Love In Shadows

44. Passion's Tapestry

Returning to Mystic Falls was like stepping into a time capsule of memories, each corner of the town echoing with the laughter and tears of days gone by. When we were leaving Los Angeles, Raquel and Kai had their emotional goodbye in their own way. Even though Kai wasn't good at showing his emotions, he tried his best to be kind by hugging her.

Indeed, he had come a long way.

The Salvatore residence, a silent witness to the ebb and flow of life, welcomed us with open arms. Gratitude swelled within me for the friends who had helped me to find Kai.

Jeremy's face lightened up at the sight of me while Damon approached me with a hug, "God, I was so worried about you."

"I'm alright, see?" I tried to pull back to show I was okay. But he pulled me back and ruffled my hair to tease me. Stefan chuckled from the distance and walked forth to give a pat on Kai's arm with a grin and pulled my cheek.

I swatted his hand with annoyance, "Since when did you become Damon?"

Damon grumbled in response and scrunched his nose to show fake disappointment. "Ouch, Sam."

This made everyone chuckle in response.
"Only Sam can press Damon's buttons without getting killed," Jeremy stated while hiding his urge to smile.

After a warm meet-up with everyone, Caroline and I settled on the porch stairs, which held the weight of countless conversations. The golden hues of the setting sun cast a nostalgic glow, and the air seemed to carry whispers of the past.

"Caroline," I began, a soft smile playing on my lips, "do you remember the first time we met and all the crazy adventures we had?"

Caroline chuckled, her eyes reflecting the shared nostalgia. "Oh, how could I forget? Those were some wild times. Your first hangover after the frat party..."

"Oh, don't remind me that time." I groaned with cringe memories and held the bridge of my nose. "And now here we are, bringing Kai back," I added, the realization settling in.

Caroline nodded, her gaze fixed on the horizon. "We've come a long way, haven't we?"

As we sat in a moment of reflection, the door creaked open, and Bonnie joined us with a warm smile. "What's the plan now, ladies? The future awaits."

Leaning forward, Caroline shared, "Bonnie, do you remember the time we went to the club with some of our friends and a guy from our history class asked Samantha out and a half an hour later he asked you out?"

Bonnie laughed, the memories painting her expression with a mix of amusement and fondness. "It was Elena's idea to compel him to act stupid the next day in college to embarrass him as revenge."

Out of the blue, Kai opened the door and looked at us with a tense look as he asked, "Who asked Samantha out?"

Caroline huffed whilst rolling her eyes in annoyance as she replied, "No one, Kai. And stop eavesdropping on our conversation for god's sake!"

Bonnie and I giggled at their interaction and for a moment, my eyes met his gaze. I noticed how he didn't move his eyes from me until Caroline snapped her finger in front of him and said, "Okay, you should go now, we're having some serious conversation here."

"But you have something mine here." He mumbled with innocent eyes looking at Caroline. For the first time, I saw her out of words for a moment while my heart raced with his words. I would feel my face heated, making me look down.

"Alright, lover boy, no need to be cheesy." Bonnie retorted with a chuckle and patted his shoulder as a gesture to give us some privacy. He gave me a last look before closing the porch's door and walking inside.