The door of the Mystic Grill closed behind them as an older man walked in, once again muffling the murmur of conversations and leaving only the cool night air to envelop the small group. The night breeze blew gently, making the soft glow of the streetlights shimmer across the nearly empty parking lot. At that hour, the entire area felt deserted, like a ghostly corner of the small town.
Bonnie was the first to wave goodbye after rolling down her car window. Her smile was small but genuine, as always.
"Good night, Ryan! Good night, Elena!"
"Good night, Bonnie. Drive safe…" Elena replied, waving and trying not to look as nervous as she felt; failing miserably, at least to herself.
"Good night, Bonnie…" Ryan said in his usual calm way.
Caroline, who had just opened the door to Bonnie's car, rolled her eyes before getting in. She slammed the passenger door harder than necessary, her lip curled into a frustrated pout.
"Ugh… seriously, Bonnie? He clearly could have given me a ride…" she muttered, loud enough for Bonnie and Elena to hear.
Before the car pulled away, Caroline leaned out the open window, staring straight at Ryan. Her eyes sparkled with jealousy that was impossible to miss.
"Good night, Ryan. Good luck with your very important appointment…" She emphasized the words with barely concealed irritation. Then she turned to Elena, the same envy plain in her gaze. "Good night, Elena…"
"Thanks…" Ryan smiled easily and teased, "Good night to you too, Caroline. Next time I'll give you the honor of riding with me…"
Caroline huffed, ready to snap back, but Elena spoke first, her expression oddly uncomfortable:
"Good night, Caroline…"
That only soured Caroline's mood further; she couldn't shake the irritating thought that it was always "Elena," never her. Before she could say anything else, Bonnie finally accelerated, carrying them away down the quiet town street.
The silence that followed was soft, almost comfortable.
Elena pulled the leather jacket she was wearing tighter around herself when a cold breeze swept past. Ryan, catching the gesture out of the corner of his eye, let out a low chuckle.
"Cold?" he asked, his casual tone carrying that natural kindness that always seemed to slip out of him effortlessly.
"A little…" Elena admitted, hunching her shoulders. "But I'll survive."
"Sure?" he teased, tilting his head with a half-smile. "I can lend you my coat. Or we can sprint to the car before you freeze."
Elena let out a nervous little nervous laugh; the light, shy kind that only came out when she truly felt vulnerable.
"I'm not going to freeze…" She bit her lip, almost unconsciously: "…But thanks."
Another cold gust swept through the parking lot, stronger than the last, making Elena genuinely shiver this time. Before she could hide it, Ryan was already taking off his overcoat, the motion calm and natural, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"R-Ryan, you don't have to…" Elena started, raising her hands to stop him, but he was already draping the warm fabric over her shoulders.
"I'm not cold," he replied, firm yet gentle, carefully adjusting the coat around her. "Keep it."
Elena opened her mouth to protest, but the warmth that instantly enveloped her drew an involuntary sigh from her lips. She looked away, her cheeks burning hotter than the icy wind could ever manage.
"Thank you…" she murmured, barely audible.
Ryan just smiled and nodded toward the car.
"Come on, before you change your mind and try to give it back."
They had taken only two steps toward the parking lot when the door of the Mystic Grill opened again. The sound echoed loudly in the cold night silence, and Tyler appeared, adjusting his jacket with a quick motion as he walked toward them.
"Well, well…" Tyler remarked, raising an eyebrow when he saw Elena wrapped in Ryan's overcoat. "You two are still here."
Ryan turned, crossing his arms. Without the coat, his posture remained relaxed, almost nonchalant, and, as he himself had said, he really didn't seem to feel the cold.
"We were just leaving…" he answered, his tone calm, almost indifferent. "Looks like you're the one who decided to take your time."
Tyler let out a short laugh laced with his usual mix of teasing and subtle warning.
"Yeah. Had to take care of a few things inside." He took two more steps closer, reached out, and lightly tapped Ryan's shoulder before adding: "…Though the night was fun and all, I've gotta head out. Good night, you two."
"Oh, and Elena; take care of our international star on the ride home…"
At the end of the sentence, he flicked a quick glance at Elena, but before she could reply, the bar door opened once more.
Matt.
He stepped out adjusting his own jacket, clearly trying to act normal. But both Ryan and Elena noticed the way Matt's gaze faltered for a moment when it landed on her, as if something inside him tightened. Still, he forced a smile and raised a hand.
"Hey. Good night, everyone."
"Took you long enough," Tyler said, looking at him. "Talking to Vicki?"
"Yeah," Matt replied, but immediately looked away, as if he didn't want to get into it.
Ryan simply nodded in quiet understanding.
Elena tried to return a soft smile, though a subtle tension lingered in her eyes.
As Matt started to walk off with Tyler, she took a step forward.
"Matt… wait. Do you have a minute?"
Tyler's brow furrowed for a second, his gaze shifting between them, but he got the hint right away. He passed Matt, giving him a light pat on the shoulder as encouragement.
"Good luck, man… whatever this is about. I'll wait in the car."
And he headed off.
That left Matt and Elena a few steps behind while Ryan showed not the slightest trace of jealousy. He simply walked toward his Skyline with unusual calm, leaned sideways against the hood, and crossed his arms. There, under the night sky of Mystic Falls, he looked completely at peace, as if the world around him could wait as long as he wanted.
Once they were alone, Matt and Elena stood in silence for a few moments before she took a deep breath and started.
"How are you, Matt? After… you know…" Elena began, her voice a little hesitant, referring to their recent breakup.
Matt shrugged, eyes fixed on the ground.
"I'm okay, Elena. Getting over it, I guess." He took a deep breath, as if he'd been gathering courage from the night air all evening. The night breeze played with the tree leaves and carried the distant smell of beer and smoke from the Mystic Grill.
