"Hallelujah," I whispered as I turned the corner, relief rushing through my chest. My eyes had just landed on my lucky table, which was unoccupied for the first time all week.
I slid my bag from my shoulder and it on the table with a soft thud. Since the whole floor appeared to be vacant, I let my things scatter across the smooth, flat surface. After pulling my ear buds from my bag, I selected my concentration playlist on my phone and pulled my notebook from my back pocket.
Inspiration had been swirling all around me the entire day. From the sweet song of the blue jay that morning to the scent of the freshly brewed coffee in my hand, every one of my senses was buzzing with excitement. I was so anxious to put my pen to paper that I rushed right over to the library after my last class.
Some time later, while lost in my description of Lady Emily's shimmery ballgown, I felt a hand curl around my shoulder. I gasped, yanking out my ear buds and jumping to my feet.
"Kol! You scared me," I whisper-shouted when I met his soft, whiskey colored eyes.
"Sorry, darling. Didn't mean you any harm." His charming smile was crooked, just like his stance, as he brought a silver flask to his lips with a wink. He took a long sip before tucking it in the front pocket of his worn Kappa hoodie.
"Are you drunk?" I swallowed hard, looking around the room for any possible witnesses. "At the library?"
He shrugged his broad shoulders and bit down on his full lower lip. "And if I am? It's not like anyone cares."
"I care. I very much care." I insisted. I bit down on my lower lip, realizing I almost let something slip. "You could get in big trouble."
"Get in trouble? You're such a priss, Presley," he snickered softly.
I ignored his insult, taking a moment to study his appearance. With his dark hair messy, bags lining his eyes and extra growth along his chiseled jaw, Kol looked downright ragged.
He'd been spiraling since he discovered my best friend Lila, who was pregnant with his baby, had been seeing his brother behind his back.
I met his dark gaze, my heart aching when I saw the pain still lingering in his stare.
Kol looked down at the table and furrowed his brow, spinning my forgotten notebook on the table to face him. "What's this?"
"Nothing." I snatched the book back from him, sticking it in my bag before he could read any of my latest story. "What are you doing getting drunk here anyway, Kol? You live in a frat house, for God's sake. Being drunk is practically a requirement."
"Apparently, I've been a distraction to the brothers lately." With a shake of his head, he slid into the chair beside me. His cologne was mixing with the scent of the whiskey he had hidden in his flask, providing a heady combination I was unaccustomed to smelling in my beloved library.
"The other Kappas? You're the biggest party house on campus," I scoffed. "How could you be a distraction?"
"Klaus claims that I've been encouraging the others to act in self-destructive ways or something, I don't know," he muttered with a shrug. "I thought if I came to the library to drink, no one else would be all the way up on the Loser Floor and I could have some peace and quiet. Imagine my surprise when I found a lone loser."
His eyes flicked over to mine with a playful twinkle, and he booped my nose with his fingertip.
"Very funny," I smirked, gathering my things and ignoring the flutter in my chest. "You go on and get plastered in the library, you weirdo. I'll let you have some privacy."
I slung my bag back over my shoulder and stood. I could always write at home now that Bonnie had moved out to live with Enzo. Though in my opinion, the house was far too quiet and I wasn't a fan of writing there.
I grabbed my coffee and headed towards the exit, but before I could reach the door, Kol pushed it open for me.
"I may be a bit tipsy, darling—and perhaps a touch grumpier than usual—but I'm still a gentleman. I'll walk you home." He held the door open for me to pass through.
"Oh, you don't have to—" I began, but then I realized that it had grown dark already and it wouldn't be a bad idea to walk with someone else. "Thanks."
"Where to?" He discreetly took another pull of his flask, and I eyed him with concern.
"I'm right over on Plum." I gestured to the path to our left, pressing my lips together in a tight line.
"Would you like a nip, Presley? Might loosen that rather large stick from your bum," he teased, waving the whiskey in my face.
I laughed softly, rolling my eyes at his good-natured ribbing. I had grown used to his opinion of me early on in our friendship when he realized that I was so studious.
"Yeah, why not?" His eyes widened when I plucked the flask from his fingers and brought it to my lips. I took a couple of pulls down my throat, wincing from the afterburn.
