Adeline broke down outside the Salvatore house— she was supposed to go back inside and hangout with her friends but she needed a minute. She knelt down in the driveway and put her hand over her mouth to silence her sobs. They were gut wrenching, painful sobs. She couldn't get his words out of her head. "I love you" was playing over and over.
I guess there is truth behind the words you never realize how much you love someone until you lose them. She knew she was falling in love with Klaus, even that she already loved him but she didn't know how much until she had to let him go.
As she sobbed to herself in the driveway a lot of different things crossed her mind— would her mom be proud of her for the decisions she was making? Would Elijah be disappointed in her? Because she knew what her relationship with Klaus meant to him. Would Klaus stop loving her?
She took a deep breath and used the sleeve of her shirt to clean up her face and she headed inside the house— ready to fake being happy, at least for tonight. She knew her friends needed this— Elena needed this. I guess she was officially apart of the save Elena squad, as she had now lost someone trying to help her friend. It seemed like a common theme in the group.
"Finally your back!!" Caroline beamed when Adeline walked through the door.
"Damon let us raid the alcohol supply and pick out the good stuff." Bonnie cheered, she was clearly already wasted.
"Give me the bottle." Adeline ordered and chugged as much as her stomach could stand. She was going to need to get extremely drunk tonight to get through this after what she just went through.
The group of friends drank and danced to loud music. Adeline tried her best to avoid talking to much, she just didn't feel like it. She was throwing back shot after shot until she reached a point where the pain was numb— it didn't hurt as bad.
A few bottles of alcohol later everyone was wasted and ready to crash. Adeline could barely walk, the room was spinning and she was wobbling from side to side while just standing still.
"Wow— blondie here is totally wasted." Damon laughed and the rest of the group joined. "Stef— take her up to your room let her sleep there."
"I can take myself!" Adeline slurred, and stumbled her way to the stairs. It took her longer than she would ever admit to get up the stairs and down the hall to Stefans room.
She jumped on his bed and let out a huge sigh of relief to finally be lying still.
"What's going on Adeline?" Stefan asked sitting on the edge of the bed.
"What— nothing I'm good." She groaned into the pillow.
"Well you left and then you come back and drink more than I've ever seen you drink."
"What are you? The alcohol police?" She laughed, she was so drunk there was no way she would be able to have any kind of real conversation with Stefan.
"Alright addy— just get some sleep." He huffed.
"Lay down Stef— you don't have to sleep on the couch." She offered.
He stared at his friend and wasn't sure if he should stay, but he wanted to. He laid down beside her and stared at the ceiling, he couldn't fall asleep but she could. He could hear her breathing slow and knew she was asleep.
***
The next morning Adeline woke up with a pounding headache— she didn't even realize vampires could still get hangovers. She was cursing herself for drinking as much as she did, but as soon as she got out of her sleepy state— she thought of him, she thought of saying goodbye and her stomach felt like it dropped out of her body.
Adeline looked over to her side and saw Stefan sleeping soundly in the other side of the bed. I guess they had passed out in here, but that was no big deal they were friends. She knew they didn't do anything, she was still in her clothes from last night and so was he.
She tiptoed towards the door, not wanting to have to talk to anyone this morning. She wanted to get home and spend some time alone— not to mention she really wanted to shower.
Stefan didn't wake up when she left and she was thankful for that. She kicked her shoes off by her front door, locked the door behind her and headed for her bathroom.
Adeline turned the hot water on and stepped out of her clothes. She thought a hot shower might make her feel better— both physically and mentally. But she was wrong, the ache in her chest wouldn't subside, the sick feeling she felt in her stomach could not be helped. Adeline was broken— she was in pain.
***ONE WEEK LATER IN NEW ORLEANS***
Klaus poured the bourbon to the brim of his glass and slammed the bottle down on the table. Within a few moments, the entire glass was gone and he was filling it up again.
"Niklaus— it is ten o'clock in the morning." Elijah groaned. "A little early for that."
"Oh please brother. It's not to early for a good drink." Klaus scoffed. "What is it that people say? It's 5 o'clock somewhere?"
Klaus was spiraling his temper was short— he was drinking all the time. He had become nearly impossible to be around. They had only been in New Orleans a week and Klaus had killed many people and was reeking havoc on the French quarter.
"I know you are upset and that you miss Adeline but—" Elijah started.
The hybrid dashed across the room and grabbed his brothers suit. "Don't talk about her!" He shouted.
"You can't just pretend as if she didn't exist." Elijah bellowed. "You love her!"
"And look where that got me brother!" Klaus spat. "It got me nowhere."
Klaus didn't want to hear anymore from Elijah— not right now. He went out and drowned his sorrows into the necks of several different women, so many he actually lost count. When he returned to their home just outside the French quarter, he went straight up to his room avoiding any conversations with his siblings.
He stood behind a blank canvas and picked up the paint brush. It was happening again— every time he began to paint he would want to paint one thing but he always ended up painting her. Over and over since they left. He picked up the canvas with her face sprawled across it in beautiful hues and tossed it against the wall, snapping it in half.
He yelled so loud he could have rattled the house. Klaus was frustrated and he just wanted to forget.
****MYSTIC FALLS*****
Adeline had barely left the house in the past week. She would send her friends text just letting them know she was alive and kept making excuses up about why she couldn't hang out. She just needed time— time to process, time to try and make herself feel better but with each day that passed, it was worse.
She was laying on her couch watching another movie when someone knocked on her door. She contemplated not answering the door but then they knocked again. Addy groaned as she pulled herself off the couch and moved to answer the door. When she pulled it open, Stefan was waiting on the other side.
"Hi." She gave a fake smiled. It's not that she wasn't happy to see her friend, it's just that she wasn't happy at all anymore.
"I went to the Mikaelsons." he looked at her with sympathetic eyes. Her stomach knotted up at the sound of that name. "It was pretty empty and they were no where to be found... got something you want to talk about?"
"You should probably come inside." She said, the tears were already rising in her eyes.
They both sat down on the couch in her living room and Stefan stayed quiet, looking at his friend waiting for her to be ready to talk.
"They moved to New Orleans." She choked.
"And he just left you?" He questioned. Stefan was shocked, with the way he protected her he never would have expected that.
"Not exactly— he asked me to come." She started to cry harder now "and I said yes but then I saw Elena and care and bonnie... and you. I just couldn't leave, not now when people need me."
Stefan scooted across the couch and wrapped his friend into a hug. He knew what it felt like to sacrifice your own happiness for others. It was a tough cross to bare. She sobbed into his shoulder for a while until she felt well enough to pull apart.
"You really care about him don't you?" He questioned.
"I really do." She cried. "And I know that's hard for you to understand."
"It is— but that's okay. I don't have to understand." He shrugged. "It's just— I care for you too Adeline... as more than a friend."
"Stefan." she wept.
"No just let me finish." He insisted. "But I know how you feel for Klaus because I have felt that way. I loved Elena when I shouldn't and I loved you when I shouldn't. So I just want you to know that I'll always be here— if you ever... I'll just always be here for you."
Adeline nodded at her friend— there wasn't much she could say. She was just grateful for his comfort and finally talking to someone about what happened. She explained the rest of the story about him leaving and how it was the most gut wrenching experience she had ever had— he felt for her.
When they were done talking and she was done crying— at least for the night Stefan let himself out and Adeline crawled into her bed. She hoped she would get more sleep tonight then the week prior but she didn't count on it.