Meant To Be

chapter two

"Eh, you'd be surprised. I've still got my charm." He smirks, and we get in the car, heading for the diner.

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"Two orders of your pancake special please," I tell the waiter, "with a side of whipped cream and blueberries. And a Bloody Mary."

Bonnie gives me a knowing and annoyed look, obviously realising what I was up to.

"Scratch the Bloody Mary. Make that two coffees, please. Extra sugar," she adds.

The waiter looks back at me in assurance and I roll my eyes, but nod.

"Coming right up," he says, before walking away.

I turn to look at her, opening my mouth to speak before I'm stopped abruptly.

"Don't even start. You're cut off from alcohol. Starting right now. No if's, and's or but's, got it?" Before I can respond, she continues. "And vamp cakes? Really? Cliché much?"

I chuckle softly, looking away from her.

How did I survive the last three years without her?

"Judgey, excuse me for being a tad reminiscent. You can't still hate them that much," I say with a smile.

"You'd be surprised. Anyway, let's talk about happy things then, if you're gonna ban everything else. What's your favorite part of being human again?"

"Food tastes really good again? I don't know. I'm slower, weaker, I get sick. I miss being a vampire just as much as I enjoy being human. What about you? What's it like not having to save the world for a change?"

"It's very... Calm. Some days I get bored and hope something crazy will happen. But even though a mediocre existence took some getting used to, I've grown to appreciate the simplicity of it. I'm happy."

Good. She deserved to live a normal life for once. "And what exactly did you do in all these places you saw, and where did you go exactly? I mean, three years is a long time..."

And so she told me all about the various countries and states she'd seen, the people she'd met, including some witches along the way. When the food came, we ate it up, and the conversation continued. We traded stories about the things we had missed in each other's lives. The good, the ironic, the developments that had taken place. But sadly, they weren't all good.

I drop a twenty on the table and we head for the exit. During our time in the diner, the sky had grown dark, and rain had begun falling rather heavily. We make our way to the car, and are quite wet by the time we're seated inside.

I start the engine, turning on the heat to warm us both up. It was late fall, about a week before thanksgiving, and the November temperatures were a bit chillier than usual. I look over to see Bonnie shivering beside me, and I shrug off my jacket, wrapping it around her.

"What is it, like summer over in Australia right now? This must be a real change for you."

She smiles, "Thanks, and yeah, it's nice over there right now."

For a few minutes we just sit there in silence, warming up, hearing only the sound of raindrops pelting the exterior of the car.

Until the soft murmuring of words adds to it.

"I've found myself wondering how different things could've been had Raina and Cade, even Sybil, not come into our lives. How much different things would've been right now. You're unhappy, Enzo's dead, I'm just traveling the world trying to find meaning in my life, but I don't know if there is any. Without having to deal with supernatural drama, everything just seems to lack importance, you know?"

I did. Things were a lot more dull without having a slew of problems to solve all the time.

"I know. Stef would still be alive and happy with Caroline. He would've gotten the human life he deserved. Yet here I am, alive, while he's wherever he is- finding peace, if it even exists. And Elena is awake, trying to build a career for herself and not knowing if she even wants me in her life to begin with. And I'm just drinking my life away because I don't have anything better to do. I've already lived life, enough for a few lifetimes."

I pause, sighing before I continue. "But for those of us who made it this far, through all the shit we went through, we need to find a way to be happy and create meaning in our lives. Because if we don't, all those deaths, all those sacrifices- they were all for nothing."

I feel Bonnie's hand pat mine in reassurance, and I look down at them before intertwining our fingers.

"So do you know what I plan on doing to find that meaning again?"

She looks at me curiously.

"I plan on using the time you're here to make up for all the mistakes I've made when it comes to our friendship. Yes, I know you already forgave me for leaving you all those years ago, but I haven't forgiven myself. This is my second chance to fix our friendship, and since you're just about all I've got left, I'm not messing it up again this time."

She smiles at me, silent for a second before adding, "Good to know."