Perfect Match

Chapter 19

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Stefan was laughing.

Elena, who felt like she had just fallen asleep, grumbled something angrily into his chest that just made it start to rise and fall with every chuckle. He could practically feel her crinkle her nose as she reached around to find a pillow to throw at him. After all, it wasn't the perfect time to be laughing, not after they'd practically exposed their souls and whole beings to one another.

Finally, she raised her head and shot him a death-glare that instantly made him stop. "What the heck, Stefan?" she demanded furiously.

He still couldn't wipe away his amused grin, and that seemed to only aggravate her more. "No, baby... it's not you," he promised with another chuckle. Elena only raised an eyebrow at him and he couldn't help but think of how adorable she looked; her cocoa hair, usually sleek and straight was matted from sleep while her normally relaxed eyes were filled with the tired annoyance of not being let in on a secret. "I was just thinking about how bad we are at keeping this a secret. Anybody who walked by us on the street would know we're together. I mean, the hospital visits, the house visits, even the way we were at the party. I'm sure your aunt knows that something's up."

Elena rested her head back on his chest, lightly trailing her fingers along the smooth, blue-green tattoo that he got on his eighteenth birthday; she never really did understand why he chose a rose of all things, but she loved it. She'd have to ask him that sometime. "Actually... I kinda, sorta, might have told her yesterday." When Stefan's eyes widened, she had to once again bury her face in his chest and laugh. "So to comment: yes. We do suck at keeping this quiet."

Letting his head freely fall back on the pillow, Stefan looked up at the ceiling. "You told Jenna?"

She paused a minute and bit her bottom lip. "Well, yeah. I mean there's no point in not telling her, since she'll find out in a few days anyway." And then she continued to trace his tattoo in a soothing manner, an attempt to make him relaxed enough so he wouldn't get mad over the news he was about to hear.

But he knew what she was doing. "Mmmm... and why would she find out within a few days?" He rested his cheek against the top of her head gently.

"Well, you see," she started nervously, "the show ended. And well... I got an email. They wanted us to come back and do the 'Stars Tell All' episode, which is in a few days. I RSVP'd and said I'd be there." Elena suddenly became very interested in chipping her nail polish. "It would be really nice if you decided to join me. I was thinking, you know, since it's over and no matter what we can't get back on it, we can tell people we got back together."

"Oh." Stefan shrugged his shoulders simply, and Elena glanced up at him confusedly.

"Oh?"

"That's it?" he asked pleasantly, making her laugh and move closer to him.

"That's it." Shaking her head, she placed a slow kiss to his neck. She almost swore that he was going to flip and say something about how they should stay out of the public eye. Huh. Maybe the tattoo-tracing thing worked. "Will you be my date?" she questioned playfully.

"With pleasure," he responded just as lightly. "I'll be glad to stop the insanity."

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"We're going to miss the plane! Oh my god, if we miss that plane I swear..."

Caroline was running through the airport, her curled blonde hair bobbing up and down as she did so.

"Care, calm down!" Stefan laughed. "It won't leave without us. Promise."

"You don't know that! What if the pilot thinks we're there and we're not! You have no idea how much I want to be in a private jet, Stefan, and I will not let your slowness kill it!"