Light in the Darkness ♥ S. SALVATORE

II - ORDINARY PEOPLE

EIGHT days had passed and Scarlett never left Stefan's side in the cell. Even though Damon, and the rest of Stefan's people in Mystic Falls, wanted to officially meet her, Scarlett's goal was fixing Stefan and if that meant spending all her time with him, she had no complaints about it.

Italy 1935

Scarlett turned on the hot water of her shower and loosely held onto her robe. She and Stefan had made plans the night before to head to the flea market together to get ingredients for their dinner that they would be cooking together. She bit her lip as she watched the bathroom mirror steam up and her robe slipped down her shoulder, thinking about how for the past twelve years, she was crossing a line that she never had with other rippers and yet, there was something about this one that made her want to do...normal people things.

She walked out of her bathroom and down the hallway to Stefan's room. She peaked through the door to see him still asleep, causing her to giggle to herself. Once again, a wild night with her had put the vampire into a coma which she took as a compliment given vampires don't usually need sleep.

Knowing it was a bad idea, she stayed at the doorway and waited until Stefan turned to face her before she slowly let her robe fall to the ground. She knew him well enough to know that he was now awake at her signature scent and after a few seconds, she walked back into her bathroom and entered her shower.

The hot water hit her body and she ran her hands over her hair when she felt a pair of strong hands touch her shoulder. "I thought this was against your rules." Stefan let out in a husky tone, leaning into the crook of her neck.

She smirked to herself and refused to face him. "I thought you were asleep..." She said softly.

He smirked too and peppered kisses on her neck. "I was." He whispered in her ear. "Would you rather me back in my bed?"

"I would rather shower."

In a swift motion, Scarlett was pressed against the shower glass and Stefan hovered over her, biting his lip and looking into her eyes. Both let out husky breaths as he rested his hand against her head. "And I can't join you?" He asked with a fake offended look on his face.

Her eyes grew dark. "Like you said... It's against my rules."

Stefan licked his lips. "What if I earned it?"

She raised her eyebrow with intrigue. "Like a prize?"

"Yes." He nodded slowly and took a step back, leaning against the shower wall. "I get to shower and sleep in the same bed as you every night until this ends."

Secretly, the idea excited her body, but mostly her heart, at a rapid speed but she kept her face neutral, shaking her head. "None of my clients get those privileges."

He let out a dark chuckle. "I think we both know that I'm not a normal client of yours, Scarlett." He smirked more when she practically growled at him as he ran his fingers through his wet hair. "I break most of your rules. I stopped calling you Ms. Maddox a long time ago." He leaned off the wall and she watched him intensely. "A personal relationship is never to be had," he recited from her rules. "And yet, we do things that best friends do. We go food shopping together, we read together on the couch, we have endless conversations, and we go out dancing together." Scarlett still held a blank face although everything he said was true, and that's how she knew something had changed between them. "What's two more rules?"

"They're crossing a line." She said harshly. "I am not some--"

"Some, what?" He fired back at her. "Some...girlfriend?"