this doesn't perfectly follow the request but it's in the same frames so maybe that's okay. I ACTUALLY LOVED WRITING THIS and usually my imagines get worse towards the ending but this time it was actually the opposite and wow holy shizzle i loved loved loved writing this. HOPE YOU ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS I DO. xx

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Imagine sleeping around all the time because that's how you'll feel loved and Stefan worries about you and promises to show you what love is

  It was true that getting your heart broken too many times could make it numb. Love stopped feeling real, like the world was extinct of it, and you quitted searching for some, knowing it would end in tears no matter which path you'd pick.

  Inevitably, the path you had chosen for now, the sleeping around and avoiding commitment, earned you the title of the town slut which some people used rather shamelessly. Perhaps it was well used, though, considering you had seen most of the bedrooms in Mystic Falls, and not through an open house. Except for one, oddly entertaining time. But it wasn't like you had a different guy or girl for each night. You just never went on a second date, you never took things on a more serious level, all you were looking for was sex, and whenever the chance striked, you took it.

  You didn't try to be a slut, all you did, was protect yourself from heartache, and sadly, many people failed to see that. Except for your best friend, Stefan Salvatore, who knew exactly what kind of a girl you were and it wasn't this. You weren't some cheap whore to pick up from the street, and it hurt Stefan to see random guys flirting with you, to which you easily softened and ended up making out with in the bathroom. And on top of that, Stefan also happened to be head over heels in love with you, so it was certainly not easy for him to watch aside as you wasted your nights with men that did not deserve you.

  But every time he tried to approach you about the matter, you just shook your head, unwilling to have the conversation. "We've been through this, Stefan. This is how I feel loved, not by getting my heart stomped on. No strings attached, just affection for one night. That's how I like it, and you can't change it", was the usual response before strutting out to some random dude's house. Stefan hated it, but as your best friend, he tried to drop the matter and respected your choice, even with it being the worst one ever.

///

  "Well, I'm off to have some fun with this nice guy I met a few hours ago. Bye, Stef", you smiled, and kissed your best friend's cheek before getting up from the booth you had shared at Mystic Grill, which was your most common hangout. You waltzed over to the entrance, and waved Stefan a goodbye as you sneaked out, ready to meet yet another man. Stefan waved at you, and then sighed heavily - why couldn't it ever be him?

  Deep in his thoughts, Stefan stared at the napkin his fingers were playing with, tearing the material apart while a heavy frown twisted his sharp features. He was concerned, about you. He didn't want to see you to do this to yourself, this destruction which you claimed to be the only right way for you. He knew you were capable of love, and you deserved to be loved too, and he had just the right guy in his mind. Him. He was the one for you, the perfect boyfriend who would always take care of you, keep you safe and happy and never break your heart. He wanted to have you on his arms, shower you with kisses and wake up next to you every morning. He wanted...

  "Hey, Stefan!"

  Caroline's cheery voice startled Stefan, and he jumped on his seat while his hands dropped the napkin. He tore his eyes off of his hands, forcing himself to face Caroline, who had brought Elena along, and Stefan tried to smile as the two girls seated themselves opposite him. As much as Stefan liked their company, he would have preferred being alone with his thoughts, but now that the two girls were there, might as well take advantage of the situation.

  "I'm worried about Y/N", Stefan broke the silence and leaned over the table while crossing his hands. Elena and Caroline both looked surprised, and they glanced at each other swiftly before returning their looks to Stefan who was trying to seem patient, but the way he was moving his leg up and down signified something else. It was evident that he was truly concerned, perhaps even nervous, and there was something more to the matter than just his worry, but the girls didn't poke the bear. They nodded, and kindly, Elena asked why, and as if Stefan had been waiting for the question, words started to flood out of his mouth in an instant.

  "She keeps sleeping around with random guys. And I hate it. I want-- I mean, I want her to be happy. But she doesn't seem happy. She pretends to be happy. She claims this is how she'll feel loved but I know it's because she's afraid of getting her heart broken again. She tries to be strong and confident and sexy, and she is, but she's also hiding. She's my best friend, I know her better than any of you. Not to be rude, but I can tell she's not happy like this. I want her to be happy. I want to be happy with her", Stefan explained and sighed heavily, shocking Elena and Caroline with the rant he didn't bother to hold back. It was quite clear to them now, how Stefan really felt about his best friend.

