SHE'S SPECIAL | 7

STEFAN

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DEAR JOURNAL,

I'm scared. I really like Elena, and as much as I wish I didn't, I can't fight it. I thought staying away from her would help, maybe allow me to forget she even exists, but I can't seem to fight that either. I just can't stay away. I like being around her. I like who I am around her. And I'm scared because I haven't felt anything like what I feel for her before. what I feel for her I don't believe is or ever will be reciprocated, she did just get out of a relationship after all.

I fear that after we go back home that everything will go back to the way it was. will we even talk?

yesterday when I caught Elena after she fell out of her kayak, the feeling of her hands clutching onto my arms, it shocked me. this jolt went through my body, it was as if I had been touched by an angel. I want to feel that again.

"Stefan, are you going to get up?" I looked up to see Elena standing beside my bed.

"What time is it?" I asked, quickly closing my journal.

"Time to get up," she smirked.

"Funny." I flung my legs over the bedside.

"One more day left." She reminded. "Then we go back home."

"You seem ready to go back." I mused.

"I kinda am. I can't wait to see my aunt, as childish as that sounds. But I'm also not ready to go back to reality, the school even." she laughed.

"Do you think we'll still talk?" I had to ask the question, even if I was afraid of the possible answer.

"Why wouldn't we?"

"I don't know, we didn't before."

"Well, I would like to still talk, maybe we could even hang out sometimes."

"I would like that." I just sat there looking at her, smiling. She was so beautiful.

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ELENA

I stood there for a moment, me and Stefan stared at one another. Butterflies formed in my stomach.

"Well, I should go and have a shower," I said, snapping myself out of whatever trance I was in. I hadn't noticed before how beautiful his green eyes are.

I quickly left the cabin after that awkward moment. Why couldn't I look away and what was that feeling I got? I know that I've come to really like Stefan and love his company but I couldn't actually like him. Could I?

At breakfast, I couldn't get Stefan out of my head. I just like his company, nothing else. I don't even know him...

"Elena? Elena?!" Caroline yelled.

"Yeah, sorry," I replied, pushing my thoughts aside.

"Are you okay?" Caroline had a worried look on her face.

"I'm fine. Just can't believe we are going home tomorrow." I was excited to see my Aunt again, but I didn't want to go back to school.

"It's gone by so quickly." Bonnie said.

"It has," I remember how excited I was last week. Time flies by, especially when you're having fun.

We finished breakfast and Bonnie and I headed to rock climbing.

"Hey." Stefan came and stood next to me and Bonnie.

"Hey Stefan." Bonnie said. Well.. at least we're talking.

I didn't reply. My thoughts going back to our little stare off in our cabin this morning.

"So are you climbing Bonnie?" He asked.

"Hell yes! Can't wait to get to the top." Bonnie liked activities like this. This was her type of thing.

"You're still not climbing Elena?" Stefan turned his attention to me.

I stood there for a moment not knowing what to say. Jeez, act normal Elena. Like you said he is just a friend. Stop making this weird.

"Elena?"

"Sorry, I'm a bit out of it today. No, I'm still not climbing." That wasn't so hard now was it? This morning I must have just been tired. And hungry, that must've been the feeling I got in my belly. I let out a sigh of relief. Now that that's figured out, I don't have to act weird around Stefan.

"Well, it's not for everyone," Stefan said smiling.

After lunch, we did our last activity which was archery. I couldn't hit the target at all. Bonnie and Stefan got the hang of it after a while.

A girl from our class came up to where we were.

"Hey Stefan, if you shoot a bullseye I'll let you take me out to dinner." She smiled but Stefan didn't seem interested.

"I would purposely miss sorry." He gave her a fake smile and she walked off, disappointed.

"Nice let down, but you maybe you should have taken her offer, she's cute," I said, and Stefan looked at me.

"She's not my type," He said firing another arrow into the target.

"She's everyone's type, do you already have a girlfriend?" Bonnie asked.

"No. I don't do relationships." Stefan seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"Understandable." Bonnie winked before dropping the subject.

Stefan has told me he didn't do relationships, I wonder why that is.

I still haven't spoken to Matt since the bonfire but I don't mind. He needs time, I understand that. I invited Stefan to come sit with us for dinner, I know he knows Caroline and Bonnie now but he hasn't met the rest of the group.

"Stefan this is Klaus and you know Enzo. Klaus, this is Stefan he's sitting with us tonight." They already knew who Stefan was, who didn't, he was always the most popular boy in school.

