Silent Prayers

Chapter 43

Stefan reached for the bag and opened it up, smiling proudly at himself. He handed Elena one of the cinnamon swirl muffins along with a napkin.

Elena accepted the muffin with a smile and thought about how he used to surprise her with breakfast when they first got married. She felt a little sentimental at the thought, and she wondered if that café down the street from their old house was still open. It was owned by the sweetest old man, and his staff knew Elena by name.

Elena also wondered if anyone had been interested in the house. Stefan hadn't said anything lately, but she wasn't so sure that he would until something was finalized.

"Elena?" Stefan asked, seeing that she was deep in thought. She had picked off a piece of her muffin and was holding onto it.

"Huh?" she asked, looking back up at him. He was smiling at her, and she felt slightly embarrassed for spacing out like that.

"Do you want to open your present?" Stefan asked, sliding a card across the counter to her.

Elena momentarily forgot about her muffin and coffee and picked up the card. It had her name on the envelope, written in none other than Stefan's handwriting. Carefully, she tore at the envelope and retrieved the card. When Elena opened it, a certificate fell out. She read the message inside, smiling at his words. Then she picked up the certificate that had fallen out. "What's this?" Elena asked, scanning her eyes over the certificate.

Stefan did not bother hiding the smile on his face. He was so excited to give her the details about the gift he had chosen. "This" he said as he reached over and grabbed the certificate from her to hold up. "Is your registration for your scuba diving certification" he answered. He watched her eyes light up. "This particular certification will qualify you to dive 60 feet" Stefan explained. He knew how much she wanted to become certified. She had talked about it all the time when they had first been married.

"Stefan" Elena said, smiling excitedly. She got up off of the stool and rushed to him so she could hug him. "Thank you" she told him, wrapping her arms around him as tight as she could. She felt his arm wrap around her waist, holding her close too.

"You're welcome" Stefan said, kissing against her ear. He was relieved that Elena loved her gift. Hell, he was relieved he was spending her birthday with her. When Elena pulled away, she remained close. "Damon wants to meet up with us at 4:00" Stefan mentioned. He glanced over at the clock hanging on the wall. "That gives us five hours."

Elena leaned into his side with her arm draped over his shoulder. "Maybe we can go into Charleston and walk around?" Elena asked with a hopeful smile on her face. There were a ton of little shops that she liked to go into, and they could walk along the pier after.

Stefan placed his hands on her hips and turned her so she was standing in front of him. "That sounds like a lot of fun" Stefan told her.

Elena ran her hand over the back of his head, smoothing out some of the hair sticking up back there. "Thank you again" she told him, catching his eyes for a brief second before she leaned in and kissed him again. Then she moved back to her own seat, still smiling as she sat down and ate the muffin he had brought her.

They shared smiles and casual talk until they finished their breakfast.

She could not stop talking about all the places she was going to go dive, and Stefan was already mentally planning on a Caribbean vacation for the two of them where she could go dive in crystal blue waters.

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Stefan walked alongside Elena carrying a couple of small shopping bags holding the various small items she had bought. He had let her take the lead and just followed her wherever she went. Sometimes she held his hand and other times she wrapped her arms around him as they walked. And sometimes she was busy snapping pictures of the two of them. They had even stopped to pet a few dogs along the way and Stefan started to wonder if maybe they should get a dog.