1993 — Mystic Falls, Virginia

   Her mother had told her no several times. Florence had to stay home and help her mother so they could get prepared for a dinner they would be hosting for all the Founding Families of Mystic Falls. It was a simple get-together, a meeting where they could boast about their family name and the old money they each had. Florence wasn't too keen on the idea, but she did have to listen to her mother. All throughout the day, she helped around the house as much as she could. She cleaned, cooked, and straightened whatever thing her mother pointed out that needed to be fixed. An hour before their small party, Mr. Gilbert and Grayson arrived with bags full of alcohol. They had wine and champagne, pretentious drinks for pretentious people. Believe it or not, Florence preferred beer.

   "Florence, dear, go get ready," Mrs. Gilbert said, waving a hand at her. 

   "I am?" the girl questioned, extending her arms and giving a twirl. She wore a simple shirt, sorts, and a jean jacket, something comfortable. 

   Mrs. Gilbert shook her head. "No, sweetheart, get dressed," her mother said with a sigh. "How about you wear that lovely purple dress I got you last year?"

   "How about I just drown?" Florence mumbled as she turned to head up the stairs.

   "What was that?"

   "Nothing!" Florence hurried up the stairs and straight to her room, closing the door behind her. She took a deep breath and glanced around her room, looking at anything she could wear that wasn't the hideous purple dress her mother had bought for her for homecoming. Hideous would be an understatement. While Cher loved it, Florence thought it was more of the blonde's taste than her own.

   She moved to her closed and brushed her fingers against the clothes,  wondering what she could wear. Her eyes landed on a white dress, simple and plain and light enough for the summer head. She chose that dress, and adorned it with the jean jacket and a golden heart necklace her father had given her a few years back. She ran her fingers down her hair, looking at herself in the mirror with a small smile. At that moment, she realised that she looked a bit simple, so she picked up the light coloured lipstick and ran it across her lips, smacking her lips together once they were a soft red.

   A knock on her door caused her to jump and turn just as it opened. Miranda Gilbert stood there with a small smile. "Everyone's here."

   "Already?" Florence asked, scratching her head. 

   "You've been up here for over an hour," Miranda chuckled, crossing her arms. "Everyone's already downstairs and the party is a bit lively."

   "Lively?" Florence scoffed. "Mom and dad don't know how to throw a lively party."

   "Well, lively for adults," she chuckled. "There are a few kids here. Bob's here."

   "Then that means Charles Fell is also here," Florence mumbled, making a face. "Great."

   "And Zach brought his nephew?"

   Florence stopped moving and stared at her sister-in-law with wide eyes, a smile forming around her lips. "Stefan's here?"

   "You know him?" Miranda smiled, almost knowingly, and crossed her arms. "You met him before, didn't you? At that party Charles Fell threw?"

   "How did you know?"

   "Grayson and I have no secrets," Miranda smiled. "Now, come on. Their waiting for you."

   Florence followed her sister-in-law down the stairs and to the party, where the adults were passing by with smiles and glasses of champagne in their hands. They greeted each other with smiles and some with even a peck on their cheeks as if they were posh. It wasn't a full out fashionable party, but Carol Lockwood came with a brilliant red number that was a too much. At her sight, Florence made a face and turned the other way. She saw her parents speaking to Zach Salvatore and his girlfriend, Gail. They were an adorable couple, one that many knew would get married as soon as Zach proposed. And besides them stood Stefan, smiling politely as her parents spoke to him.

   Florence immediately walked over to them, standing by her father and glancing from Stefan to his uncle. She didn't want to look as if she were only staring at him, that would be weird.

   "Florence, hey!" Gail greeted, giving the girl a grin. "How are you?"

   "I'm well, thank you," the girl smiled, nodding. "And you?"

   "Fantastic."

   "Hey, Kiddo," Zach greeted, rubbing her head with his hand. "I heard that you're looking to go to Whitmore?"

   Florence glanced at her parents, who both held proud smiles, and sighed. "Apparently, I am."

   "Oh, um, have you met my nephew?" Zach asked, turning to Stefan. "Stefan, this is Florence Gilbert."

   "It's a pleasure to meet you, Florence," Stefan said with an amused smile. Instead of a handshake, he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, laying a gentle kiss.

   "Likewise," she responded, her breath catching in her throat.

   "Why don't you kids go outside?" Mr. Gilbert asked, laying a hand on Stefan's shoulder. "We'll call you in for dinner."

   "Yeah, sure," Florence mumbled, nodding. She looked at Stefan. "Come on, Stefan." She motioned him to follow with her head, and headed to.her backyard. It was a big yard, with flowers here and there and a swing set her father and brothers had built for her when she was four. She took off her shoes and headed to the swing set, taking a seat and smiling over at Stefan.

   "You didn't say that we met?" she asked him, raising a brow.

   He shook his head. "You would've gotten in trouble," he said as he took a seat on the swing next to her.

   "True," she nodded. "Thanks for that."

   "It was nothing," he chuckled, shaking his head. "So, why a party?"

   "Ugh, my parents like to throw parties," she mumbled, scrunching up her face. "They throw a party for anything and everything. Oh, you should see their Halloween parties, they go all out. Christmas is bad, New Years is even worse." 