"Hi." Stefan said sitting down with an awkward smile on his face, embarrassed that he didn't know his own teammates name, but he would never admit that he didn't.

It went silent for a moment before Caroline decided to break the silence.

"You ready for tomorrow night's game Stefan?"

"You have a game tomorrow night?" I knew they played on friday nights but I thought that they'd postpone the game since we've been gone all week.

"Yeah, but at least it's a home game. I won't feel like traveling again after the trip home tomorrow." Stefan smiled.

"You coming to watch again, Elena?"

"Yeah Elena, I need someone yelling at me other than Coach Tanner." Enzo laughed.

"I'll be there, I loved is last week. You should come too Bonnie. Please!" I begged. Last week I had Matt, I don't this week.

"I don't know Elena. I have to study."

"Bon, you do not need to study. You're the smartest one here. It's only for a couple of hours, plus you have all weekend to study."

Bonnie thought about it, "fine.."

"Thank you!" I hugged her. I really didn't want to go by myself.

After dinner we all go back to our cabins, preparing for the long trip back tomorrow.

"This was a fun week." I said when Stefan and I arrived at our cabin.

"It was." He agreed, opening the door. "It's not over yet though."

"What do you mean?"

"Grab a coat." He grabbed his own coat that was hanging on the end of his bed.

"Stefan we have a long trip tomorrow."

"I know. Just trust me."

"I barely know you." I smirked, playfully.

"You can't keep using that excuse." He smiled, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the cabin. He let go as soon as we were outside, knowing that I would follow. I felt kinda disappointed when he let go, the feeling of his skin touching mine was nice. My thoughts from earlier came flashing back. No, Elena, we've been through this, you don't like him like that.

"Where are we going? We aren't going swimming again, are we?" It was much cooler tonight, too cold to swim.

"We're not. I just want to show you something."

"I've seen everything here."

"Not everything." We walked for about five more minutes through the woods.

"Stefan seriously where are we going? I can't even see the camp anymore." The only light was coming from the moon and i'm glad that there was enough light coming from it for us to see.

"We're almost there."

"This is where you kill me, isn't it?" I laughed. "It's either that or someone is going to kill us." I hadn't seen many scary movies as I don't like them but the ones I had seen always had scenes like this in them.

"We're here." We walked into a clearing. It wasn't a very big clearing but it wasn't that small.

"How'd you know that this was here?"

"I saw it on our hike yesterday."

"I didn't.." I had paid attention to my surroundings but I didn't see this.

"You only saw the big things, I like to look for the smaller ones." Stefan was surprising me more everyday.

"So this is what you wanted to show me?"

"Not quite. You have to come and lay in the middle."

"Stefan.." I raised an eyebrow.

"Just trust me okay?" He headed to the middle of the clearing and laid down, and patted the ground next to him for where I was meant to lay. I walked over and laid down.

"Now what?"

"Just look." He was looking at the sky.

I looked up and it was beautiful. The stars where so bright. I laid there my mouth open as i stared at them. At home they were nothing like this, you could barley see them.

"I told you." I turned to face Stefan, he was staring at me.

"Stefan I—" before I could finish he kissed me. I pulled back and sat up.

"Elena i'm sorry, I shouldn't have.." He sat up too. My heart was beating fast. Did that really just happen? I sat there trying to slow down my heart.

"Elena I—" I turned around and kissed him before he could finish. His hand cupped my cheek. The feeling of his lips on mine sent a shock through my body. It never felt like this kissing anyone else before. I pulled back and he was just sitting there, shock on his face. He hadn't looked away from my lips yet. I laid back down, Stefan did the same.

"Elena.."

"Shh..." I said grabbing hold of his hand, our fingers intertwined. This is definitely not what I had expected but it felt amazing.

We didn't say anything else. We just laid there looking at the stars.

On our way back to the cabin we didn't talk. Stefan had tried to but I didn't reply. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what was going on.

We entered our cabin. As I went to get into bed Stefan grabbed my hand.

"Elena." I turned to face him. Knowing what he wanted to talk about.

I leaned forward and kissed him again. I don't know what was going on but I loved this feeling. I pushed into the kiss, pushing him back against his bed. He sat down, our lips still connected, his hand on my face. I pulled back and his eyes were closed.

"Goodnight Stefan." I smiled and hopped into my bed, falling asleep.