Through Rivalry Comes Love

Chapter 4

Her eyes were still closed, and she felt like she was dead. Maybe she had died. Her stomach was churning and her head was pounding. Slowly, she forced one eye to open. It was dark where ever she was, and she was not in her apartment. She didn't think. Her hand grasped the cool leather under her and she froze. She didn't own anything leather except shoes and purses.

Elena opened her other eye and sat up some, grabbing for her head and biting her lip to silence the small scream that wanted to escape upon feeling the sharp pain in her head. She looked around her and saw that she was in a spacious living area. She looked to her right and saw that there was someone else splayed out on a much smaller couch. She squinted through her blurred vision and saw that it was ... oh God. Stefan. She sat up a little more and began to panic. She lifted the blanket up quickly, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw she was still wearing her clothes. He however was shirtless and the blanket was only covering his waist. Maybe he was naked.

Shit. Why was she at Stefan's? Why did everything hurt? Had they had mind-blowing sex that had left her barely able to move? No. She would have remembered that. Unless ... oh. No. Unless she had been drunk. Which would explain the hangover symptoms she was experiencing.

Maybe she could sneak out before he woke up. Slowly, extremely slowly, she swung her legs over the couch and felt them touch the cool floor. She held her head, feeling a wave of dizziness overcome her. "Damnit" she said, a little too loudly because Stefan was waking up. Her eyes were glued to his, wide and full of confusion.

He sat up somewhat quickly, his usually perfect hair a little messy but still sexy as hell. "You're up" he said, determining what he should do. Sit there and stare at her or get her something. "Can I get you anything?" he asked.

Elena shook her head no. "I should go" she said, standing quickly. Much too quickly because she felt like the universe was crashing down on her. Head, stomach, everything hurt and felt lousy. "Oh God" she said, reaching for the arm of the couch to steady her.

"Easy" Stefan said, jumping up to help her. "Lay back down. I'll get you something for your head and your stomach" he told her, leaving her side for a few minutes.

Elena sat back down, cursing herself. She never drank like that and for good reason. She didn't handle her liquor well. "Ughhhhh" she groaned, holding her head. Why couldn't her head just explode and end her misery.

She heard his footsteps returning. "Here" he said, handing her two white pills and a glass of water. He set a plate with dry toast down next to her too. She looked at him skeptically. "Aspirin" he clarified. She swallowed them quickly, taking a big gulp of water. "Dry toast. Good for your stomach" he added. Elena shook her head though. The thought of food made her queasy. "Trust me, you need it" he told her, holding out a piece for her. Reluctantly, she grabbed it and took a small bite.

It was silent for a moment and she felt really uncomfortable. "We didn't ... sleep together, did we?" she asked hesitantly.

Stefan smirked and Elena suddenly felt like she had hit rock bottom. Then, he laughed, moving back to sit on his coffee table as he faced her. "You certainly wanted to" he told her, remembering how she had tried to undress both of them. "But alas, I am a gentleman." He saw Elena sigh with relief. "Besides, I want to make sure you will remember our time together, as it would be extremely unfortunate if you had the time of your life and no recollection of it."

Her glare illustrated how much she wanted to smack that smug grin off of his face. Had she been in better shape that morning, she would have too. "You are ... despicable" she said, feeling her frustration build. He smiled. He was so good at pissing her off. "And I am leaving now" she added.