restroom | ( open general rp post )

Yeah. I just —

( he really doesn't know the exact reason why he'd asked her here. he sighs and pours her a drink before pushing it towards her on the counter. )

I've had a bad few days.

( he hadn't meant to admit that to her or anyone but it's out there now. )

You can reorganize my shoes, if you want. I've got three pairs.

[ she doesn't take hold of her glass just yet. resting her arms on the counter, she leans over it and observes him for a moment. ]

A few bad days?

[ it's not like she's a part of the mystic falls subscription list anymore, nor does she has any friends who reside there except for... well... him. can he be counted as a friend?

whatever's transpired there, she doesn't know about it. a part of her prefers it that way these days. ]

What happened?

Damon. Wolves. And I was in the middle of things.

( he rolls his neck and stretches before he sighs and takes another slow drink from his glass. )

That's what happens in Mystic Falls though, isn't it? Messes.

( and he was typically the one who was left to pick it up and make sure it didn't come back to bite them. )

[ katherine doesn't take a pull from her drink. she watches him, uncaring if her stare is unnerving. sometimes stefan says things without saying everything, and she wants to be able to read between the lines and the tics of his face to know exactly what's transpired.

did it have anything to do with him asking her here? ]

That's true. I'd drink to that. [ she tries to breathe some amusement between them. she lifts her own glass but doesn't take a sip yet.

after an inhale, she allows herself a moment of vulnerability. ]

But as long as you're okay... The mess wasn't that messy, then.

I didn't get bitten.

( he's not sure if that's what she's thinking but he wants to reassure her that she's not going to find him half dead or hallucinating during this whole thing. )

I got thrown around and I had to make sure Damon didn't get himself killed more than once but I'm more tired than anything else.

( tired but okay. )

I promise.

[ she feels very relieved that stefan didn't secretly invite her over here to inform her he's been bitten. she lets out a breath of relief.

she takes a sip from her glass, listening to him. it sounds like another day in mystic falls... something she doesn't particularly miss at all. the only thing about that town she misses is, well... the person standing in front of her. ]

Good. [ letting her glass tap against the countertop, she fixes him with a pointed look. ] I didn't drive all the way over here to take care of a sick you.

While I'm kind of curious as to what Nurse Katherine might look like, no, I'm fine. I didn't call you to come here for that.

( he picks his glass up and downs it, giving himself some liquid courage for what he wants to say next. )

I called you because I wanted to see you.

[ that's a shame. she did have an outfit that would've suited that. ]

Did you?

[ looking up at him, she tries to play it as cool as she can, all the while knowing he can hear her heart thump a little quicker in her chest. her relationship with stefan has changed over the last few months into something unexpected and nice. ]

You could've FaceTimed me. I would have picked up.

I know.

( but it wasn't really good enough. )

Why did you come? You didn't have to. And be honest. I know you weren't busy but you still didn't have to come all this way.

[ he has to know the answer to that question. surely, he can't be that oblivious? ]

I wanted to see you.

[ it's a parrot of his answer, but it's true. she had wanted to see him. she'd come back to mystic falls if he so much as asked, despite how uncomfortable that little hole in the wall makes her these days.

she lifts her glass to her lips as an excuse not to elaborate. ]

Okay.

( he looks away, hiding a smile of relief that that's her answer. he hadn't really thought it would be something different but it's nice to hear. )

I know things have been — I know it's been a little different lately. Phone calls and meeting in public places are one thing but this is different.

How so?

[ she furrows her brows as she looks at him. she knows why it's different—while remaining out in public is sort of a way of hiding, this is a definite change in the level of intimacy they've been both willing to acknowledge. they always had strangers, waiters, even dying batteries as a reason to break off. here, in this house, they're together with no escape.

they're also together. that's not lost on katherine. ]

It's not like we engaged with other people when we were out in public.

You know why it's different. Don't play dumb.

( he knows you better than that, katherine. )

People in public might not have known us but there were still people to see us. This is different. We're alone in the middle of nowhere.

( so. )

Okay.

[ she shrugs a shoulder, wanting to play it as innocent as possible. she knows the point he's trying to make, but she's not interested in making it easy on him. he wouldn't like her if she did. ]

And? We've been alone together before. Are you worried about something?

No, I'm not worried.

( he was nervous. there was a difference. he sighs, leaning forward on the counter top and trying not to look right at her. )

Are you worried?

Do I have a reason to be worried?

[ no, she's not worried. she's not worried about him possibly leading her into a trap and she's not worried about not having a good time here. what she is worried about is her having read what's been left unsaid between them all wrong.

there's a reason why he's invited her out here without anyone else, and she doesn't think he's invited anyone else to appear much later in the evening. ]

No.

( he shakes his head and then finds himself at a loss. he doesn't know what to say or do right now so he just...stares at her. )

I have no idea what I'm doing. But I'm not worried.

What do you want to be doing?

[ her brows furrow together as she looks at him. that look doesn't last for long—katherine glances down and taps her nail against her glass. she hates that she's feeling nervous. a stefan who doesn't know what he's doing is definitely a stefan she's come to know lately, but he's always had some motivation behind meeting up with her. ]

Did you invite me over here to have a movie marathon?

[ she's decided to throw him a bone. ]

I don't know if...saying what I want to be doing is going to cause problems.

( because he knows there's tension and there's...something else between them. there always has been. it's sometimes simmered and sometimes exploded but it's always there. )

I don't know what you want.

[ oof, that makes her heart begin to race. she thinks she knows what he's referring to, but given how difficult he has been to read over the years (and how deep in denial he often is in), she doesn't want to ruin any of this by telling him what he thinks and feels. ]

You can ask me. [ she says as teasingly as possible, ] That's usually a good way to start.

I could.

( he knows he hasn't because he's worried about the answer but he has to think that her teasing him like that means she's not going to say anything that hurts. )

What do you want, Katherine?

( he smiles, trying to hide any nerves he might feel. )

In general?

[ he only has himself to blame for her answer. she scrunches up her nose as she gives it a moment of thought. ]

A really nice pair of shoes. Maybe even a nice handbag and a bracelet.

[ she shakes her wrist which has her lapis lazuli braclet on it. she's nothing if not materialistic. ]

( stefan sometimes wonders if she enjoys making it hard on him. he hadn't meant in general but he hadn't specified either. he sighs, shaking his head. )

I didn't mean in general. I meant right now.

( here with him. not in general. he doesn't want to hear about shoes. )

[ ftr, she does, especially now that it doesn't earn his ire.

resting her elbows on the countertop, she leans her chin on the back of her hands as she eyes him. so, it's not that answer he wants. he's fishing and she refuses to be baited so quickly and easily. ]

Are you looking for a particular answer, Stefan?

No.

( stefan shakes his head and then shrugs. )

I just want...you to answer honestly. Whatever that might be.

( that's it, that's all. )

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