3

The sound of my phone buzzing woke me up. I reached for it and pulled it in front of my face. I opened my eyes to see a blindingly bright screen. I answered Ryan's call and put the phone to my ear.

"Hey, Ev."

"What do you want?"

"Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah." I moved my hand to my eyes, covering them.

"Too bad. I need to talk to you."

I sighed. "About?" I opened my eyes. I pushed my hair behind my ear.

"You're still coming back for Christmas, right?"

"No, actually. I'm staying. If people stop arguing with me."

"Ooh. Sounds like dinner was fun."

"Oh my God, you should've been there." I looked at the bed. "I feel like this is the start of my downfall."

"Tell me all about it later."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why not now?"

"Because I love it when you explain things in person. It's so much better."

"What are you talking about?" I moved to the edge of the bed, letting my legs hang off the bed.

"You're not coming back for Christmas, and I don't want to spend it with my family. Your sister loves me, and I'm sure your mom will too. I can keep you from doing stupid things."

"Ryan, no. You don't understand."

"Oh, come on, Ev. I miss you. And what's better than having your best friend around for the holidays?!"

I stood up. "Not having him around. You just want a new set of girls to sleep with, and I know for a fact you're starting with my sister."

"Who's to say I won't start with you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Try and see how fast you die."

"Don't act like you haven't thought about it. I know how thin our walls are."

I felt my cheeks flush. "Whatever. You can't just spontaneously drop in."

"Too late. I've booked my flight. I'll be there in two days."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "You're a dick, you know that?"

"Mhm. You've said that a lot, sweetheart. I gotta go. Stay sweet, Ev."

"Bye. Love you."

He ended the call. I turned my phone off and tossed it on the bed. I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

-

The last two days were spent at home by myself. My mom was working, and Caroline was with Elena in their dorm. Why? She wouldn't tell me. I used the time I had to finish the book I was reading.

I woke up a few hours ago. I only went out for coffee because we were out here. I've been sitting on the couch binging 90's rom coms all morning. I pushed the blanket off of myself and grabbed the remote off the coffee table.

"Hey," my mom started, "What time is Ryan supposed to be here?"

I looked at her after clicking the power button. "In an hour. I have to go pick him up from the airport."

Her hand rested on the doorframe. She tapped her thumb on the frame as she looked at the coffee table. "He's staying with us, right?" She looked at me.

"As Caroline requested." I sat the remote on the table then stood up. I turned to her. "Unless you've changed your mind."

She shook her head once. She pulled her hand off the frame and took a step into the room. "I just..." She sighed. "He's staying in your room. I just wanna make sure you're being safe."

My face twisted in disgust, "Ew! I'm not having sex with him. He's my roommate. We're not involved in any way other than friendship."

She tilted her head. "Okay! Caroline just made it seem like you two were dating."

I rolled my eyes. "Caroline thinks he's in love with me. He's not. I can assure you that Ryan and I are nothing more than friends, and nothing will happen between us. Especially not in this house."

She nodded. "It's fine if you two are more than friends, Evelyn. I just wanted to check."

I crossed my arms. "We're friends, that's all."

"For now," Caroline said as she walked past my mom. "This always happens, Vale. Boy and girl are friends. Girl goes away. Boy comes to visit. Boy and girl share a room. Boy and girl realize their feelings for one another via love confession from boy. You'll have a boyfriend by Christmas, mark my words."

I uncrossed my arms. "Ryan and I are friends! He isn't in love with me. And stop calling me Vale!"

She smiled. "Whatever you say." She looked at mom. "I'm heading out. I'll be back in a bit." She looked at me again. "Don't worry, I'll be back in time to meet Ryan."

I tilted my head. "Great," I muttered sarcastically.

She turned and walked out of the house. I heard the front door shut.

"I have to go in for work tonight, but I can call in and tell them I can't make it."

I shook my head. "It's okay. I have to show him around anyway."

"Okay. I won't be able to have dinner with you guys, though. Are you sure it's okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah. You're off tomorrow anyway, right?"

