𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄 𝐁𝐘 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄 | 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐅𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐕𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐄 [𝟐]

𝐒𝐈𝐗

CHAPTER SIX | DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

KLARA HAD BEENAVOIDING STEFAN, DESPITE OBSESSING ABOUT BEING WITH HIM FOR FOUR MONTHS. She spent her morning sat at the clearing near the quarry she often went to when she needed time to think. She held a to-go iced vanilla latte in her hand as she watched the water rushing below her. It was the perfect place to go and think about your problems with the atmosphere around you. 

If she were being completely honest with herself, she didn't know whether to be angry at Stefan, or understand. She was dead. As far as he knew, she was dead and she wasn't coming back so she couldn't exactly blame him for moving on. But, what she could blame him for was moving on so quickly. Her brain was all over the place.

"Figured you'd be here." Caroline interrupted Klara's thoughts with a comforting smile as she edged her way forward and sat beside the blonde vampire. "If I haven't said it before, I'm so glad you're back."

"You know, a couple of days ago I'd have agreed with you, but now... I don't know." A sigh left the blonde's lips as Caroline nodded in understanding. "I don't even know whether to be angry with him—whether that's acceptable. I've never come back from the dead before and heard that my boyfriend had another girlfriend while I was dead."

"If we're being technical, you weren't actually dead." The Forbes vampire interjected, though Klara rolled her eyes. "Not helpful, sorry."

Klara took another sip of her coffee and then rested the cup against her knee. "Part of me wishes that my Dad was on the Other Side. He'd probably be able to give me some sound advice right now, but I guess he found peace, or whatever."

"Klara, nobody's saying that you have to forgive Stefan right away. Even I'm pissed with him. I mean, I lost you, Bonnie, Elena erased her memories of Damon, and then I lost him, too." Caroline gritted her teeth at the thought of Stefan Salvatore and then exhaled. "Forgiveness takes time and you can do it at your own pace. There's no rush. Especially when you live forever."

Klara let a small smile flicker across her lips as she shook the contents of her coffee cup toward her best friend. "Want some?"

Before Caroline could even speak, her cellphone started to buzz from her pocket. "Hey, Mom. I'm just speaking to Klara, could I call you back in a little while?"

"Actually, honey, this can't wait. Do you have any idea where Tripp Cooke might be?" Both girls' eyes widened at the panicked voice of Liz Forbes.

"Tripp? No, I have no idea. Why?" Caroline shakily asked, almost scared about what the answer might be.

"Because one of his men just ran me off the road and they're gonna kill me if they don't get him back."