5

Three days since the incident and Stefan has successfully avoided me. He's busied himself everywhere I'm not. I've given up on reaching out to him. But I haven't given up on staying in town. Ryan has convinced me to stay longer. Not verbally, but by showing me that it's possible to stay in a town where not everyone likes me.

"So where did you get the necklace," Caroline asked from next to me on the couch.

"I gave it to her," Ryan said before I could answer.

The grin on Caroline's face made me want to slap her. I grabbed my glass off the table. "I'm getting more water." I stood up and walked into the kitchen before she could say anything else.

I sat my empty glass in the sink and turned. I walked out of the kitchen. I heard the front door shut. Ryan was sitting in the chair, watching the credits of the movie. But the look in his eyes was distant. I walked in and sat on the couch.

He looked over at me. He stared at me for a minute before getting up and walking over to sit next to me. I turned to face him.

"Why didn't you want me to tell her?"

I furrowed my brows. "She didn't need to know."

He looked over my face for a moment. "Right." He looked at the screen.

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing."

I turned my body to face him, pulling my leg onto the couch. "You're mad."

"No." He avoided looking at me. "I'm frustrated.

"Ryan."

He looked at the coffee table. "I love you."

I furrowed my brows. "I love you too."

He looked at me. There was a serious look on his face. "No, Evelyn."

"Oh." I took a breath. "Oh." My stomach dropped.

He turned to face me. "Are you mad?"

I shook my head, "Why would I be mad?"

"Because I'm not supposed to fall in love with you. We're supposed to be friends, not anything else."

I tilted my head, "Ryan-"

He grabbed my hands. "Just hear me out, Evelyn." He paused. There was a moment of reflection I saw in his eyes. "I know I've slept with hundreds of women, and I've never been in a relationship that's been longer than three days. It's all been sex for me. Always. And it's not because I have commitment issues. I don't think I do anyway. But that's not the point here. I was sleeping with all of those women because I needed to distract myself from you and..." He breathed out slowly. "You. You're smart, and you're kind. And you're unbelievably beautiful. You're one of the first people I've cared so deeply for that it hurts. You're a part of me that I can't and don't want to get rid of. The moment I met you, I knew that I needed you no matter how I had you or how much of you I had. Now that I understand exactly how I feel about you, Ev, I don't want to keep pretending I don't feel it."

I loosened my hold on his hands. I didn't know how to respond. I stared at his face. His words poured into me, consuming my mind. There was love and desire in his eyes, and it didn't seem to waver or fade. He is in love with me. Wholly and absolutely in love with me.

I parted my lips. "I'm... I'm not in love with you."

He tilted his head. "You don't have to be."

I looked down at our hands. "I don't want you to be in love with me." I looked up at his face.

"It's too late for that, Ev."

I tilted my head to the side. "You can't be in love with me."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to fall in love with anyone else."

He stared into my eyes, finding the root feeling of my words. He cupped my face in his hands. "You don't want to be hurt, that's okay. I understand. But, Evelyn," He shook his head, "I'm in love with you, and that's not changing." His eyes darted to my lips. "What if we tried it out?" He looked up to my eyes again.

My skin burned hot, where he touched. The intensity of his feelings was radiating off of him. My heart was beating against my ribcage, making it hard for me to breathe. His nose brushed against mine as he leaned closer. He could hardly contain himself. A soft whine left his lips.

I let my eyes fall shut as his lips brushed against mine. Chills rushed through my body. I tensed up at the feeling. My mind went blank. The only thing I could think was: oh. my. god. I didn't know what to do with my hands. He pulled me closer, kissing me deeper. His lips moved slowly against mine.

I moved my hands to his chest, sliding to his shoulders. He slid his left hand further back, his fingertips brushing against my scalp. His other hand moved to my waist. I gripped his shirt tightly, pulling myself closer.

My body was riddled with need. Need for Ryan. Something I had never had a need for. In this way, of course. The way his kiss and his touch and his words consume me fill me with more than just need. It's desire. It's lust.

His lips separated from mine, and I gasped for air. I didn't open my eyes for a minute. I found my way out of the moment we were in. I opened my eyes and looked up from his shirt to his eyes. He stared back into mine.

My ringing phone brought me out of our locked stare. I looked at the coffee table. Damon. I pulled away from Ryan and grabbed my phone. I answered the call and put the phone to my ear. "What?"