She nodded in response.

I looked at the clock on the wall. "I should probably get going." I looked at her as I walked toward her. "Do I need to pick up anything?"

She shook her head and stepped to the side. "I'm gonna stop by the store after work."

I slipped on my shoes and then grabbed my coat. "Are you sure?" I flipped out my curled hair then turned to her.

"Yeah."

I pulled my keys out of my pocket. "Okay. I'll be back soon."

"Drive safe."

I smiled, "I will."

She smiled back. I walked out of the house.

-

I unzipped my coat and breathed out slowly. I crossed my arms and stared forward. I stood there for a few minutes alone. People started pacing as they waited. My eyes met the guy I've grown to love. He had a bag on his shoulder. My eyes moved from his black shoes to his brown eyes.

He is attractive, but I'm not attracted to him. He's muscular, but he isn't obsessed with his physique. He goes to the gym every Tuesday and Thursday. His hair is dark brown. His jawline is strong, and his features are soft. His hair isn't styled, but it isn't messy. His shirt is hugging his body, making him look bigger than normal.

His smile grew wider as he walked closer. I uncrossed my arms and walked toward him. He dropped his bag on the ground and closed the short distance between us. He threw his arms around my waist and lifted me off the ground. I squeezed my arms tightly around his neck and shut my eyes.

"God. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

He set my feet on the ground, and I moved my hands to his shoulders. I pulled my head back and stared up at him.

"Well, I haven't missed you at all," I teased.

He rolled his eyes and moved his hands to my hips. His smile didn't stay gone for long. "Did you bring your sister with you?"

I drew my hand back and punched his shoulder. "Am I not enough for you?"

He tilted his head and furrowed his brows as if he were thinking about it. "No. Not really."

I rolled my eyes. "Grab your bag. Let's go."

He laughed to himself as he went back to his bag.

-

I was a few miles from the house now. He was intently listening to me as I explained the time I've had.

"He's so obviously in love with you!"

I sighed and took the turn. "No, he's not. If he was in love with me, he would just tell me."

"Really? Why?"

"Because he's Stefan. He doesn't exactly hide his feelings. We're friends, we tell each other everything."

"Like how you've told him you're in love with him."

I looked over at him. "Was. And you're not supposed to talk about that." I looked at the road again.

"Fine. But my point, Evelyn, is that your argument is invalid because it's hypocritical. The evidence that he is in love with you has made itself abundantly clear. He "protected" you, or whatever the hell it was, because he felt defensive and possessive of you like you're his girlfriend. I would know because I'm a guy. And the way he cornered you at Thanksgiving? Come on... And then he stayed the night with you!"

I turned the car off and unbuckled. "He's just that kind of friend, Ryan." He started laughing. I sighed. "What now?"

He moved his hand from his chest to his knee. "I just can't wait to meet this guy and see you get flustered around him."

I hit his chest. "I'm not in love with him. And you're not meeting him."

He grabbed the handle of the car door. "Whatever you say, Ev."

I opened my car door as he got out. He grabbed his bag. We walked side by side to the door. I stepped in front of him as I opened the front door. I could hear talking in the living room. He shut the door behind him. I took off my coat and hung it up.

"Evelyn?" Footsteps followed after the voice.

"Yeah." I glanced at Ryan before walking to the entrance of the living room.

My mom was standing at the end of the coffee table. Caroline walked a few steps to stand beside her. Elena was on the other side of her.

I crossed my arms. I looked at Ryan, who was now standing beside me. He was smiling as he stared at them. My mom walked closer. Ryan took a few steps toward her.

He held out his hand. "Hey. I'm Ryan."

She smiled back at him as she shook his hand. "I'm Evelyn's mom. You can call me Liz."

"Liz. Nice to meet you."

She nodded once. "You too." She pulled her hand from his.

Caroline walked over and diverted Ryan's attention to her. "It's nice to finally see you in person."

"Yeah, you too. You're a lot cuter."

