restroom | ( open general rp post )

( stefan doesn't really remember how this started. he remembers that he'd just come off a ripper binge, dejected and full of self loathing when he'd called. and maybe that's why he'd called her. maybe he'd needed someone to tell him in the bluntest words possible what he needed to hear.

and she had. and the conversation had ended but he called her again. and she'd called him. and it had kept up like that for awhile. it was always in secret and he never told anyone.

eventually, phone calls turned into meetings. coffee when they both weren't busy or even dinner on down nights. the meetings didn't happen often because things were always happening but they were there.

they only talked, never touched each other but stefan could feel a tension of a sort simmering between them. he ignored it and she ignored it but he knows it's there and he knows she knows it's there too.

he's healing from a particularly nasty incident when he calls her and gives her an address to meet him at. he doesn't know if she'll come, if she'll want to take this step, if she even cares but he does it.

and then he makes an excuse to his brother and elena that he has something to take care of and that he'll be back. they both press but he refuses to answer and just tells them to give him some time, some space.

the house is something he bought a few decades ago, tucked away in the woods and nearly invisible to anyone who wasn't looking at.

if she doesn't show up, he'll be...upset but he'll understand. he'll still take some time to enjoy the quiet. while he waits, he makes coffee as the sun starts to sink and opens the back door to the lake, sitting on the steps and trying not to be too nervous about what he's done. )

[ katherine doesn't make it a point to be late, but on this occasion, she is. it's all from a series of unfortunate events: she hadn't known what to pack, so she'd packed three bags and then she'd condensed it down to one with wheels and another that could be slung over her shoulder and… well, she got a little lost on the drive up.

she doesn't do nervousness, but she does overthink. she's been in the habit of successfully stopping herself from overthinking when it comes to him, but she knew there'd be a moment where she broke.

she has no idea what it means for him to call her and invite her to a house hidden away in the woods.

when katherine finally arrives, it's an hour later. any of her flustered anger at having listened to her gps inform her to turn right and then get her lost down the wrong road disperses when she realises that she's at the house stefan invited her to, and she can't hear anyone else's heartbeat over his lone one inside.

leaving her car parked outside of the house, she empties it of her two bags and walks—in her heels, of course—up to the front door and rings the door bell repeatedly until she hears him approach.

and when that door opens, she ensures to embody every single slip of her attitude in the jut of her hip and the way she holds her palm up and tilted. ]

I wasn't sure if there was valet or a bag boy, so I figured I'd just do it all myself.

[ she's not upset about it at all. while she may be dressed in a dark purple dress that implies she's a woman of the city, she's not upset. how could she be? she's going to be in a house alone with stefan. ]

I guess...I'm the valet and the bag boy and the owner and everything else.

( so, he steps out of the house and reaches for her bags before stepping inside. considering he owns it, she doesn't need an invitation to come inside. he's never bothered with a human owner since the place is so out of the way. )

I wasn't sure if you were going to come. ( he was never really sure when it came to these meetings between them. he always gave her the choice not to come and she always did. )

You found it okay?

( if she's hiding her nervousness, he's not. because he knows why he's called her here but he doesn't know if he's going to be brave enough to pull the trigger. )

[ he wasn't meant to take her bags from her, but katherine lets him, wondering if this is his way of preoccupying himself in what is unknown territory for them both. katherine now doesn't have anything to concern herself with, which she slightly resents.

she follows him, looking around to see what's stefan and what isn't. she's only ever really seen him in two homes before: the one that's no longer liveable and the salvatore boarding house. so far, she likes waht she sees without damon's influence. ]

I got lost.

[ her gaze settles on him. she does appear a little sheepish. ]

Turns out, when someone says they have a house in the middle of nowhere, it really means the middle of nowhere.

I told you.

( he sets her bags down and turns back to look at her, unsure of what to do. considering he'd been the one to invite her, he knows he needs to figure it out but this is...strange. )

What were you doing when I called?

( he gestures her forward so they can go into the kitchen and get something to drink while they figured this out. )

[ as she follows him, she answers. ] I was shoe shopping if you'd believe it.

[ she does sound a little sheepish when she says it. katherine does have an addiction for shoes, something that he's pointed out numerous times when she's come to coffee with bags in her hands.

she may or may not also have a shopping problem.

when in his kitchen, she doesn't follow him around like a lost puppy. she invites herself to be nosy and walks around the room with an interest. she's still curious to see what represents stefan here. ]

Wow, you interrupted your shoe shopping to come out to the middle of nowhere? I'm honored.

( there's not a lot to the house. it's not sparse but it's not decorated in a lavish fashion either. it's very rustic, woodsy and cozy. there are books here and there and some random knick knacks.

he pulls a bottle out of the refrigerator and then pulls down two glasses. )

Thanks for coming. I just...I don't know. I wanted to see you.

You could've taken a picture. [ luckily, katherine has her back to him when she realises a second later that he did once have a picture of her. she never really did find out why he kept it, did she?

eager to recover from any potential awkwardness, katherine sighs and turns on her foot, returning to him. it's a nice sentiment and one that she doesn't quite know what to do with, considering it's coming from him. ]

I'm grateful for the invite. It's not like I had many plans other than reorganise my shoes.

[ that sounds sad and pathetic, but maybe he needs to hear that. ]

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. ]

you know who.

matt donovan coming up

the man of my dreams! 🤮

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