After saying goodbye to Tyler and Matt, Ryan walked towards the school building where he had seen a certain blonde walking in that direction, someone who was recognizable to him because she looked exactly like the actress who played the character in the television series.
The reason for that?
Well, the truth was simple: between hanging out chatting with guys or seeking the company of a girl, the second option always seemed infinitely more interesting to him.
He quickened his pace a bit when he realized she was about to enter the building.
Without letting her or her friends notice, he subtly changed his path, circling around until he appeared behind her. So close like that, he finally took a look at the girl in question.
She was extremely beautiful.
Her platinum blonde hair was impeccable, shining under the natural light of the hallway. Her blue eyes, as clear as the sky, were full of vibrant energy, and her posture exuded confidence. Her hips were well-defined, her slim waist gave her an hourglass silhouette, while her long and toned legs, her naturally voluminous breasts, were proportional to her body. She was wearing a light pink short-sleeved blouse, fitted to her body, which highlighted her curves in a subtle and elegant way. She wore a high-waisted skirt in a beige tone, which had a slight slit at the bottom, giving it a touch of femininity. Her long and shapely legs were even more evident due to the skirt, while a pair of high-heeled sandals completed the look.
She was about twenty centimeters shorter than him, practically reaching his chest in terms of height.
Caroline was in the middle of an animated explanation to two classmates, laughing loudly and gesturing with her hands as if telling the most important story in the world. Her energy naturally filled the space, attracting glances without her even noticing.
Wanting to have a little fun, he leaned slightly and spoke softly, close to her ear:
"Still so animated early on, Caroline?"
The blonde froze, surprised. Her friends looked curious, but Caroline turned quickly, ready to retort until her eyes met his.
She stayed still for a second, the air caught in her chest, as if she couldn't believe it. But soon her eyes shone, her mouth opened in an incredulous smile full of emotion.
"Ryan?!"
Her scream echoed through the courtyard, loaded with joy. Without thinking twice, Caroline jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly, almost suffocating.
"My God, I can't believe it!", she said, laughing and crying at the same time against his shoulder. "You came back! You really came back!"
Ryan enveloped her in a firm hug, letting a smile escape from the corner of his mouth.
"I said I wasn't going to disappear forever", he murmured, with a low and calm voice.
Caroline pulled away just enough to look at his face up close, her eyes still teary, but full of happiness. She touched his arm, as if she needed to make sure it was real.
"You have no idea how much I missed you..."
Ryan observed her for a few seconds, the soft smile remaining on his lips. Then he just ran his hand through her hair in an almost instinctive gesture, without needing words.
Caroline's classmates, who had been standing watching, exchanged glances in silence, murmured something low and soon discreetly walked away, leaving the two alone.
But Caroline was so focused on Ryan that she didn't even notice. She took a deep breath, trying to control the whirlwind of emotions, but her eyes couldn't detach from him. That was the same boy who had left years ago, but at the same time... it wasn't.
The boy she knew had grown up, and what was in front of her now seemed straight out of a dream. The gray shirt molded his chest and broad shoulders, while the tailored pants accentuated every line of his strong legs. His black hair fell in a disordered way although combed back, but each strand seemed to have been placed there on purpose. And the eyes... God, those green eyes....
She swallowed hard, feeling her heart beat too fast. Before, Ryan already made her legs tremble with a simple smile. Now, he seemed to have transformed into something impossible to ignore. A magazine man, as Matt had commented a little while ago, only even better, because he was there, in front of her, holding her in his arms.
Caroline blinked a few times, unable to hide the blush that colored her cheeks.
"You... you look different", she murmured, her voice faltering slightly. She tried to laugh to disguise it, but the sound came out nervous, almost childish. "I mean, not just different... you're... a total hottie."
The words escaped before she could hold them back, and as soon as she realized, she brought her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide.
Ryan arched an eyebrow, a smile appearing on the corner of his lips upon noticing her spontaneous slip.
"Really?", he teased, the tone low and loaded with amusement.
Caroline wanted to die right there. But at the same time, she felt her heart vibrate with the way he looked at her as if she had just gained all his attention.
She looked away for a second, biting her lower lip, but soon returned to face him, unable to pretend indifference.