"Get over here."

I furrowed my brows. "Why?"

"If you don't, I'll come to you. Do you want that instead?"

"I'll be there in 15."

"Make it 10."

I rolled my eyes. He ended the call. I looked at Ryan. "I have to go." I stood up.

"I'll go with you."

I shook my head, "No. It's something dangerous."

"And you can go?"

I pushed my hand back through my hair. "I've dealt with things like this before. Damon wouldn't call me over if he knew I would get hurt. If things get out of hand, I'll have them to stop me from getting hurt. No one will be able to protect you."

"I'm fine with that risk."

"I'm not."

He furrowed his brows. "Does that mean..."

I looked to the side. "Yeah." I looked at him. "We can try this."

A smile crossed his face. "So, we're like... boyfriend and girlfriend?"

I shrugged, "Yeah."

He nodded once. "Okay."

I put my hand on his leg. "I have to go."

He put his hand on mine. "Be safe."

"I will."

I stared at him for a few minutes before getting up. I put on my shoes and then grabbed my coat and keys before leaving.

Snow was falling slowly on the ground, coating it.

I got out of the car and walked to the door. I didn't bother knocking. I shut the door. I turned to face the living room, which contained Stefan.

I froze seeing him. He's staring back at me. It feels like I'm going insane. I pulled my coat off as I walked closer to the living room.

"You're ignoring me."

He looked to the side. "You want me to." He looked at me again. "So I am."

I scoffed. "You're such an idiot." His brows furrowed. Before he could talk, I continued. "I was drunk and almost killed a man. Then Damon decided to open his mouth and say something like he always does. I was upset. You wouldn't leave. I had to say something to make you leave so I wouldn't tell you things that I can't tell you. I apologize for what I said, but I can't go back and change it. Even if I could, I wouldn't."

He stared at me for a few minutes. "I was never mad at you. I was giving you the space you wanted." He took a step closer. His eyes wandered my face for a moment, and then found my eyes again. "You're okay, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He reached forward and took my jacket. "Good." He put my jacket on the arm of the couch.

"Where's Damon?"

He turned to me and crossed his arms. "You don't know."

I furrowed my brows, "What?"

He stared at me. He stepped closer. "He and Elena went to the prison world."

I felt my stomach sink. "Where's Kai?"

"He's still here."

"Stefan."

He put his hands on my shoulders. "It's okay. He can't leave, and he can't hurt you."

"Yeah." I turned my attention to the man who just spoke, turning to face him. He was standing behind the other couch. Stefan's hands fell from my shoulders. "I can't use magic to hurt you." He tilted his head.

The way he phrased it made me tense up further. I looked at Stefan. "You didn't kill him."

He parted his lips. He looked at Kai, then at me. "We're not allowed."

"Says who?"

He opened his mouth to speak. Kai jumped in, "Daddy dearest." I looked over at him as he walked closer. "He hates me, and he wants to see me dead, but he wants to be the one to do it."

I turned to Stefan. "I'm leaving."

"Eveyln, he's not going to hurt you."

"He already did. I don't want to be around him."

"Well, unlucky for you, you have to be."

I looked at Kai. "What are you talking about?"

He smiled. "The minute you walked through the door, you were trapped in here. Fun, right?"

I felt sick. "Damon didn't call me. You did."

He tilted his head, "Surprise."

I looked at Stefan again. "Let me out."

"He can't." I looked at Kai as he continued. "A witch did the spell. Only a witch can undo it. I could, but my magic got sucked out of me for the spell."

I looked at Stefan. He looked sorry. I walked away from them, going into the study. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. No service. I put my phone back in my pocket. I walked to a seat by the window and sat down in the chair. I pulled my feet up and wrapped my arms around my legs. I sat alone for half an hour.

I didn't bother lifting my head off the back of the chair to see who just walked in.

"How are you feeling?"

I lifted my head and looked at Stefan. "I'm trapped in a house with a known murderer, Stefan. Two, actually. How do you think I feel?"

He nodded, taking the remark. "Right. Well, you don't have to do it sober."

I tilted my head, "Yes, I do. My mom will kill me."

"You've already been drunk at least four times, I'm sure she won't."

I put my feet on the floor and stood up. "Right, well, I'm not drinking here. Especially not around him."