  "Look, Stefan, first of all...", Caroline said and sighed, "I think you seriously need to reconsider your relationship with Y/N. Best friends? I don't think so, sweetie. I think, you're in love with her. And yeah, maybe she is unhappy like this, but you're also jealous, don't you think?", giving Stefan a careful smile. The Salvatore opened his mouth, trying to say something, but only a groan came out as he understood how correct Caroline was. His head fell into his palms, and he felt like screaming, because it wasn't too easy to fall in love with your best friend, but it happened to him and now he had to deal with it.

  "I think you should show her what love is", Elena began, and made Stefan lift his head from his hands, to see the Gilbert girl smiling warmly at him. "She's avoiding commitment, right? Then, you should show her there's nothing to be afraid of. You need to make her feel loved, but keep things realistic. Explain it to her. Be there for her. And, I think, you should also kiss her", Elena suggested and wiggled her eyebrows which made both of the girls giggle. But it was even better than just a good idea, and as Stefan broke into a smile, he knew that it was exactly what he'd do later that night.

  "Thank you", he simply responded, before resting against his palm and falling back into his daydreams.

///

  Later that night, you came home instead of staying with the man you had been out with. Stefan had been looking so sad, and after he had begged for you to stop seeing so many guys, you couldn't help but feel guilty and you couldn't possibly enjoy the time with the man for longer, so you returned to the house you lived in by yourself. All you wanted to do was change into a pair of PJ's, make yourself some tea and send Stefan an apologetic message.

  All you could do was turn the lights on, when your plans were turned upside down and you were frozen on the spot after closing the front door. Your eyes met Stefan's, who was standing by the stairs, and as you noticed the bouquet of deep red roses and the fond smile on his lips, your high heels dropped from your hands and your jaw went along. The sight was definitely surprising, and you were devoid of words, but luckily Stefan wasn't.

  He took a step towards you, and your heart fluttered as his kind smile and warm eyes met yours, your toes against his, warmth radiating off of his body and the love almost possible to taste on the tip of your tongue. He pushed his fingers through his soft hair rather nervously, and your eyes glanced up at his large hand until it dropped back to one of his sides, and you were forced to lock eyes with him again as he offered you the roses which you eventually understood to take in your hands.

  "Hi", Stefan started, his voice shaky but he tried to hide it with a chuckle but obviously he was nervous, and no wonder, because it strongly looked he was confessing his love to you and since you were best friends, he was smart to see the pressure and stress instead of taking this so lightly. "I hope you had fun tonight", he continued, his voice calming down a bit after taking in a deep breath. He glanced at the high heels you dropped, and as he raised his eyes, he made sure to adore every inch of your body in that beautiful dress, before your gazes met again.

  "I did", you said and nodded, looking around while awkwardly rocking back and forth on your feet, not sure what to say or do. "Did you? Have fun tonight?", you managed to continue the conversation, and waited patiently for his answer as you buried your nose in between the beautiful roses Stefan had given you. They were really nice, and you aimed to keep them that way, so you started to stride towards the kitchen and gestured for Stefan to join you as you left the room and entered another.

  "Yes, I did, but that's not what I'm here for. I love talking to you, you know I do, but I'm here for more than just our usual late A.M conversations", Stefan explained and watched you put the flowers in a vase with water in it. You nodded slowly, but stared at the roses until you found the courage to turn over to your best friend again, looking at him, and quietly thanking him for the bouquet which made him acknowledge your gratitude by nodding and smiling carefully.

  "Y/N, I know you're avoiding relationships because you're afraid you'll just get your heart broken", Stefan began, but that was just about as far as he got when you had already shaken your head and taken the first step towards your bedroom. You had barely left the kitchen, mumbling how you didn't want to go through this again, when Stefan's hand grabbed you from your wrist and his tight grip caused you to stop and turn back to him. Your eyes stared into his, surprised that he just didn't get it - you didn't want to talk about this. You'd talk about anything but this.

  "Don't say anything", Stefan said when he saw you opening your mouth, and quickly after his words, you shut your jaw and swallowed thickly, letting him continue. "I want you to know, there's nothing to be afraid of. You once said, nothing lasts forever, when I talked to you about relationships, but nothing includes heartbreak. If you do start a relationship with someone, it'll most likely end at some point, but so will the sadness that follows", he continued, looking down at you while his hand found its way to your cheek where it caressed the soft skin gently.