"It's not like it's news. I... I always thought you were gorgeous, Ryan. But now..." She took a deep breath, laughing softly from nervousness. "Now it's even unfair."
Ryan didn't respond immediately. He just observed her in silence, his eyes scanning her face, as if analyzing every detail. Then, calmly, he ran his fingers over her flushed cheek, a light gesture, but one that made Caroline hold her breath.
"You've grown up too", he said finally, in a simple but firm tone. "And you're still beautiful."
Caroline felt her chest warm, a mix of happiness and incredulity. If before it was already hard not to fall in love with him, now it seemed impossible to resist. She bit her lip, feeling her cheeks burn even more, but tried to disguise it with that nervous way that always came when she was caught off guard.
"You can't just… say things like that, you know? I'm already trying not to faint here."
Ryan laughed softly, his voice loaded with calm.
"I didn't imagine it would leave you so flustered."
Caroline huffed, crossing her arms, but unable to hide the smile.
"Oh, please. You know very well the effect you have. You always knew."
He tilted his head, curious.
"Really?"
"Yes!" She responded too quickly, and soon regretted it, widening her eyes. "I mean… not that I… like… it's not like I spent years waiting for you to come back, or something like that."
Ryan arched an eyebrow, clearly amused by her clumsy attempt.
"Really not?"
Caroline rolled her eyes, but laughed, shaking her head.
"Okay, maybe a little. But this stays between us, got it? I have a reputation to maintain."
Ryan smiled from the corner, looking at her with that calm air that only made the situation worse.
"You got it. Your secret's safe with me."
Caroline trying to regain a bit of composure, but still biting her lip without noticing. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stared at him with those blue eyes full of curiosity.
"Okay… but you're going to have to tell me everything. What happened in these years? You just disappeared, Ryan. I spent a good time wondering if you were alive, if you had... I don't know... given up on Mystic Falls."
Ryan kept the smile on the corner of his lips, but his eyes didn't blink, fixed on her as if analyzing every reaction.
"They were busy years. School, work… nothing worth a biography. But I think I kept myself occupied enough not to go crazy."
Caroline arched an eyebrow, not disguising her curiosity.
"You don't seem exactly the type who goes crazy."
"I'm not," he replied, his voice low and loaded with an almost provocative calm.
Caroline laughed, shaking her head, but soon changed the subject, trying to seem casual.
"And... about dating? Don't tell me you stayed alone all this time. That would be… I don't know, impossible."
Ryan tilted his head a bit, as if thinking about the answer, but the truth is that the choice of words came easily, without any effort.
"I went out with some girls, yes. Nothing serious. Just… distractions."
He said that in the most natural way in the world, as if talking about changing shirts.
Caroline felt her stomach churn with the coldness of the word, but at the same time, she couldn't avoid the shiver that ran down her spine. The way he spoke seemed simple, but carried a dangerous, almost magnetic intensity.
"Distractions, huh?" she repeated, biting her lip, this time more to hold back the smile than from nervousness. "You really changed a bit compared to a few years ago...."
Ryan shrugged.
"Maybe I just got more honest."
Caroline laughed, but the sound came out low, almost shy, which was rare for her.
"Great. Because I want honesty too. Are you going to stay? Or are you going to disappear again when I get used to having you around?"
"I have no plans to disappear. Not now." Ryan replied casually, pretending to be mysterious.
Her heart raced. The answer wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but still brought a strange, almost sweet relief. Caroline smiled, half nervous, fiddling with her hair as she always did when trying to disguise anxiety.
"Not now? You know that doesn't sound reliable at all, right?"
Ryan raised his eyebrow, that same smile from the corner returning to his face.
"Then keep me here. If you can."
She was speechless for a moment.
"You're unbearable…" Caroline murmured, biting her lip to contain a bigger smile.
"And you still like that."
Caroline rolled her eyes, but couldn't deny it. The truth was that her body screamed yes, even if her mouth tried to pretend indifference. She wanted to throw more provocations, but upon facing those intense green eyes, all that came out was a light and nervous laugh.
"Okay, maybe I like it a little. But don't get cocky, Ryan."
"I never do." He responded with a naturalness that bordered on arrogance, but without sounding like a joke. It was simply part of him.
