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interception
IT'S EASY TO KISS CAROLINE AGAIN.
She knows that what she's doing right now is something she probably shouldn't, but she can't stop the way her mind suddenly flooded with memories of stolen kisses in the shadows and shared smiles that only they got to see.
As cliche as it sounded, their love was epic. Athena's first love was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. The true shining star of Mystic Falls in her opinion, even to this day. Once upon a time, Athena worshiped the ground that Caroline walked on. She showered her with gifts and worshiped her when she felt down about herself. They shared secrets no one else knew, they held one another's hearts in their hands without even realizing it at the time.
And, with a sinking realization, Athena knew it could never be like that again. Even as she deepened the kiss and dug her hands into Caroline's hair, guilt flooded her along with the bitter reminder of betrayal just a few months ago.
Athena was still in the hospital, weeks after the accident. She'd had surgery two weeks ago, the final operation to repair her face to the best ability. She was healing nicely, but the reminder of her doctor's solemn tone, as he told her that the scar on her cheek was inevitable, had kept her up most nights.
She was startled when Caroline came into her private room unannounced, but she immediately smiled at the sight of her girlfriend. She reached out for Caroline's hands, and the blonde girl gave them hesitantly which finally made Athena look at her close enough to see the tear streaks down her flushed cheeks.
"Care? What's wrong?"
Caroline sniffled as she forced her gaze to meet Athena's. "I need to talk to you."
Athena immediately stiffened, and she dropped Caroline's hands like she'd been burned by the contact. "What is it? Is something wrong with Elena?" She'd been concerned for Elena since the night of the accident, but when she'd woken up and heard that both of her parents had died, her worry had only increased. Elena hadn't come to see her once since she'd been in the hospital, but Athena figured she was spending it at home with Jeremy, mourning the loss of their parents.
"Not– not exactly," Caroline sat down in the uncomfortable chair she'd spent seventy percent of her time in the past few weeks. She couldn't count on one hand how many nights she'd spent bent over Athena's bed, clutching her hand as her girlfriend slept through her pain.
"Then what is it?" Athena chuckles, but it's an uneasy sound. Her nerves are grated, and it pains her healing wounds to be wound so tight. "Caroline?"
"We can't be together anymore."
"W-what?"
Caroline had steady tears falling down her cheeks and she swallowed harshly around the concrete lump in her throat. "Athena, we just can't be together anymore. I just can't do it anymore, it's too much."
