Lexi watched Stefan, seeing the quiet sadness that settled over his features as he spoke about Elena. She couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for her best friend. He'd been through so much because of a face like that once before, and now history was dangling in front of him again, just out of reach.
She set her own glass down on the bartender's table with a decisive click. "Let's go over there," she said, not as a question but as a statement. She pointed with her chin toward the table where Leo and Elena were sitting.
Stefan looked at her, surprise and immediate resistance flashing in his eyes. "Lexi, I don't think that's—" he began, but she cut him off without a word. She simply gave him a glance—a single, firm look that had been perfected over a century of friendship. It was a look that said, I'm doing this, and I don't want to hear 'no' right now.
Without waiting for further argument, Lexi slid gracefully off her vinyl stool, smoothed her top, and started walking confidently across the crowded floor, weaving between tables with a vampire's easy grace. Stefan stared after her for a second, then let out a long, low sigh. Arguing with Lexi when she had that look was pointless. He pushed himself off his stool and followed in her wake, a reluctant shadow.
At the table, Leo was only half-listening to Elena. The rest of his focus was stretched thin, his superhuman senses cranked to their extreme. He had heard every word of Lexi and Stefan's conversation at the bar—the comparison of Elena to Katherine. In his mind, the comparison was ridiculous. Elena was the best, in every way that mattered. Her kindness, her strength, her empathy—Katherine Pierce, with all her cunning and cruelty, wasn't fit to stand in her shadow.
And now he heard them coming. The sound of Lexi's purposeful footsteps, the softer tread of Stefan following. A cool, analytical part of his mind engaged. He felt no fear, but a steady, rising caution. Lexi was not like Stefan,a weak vampire.She was older, more experienced, and far more powerful than Damon, whom he had handled without breaking a sweat. If she decided to make a move tonight, she could be a little trouble. Not enough to truly threaten him, but enough to cause a scene he'd rather avoid.
Meanwhile, Elena was in the middle of speaking. She was leaning forward slightly, a soft, hopeful smile on her face. "...and you know, Leo, I know this famous spot in Virginia. It's a really romantic area for couples. It's all gardens and fountains, and at night they have these little lights everywhere…" She was sharing something personal, a daydream maybe, her eyes bright. As she spoke, she glanced around the lively grill, her gaze eventually landing back on Leo.
He was sitting right across from her, but his head was slightly bowed, his eyes fixed on the condensation tracing patterns on his glass of water. He was physically present, but everything about him—the stillness, the distant look in his downcast eyes—screamed that his mind was somewhere else entirely. It felt like she was talking to a statue.
A flicker of disappointment cut through her. Then it warmed into a spark of irritation. When you're speaking to someone, pouring out a little piece of your heart, you want them there. You want to see them listening, not just with their ears, but with their whole being. Seeing him so detached, so obviously preoccupied while she was trying to connect, made her mood instantly sour.
Her hopeful smile faded, replaced by a flat, unamused line. Her voice, which had been warm and animated, now carried a sharp edge as she raised it slightly over the music, not quite a yell, but a firm, pointed call to attention.
"Leo," she said, her tone letting him know he'd messed up. "Are you here? Or are you missing Caroline?"
Leo's head snapped up at the sound of Elena's voice, sharp and clear over the background noise. He looked at her face, really looked, and saw the irritation there. His mind, which had been miles away strategizing about ancient vampires, took a second to rewind and process what she had just said. Caroline? Where did that come from?
"Elena, I'm sorry," he said quickly, his voice softening into an apologetic murmur. "It's just… I've been thinking about some money problems. My mind wandered." It was the first believable, normal excuse he could grab.He reached across the table and gently placed his hand over hers where it rested on the polished wood.
Elena didn't pull her hand back. She let it stay there, but her eyes stayed locked on his, searching for the truth. She was still upset, but she was listening.
Seeing he had her attention, Leo continued, his gaze holding hers with a deliberate sincerity. "Elena, you know it can't be Caroline." He said it slowly, leaving no room for doubt. "Not in the past. Not in the present. And never in the future." He wanted to erase that idea completely, to make her understand that particular thought had never even crossed his mind.
Before she could respond, the moment was shattered. Two figures arrived at their table. Lexi, with a confident, easy smile, simply pulled out a chair and sat down, as if she'd been invited. Stefan followed suit, sliding into the seat beside her, though his expression was tight and unpleasant. His eyes had gone straight to Leo's hand covering Elena's, and the sight sent a bitter pang through him that he couldn't hide.
Lexi broke the intimate atmosphere with a bright, unapologetic voice. "Sorry for breaking up the romantic atmosphere," she said, not sounding sorry at all. She flashed a charming smile, first at Elena, then letting it settle on Leo. "I just couldn't help myself. After everything Stefan has told me about you two, I had to come over and meet you for myself."
The intrusion was so bold it was almost impressive. At Lexi's words, Elena finally withdrew her hand from under Leo's. She shot him a final, swift glare that communicated a whole sentence: We are not done here.Then, as if flipping a switch, she turned to Lexi with a polite, welcoming smile. It was her natural, good-mannered instinct taking over.
"Hi," Elena said, her voice friendly. "I'm Elena. It's nice to meet you."
Leo watched Elena's face change faster than he could change his clothes. He gave a small, internal shake of his head. Women, he thought, but with a touch of relief. At least her immediate anger at him seemed to have been shelved for the sake of company. That was better.