The smile on her face grew wider. "Thanks." She looked at Elena then back to Ryan. "This is Elena."

He waved at her. "I'm Ryan."

I sighed. I walked forward and put my hand on Ryan's forearm, not able to fully wrap my hand around it. "Okay. Now you all know each other." I looked at Ryan. "Go to my room. Up the stairs. Third door on the right. I'll be there in a minute."

He tilted his head. "As bossy as ever."

"Go."

He smiled. "Fine." He looked at the three of them again. "It was nice to meet all of you." He walked away, going up to my room.

"You were right," Elena said. "He is in love with her."

I rolled my eyes and looked at her. "No. He's not. He's just naturally flirty. It's how he's slept with half of Harvard."

"Half?"

I looked at Caroline. "I was exaggerating."

"Obviously." She tilted her head. "I'm just saying, Evelyn, no man listens to a woman he doesn't want to sleep with."

"She's got a point," Elena added.

"Okay," my mom started. "That's enough teasing for right now. He just got here. Let's not scare him off."

"Speaking of scaring him off." I lowered my voice to a whisper. "He doesn't know about vampires and everything, so don't say anything to him."

"You've known this guy for a year," Caroline retorted.

"He's a skeptic. And a gossip."

"Alright," my mom responded. "I have to get to work, and I won't be home until late tonight."

I looked at her. "Bye."

She smiled and then looked at Caroline and Elena. They said bye and she left. I turned to Caroline and Elena.

"There's a party tonight."

I furrowed my brows. "What?"

"At Whitmore. We're throwing a big holiday party. You and Ryan are going."

"No. I don't drink, and he'll end up going home with some girl."

Caroline smiled. "Not if he needs to keep you from Stefan."

I tilted my head, "No."

Caroline slid her arm through Elena's. "We have to go. See you in three hours."

"Make sure you dress for it. Black and white."

I crossed my arms. "Are you both deaf or something?"

They smiled at each other. "Bye, Evelyn. Three hours." They walked out of the house.

I sighed before accepting my plans. I walked down the hallway, then up the steps. I walked into my room. Ryan was staring at the pictures on my wall. He turned to face me.

"What took you so long?"

I took a few steps into my room. "My mom left for work. Caroline and Elena told me we have to go to a party tonight."

He smiled, "Party? Sweet. When?"

I sighed, "Three hours."

He furrowed his brows. "Isn't your mom, like, the sheriff?"

I nodded, "Yup. Caroline doesn't care. Remember?"

He tried to hide the smile on his face. "Right."

I tilted my head, "Anyway, we're not going."

"Come on, Ev!" He walked toward me. "You can have fun once in a while. Fun is parties. And drinking."

"Drinking is dangerous and stupid. It's how people die."

"So, drink in moderation! It'll be so much fun. Remember the last party you went to?"

"No!"

He put his hands on the sides of my face. "Exactly!"

"I don't go to parties. It's irresponsible and stupid. Do you know how likely it is that I'll get roofied or grinded on? Pretty likely."

He moved his hands to my shoulders. "If we go to this party, I vow to stay within fifteen feet of you at all times. I'll hold your drinks and dance with you. I'll even be designated driver if you promise to live a little tonight."

I sighed softly. "Fine."

He smiled wider and moved his hands to the sides of my face. "Thank you!" He pulled his hands away and stepped back. He clapped his hands together. "We should probably eat before we go."

"Well, what do you want?"

He shrugged, "Anything."

I nodded once. "Fine."

-

I watched as he finished the last of his fries. Watching him eat has always been the most disgusting thing.

"What?!"

I shook my head, ridding my face of the disgust look. "I just don't know how it's humanly possible to eat that much without exploding."

He laughed as he pushed his plate aside. "Practice, Ev." He grabbed his water and finished it. He pushed it to the side with the plate.

I sat my cup beside his and leaned back in the seat of my booth. I watched the waitress take our dishes and carry them away.

"So," He started. I looked at him. He crossed his arms on the table. "We're sleeping in your bedroom together, right?"