He tilted his head. "Evelyn -"

I walked out of the room, going into the room with the pool table. I sighed, accepting my fate. I spent the next forty minutes shooting the balls into the holes. I tossed the stick onto the table. I picked up the glass I don't remember pouring. Sometime around the third ball, I decided drinking would ease some of the tension in my body.

I felt dizzy. I sat the empty glass on the edge of the table. I laid back on the table and stared at the high ceiling above me. There was a song playing in my head. I can't think of the name. Maybe it doesn't have one. My arms were laid out beside my body. I felt like I was being pushed down by gravity. I giggled to myself.

"How much did you drink?"

I let my eyes shut. "A lot," I responded to Kai.

"Looks like it." I listened as his boots sounded while his feet made steps.

I put my hands flat against the table and pushed myself to sit up. He stood a few feet from me with his arms crossed over his chest. His t-shirt was hugging his body perfectly. I sucked in a breath of air. I looked up to his eyes.

"Are you here to take advantage of me again?"

"Take advantage? That's not how I remember it."

I tilted my head. "That's what they all say, Malachai."

"Kai."

I smiled. "Oooh." I touched a nerve. I moved to the edge of the table, sitting on my knees. "Kai," I whispered.

He stepped closer. "Mhm."

I put my hands on my knees. "Why are you such a bad guy?"

"What's the fun in being a good guy?"

"Having people like you."

"Why would I want that when I have this?" He raised his hands, gesturing between us.

I looked at his hand. The party. "Oh." I swallowed. He took the two steps to make him close. His hand moved to my face, grabbing my chin. I looked into his eyes. "Kai."

His stare was intense as he focused on my lips. "Shhh."

He leaned closer. I closed my eyes, feeling his lips hovering over mine. I parted my lips in anticipation.

"You want this." It was more of a question than a statement.

"Yeah," I whispered.

He hummed in response. I felt his lips press against mine softly. With lowered inhibitions and a drunk mind, I couldn't think of anything other than this moment. He slid his hand to the side of my face. His other hand moved to my thigh, resting on the side. I leaned into the kiss. I reached beside me, grabbing the empty glass. I held it tightly. I smashed the glass against the side of his head as hard as I could. It shattered. He fell to the ground, unconscious. I looked at my hand. Blood was covering my palm quickly as I held onto a piece of glass. I felt numb to it. I looked down at Kai.

"Dick," I mumbled.

"Evelyn."

I looked up to see Ryan. There was a look of hurt and confusion on his face. I felt tears forming in my eyes. I moved off of the table slowly. The piece of glass in my hand dug deeper, making me whine. I looked at Ryan again. He was frozen by the door.

Stefan walked in. He paused, taking in the situation. He walked over to me and grabbed my hand. He tried to open my hand, but I wouldn't let go of the glass.

"Evelyn, you're hurting yourself."

I looked at my hand. Blood was running down my arm, from between my fingers, and out of the sides of my fist. A tear rolled down my cheek. He put his hand at the side of my face, making me look at him.

"Open your hand."

"No."

"Evelyn, please."

My throat burned. I looked back down at my hand. I pushed his off of mine, exerting myself in doing so. "I need this." I hadn't realized the relief I used to feel would filter back into me seeing the blood spill from my skin. I stepped back from him, grabbing my wrist. "I need this." I took a few more steps back.

Stefan put his hands up in defense, breathing out slowly. "Come on, Ev."

I shook my head, "I'm sorry."

He slowly took a step closer, "Just open your hand, princess."

I sucked in a breath of air. "Stefan."

He lowered his hands. "It's okay. We can fix it."

I shook my head, "I didn't mean to."

He nodded as he kept slowly walking toward me. "I know."

I looked at my hand again. I slowly opened my hand. There were shards of glass now and blood pooling in my hand. I gasped softly.

Stefan's hands cupped my face, making me look into his eyes. "It's okay."

I shook my head, "No, it's not."

He nodded and pulled his hand away. He bit into his wrist and then put it to my mouth. I drank his blood to heal myself. The taste of copper filled my mouth. His eyes bored into mine as I drank from him. His lips parted, and a quiet sigh passed his lips.

He moved his hand to mine, holding it gently in his. He looked at the palm of my hand. I stared at his face. He looked sad. I felt sick.