Until This Lie Do Us Part

Chapter 4

Elena tossed her water bottle on her bed. "I can throw a good punch when I need to" she said, readjusting her gloves.

Stefan walked into the room, continuing to let his eyes travel across her body. Elena repositioned herself in front of her bag, took a deep breath and then punched it. She heard Stefan chuckle from behind her. And then he did the unthinkable, reaching from behind her to grab her left hand. Elena turned around quickly, throwing her right hand at his face. Stefan caught it though in time, having envisioned her trying to strike out at him. Stefan held her close, her eyes wide with shock that he had her in a position where she could not escape. "That wasn't very nice" he said, smiling.

"Let go of me" she said through gritted teeth, though he swore he heard desperation. But her eyes were fierce.

Stefan let go of her and took a small step back, raising his arms to show he was backing off. She watched him carefully, eyeing the door every so often. Stefan stepped around her and pushed the bag, testing it. He turned around again and looked at her. "Let me see your hand" he said, holding his own out towards her. Elena hesitated and Stefan rolled his eyes. "I want to show you something" he assured her. Elena reluctantly stepped closer to him and gave him her hand. Stefan held her hand for a moment, reveling in the fact that his mere touch had her going crazy inside. It was all over her face, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. "The number one rule when throwing a punch?" he said, balling her hand into a fist. "Is to not tuck your thumb in. You'll break it" he said.

Elena watched closely as he caressed her thumb for a moment. And then before she even realized it, he was moving behind her, still holding on to her hand. "Rule number two? When you go to punch, throw your weight into it. You need the extra momentum" he said into her ear. Elena swallowed hard as she nodded. Why did he have to be so close? "Okay" he said, stepping away from her. "Take a swing." Elena took a moment before moving into place. She focused on the bag as best as she could, trying to contain her beating heart. Taking one last breath, she pulled her arm back and made contact with the bag. The bag moved and her hand didn't hurt after the fact.

Elena smiled as she turned around. "Like that?" she asked, unable to contain herself.

Stefan shrugged. "Not bad" he said casually. Elena glared at him, but he noticed it was more playful. "So what made you get into all this?" he asked, waving at the bag.

Elena rolled her shoulders, feeling a bit stiff. "For self-defense" Elena answered.

Stefan laughed. "Because the bag is going to attack you?" he asked, finding her training method a bit flawed.

Elena had never been able to take actual self-defense classes unfortunately, so she figured a punching bag was the next best thing. "It's better than nothing" she replied.

Stefan shook his head. "No no no" he said, waving his hand. "That's not going to work."

Elena raised her eyebrow. "Why do you care?" she asked. She figured he had plenty of other things to think about besides her ability to defend herself.

"Because" Stefan said. "Every girl should know how to defend herself" he shrugged as if he hadn't put much thought into it. Elena looked at him quizzically. "What?" he asked.

"That was the last thing I expected to come out of your mouth" she said. "The guy who plays girls is worried about their safety. I'm floored" she said.

Stefan furrowed his brow. "Well, maybe that just goes to show that you don't know me as well as you think" he replied. He paused for a moment as he thought about something. "How about you and I spend the evening getting to know each other?" he suggested.

Elena shrugged. "Well, seeing as how I probably have to meet your family soon, I suppose I should learn a few things about you" she told him, taking a few steps closer to him. "But just so we are clear, I have no interest in spending time with you" she stated.

"Fair enough" Stefan grinned. He locked eyes with her for a moment before she broke contact. "Now, for your self-defense lessons" he said.

"What, are you an expert in this area too?" she said crtitically.

Stefan smiled. "Not particularly, no" he answered. "But, I am a guy, so I think that makes me better to practice with than an inanimate object" he told her. "Turn around" he told her.

"What? Why?" she demanded. She was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of not facing him.

Stefan rolled his eyes again. "Just turn around Elena" he told her. "I'm not going to try anything stupid" he promised her. She still didn't look convinced. "Scouts honor" he grinned. Elena groaned as she turned around. Within moments, she felt Stefan behind her. "Now, most of the time, you will probably be attacked from behind because it is easier to overpower you that way" he told her. Elena held her breath as she felt his arms go around her, holding her tight. "I've got your upper body immobilized, so now you can't use your arms, right?" he asked.

Elena slowly let herself breath out, but having him flush up against her, being able to feel his heart beat against her back, was distracting. "Right" she answered.

"Wrong" Stefan whispered against her ear. Elena closed her eyes. How could her body react this way to him? She hated him. "Turn your body to your right" he prompted her. Elena did so. "Now your elbow is free. You can move it forward and then thrust it back into my stomach" he instructed. Elena nodded. He turned her around and grabbed on to her upper arms. He stared into her eyes, trying to figure out what she was thinking. He realized that he couldn't figure her out, and that scared him a bit. "You know what to do here I assume?" he asked her. Elena nodded as she began to draw her knee up, aiming to kick him between his legs, when he flinched. "Don't even think about it" he warned her.

Elena smirked and watched how nervous he looked. She slowly put her foot back down and he let go of her arms. "Thanks for the tips" she said, walking around him. She went to her dresser and grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt for her shower. Stefan watched her saunter off into the bathroom. He decided the girl was insane. But all he could focus on in that moment was how much he wanted to be in that shower with her.