𝟏• 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂 | 𝐓𝐕𝐃 ✓

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT COMING?!" Aurelia winced at the sound of Caroline's angry voice from the speaker of Stefan's phone before directing her gaze towards the Salvatore man himself, who was on the ground, pushing himself up on two wooden logs underneath either one of his palms. "You're a Founding Family member. By definition, you have to be there."

"Be where, exactly?" She piped up, making Stefan raise his head to look up at her with a quick smile.

"You actually came—" He took a quick glance at the time on his phone just a foot away. "An hour late, but I'll take it." She hummed at his words, realizing that he was taking baby steps with her; a kind gesture, really, considering how she had expected him to rush into things with her—she wasn't complaining that he was slow, of course. "Where were you, anyway—"

"Is that Aurelia?!" Caroline cut him off quickly, and Aurelia could've sworn she felt the adorable blonde's eyes go wide in pleasant surprise. "Stefan, did you kidnap my sister?!" That was when the two exchanged looks perplexedly, before Stefan cracked a smile and looked towards his phone. "Stefan, I swear to God, if you—"

"No, Caroline," Aurelia picked the phone up from the leafy ground, hands pushing her hair away from her face as she bent downwards to reach for it properly. "We're just here because we have nothing else to do right now."

"I thought you had to go feed."

"Yeah, no," Aurelia mumbled. "I had to compel the waitress to forget anything because some deputies showed up at the Grill—" Huffing once, she spun around. "Disturbed my perfectly good meal, y'know—and what the hell were they even doing there? They were literally on duty so, like, why would they drink?"

"Aurelia," Stefan broke her small rant. "I think she means why you're here with me." Aurelia looked at the man once, and then at the phone in her hand.

"Well, duh—" Caroline added in. "Last few months, it looked like you were avoiding him to no end." The Heretic frowned considerably, before grimacing in embarrassment. "And yes, 'Lia, it was that obvious."

"Salt in the wound, Caroline," She cringed. "Salt in the wound."

A snicker from Stefan earned himself a glare from the woman, who huffed and tossed the phone up and down with another scoff. "Anyway," She began. "Where was Stefan supposed to be?" Stefan's eyes then widened as his hand stuck out to reach for the phone in her hand..

"No. no, don't remind her—"

"Oh, yes!" A muffled and defeated groan emitted from the Salvatore man's form, shoulders slouching over and hands pulling back to cup themselves over his face. "I don't know what's going on between the both of you, but Stefan always listens to you, 'Lia."

"I do not!"

"Shut up, Stefano—" Aurelia hushed him by pushing him away lightly. "If she's giving me orders to blackmail you, we should both hear it so that you don't blame me for it." At the end of her sentence, she flashed a seemingly innocent, yet playful smile that had Stefan conflicted on whether to glare at her or be endeared—

Never mind.

"Aurelia, please convince Stefan to come to this year's Miss Mystic Falls with you." Ignoring the stress on the 'please' part of the simple request, Aurelia scrunched her nose up with slight disgust, before throwing the phone behind her, letting Stefan catch it with a small protest. "Come on! I'll be alone!"