Stefan was already sitting there on his chair, when she came. He was too busy reading the book in his hands.

This time, she did knocked, breaking his thoughts. He looked at her, and waved his hands to let her in.

"So I am assuming you know which chapter you have to make the report on?"

She looked at him and smiled. "I know which chapter, but I might need some help understanding it."

"You may ask if you have any doubts."

She took her seat, and opened her English note.

For a second, his eyes left the words on the book, and wandered around her. She didn't see him, but by the looks on her face, she was sure she wasn't imagining his eyes on her.

Fifteen minutes. Enough for her to break the silence.

"So, Professor Salvatore?" He looked at her at once, waiting for her to continue.

"If the person leave his dream job, and work for something else, why would that be?" She was flipping the pages in her book, sitting crossed-legs, and looking at him casually.

His eyes stayed there for a while, searching for the reason behind the question, wondering if he should answer or not. He answered her anyway.

"Depends on the situation, maybe the person got inspired for something else."

"But, if the said person is running away from some-"

"Miss Forbes I think you should better work on reading the chapter, rather than on these not so important stuff." He cut her out before she could have finished.

"Oh, it isimportant." She tucked the strand of hair behind her ear, and he couldn't help but wonder the same question which got stuck in his mind in the morning.

"What happened to your hair?" He cleared his throat before asking the question. She raised her brows in question. It was too late, and the question was out there, said loud enough, to be heard by her.

He couldn't help himself, when the next statement fell from his mouth.

"They are red now. What happened…. There?" he was feeling uneasy in asking this. He could definitely feel The awkwardness in the air.

The way her raised eyebrows turned straight, and her smile widened, proofed that it was more awkward for him than for her.

"Should I be glad professor Salvatore, that you know the color of my hair?" There was a smirk on her face.

"I am sorry, that I asked this. You can continue your read." He sighed and went back to scribbling on his notes.

"I see you are still a fond of journals… Professor Salvatore."

"It-"

"Gives you a way to keep the record of things happened in your life." she finished his sentence before he could.

"Yeah… yeah it does." Their looks stayed on each other longer than required.

Stefan was amused. After all these years, she still remembers. Knows him, maybe even better than himself.

Nineteen year old Caroline Forbes. She should have been attending college, visiting places, seeing the whole world. Instead, she is here, still in school. It's not like he is a stranger to her. After all, they did spent two years in the same town.

Chirpy, and chatty, she always used to lighten the whole room filled with dull people. Like, she has this hundred watt bulb in her hands, and with one flick, the world brightens.

Blonde curls, high heels, co-captain of cheerleading squad, she was flawless. Worked hard every day to reach on top.

Her tiny weakness was none other than, Stefan Salvatore. She instantly grew a crush on him, when he came in the town to stay. Digging out all information she could, she knew every bit of the details about him. She didn't cared about him being older. Unfortunate for her, four was a big number for him.

"I can show the falls, if you want." She was trying to be sexy, but there was gentle smile on his face. The girl with two pigtails, she was cute in his eyes. But she was way too young.

"Caroline, you are four years younger than me. It's not gonna happen. I am sorry."

She wasn't any other girl who would stick to the rejection. Doesn't mean she didn't cried either. One day, and that's it.

She used to flirt with him here and there, and he would chuckle and let it slip.

And then one day, he was eighteen, and moved away from the place. Leaving the past behind, leaving her behind.

What he didn't know before was, she is still here, stuck in her same routine. He wants to know more. The back of his throat was itching when she beat him up in asking the question first.

"You have changed. You are more broody now…. What happened?" His thoughts were stopped in the middle when her soft voice reached his ears.

"World became cruel. That's what happened." She nodded once before her eyes went back to her notes.

"You have changed too. What happened?" He is a professor now, his mentor. He shouldn't be asking her questions like the way he did.

Her lips were turning up a little but, curled at the end. She leaned forward, eyeing him closely, the exact moment when his heart started to beat unevenly at the sight.

"Life occurred. That's what happened." She left her chair, and walked towards him. With every step she took, the tempo of his heart increased.

She stopped one feet away from him and raised her hand holding the stack of papers.

"My report."

"You are already done?" he was sitting straight now. There was no way that she could have finished it in such a short time.

He skimmed the whole thing, and it shouldn't have been a surprise to him. She was the best in every single thing. She still is.

She was on her way out, her hold on the knob, when he decided to speak.

"You are a bright student, Caroline. Then why is this act? You can graduate all at once, and still, you are here." She turned around and found his eyes straight piercing into her.

Her chuckles came out in little sighs, which made his brows to frown even more than they were seconds before.

"Maybe because we had to meet, again, like this." She stopped to hear his reaction. He didn't have any.

"Happy to hear I am still Caroline to you, Professor Salvatore." The words were still in the air around him, even when she was out of his sight.

He was lost, his mind was all over the place. And now instead of keeping his own business, he wanted to get into the matters personally.