White Lies (The Vampire Diaries)

| 04 | Journal

The front door of the boarding house soundlessly opened and the light from the porch burst through the small crack until Presley pushed it open far enough to walk through. The foyer returned back to darkness once Stefan shut the door behind them and locked it like his sister told him to do before they drove up the driveway. They moved stealthily through the hallway, only guided by their excellent eyesight and the small lamp Zach always left on when Presley would be out with her friends.

She wasn't sure if he was asleep or not, but she didn't dare make any noise to possibly disturb him. The two had a good dynamic going on ever since she moved back to the town. There was something refreshing about having a family member that wasn't a hundred year old vampire and lived a normal human life. Zach helped keep Presley grounded, whether he knew it or not.

"Your blonde friend is very persistent," Stefan whispered as he trailed behind his sister and up the stairs to the second level.

An amused snort escaped from the back of her throat. "Uh, yeah," Presley laughed to herself, unsurprised by her friend's determination to date her brother. "That's Caroline for you."

Caroline had a tendency to go after any guy she wanted and usually stopped at nothing to get them unless she grew bored of the chase, which rarely happened. Presley knew her younger brother was cute, but she saw him in an adorable way, like an older sister would. All of her friends, throughout the years, would relentlessly flirt with Stefan— or worse, her older brother. She knew this process would happen all over again once she agreed to let him stay in Mystic Falls.

"She basically claimed you the second she laid eyes on you," she informed him.

The tips of her fingers lightly danced over the wooden railing as she led the way down the hall to her bedroom, half expecting Stefan to fork off and head to his own room. His leather jacket was peeled from his shoulders and then looped over his arm before he stopped outside of her bedroom, leaning against the door frame.

"Hey, you're, uh—" Stefan's brows furrowed as he struggled to find the right words. His arms crossed over his chest with his jacket still draped over them. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

Presley glanced up from inside of her closest after she removed her boots and returned them back to their designated spot on the floor. She opened her mouth and then closed it. "I was at first," she admitted, earnestly. "I still kind of am, just a little bit, anyways."

His face softened.

She turned back to her closet, searching for pajamas to wear to bed. "I don't know." Presley shrugged her shoulders. "I think I was just expecting you to take things slower, like getting to know Elena. It was just weird seeing you randomly show up with her tonight. It just took me by surprise."

She stepped out of the closet with a pair of shorts and a shirt held in her hands. She propped her shoulder agains the door frame of the closet and peered at him, silently. There was something else bothering here, yet she struggled to utter the words out loud.

Stefan pressed his lips together. "I'm sorry," he apologized. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and let his jacket slide down to his wrist. "I ran into her at the cemetery and I think I weirded her out a bit. I just wanted to apologize and then she—"

"Let me guess, invited you to join us at the Grill?"

He nodded in confirmation.

"Sounds like something Elena would do," she mumbled to herself. She carried her pajamas to the connected bathroom and shut the door with a soft click behind her, allowing herself to change in peace. "Look," Presley turned toward the closed door, sighing to herself. "If you're interested in Elena, that's fine. I can learn to deal with that, but be interested in her for who she is, not just because she looks like Katherine."