Silent Prayers

Chapter 21

Elena's hair was shorter, about shoulder length now. It was different, but he thought he liked it.

She slammed the door hard to make sure it closed. Then she readjusted the bag she was holding and as she turned, she saw him standing across the street, looking at her.

Elena froze, giving herself time to figure out if it was really him, or if her mind was playing tricks on her. Sometimes she woke up and looked for him next to her in bed. It hurt every time when she remembered where he was and why he was there.

But this time, he was really there.

Stefan stood as still as he could, watching her, his heart racing. And then it shattered into a million little pieces as she turned quickly and hurried into the house. No amount of preparation could even come close to preparing him for that kind of pain. He could not live without her, and yet he had to now.

Stefan's head hung low as he turned around, ready to pick up his bag and go home. If he even made it that far before the police found him.

Stefan slung his bag over his shoulder and started walking when he heard a door open again. When he turned around, he saw Elena walking back outside. She paused as if she was rethinking her decision to come back outside. Then she began walking towards him slowly.

Every step she took made his chest tighten with anxiety. She stopped on the sidewalk, looked both ways and took a deep breath as she crossed the street.

Stefan buried his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt and watched as she walked closer and closer to him. Her expression was neutral, giving nothing away for the time being. He just wanted to know if she was angry or surprised or whatever else she could be feeling.

Elena stepped up onto the sidewalk with him, keeping a good couple of feet in distance between them. He didn't blame her though. She looked uncomfortable.

The silence between them was intolerable. "I know I shouldn't be here" Stefan finally said, quickly.

Elena crossed her arms, not sure how she felt about him being there. "How are you?" she asked, deciding that was a polite way to ease her way into their conversation. Truthfully, she did not know what else to say.

Stefan nodded. "I'm doing okay" he answered honestly.

"Good" Elena said, looking down at the sidewalk and focusing on a bottle cap lying there. She was glad to hear he was doing better. "I should get back inside ..." Elena mentioned. It was the only thing she could think of to say to escape the situation. To escape him and all of the painful memories she had.

"Will you have dinner with me?" Stefan blurted out before he lost his chance to. He needed to talk, to tell her things. "Whenever you're free" he added quickly, leaving it up to her. He was hopeful.

Elena looked up at him with weary eyes. "I ... I don't think that's a good idea" she said nervously. It killed her to decline, but she had to. The look on Stefan's face though was heartbreaking. She was sure that Stefan thought she would say yes. "I'm sorry, Stefan" she said, saying his name aloud for the first time in a long time. Elena turned and started back towards her house, leaving Stefan standing alone once again.

The moment Elena shut her front door, she closed her eyes and leaned against the door, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat. Elena knew that Stefan would be home from rehab at some point. She just was not expecting him to show up out of the blue like he had.

Remembering how devastated Stefan had looked outside after she had told him she would not have dinner with him had Elena in tears for the first time in a while.

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The table Damon and Elena ate at was entirely too big for just the two of them. But Elena never said anything and they continued to eat there on Sundays when Elena came over for dinner. Even after their big fight about Stefan and the divorce, Damon had still insisted they continue the tradition to eat dinner together on Sundays. It had been awkward for Elena at first, but Damon had done his best to make her comfortable by not talking about Stefan. She appreciated him for that.