His attention then shifted fully to the new arrival. As Lexi finished her introductory remark to Elena, she turned her head, her hazel eyes finally meeting him across the table. The playful smile was still on her lips, but her gaze was assessing, sharp, and deeply curious. Leo met her look calmly, his own expression giving nothing away.
Lexi smiled, a bright, engaging expression that didn't quite reach the calculating depths of her hazel eyes. "Hello, Leo," she said, her voice smooth and friendly. "It's nice to meet you, too." As she spoke, she extended one hand across the table in a gesture of polite greeting, a classic handshake. Her gaze stayed fixed on his face, openly appreciating his features. In the quiet of her own mind, a practical, detached thought formed: If he wasn't the 'devil' Stefan warned me about, and if he wasn't the one causing all this trouble to Stefan… I really might consider making a move on him. He had a compelling presence that was hard to ignore.
Leo watched her hand approach. Internally, he was not pleased with Lexi's sudden appearance. First, she had barged in and shattered the private moment he was trying to salvage with Elena. Now, she was forcing this social gesture, pretending everything was normal. It felt invasive and rude. But on the surface, he gave nothing away. He brought his own hand up and met hers. Their hands clasped—her skin was cool and soft, a vampire's unchanging temperature. His was warm and alive.
"Same here," Leo replied, his voice equally polite, a perfect mirror of her false courtesy. "It's a pleasure."
The handshake lasted a second too long to be purely casual before both released their grip. Lexi immediately pivoted, turning the full force of her attention and her charming smile onto Elena. "Elena," she gushed, her tone dripping with warm approval. "You have really got yourself such a good boyfriend. You are definitely the luckiest girl."
Elena's cheeks colored slightly at the direct praise. Her eyes instinctively flickered toward Leo when Lexi called him her 'good boyfriend.' In her heart, she accepted the compliment. She did feel lucky. After the loneliness and the strange tragedies of her parents' sudden car accident this year, having someone like Leo—strong, protective, and who looked at her as if she mattered—felt like a gift. But she didn't let that feeling show on her face for him to see. Not yet. The memory of him zoning out while she was sharing something personal was still fresh, a little splinter of irritation she wasn't ready to pull out. So, she just gave Lexi a modest, grateful smile, accepting the words as general politeness.
With the pleasantries established, Lexi began her real work.She kept chatting with Elena, asking questions about school, about Mystic Falls, about her interests. But the questions were designed subtly, indirectly circling back to Leo. "So, how did you two meet?" "He seems very protective of you, is he always like that?" "What's he like when he's not being the perfect boyfriend?" It was a gentle, friendly interrogation, digging for details about Leo's character, his habits, his weaknesses—anything Lexi could use to form a better picture of the enigmatic 'devil' Stefan feared.
Seeing Lexi engrossed Elena in conversation, Leo slowly turned his head to the side.Stefan Salvatore was already looking at him, those green eyes watchful and tense. Leo remembered Stefan's words to Lexi. Stefan description of him—villain—stuck in his mind. He didn't care what Lexi thought; her opinion meant nothing to him. But the word, coming from Stefan? That was different. It was a lie. Stefan was the real villain here, not him. The unfairness of it tightened in his chest. He leaned in slightly, just enough so his words would carry only to Stefan's ears, his voice a low murmur beneath the music and crowd noise.
"Stefan," he began, his tone deceptively casual. "What I'm about to say is going to give you a shock." He paused, letting the anticipation build for a fraction of a second. "I heard everything. Every word you and Lexi were talking about over at that bar." A cold, knowing smile played on his lips. "Which, I suppose, your 'little mind' didn't expect." He leaned back just an inch, his gaze piercing. "And your description of me… this 'devil' thing. It makes me feel a little bad. Like I'm the villain in your story, and you're the noble hero. So tell me," he finished, his voice dropping even further, laced with a quiet menace, "what should I do about that? What should I do with you?"
Across the table, Lexi was still asking Elena about her favorite classes, but her vampire hearing was equally sharp. Her stream of cheerful questions to Elena didn't falter, but her eyes—which had been warmly fixed on the girl—flicked instantly, minutely, toward Leo and Stefan. She heard it all. Every threatening word. Her body didn't tense, but her focus split perfectly between the conversation she was maintaining and the one happening in hushed tones beside her.
Leo, aware of her heightened senses, knew she was listening. As he finished his quiet threat to Stefan, he casually glanced across the table. His eyes met Lexi's. She had glanced over at the perfect moment. He gave her a small, knowing smile—a smile that acknowledged the game, that said, Yes, I know you're listening. And I don't care.
He had heard her own line of questioning, too—the subtle probing into his nature, his past, his relationship. It was the kind of interference no one liked, a third party digging into personal life with fake smiles.
Under the table, hidden from view, Stefan's hands had clenched into tight fists, his knuckles straining. He knew Leo wasn't going to let this go easily tonight. There would be a reckoning, some form of punishment or torture for what Stefan had said. But now there was also Lexi. The equation had changed. A grim thought crossed Stefan's mind: Who knows who will be torturing who before this night is over?
Yet, amidst the rising tension, one fact provided a fragile stability: Elena was here. Stefan watched Leo's careful demeanor, the way he controlled his expressions around her. He knew, with absolute certainty, that Leo genuinely cared for Elena. That care was the only leash holding back the full force of whatever Leo was. As long as Elena remained at this table, the devil would stay in its cage. For now.
....
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