Elena watched him closely, her expression torn between wanting to comfort her friend and the discomfort of what his words implied.
"I… I know I probably wasn't the best guy for you," Matt started, his voice low and awkward. "But I'm all right. Really. I keep looking back and thinking about things; especially tonight, being with Ryan again after all these years; and I realized everything between us was an attempt at distraction. It wasn't really about you. It was about… forgetting Ryan."
Elena felt a knot tighten in her chest. The confession didn't come as an accusation, but as his calm conclusion, and it struck her with a mix of shame and guilt.
"Matt, I…" She wanted to say it wasn't true, that her feelings had been genuine, but the words tangled in her throat. There was an uncomfortable truth behind it, one she'd been avoiding facing ever since. After Ryan went back to Japan, and after spending so much time apart from Bonnie and Caroline because of that night the four of them "spent" together, everything inside her had become confused. A year later, when she started dating Matt, all she remembered was seeking comfort wherever she could; nights when her feelings weren't as strong as they should have been; unintentionally using someone just to fill a void that only Ryan seemed able to occupy.
She had felt awful about it for a long time. She tried to believe that, with time, she was starting to love Matt too, or at least building something that resembled it. But the truth had crept in slowly, almost cruelly: he wasn't what she wanted for her life, and what she felt for him didn't come close to love. It was affection. It was habit. It was two friends trying to fit into a space that simply didn't suit them.
Deep down, she had always felt they worked far better as friends than as a couple. And that realization… was what led her to make the painful decision to end things a few months ago.
She had wanted to talk about it properly, explain, apologize, be honest, but Matt had been too hurt to listen at the time. Only tonight, after so long, had he finally treated her like a friend again. Yet she knew, deep down, that it only happened because Ryan was back. His presence always shook everything up; with everyone; as if he naturally reordered the dynamics between them all.
Truth be told, even though they'd grown up together, Tyler, Matt, Bonnie, Caroline, and she were no longer as close as before. They no longer had spontaneous nights out drinking or casual hangouts where the group simply got together because they wanted to. It was just Bonnie, Caroline, and her; only tonight had the five of them reunited… and it was because Ryan was there. He had that strange, almost involuntary effect, as if he were the gravitational center that kept everyone connected even when they no longer did it themselves…
And now that Matt had essentially realized he'd been "used"; a horrible, cruel word she hated even thinking; she wanted to say something. To deny it, explain, apologize properly; anything to ease that quiet pain in his eyes.
But she didn't get the chance.
"You don't have to say anything." Matt cut in before she could find any excuse. He explained: "Deep down, I knew it was possible when we started dating, and honestly, I wasn't in my best place either because of everything going on at home. I truly believe we were exactly what the other needed at the time; that doesn't mean I didn't love you or anything… It just means there's no reason to dwell on our past…"
"…Matt." Elena's expression grew even more guilty, but there was also surprise at her ex-boyfriend's response. Still, he didn't give her another opening.
"Look… I just want you to be happy. Even if the way to get there involves… I don't know, revisiting old things." Matt took a deep breath, his face too neutral for someone opening up like that. "You deserve someone who makes you smile for real. And if that someone is Ryan, then… go for it."
The smile he gave afterward looked pulled at both corners: crooked, resigned, but also sincere in a way that squeezed her chest.
"He's a good guy, Elena. You deserve a good guy."
Elena lowered her head, feeling the weight of guilt rise like a lump in her throat.
"Matt, I… I'm really sorry. Truly. I never meant to hurt you. I just… didn't handle everything the right way."
Matt shrugged, and there was a gentle calm in the gesture.
"We grow up, Elena. We learn. And who knows; maybe when everything isn't so tangled, I'll find someone who wants to stay." He let out a small laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
"And I'll find someone better than you too."
The tone was playful, but underneath it lay a genuine wish not to sound wounded.
Elena smiled faintly, relieved. "You deserve someone amazing, Matt. Really."
The two fell silent for a moment, looking at each other like old friends who had been through adolescence together and were still learning how to act like adults.
Matt took a step back, with that half-awkward, half-relieved manner of his.
"I'm gonna go. Tyler's waiting."
"Good night, Matt."
"Good night, Elena."
He started walking, but before he was completely gone, he turned once more.
"And… seriously. Enjoy the night with Ryan. I know that 'appointment' he mentioned is probably going out with you…" A brief, almost conspiratorial smile: "It's not hard to guess; you're looking way prettier than usual tonight… You always look prettier when he's around…"
Elena froze, her face burning in a way the cold wind couldn't touch.
Matt finally walked away, heading to Tyler's car.
When the engine started and the headlights disappeared down the dark road, silence returned; a wide silence, full of space, full of meaning.
Only then did Elena notice:
Ryan was still there, leaning against the hood of the Skyline, arms crossed, gazing at the sky as if he had all the time in the world.
And for a moment, Elena felt that old feeling; something between nostalgia, desire, and safety; run through every fiber of her body.
It was always like this when he was around.
Ryan lifted his eyes when she started walking toward him, and a slow, small, but genuine smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Finished?"
Elena took a deep breath.
His overcoat was still warm around her shoulders.
"Yeah."
"And you're okay?"
She hesitated.
But, for the first time that night, she didn't have to lie.
"Now… I am."
Ryan reached for the car door handle, opened the passenger side, and made a small inviting gesture.
"Then let's go. Our movie won't watch itself."
And Elena smiled; a real, light smile, full of the warmth she had tried to deny for years.
As she got in after thanking him for the gentlemanly gesture, she had only one thought; simple and devastatingly true:
With him, things always made sense again.
____________________
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