"Look at you go, little bookworm! I feel like a proud papa," he grinned.
"Shut up," I grumbled, biting back my grin. Looking over at him, I met his eyes for a second and my heart skipped another beat.
Then he lifted his gaze to the street sign we'd just passed, and his smile vanished. "Let's take a shortcut." He grabbed my arm and pulled me down a dark side street.
"Ow. What the hell?" I snapped, pulling my arm from his grip.
My eyes shifted to meet his, softening when I caught the torment reflected in the dark brown. "I just didn't feel like going down Peach tonight," he shrugged. "This is faster anyway."
I knew Lila lived on Peach, but I hardly had time to process that before panic set in. "Yeah, but there's a reason I don't go down this street!" My voice was a harsh whisper as we passed by the familiar front stoop. I subconsciously burrowed into Kol's chest when I caught a glimpse of a figure in the darkness.
"Presley?"
"Fuck," I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut.
Kol froze, turning around slowly to see who had called my name from the shadows.
"Damon," I groaned, pulling away from Kol. I turned my head, avoiding the sight of the man who'd taken my soft heart and broken it into a million pieces.
"Hey! I was just thinking about you," he cooed, ignoring my indifference and drawing me into his chest. "How are you doing, baby?"
I held my breath so I wouldn't inhale the familiar scent of leather, bourbon, and Chanel for Men cologne. I didn't trust myself with Damon, and his seductive fragrance was a large part of it.
Kol's eyes narrowed at Damon's familiarity. He moved in closer to me, seemingly prepared to step in if need be.
"I'm fine, Damon," I hissed, untangling myself from his embrace. "And I'm not falling for this again. Goodnight."
I marched back over to Kol's side, turning towards Plum Street.
"Falling for what?" Damon called after me, holding up his hands. "I just wanted to say hi."
"Yeah. I remember how you say hi, shithead. Especially to your downstairs neighbor," I grimaced at the memory of walking into his apartment to find him wrapped around the blonde from his building and picked up my pace.
"Call me sometime, Pres! We were good together. That thing you do with your tongue..." He pressed his fingers to his lips and threw me a chef's kiss, before following us down the street.
I felt myself stiffen, my body going rigid as I fought the embarrassment Damon Salvatore had once again caused.
"Fuck off, dickhead," Kol called back to my ex, pulling me close to his side. "She's taken."
"Oh." Damon stopped in his tracks and held up his palms. "Sorry, bro. I didn't know."
"Now you know. Stay away from her." Kol sent him a murderous look before we turned the corner.
I relaxed a bit once Damon was out of sight, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thanks for that."
Kol pulled his arm away far too soon, before shrugging his shoulders. "It was nothing. He's lucky you aren't really my girlfriend, or he'd be spitting out his front teeth right now."
I knew Kol was just posturing, but for a moment I let myself wonder what it would be like if he really was my boyfriend. It was something that had crossed my mind several times before, but I always forced it out of my thoughts.
Truthfully, I was attracted to him from the first day we met. When I watched him sing a love song for Lila without knowing she was in the room, my heart ached for him. If he wasn't still hung up on her, things could have maybe been different, but it was clear that he was still head over heels.
I sighed deeply, knowing there was no point in even imagining what he would be like as anything but a friend. He was my best friend's baby's father, and that was all he'd ever be to me.
"I'm right up here," I told him, pointing to my bright aqua door.
"Oh, darling. Your door is hideous," he murmured. "We must fix that for you, immediately."
I smacked him playfully in the chest. "I painted that myself, you jackass. And I think it's lovely."
Kol just shook his head, a frown pulling at his lips. "Whatever you say, love."
When I reached the steps, I turned to him. "Thanks for walking me home, Kol. And I really appreciate what you did back there with Damon."
"If he ever bothers you again, just give me a call," he said as he shoved his hands in the pocket of his jeans.
"Thanks." I unlocked my door, and pushed it open, before turning around. The sight of Kol's slumped shoulders as he walked back down the dark alley to avoid Lila's street tugged at my heartstrings.
I wondered if there was any way he would ever get over my best friend, or if it would only get worse for him once their daughter was born.
Shaking my head, I stepped inside the dark house with a heavy heart, and Kol's cologne still lingering in my nose.
[To be continued..]