Keeping My Distance

eleven

EDITED

I wake up in a tangle of limbs and warmth.
Peeking open my eyes I angle my head up and see Stefan's sleeping face. Which is peaceful and comforting to look at in the first few moments after waking up.

Then it rushes back at me. 

Kol is dead.

Kol is gone.

Sighing, I let myself be sad for a few minutes before trying to push it away.

I try convince myself that Kol never loved me.
Kol may have cared for me, but if he loved me he would've spared Jeremy. 

To avoid any further damage to my heart I find a distraction. I start to study Stefan's sleeping face instead of focusing on losing Kol.
The smooth skin of his neck, going up his face. It looked like silk, soft to the touch too. I gently trace his jaw line with my pinkie finger, memorizing every centimeter of it.
I trace the slope of his nose, and the hair of his brooding eyebrows. My fingers follow their own soft pathway down to his lips. And I hear his even breathing catch, indicating he's aware of my fingers now, I continue on my journey and finish tracing his lips and move my fingers down his neck again and collar bone before finally resting on his chest.

"Having fun there?" Stefan whispers, his voice rough from sleeping.

"I needed a distraction," I say simply, and quietly, so quiet I'm not sure I even said it out loud but I'm sure he heard it.

"Did it work?" Stefan opens his eyes to study my face.

I take in a deep breath when his eyes meet mine. The dark forest green striking against his pale skin tone. I commit this to memory along with the rest of his face.

He's a master piece all on his own.

"Did what work?" I ask, dazed by my sudden interest in his beauty.

"Did the distraction?" He asks softly, his eyes searching mine again.

I shrug and untangle my legs from his, yet leave my head and hand on his chest,

"I guess it did."

"Well good. I'm glad I could help," Stefan smiles lightly, yet genuinely,

"Do you want to talk about it? About Kol?"

"No, I would rather not," I answer honestly, my heart shuddering in my chest at Kol's name.

Stefan nods, and looks down at me and I look up at him as he reassures me,

"There's nothing to be ashamed about. You loved him, and now he is gone. You're allowed to hurt, and you are allowed to be mad. Take all the time you need to heal, Eve. First loves are a bitch to get over."

"What's on the agenda today?" I ask him, trying to make normal conversation. But his words stick with me, he really does care about me as a friend. I appreciate Stefan Salvatore greatly in this moment, thankful to have him in my life.

"We are going-" he starts but is cut off by the door being slammed open, which seems to happen to me a lot lately.

"To Nova Scotia. Island. To be exact. We are hunting down the cure," Damon says, walking in, Elena hot on his tail.

They stop when they see Stefan and I so close, their expressions mixed of shock Damon. Wheres Elena looked confused and betrayed, her eyes scorching into mine.
I hurriedly sit up and roll away from Stefan almost falling off the bed in an effort to get away from him.

Damon's eyes flash between us repeatedly,

"Did we miss something?"

Stefan and I look at one another before quickly shaking our heads no.