moment frozen in time until Aella's presence seemed to fracture it. "Don't stop on my account, kill the bitch," Aella said, her nonchalance stark against the drama unfolding before her. It was an audacious statement, one that made clear her disdain for the games they played.