AmritaVirdi
The story begins in Season 1, Episode 1 of The Vampire Diaries-when everything still looks simple from the outside.
For Caroline Forbes, it never is.
Caroline falls in love with Stefan Salvatore almost instantly. Quietly. Completely. In her head, she already has it planned-a June wedding, a future that feels safe, chosen, and finally hers.
But Stefan doesn't see her that way.
His rejection cuts deeper than she lets anyone know, especially when his attention turns to Elena Gilbert. Once again, Caroline is left feeling like the second choice. The backup. The girl people turn to only when there's no one else.
Caroline has lived with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Clinical Depression since she was seven years old. She sees a psychologist. A psychiatrist. She takes medication. She fights daily battles no one else seems to notice-while still being expected to smile, to perform, to be "fine."
Between Elena and Bonnie Bennett, Caroline often feels like the third wheel. The outsider. The friend who is never quite enough.
But this story isn't about being chosen last.
It's about what happens when two people who are broken in different ways slowly learn to see each other.
Caroline and Stefan are not instant. They are not easy. They are built through friendship, trust, healing, and time. Through mistakes. Through loss. Through learning how to love when you're afraid you're unlovable.
This is a slow-burn Steroline love story-about growth, mental health, emotional intimacy, and the kind of love that doesn't rush... because it's meant to last.
Because sometimes, the best love isn't the first one.
It's the one you grow into