Perfect Match

Chapter 9

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Her body trembling and shaking with every little step, Elena slowly opened the door into their suite. The paper from Stefan's diary was securely in her back pocket, not going anywhere. She definitely wasn't letting go of it anytime soon.

Her heart was racing in her chest; she could hear her nervous pulse pounding in her ears, could feel it in her neck, in her fingertips. She could hardly even process the information she had just learned; Stefan loved her, truly, deeply loved her.

A wry smile formed on her lips. Her best friend, Stefan Salvatore, loved her, the boy who taught her how to put movies onto a gameboy, the little boy who had her dancing around her room in fifth grade with a huge teddy bear that she sometimes pretended was him. How long had he felt this way?

Elena didn't know how on earth she was going to talk to him... Maybe she would wait, she decided. When she entered the bedroom of the suite, her gaze immediately landed on Stefan, lying carelessly on the bed, with the sheets kicked down to the foot and one of his arms hanging loosely over the side. Instead of staying on his side, he had managed to take up the entire mattress, his head on her pillow. His stomach rose and fell with every heavy intake of breath, lips gently parted. He was already half asleep and Elena had to restrain herself from laughing.

She quickly got ready and hopped into bed as much as she could. Amused, she nudged Stefan over to his side so that she could get in, eliciting a tiny groan from his lips. Then, when all was silent, and the only sound filling the warm room was the gentle waves crashing beyond the balcony and the rain beginning to drizzle on the tin roof, Elena just sat there.

What did all of this mean? Where did she go from here?

She turned her head to look at Stefan, wishing it would be so easy that she actually could just touch his forehead and read his mind. But, no... she couldn't, and besides, if she was able to read his mind, things would be different. That's what he told her, and she believed him.

Still, Elena was determined to at least give Stefan a glimpse into her own mind. After all, he deserved that much.

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He was roused from a deep sleep by her relentless nudging. "Stefan!"

He moaned angrily, refusing to open his eyes, reaching around for another pillow to put over his head. "Mmm!" he practically growled, but she simply laughed and flipped him over.

"Stefan," Elena whispered urgently. "Wake up. We need to talk... I know where to go."

Barely opening his eyes, he groggily turned his head to shoot her a glare. "What... time is it?" he mumbled. He could vaguely hear Elena sigh as she slid off of the bed.

"Three in the morning," she replied coolly. Stefan, who was just about to open his mouth and complain was immediately interrupted. "Please, Stefan. It's important."

"Why right now?" he pleaded.

"Because it's raining," she said with a nervous edge to her voice, making Stefan wonder if she had slept at all. "And it's the middle of the night. There won't be any cameras outside. Come on. We need to talk."

How on earth could he say no to her?

Within a few minutes, Elena was dragging Stefan outside, onto the sandy shore of the beach. Finally, both standing under a large palm tree, they stopped and Elena stared at Stefan. "What is this about?" he finally asked.

He gazed at Elena in confusion for a long, silent moment. He made note of her every twitch and quirk: the way she bit her bottom lip in anticipation, the way she shifted weight between feet, until she finally spoke up. "We've both been keeping secrets from each other. Maybe me more than you. But, it's time to get them off of our chests."