Vampire Diaries Blood Brothers

~Chapter Forty~

Jenna spent the night with Mr Saltzman at his apartment so no one was home to ask about my new car after Stefan drove me home. When things cooled after I got back from Atlanta, I told Jenna my car was getting some work done. She would've been pretty shaken up if she knew I'd crashed it, especially since that was how my parents had died. Stefan and I had discussed options of what to tell Jenna about the new one so she wouldn't get suspicious and we decided the new leather seat covers and personalised license plates were just early Christmas presents from Stefan. 
   As soon as I was showered and dressed in some thick woolen socks and a warm hoodie, I got to work searching for the journal. Stored away in the cupboard under the stairs were some boxes full of odd like trinkets from the founding Gilbert family, so I started with those. Loose newspaper clippings proved interesting, but unhelpful, and an old pocket watch passed down the line of Gilbert men was fascinating, but again, useless. 
   It took me three hours to get through all the boxes and, as predicted, it was a hopeless feat. There were no journals here and no mention of supernatural anything. There were no headlines of crazy spells or articles about the art of drinking blood. The contents was boring, useless and normal stuff like the opening of Mystic Falls's first school and the first annual Miss Mystic Falls competition. There weren't any carnival booths 'pin the stake on the vampire' or 'burn the witches'. This was pointless yet silly me had agreed to find the stupid journal.

As I paced the kitchen waiting for the jug to boil, I thought of every possible place the journal could be. If I were to keep my journal for the next generation of Gilbert's to read, where would I hide it? The walls came to mind, but I didn't have the skill or the desire to go there, and what would I tell Jenna? The story about my new car was believable, but what reason would she accept for tearing down the walls? None that I could think of.
   Just as I poured the hot water into my mug, somebody knocked on the door. Assuming it was Jenna coming home from her night with Alaric, I grabbed everything that I'd pulled from the boxes and dumped in the cardboard cubes, shoving the lids on top before shoving them back under the stairs.
   To my surprise, the person at the door wasn't Jenna. In fact, it was the last person I expected to see. "Ryan Rivera?" I raised an eyebrow, confused as to why he was standing on the front porch.
   "Hey Baby," he purred, casually leaning against the door frame. "It's such a nice day for a stroll, don't you think?" He winked flirtatiously. "Can't see Stefan," he craned his neck, gazing past into the messy living room. "I could accompany you, if you'd like."
   "What are you doing here Ryan?" I demanded, my fingers curled into a fist around the side of the door. 
   He shrugged, taking a step closer. "Do I need a reason to come and see the center of my world? The apple of my eyes? The-"
   "When I told you I didn't want to see you again I meant it," I growled, taking a deep breath. "So if you don't mind, leave."
   He considered this for a moment, shoving one hand in his pocket while stroking his prickly chin with the other. "You know, actually, I don't mind. But, if you're not in the mood for walking, that's fine. I can think of a couple other things we could do," he ran his tongue over his dried lips, a lustful look in his eyes.
   "Get out of here Ryan," I warned.
   "Or what?" He snorted. "You'll call your boyfriends?"
   "What are you talking about?" I hissed.
   "Oh come on E, you and I both know this good girl act won't last. You've tried it before and we all know how well that lasted," he rolled his eyes. "We both know you still want me, so invite me in and we can do what I know you've been longing to do since that night at the bonfire."
   Ryan took another step closer, the edge of his boots resting against the side of the door frame. I stepped back cautiously, frowning as I retreated deeper into the hall. Something wasn't right. He never asked politely for things, he just took what he wanted without a second thought. The old Ryan wouldn't ask for me to invite him inside, he would have barged in and probably would have forced me against a wall or onto the couch by now. He used brute strength to get what he wanted until he was satisfied, but he didn't. He just stood at the door, waiting with growing frustration as I refused to let him in... To invite him in.
   "Oh my gosh," I breathed in horror, my hand tightening around the doorknob. "You... You're a... But..." My gaze shifted to a strange bracelet on his wrist, a thick ancient twist of metal and jewels of maroon colouring. "The bracelet," I murmured. "When did you get it?"
   He snorted. "Why do you care?"
   "Answer me," I demanded.
   "Yesterday," he tilted his head. "Now let me in," he growled through gritted teeth.
   I shook my head slowly, refusing to give in. "No."
   "Eva," he gripped the exterior door posts angrily. "Don't make this any harder than it has to be."
   "No!" I shouted louder. "No, Ryan, I will never invite you into this house." Before he had a chance to respond I slammed the door and slid the lock into place, running into the kitchen in desperate search for my phone. Finding by the coffee, I dialed Stefan's number but it went straight to voice mail so I left a message. "Stefan, it's Ryan, the guy I used to date. He was here and I... I think he's a vampire."