We'll Always Have Summer | Stefan Salvatore

Chapter Twenty-Six

1993 — Mystic Falls, Virginia

   Florence Gilbert wondered if being cold was a side effect of being dead. Even though she wore a thick knit sweater, it felt as if she had walked into a meat locker naked. She shivered even when the heater in his car was turned on full, pushed the arms of her sweater over her hands, and curled her toes inside her Chucks. With a deep breath, she leaned back into her seat and covered part of her face with the neck of the sweater.

   "Where are we going?" she asked, glancing over to Stefan.

   He glanced over at her and smiled. "Flo, I told you that I would give you reasons to continue living," he said. "That's what I'm going to do. So that you don't change your mind, I'm not going to tell you what they are."

   She huffed and slightly pursed her lips. "You're no fun."

   Stefan's hands tightened on the steering wheel and his jaw clenched. "Florence, I just..." He shook his head and licked his top lip. "Just bare with me until you decide what to do, okay? Because, as much as I want you to feed and live, I'm not going to force you."

   "I know." She reached over and grabbed one of his hands from the wheel. It disappeared inside her sweater. The small comfort of it reminded her of the moment she had crawled to him in the middle of the night, how he wrapped his arms around her. A small smile spread across her lips and her cheeks began to heat up, spreading to the back of her neck and her ears. Being dead was cold, but Stefan made her feel as if she were standing under the burning sun.

   Stefan stopped the car by the side of the road and took a deep breath. He looked over at her and grinned. "Come on." He let go of her hand and got out of the car.

   Florence watched him for several seconds, then decided to get out and follow him. He sat on the hood of the car and tapped the empty side besides him with a grin. She took a deep breath and sat besides him, quickly wrapping her arm around his and laying her head on his shoulder. "Why are we here?"

   "Because this is the first reason I'm going to show you," he said, his voice combining perfectly with the cool breeze around them. "Reason number one of why Florence Louisa Gilbert should go through with the transition."

   She huffed a laugh and half-rolled her eyes. "I'm itching with excitement." A shiver ran through her and she sucked in a breath. "Why is being dead so cold?"

   "Our temperature drops as our body shuts down," he explained, grabbing one of his hand and pulling it inside the pocket of his jacket. "If you go through with the transition, you're immune to all temperature. You won't feel cold, you won't feel hot; you'll just feel. Right now, since you're partly human, you're feeling your body slowly shut down."

   Another shiver ran up her spine. "That sounds disgusting," she mumbled. "And weird. It's weird that I'm..." She trailed off as her chest began to cave in, as the sting on the tip of her nose got worse. 

   Stefan's hand tightened around hers. "Don't think about that now," he said, soft enough for her to hear. His voice was carried away by the wind, but it wrapped around her in a gentle bundle of warmth. "Right now, this is about why you should live."

   "What are we waiting for, Stefan?" Florence shivered and stared at the darkened woods in front of her. They were at one of the highest points in the town, where one could watch the few lights in the middle of the night in Mystic Falls. There were a few times when the sheriffs would bust teenagers, either from being high, half-drunk, or making-out. Florence quickly pulled away from him and stared with wide eyes. "Why did you bring me here?"

   He glanced over at her, and laughed. "No!" He shook his head and hands, still laughing. "Like I said, reason number one of why you should go through with the transition. Only reason why we came here, Flo." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, kissing her temple. "Look at the town, you'll see."

   Florence did as he said and gasped. Sunlight filled the sky, pure scattered light. With her breath paused at her lungs, she wished time would freeze. The trees shone as if they were wearing golden crowns, the leaves swaying in the breeze. The town was covered in the pure light, as if it were cleansing all of the negative energy. A burst of pure, bright light that overtook the darkness of the night. Florence stretched a hand to the sun and let the rays shine down on her between the spaces of her fingers. She felt them fall on her face, the gentle dance of her fingers and sunlight bringing a sense of warmth over her. A wide grin formed on her lips as a sense of warmth returned to her, from the tips of her fingers to her neck. 

   "The sunrise," Stefan said, his voice close to her ear, "is way better than the sunset. Your last sunrise, if you decided not to go through with the transition, from the best place to see it in Mystic Falls."

   No words left her mouth. Instead, she continued to stare as she pushed herself closer to Stefan. She reached for his hand and entwined their fingers, the sense of warmth spreading through the rest of her body. "Thank you," she said as she glanced over at him.

   He kissed her temple again. "You don't need to thank me," he said. After a few moments, he pulled away and stood, grinning. "Give me a second." He moved to the car, put the keys in the ignition, but didn't turn it on. Seconds later, the loud sound of jazz waved itself around her. Stefan appeared in front of her and pushed out his hand. "Come on."

   She laughed and grabbed his hand, jumping down from the hood. "What are you doing?"

   "Reason number two." He lifted her hand in the air and spun her. When she stopped, he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her hand tightly, beginning to sway to the music. "You and I danced to Duke Ellington in your bedroom, the night your mother invited us for dinner. My hand was here." His hand slid down to the small of her back as he pulled her closer to him. "You stared into my eyes; I swear to God, I felt the world crumble around me."

   Florence's mouth fell a bit at his words. Her heart hammered against her chest, a wild drum rhythm that beat against her ribs. "Why?" Her words were barely a whisper, but he had heard.

   "Because I had never felt as human as I did in that moment," he confessed. "I have lived for so long, but I had never felt so human until you stared into my eyes and asked me if I danced with every girl I met." A small, crooked smile spread around his lips.

   "What's this?" she softly asked. She was unsure of what to say, how to express the jumble of feelings that knotted themselves inside of her. 

   Stefan kissed her forehead. "Reason number three," he said. "My feelings for you, Florence Gilbert." He pulled away and dipped her, a saddened smile at his lips. "This is reason number three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten."

   Florence swallowed as he pulled her up, keeping the contact close. "Stefan, I..."

   "Don't give me your answer now," he said. The sadness disappeared as soon as it arrived, leaving behind just a smile. "Right now, I just want to dance with you. Then, I'll give you the rest of the reasons."

   Her heart would have burst through her chest if her ribs didn't held it in. It would have landed in his hands, melted into his blood and allowed her to become one with him. She shivered at the warmth that spread through her, from her toes to the back of her neck. And for that moment, being dead felt wonderful. She wondered how it would feel like if she decided to go through with the transition.

   Would she be able to live with her family as she was currently doing? In the house she had grown up in, several streets away from her brother's family, just a few feet away from her mother's bedroom. Would she be able to attend continue to go to school, graduate, go to college and have some career in something she actually enjoyed instead of swimming. 

   Her eyes landed on Stefan, the summer in them causing her chest to cave in. He appeared so human, so mortal, so alive. If she went through with the transition, she wondered if she could be as good as him.

a/n: omg, just a few chapters left!!!
the playlist for this book is on spotify. search for "we'll always have summer" by captainlights. the song flo and stefan danced to (it's on the playlist, lol) is fly me to the moon by tony bennett.
at the end of the book i'll answer any question you have about it, so start leaving your questions!