Bad Blood || The Vampire Diaries [1]

11: Crying Wolf

   "How was the slumber party?" Stefan's voice rang through the room, waking me up. I turned to see him standing by the window, shirtless, phone right by his ear. From the other side of the phone, I could hear Elena. 

   "Good and much needed," she said. "When can you and I have one?"

   "Mmm, that can be arranged," Stefan answered with the same flirtatious tone. I covered my mouth with part of the covers, trying not to laugh. 

   "Okay. Now. Today," Elena answered back. "Take me far, far away..." She sounded like one of those fairy-tale characters. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep as they continued to talk. When they finished, Stefan let out a breath.

   "I know you're awake," he chuckled. "Come on, Clara. Wake up."

   I sat up and looked at him, laying my fist under my chin. "That was... That was some form of flirting which I didn't need to listen to," I laughed. "Really, I didn't need to listen to that."

   "Sorry," he laughed, looking down at his phone. "I should have gone downstairs."

   "Yeah, you should've," I agreed. "Now, breakfast? Would you like a full-fledged breakfast or blood-on-the-go?" I stood up and stretched my arms over my head, smiling at him. There was something in Stefan that made me smile, and it also made me feel uncomfortable. Why would I smile so much with his presence? 

   "English breakfast?" he hummed, following me down the stairs. "Do you know how to cook? Last time you tried cooking, well, you burned it."

   "That was when I was a human," I explained, rolling my eyes, "and over one hundred and forty five years ago. Do you know what I can do now? No! I can probably make an amazing cuisine that tastes better than Gordon Ramsay's."

   Stefan leaned against the wall as I moved around the kitchen, with his arms crossed and a small smile around his lips. It wasn't an annoyed smile, it was one that revealed that he was amused and happy. Did I bring him happiness? Obviously not. It was Elena and the trip they had planned. They were going to her parents lake house, and they were going to have fun. She put it that way, but we—mostly me accidentally hearing everything—knew the kind of fun she really meant.

   "So, what are you making?" Stefan asked in the middle of it. 

   I took a step back and looked around. "A breakfast casserole, french toast, and fruit." I looked at him and smiled. "I think I went a bit overboard..."

   "Why are you making so much?" he laughed. "You have more things in your kitchen than any other vampire."

   "I guess it makes me feel human," I mumbled, quickly glancing at him. "I don't know, I just do. Sometimes, I make food just because I miss it, but then I throw it away because it doesn't taste the same." I put down the knife and took a deep breath, smiling. It wasn't time for me to be sad, so that was why I smiled. "How about you invite Elena? She's been a but wary if me since, you know, that night."

   "Clara, she's not wary of you," Stefan said, sitting up. "She's just—"

   "Scared?" I finished for him. "She's scared of me, Stefan, and I don't blame her. I killed that family, she has every right to be scared. Listen, I don't want her to be terrified of me. I'm here helping you protect her, and how can I protect someone when they're afraid of me?"

   Stefan stared at me for a couple of seconds. He pulled out his phone and walked out of the room. As I continued cooking, I heard him speak with Elena. She sounded wary, just like I told him she would, but she agreed. After the breakfast, he would head to her house and then to the lake house. I didn't care about that, I only cared about her being not so afraid of me. She was Caroline's friend, Stefan's girlfriend, I should be nice to her.