Falling Back With You || Stefonnie

Chapter 7

Your heart never prepares you for loss. It never tells you that it's time to let go and so when it happens, when you lose someone it leaves you shattered and you never get to say the things you wanted to.

'You are the best person I've ever known' gets stuck in your throat and is replaced by quiet sobs because they will never get to hear you say that and you're left stuck.

"Bonnie".

Her breath caught in her throat at the sound of his voice. She'd been avoiding him since he told her to stay with him.

That was a week ago and she only let him have his way for one night, but then she remembered the one person missing from their family and she ran.

She's been avoiding him ever since.

She closed her laptop and looked up at her boss from her seat at The Mystic Post. He looked tired and Bonnie could tell he wasn't sleeping, neither was she.

"Yes, Mr. Salvatore" she said professionally and tried to ignore the way he flinched at the title.

"Could I have a word for a moment?" He asked and she wasn't sure it was a good idea to be alone with him right now.

"Um, I was actually-"

"Right now, Miss Bennett" he said firmly, tossing his weight around and she reluctantly got up and followed him to his office where he closed the door and walked closer to her until they were sharing the same space and Bonnie tried to fight the urge to take a step back.

"You've been avoiding me" he said and she didn't deny it, just stood there with her heart hammering against her chest as she felt him take her hand.

This was such a bad idea.

"Stefan".

"Do you remember when I gave you my mother's ring?" He asked softly, and they both looked down at the ring on her finger. Of course she remembered, she remembered everything because all these moments kept replaying themselves in her head, even the bad ones.

"Do you remember what I said to you?" He pushed and she nodded, her eyes still on the ring as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I said I wanted all of you..."

"Because I accepted all of you" she finished for him, and she never questioned how he could so easily say those words at fifteen because she knew him and she knew he meant it.

He used his thumb and forefinger to gently lift her chin so she could see the smile on his face. It was exactly as she remembered it and it made her unsure of herself because she didn't deserve it, not anymore.

"Stefan-"

"And I still mean that, Bonnie whatever you're trying to protect me from we can get through it, just tell me what it is" he said sounding passionate all of a sudden, eliminating what little space they had between them.

"I can't".

She really thought she could, but she didn't want to take that smile away.

"Yes you can, Bonnie please" he kept pushing and the tears started to spill over. "I love you so much, please, please tell me what happened to you".

"Stefan, I said I can't please stop pushing me!" She cried, finally stepping away from him.

"Did you stop loving me, is that it?" He asked getting frustrated with her and she felt like she just got punched in the stomach. She was the love of his life, it wasn't supposed to be this hard.

"What?! No, and don't you dare ever say I don't love you when you know I've loved you since we were ten years old!"

"Then just tell me, damn it!" He said grabbing onto her arms, pulling her to him again and the words came tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Damon's dead because of me!"