I wanted to slap the cocky grin off of his face. "Don't get any ideas. I'll make you go to a hotel."

He lifted his hand. "Right. We're friends." The way he said it and the look on his face when he said it made me feel uneasy.

I furrowed my brows, "Yeah." I laughed softly. Before I could ask what he meant, hands slapped the table.

"Evelyn!"

I rolled my eyes at the sound of Damon's voice. I looked at him. "Damon."

He was smiling wide at Ryan. "And who might this be?"

I watched Ryan as he answered. "I'm her roommate. Ryan."

"Damon Salvatore," he chirped. He looked at me.

"What do you want, Damon?"

He gasped. "Of course, I would love to join you!" He looked at Ryan and pointed at the seat. "Mind if I scoot in?"

Ryan moved over, and Damon moved in next to him. There was a foot of space between them. I looked at Damon. "Go away."

He tilted his head. "No. We need to talk."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "No, we don't."

"Listen," He looked at Ryan. "This one here is a troublemaker. You don't want anything to do with her. Seriously. If you're thinking about dating her, or sleeping with her or whatever, just know she's a virgin and she doesn't know anything."

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Damon looked at me. "A lot of things, Vale, we've covered this. But I'm not the topic of this conversation."

"Evelyn's not a virgin."

I looked at Ryan, "Shut up."

"Really?" I could hear the smirk on Damon's face when he spoke. He looked at Ryan.

Ryan glanced at me before looking at Damon. "Yeah. She's been with-"

"Stop talking."

He looked at me with furrowed brows. "What?! He asked. It's rude to ignore people."

"Damon doesn't need to know about my sex life. Neither do you!"

"We're roommates, Ev, there's not much you can hide." He looked at Damon.

"How about we finish this over a drink?" Damon suggested.

Ryan smiles, "My kind of conversation." He looked at me again. "Why are you in love with Stef-" I kicked him. "Stop doing that!"

"You're still in love with Stefan?"

I looked at Damon. "No!" I looked at Ryan. "You said you would drop it."

"And I did. For a few hours." He looked at Damon. "How about we get that drink?"

I felt betrayed. There was no way for me to stop Ryan from saying whatever popped into his head. His unforeseen bonding with Damon made me angry.

They walked away to the bar together. I bit at the insides of my cheeks as I stared at the two of them. This is one of those times where vampire hearing might come in handy. I decided to avoid stressing myself out over this by removing myself from my seat.

I grabbed my jacket after standing up. I turned and started walking. I looked up and halted my footsteps. Stefan was staring at Damon and Ryan as he walked toward me. He looked in front of him as he got closer. He stopped a few feet from me.

"Hey."

I held my jacket against my body. "Hey."

He looked over at the two of them. "Who is that?"

I inhaled before answering. "Ryan."

His head snapped in my direction. "The guy who's in love with you?"

I scoffed. "He's not in love with me."

He tilted his head, "Really?"

I stared at him for a few seconds. "Yes." I looked at Ryan. He and Damon were laughing as they finished their drinks. "If he was, he wouldn't act the way he does." I looked at Stefan. His brows were furrowed as he stared at Ryan. "Don't interact with him."

He looked at me. "Why?"

"Because you'll talk to him, and he'll talk to you."

"I hate to break it to you, but that's usually how conversations go, Evelyn."

I tilted my head. "Stefan, please."

He crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Why don't you want me to talk to him?"

I wasn't sure how to answer him. I stared at him with a blank expression on my face, and my lips parted as I thought about what I could possibly say to make this situation better. My mind was as blank as my expression.

"Hey, Stef!" Damon blurted as he threw his arm around Stefan's shoulders. Stefan turned his head to look at his brother as he sighed. Damon looked at me. "Your boyfriend's the best, Evelyn."

I rolled my eyes. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Sure I am," Ryan interjected as he walked up beside me.

I looked at him. "No. We're friends."

The smile on his face only grew wider. "Mhm."

I put my hand on his arm, "Believe me, Ryan, you couldn't handle it." I looked at Damon and Stefan. "We're leaving."

