Rescue Me

Chapter 8

Stefan was waiting in Caroline's room when she pushed open the door. She couldn't help the small smile that spread across her face when she spotted him perched on the edge of her bed, his elbows on his knees, chin resting on his clasped hands, his brow furrowed in that familiar Stefan way of his.

His head shot up once he heard her step into the room, and he sighed in relief, letting his hands drop and rest on his knees. Half of his mouth quirked up into a smile. "You never back with me. I was starting to get worried."

Caroline laughed, shutting the door behind her and spinning on her heel, her arms outstretched at her sides. "All in one piece. You worry too much, Stef."

He sent her a withering glare, ignoring her mocking tone. "I came back inside and you were gone. Klaus got you out then?"

Caroline could feel the heat spread across her face, and for once she prayed Stefan couldn't tell what she was thinking. She remembered the way Klaus' lips felt against hers. The way they traced a fiery trail across her skin while his roughened hands slithered against her body. They way he'd tugged her close, and how she could feel just how much he had been feeling it too.

She shook herself free of her thoughts, ignoring the heat that was burning in her belly. "Klaus took good care of me," she said softly, a hint of a smile on her face.

Stefan nodded, running a hand down his face. "Care..." he started, his voice weary and seeming so much older than his 24 years. "I'm so sorry about Jeremy. And Rebekah."

Waving a hand in the air and effectively cutting him off, Caroline sighed, making her way to where he sat on the edge of her bed and plopping down next to him. "It's fine, Stefan."

He shook his head. "It's not. I shouldn't have let it get that far. I should've never even let her meet with him the other day. If we hadn't—"

"I would have run into him at some point anyway," Caroline interrupted. "Stefan. Seriously. When I say it's fine, it's fine. I know you would have avoided it if you could. But Rebekah is a force to be reckoned with. I get it."

Stefan scoffed, nodding his head and he rubbed his hands together. "You can say that again," he muttered under his breath, smiling when he heard Caroline laugh quietly beside him. "We aren't talking now. Barely three weeks until the wedding, and I am not talking to my bride-to-be. They don't tell you about this part when you propose."

"Stefan, please don't let me cause a rift with you two," Caroline pleaded, shifting so she could fully face him on the bed, tucking one leg under her. "Okay, I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to come back here, and the last thing I want—as much as I don't particularly care for Rebekah—is for it to come between the two of you." Stefan dropped his gaze to the floor, his hands clasped together. "I know you want to protect me. And I love you for that, because you're Stefan and it's what you do when it comes to me. And you do such an amazing job at it. But Rebekah is your priority right now. The two of you are going to spend the rest of your lives together. Jeremy is MY problem to worry about."

Stefan nodded, tugging at his bottom lip with his teeth, and raised his gaze to hers. "You know I hate this. All of it. I hate that it's hurting you so much." He saw her face soften towards him, and he sighed. "Care, maybe it's time for you to—"

"No, Stefan."

Her words were quiet, but stern. It was a conversation they'd had numerous times over the last few years, and her answer was always the same.

"Caroline..."

She shook her head, blonde curls bouncing, and placed both legs back on the floor, turning away from him. "Stefan, we've talked about this. I made a decision."