She shook her head, incredulous. It was so irritating and at the same time so attractive that Caroline almost hated admitting how she felt. She crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly, as if preparing to give a sermon.
"Oh, please. You've always been like this, you know? Arrogant. Always. In school, it was obvious. Like when the teacher asked everyone to turn in the history paper and you turned in fifteen perfect pages… fifteen! While the rest of the class barely managed three. And you still smiled when she praised you in front of everyone."
Ryan arched his eyebrow, but said nothing.
"And there was also that time at the science fair. Remember? While everyone made little baking soda volcanoes, you showed up with a machine that actually worked, I don't know for what, but won a state medal. Nar-ci-sist."
He tilted his head, pretending to think.
"It was a homemade distillation machine. I just wanted to prove I could do better than the school handout."
Caroline huffed, but couldn't contain the laugh.
"And let's not forget the tests. You finished first, turned in the paper and still made a point of giving that smile from the corner to the teacher. As if saying: 'Look, I finished before everyone'. Unbearable."
Ryan crossed his arms, the smile growing.
"I couldn't help it. My brains worked faster."
"Brains? Plural?" Caroline raised her eyebrow, incredulous.
"Of course." He shrugged. "It would be unfair to compete with just one."
Caroline slapped her hand on her forehead, laughing, but unbelieving.
"You're a lost cause."
Ryan approached a little, the tone of his voice lower, provocative:
"And even so, I remember you still liked to compete with me in everything. You couldn't resist."
She blushed, biting her lip.
"Maybe because someone needed to remind you that you weren't perfect."
"And did you succeed?"
Caroline hesitated, but ended up laughing.
"Not at all."
She stopped, gesturing with her hands, without even noticing that her smile was getting wider and wider.
"Anyway, you always made it seem easy. It was irritating."
"Well, maybe I am a little arrogant."
"A little?" She raised her eyebrows, indignant.
Ryan gave a somewhat arrogant smile as he spoke.
"But I have the right to be, don't you think?"
Caroline widened her eyes, unable to believe his level of self-confidence.
"You're impossible! Nar-ci-sist." She stretched each syllable with emphasis, but the tone was closer to a laugh than a real accusation.
Deep down, she couldn't deny it. Ryan had a natural talent for everything. Sports, grades, even in discussions, he seemed always one step ahead. That's why he had been so popular back then to the point that even Elena, Bonnie and her, even being so different from each other, had nurtured a crush on him. Everything got out of control that night, and the consequences of what happened made them spend practically the following year, distant from each other trying to deal with the feelings, each in her own way.
Caroline looked away for a moment, as if pushing away too many memories, but the smile on the corner of her lips remained. She took a deep breath and returned to face him, with that same playful gleam in her eyes.
"Anyway… you're still the same in that part at least."
Ryan didn't seem bothered by Caroline's accusations. On the contrary, his calm smile remained. Then, with a calm voice, he said:
"Well, I really just got more honest like I said before... If I want to do something, I'll do it... If I want to say something, I'll say it..."
She blinked, surprised by the sudden change in his tone, her smile faltering just for an instant.
He continued casually.
"I still have some things to take care of before classes start. But we'll see each other soon.
Caroline bit her lip, not hiding the slight disappointment, but soon recovered the animated smile she always used to disguise feelings that were too strong.
"Okay. But don't disappear again, got it? I won't accept a second time."
He looked at her firmly, and for a moment, the air between them seemed heavy with unspoken meanings.
"I won't...." He replied, simple, but with a certainty that made her heart race.
Before Caroline could react, Ryan took a step back, and started to walk away down the hallway.
She stayed still, following him with her eyes until he disappeared into the crowd of students. Only then did she release the breath she hadn't even realized she was holding, bringing a hand to her chest to try to calm her accelerated heart.
An involuntary smile escaped her lips.
He was back.
And nothing in Mystic Falls would be the same.
She just wanted to see when Bonnie and Elena found out he was back...
.... But wait, wouldn't this get complicated?
She was so excited to see him again that she forgot what happened that night....
....It seems things are going to get weird for a while between the three of them again, and it was a bad time considering that it hasn't been long since Elena lost her parents.
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