"But this is so much fun," Ryan complained as I dragged him out of the restaurant.

-

We went back to my house and got ready. I put on a glittery, black mini dress that was a little ways from being a shirt. The straps were thin. The neckline was square, and my boobs were being squeezed. At least they look good. My hair was still curled, so I didn't bother changing it. I slipped on small black heels. I had on silver earrings that dangled from my ears and a silver chain with a small diamond.

Ryan convinced me to take a few shots after he stole liquor from Caroline's room. He drove after stealing the keys from me. We got here 30 minutes after the party started. I gave him my phone because I don't have pockets. Caroline wasn't as pissed as she would have been. The liquor in her system was my saving grace.

I could feel someone's eyes on me, practically burning holes in my skin. The guy holding my hips tightly from behind, pinning me against him, was hard and rubbing against me. His hot breath fanned my neck as he moaned softly. I swallowed hard as I grabbed his hands. I pulled them off of me and pushed away from him. He mumbled something from behind me. I couldn't hear him over the blaring music surrounding us.

My throat was dry.

I looked up from the ground. I could see Stefan staring at me. His head was tilted to the side. The look on his face was almost anger. He was kind of blurry. I'm sure I'll die of alcohol poisoning at the end of the night. Either that or from the way he's staring at me. The intensity of it traveled straight between my legs. My breathing became more unsteady the longer I stared back at him.

I broke away from his gaze and worked my way through the crowd of bodies. I found a room with a fridge. I grabbed a bottle of cold water and opened it. My dress felt like it was about to roll up to my stomach. I chugged some of the water, easing the dryness of my throat. I twisted the cap back on the bottle and put my arm back at my side.

I turned. I froze. There was a guy I didn't recognize staring at me. He is insanely hot. His hair is dark brown, and it's messy. His eyes are blue-ish. The smirk on his lips made my body tingle. He's slim but muscular. He tilted his head, and his eyes traveled down then up my body.

I shifted my weight from one foot to another. "Hi," I spoke softly. I tried to hide the shake in my voice.

"Hey." He took a few steps closer.

I swallowed, my throat feeling dry again. He looks older than me, but not by much. A few years, maybe. Which makes him all that more attractive.

He walked toward me as he talked. "I saw you dancing." He laughed softly. "I couldn't help but wish it was me you were dancing with."

I laughed awkwardly. "That's a little forward. You don't even know me."

He shrugged, "Sure, I do."

I furrowed my brows, keeping the smile on my face. "What?"

He stopped a few feet from me. "You're pretty brave, considering you're not really intimidated by a strange man talking to you. You came here with a guy, but you guys aren't together, or else you would be with him right now. You've also had quite a few drinks, which means your inhibitions are low." His eyes traveled down my body slowly. "And by the way your thighs are pressed together, and how tight you're holding that bottle," His eyes found mine again, "You're turned on right now."

I shook my head once in disbelief. "You're insane."

"Am I," he questioned as he stepped forward. The space between us could only be separated by the water bottle I was squeezing as hard as I could.

My eyes felt heavy. I breathed out shakily. "Who are you?"

He lifted his hand to the side of my face, brushing the hair back behind my ear. "My name's Kai." He grabbed the bottle from my hand. He grabbed my free hand with the one that was just at the side of my face.

"I'm Evelyn." The words fell from my lips like an automatic response. I couldn't think with the pounding in my body. Whether it was from my head, my heart, or from between my legs wasn't important. All I can think about right now is how drawn I feel to this tall, dark man.

He dropped the bottle on the ground as he took the step closer. Our bodies were pressed together. He leaned down, his lips hovered over mine. I closed my eyes in anticipation. The feeling of his hand holding mine made me shudder. His lips pressed against mine. I felt euphoric. Any rational thought that may have been in my brain dissipated the moment I saw this guy.

He kissed me harder as his hands moved to my waist, sliding to my hips. I moaned softly. I moved my hands to the sides of his face. He walked me backward toward the wall. He cradled the back of my head with his hand to prevent it from hitting the wall too hard.