  "I'm not trying to sugar coat it too much. Break-ups suck, but sometimes they just have to happen. But if you try to avoid commitment forever, you'll die alone. You'll never find the one if you don't allow yourself to fall in love. You have this, this wall up, and you stop the feelings from kicking in but you can't live this way, Y/N, please", Stefan sighed, trying to make you see he was right about this, and maybe he was. Maybe you did agree, maybe you did want to admit that he was making sense. Maybe you wanted to fall in love and be happy with the love of your life.

  "I know", you eventually answered, "but every relationship has ended terribly for me, and I'm just sick of hurting. Sleeping around is enough for me, I feel loved and pretty and happy, but it's nothing too serious", giving Stefan a sad ghost of a smile, which made him shake his head.

  "But it's temporary. You won't be happy like that forever. And one night, you'll realize that you don't want to leave. You want to be happy all the time, not just for a few hours. And, I think... I could make you happy, all the time", Stefan replied, and looked down shyly, but lifted his eyes which made your heart skip a beat. His gaze was intense and you inhaled sharply, feeling the affection that was evident by now, and maybe you did kind of share the love he had for you.

  Woah, had you fallen for your best friend without noticing?

  Now when you thought about it, he had looked even more handsome lately yet nothing had changed, and somehow you felt happier around him than before, and maybe you did have that one dream where you and him kissed. So yes, it was quite obvious to you now, you had fallen in love with Stefan Salvatore, but had thought it was no big deal. It was nothing. You were best friends. And maybe that was exactly why you should, and should not be in a relationship with him. You and him connected on a deep level, you understood each other better than anyone, you balanced each other, kept the other sane.

  You had heard so many people say how the best lovers were also best friends. And there he was, your best friend, right in front of you, his plump lips just waiting, eager to meet yours, and his eyes sparkling with hope as he opened his mouth and proceeded to rant about why he would be the best boyfriend ever.

  Stefan made a long list. He explained it very thoroughly, wanting you to know that he was serious and that he did in fact love you very much. He explained how, when and where he realized he was in love with you, and he told you how hard it was to keep calm around you, but you didn't really listen. All you did was smile, and look at his flawless features as he rambled and ranted and got pretty freaking emotional. And eventually, when it seemed like he wouldn't shut up, you placed your hand on the back of his head and pushed his mouth down to yours.

  Stefan immediately let out an eager moan, as if he had been holding it in for years now, and the flood of words in his throat suffocated as he melted against you, his lips getting used to the new, but wonderful taste and feeling. While you gripped his hair, tugged it gently, Stefan's hands went to your hips and he pulled you closer, closing you in a warm embrace while the both of you closed your eyes and tilted your heads aside to make the kiss easier.

  You were an experienced kisser, and so was Stefan, so you quickly learned how to make it perfect and there was no awkwardness. But, although, the both of you had had many kisses in the past, none of them could quite best this one. It was intense, yet so sweet, and so flawless. Stefan's lips tasted like heaven, and they were just as soft as yours, and you were both softly gasping and moaning while he stumbled forward, pushing you against the kitchen wall while his hands slid down to your thighs and yours messed up his fluffy hair.

  For a split second, you thought it could go further, but Stefan being the gentleman he was, pulled away and gasped while resting his forehead against yours. You opened your eyes, returning from the bliss, and gave him a warm smile which he gladly returned. Your hand left his hair and went to his cheek, caressing the blushing skin while his remained on your thighs.

  "I'm in love with you. For weeks, I thought about how to say it, but Y/N, it's that simple. I love you. And if you love me too, then let's not make this complicated. Let's be together. Let yourself be in love. Don't try to avoid this. Be my girlfriend", Stefan whispered, his breath warm on your mouth. Each word was low, husky, but still so sweet and meaningful and your knees wobbled as you let him wrap his arms around you.

  You were weak, vulnerable, and that was what you hated about being in love, but you knew that Stefan would never hurt you. He'd always protect you, love you, keep you happy and safe. And his arms around you made you see that. You didn't have to put up a shield to protect yourself from heartbreak, he was your shield.

  "I love you too", you replied, and nodded your head, wanting to be his girlfriend just as much as he wanted to be your boyfriend. Stefan chuckled fondly, and it made you do the same as you leaned in again, causing your lips to meet for the second time.

  And you hoped there would never be a last time.