He moved his hands to my hips and pinned me back against the wall. I slid my hands to the back of his head, threading my fingers through his short hair. I felt his tongue glide slowly across my bottom lip before sucking it between his.

I felt his hand slide down to my thigh, then snake between them. His thumb rubbed rough circles into my skin before he pushed his tongue past my lips. I moaned. He rolled his tongue against mine. He pushed my dress up as he slid his hand higher. He teased the band of my lace panties with his fingertips, dipping them in slowly and skating across my skin.

He groaned softly. I felt his hand press against my stomach, making me gasp softly. He used his other hand to pull my legs apart. He slowly slid his hand into my panties. I moaned into the kiss as his fingers connected with my clit.

His lips separated from mine, and I whined. He massaged my clit slowly with two fingers, spreading my arousal that had pooled between my legs.

A soft sigh left his lips. "God. You're so wet," He whispered against my skin. He kissed my lips softly.

He started moving his fingers faster, drawing me closer to cumming. A high-pitched whine slipped past my lips. He slid his fingers through my pussy, pushing two into me slowly. I moaned loudly. His cold rings made me shiver. I moved my hand to his wrist, gripping it tightly. He pushed his fingers the rest of the way and I sucked in a breath of air.

His fingers curled inside of me, and I dug my nails into his skin. He repeated the motion several times. I opened my eyes and he stared into them. I could feel the bass of the music through my entire body. He pumped his fingers into me a few times, curling them each time.

I grinded against his hand, needing release. His fingers shifted inside of me, and I yelled out. His fingers curled against a spot inside of me that has hardly been touched. My eyes fell shut as he curled them over and over again, brushing against the spot each time. A quiet moan escaped my lips just before I gasped for air. I felt my nails break his skin. He sucked in a breath of air. I came around his fingers. I pressed my head back into the wall, arching my back off of it. He stilled his fingers inside of me.

After a few minutes, he kissed me softly. I felt him pull his hand away from me. He moved his other hand to the side of my face. I opened my eyes as he pulled back from the kiss. My chest was heaving as I tried to catch my breath. He put his thumb on my chin and opened my mouth. He pushed his fingers that were just inside of me past my lips. I closed my mouth and swirled my tongue around them. I moaned softly. I could taste myself on him. His lips parted as he watched.

He pulled his fingers out of my mouth and moved both of his hands to my underwear. He hooked his fingers in the waistband.

"What are you doing?"

He pulled them down to my midthigh. "Taking them." His eyes met mine.

I furrowed my brows. I was speechless.

He knelt down in front of me. He took them off of me slowly. He stood up. He wiped my cum off my inner thighs with the panties, then slowly slid them across my pussy. I moaned. He shoved them in his pocket.

"That's really weird."

His eyes met mine. "How else am I supposed to remember our first interaction?"

"Our first and only."

He smirked. "Sure." He tilted his head. "Have a good night, Evelyn."

I swallowed. "You, too."

He stepped back from me. He winked at me before walking toward the door.

I felt uneasy. He passed someone on the way out. It wasn't until he was fully out of the way that I could see Ryan's face. He looked confused. He stared at me for a minute.

I looked at the floor as I stepped away from the wall. I smoothed my hand over my hair and cleared my throat.

"Did you just-" He stopped himself. "Evelyn!"

I looked up at him and turned to face him. He was closer now. I sighed. "Don't lecture me, okay? I know it was stupid."

He raised his eyebrows. "Yeah," he scoffed.

I thought about the smirk on his lips when he walked away. I felt chilled and unsettled. His blue eyes flashed across my mind.

"Ev, what is it?"

I looked at him. I opened my mouth to say something. I shook my head, "I don't know."

He furrowed his brows. "What's wrong?"

I tilted my head. "Something about him. It feels weird. I don't know."

"Okay..." He looked over his shoulder, then looked at me again. "Well, do you want to leave?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

He nodded once.