   Stefan let out a small laugh as he nodded. "My dad used to throw parties, too," he said, a small pained smile on his lips. "He used to, uh, invite everyone in town and celebrate."

   "Your dad?"

   "Oh, yeah, um, my mother died when I was young," he said, letting out a soft chuckle out. "It was just my father, my brother, and I."

   "Where's your brother?" Florence asked, growing curious.

   "Away," Stefan immediately answered. "I haven't heard from him for a while."

   "Sorry," she mumbled, scratching the back of her head. "I shouldn't have asked about him."

   "Don't be," he smiled. "It's good to talk about my family, even though we aren't so close anymore. So, tell me, your family?"

   "Ah, yes," she breathed, nodding. She kicked back and pushed herself on the swing, looking up at the darkened sky. "Two brothers, one overprotective and the other one away at college. Two parents, both overprotective. A big family, to be honest. The Gilbert's are a big family. Reunions are horrible."

   "I met Dr. Gilbert," Stefan nodded, referring to her oldest brother. "He's nice."

   "He is," she agreed, nodding. "But, he can be a pain in the ass."

   It was a conversation filled with little words, alot of laughs, and a simple sense of fulfilment. Florence enjoyed the simplest conversations she had with Stefan, even when silence filled the empty spaces between their words. She felt so close to him, as if she had known him since childhood. Although she knew that impossible because she had just met him the night before at the party, she couldn't help but think of him as someone close. They had met each other for about ten hours, became good friends fast, and spoken about so many things that it seemed that they would have already ran out of topics. But, they didn't. Then the silence would mould into another conversation filled with little words, alot of laughs, and a simple sense of fulfilment.

   They spent their time in the backyard, only going inside to get plates of foods and a blanket they could lay on the grass. Florence laid on her back, munching on a strawberry as they silently stared up at the sky. It was a summer night luminous with starlight, moon full and bright. The air was still and heavy, and thick clouds blotted in and out between the stars and the moon. 

   "We should have eaten when they told us to eat," Florence chuckled, sitting up and laying a hand on her stomach. She felt it grumble, and hoped Stefan didn't hear it.

   Stefan let out a soft chuckle. "I did tell you to eat."

   "Well, I wasn't hungry then," she excused, crossing her arms. 

   "Want to get out of here?" he then asked, raising a brow. "We can get a burger downtown."

   Florence glanced at the door that lead back into the house, seeing that the party was still full. No one seemed to have left, they all seemed to be having fun, so why couldn't she? She turned to the boy and nodded. "Please." 

   Stefan stood and pulled out his hand towards her. She glanced at it for a second before grabbing onto him and letting him pull her through the house and outside. There stood a car instead of a motorcycle, making her feel better. She did enjoy the motorcycle ride the night before, but she felt as if she would die if she took another one so soon.

   "A car?" she asked, almost as if she were joking.

   "Zach said I couldn't bring my bike," he responded, shrugging his shoulders. He opened the passenger door and smiled at her. "Aren't you coming?"

   "How will Zach and Gail get home?" she asked, pushing her hands in her pocket.

   "We'll be back before they know it," he said. "Come on, Florence." 

   Once again, her breath hitched in her throat. Her name coming from his mouth sounded so good. It was like a piece of candy, gentle and sweet. A small smile formed around her lips, and she nodded. She got inside the car, watched him go around the car, and get in. As soon as he got in, he turned on the car and drove away. There was soft music coming from the radio, a station that played old music that seemed to be from the forties. She glanced at Stefan to see him mouthing along to the words, small words as he didn't want her to know that he knew the songs. But, she smiled and watched him, almost as if he were a good TV show.

   "Do I have something on my face?" Stefan asked, glancing down at her.

   Florence immediately glanced away. "Nope," she said. "I was just looking at your side of the window."

   They went to a small diner by the outskirts of town. It wasn't full, but there were several people inside, mostly truckers getting their fuel before heading out again. Florence and Stefan walked in, the bell over the door ringing and signalling new costumers. They took a seat on the booth furthest to the right, right by the big window. Not even a minute later, a waitress with the name-tag 'Allison' laid two menus in front of them.

   "My name's Allison and I'll be taking your order tonight," she said with a big grin. "How are y'all tonight?"

   "Starving," Florence answered with a grin, earning a laugh from the waitress.

   "Well, that's good," she said. "What can I get y'all to drink?"

    Florence raised two fingers. "Two strawberry lemonades, please." She turned to Stefan. "They're the best."

   The waitress left after writing down their order, leaving an awkward silence between Stefan and Florence. Florence tapped her fingers against the counter, glancing around as she chewed on the side of her lip. Slowly, her eyes moved towards Stefan. He sat back on the seat, arm over the back as he looked outside with furrowed brows. She followed his eyes, seeing nothing but the empty cars and a few truckers smoking.

   "Is everything cool?" she asked.

   Stefan turned to her and smiled. "Yeah, yeah," he nodded.

   "Sorry that I'm such a bore," she mumbled, scratching the back of her head. "I shouldn't have dragged you out here."

   "I'm pretty sure it was me who dragged you out here," he chuckled. He took a deep breath and laid his arms on the table, still smiling. "I guess we should have gone closer to your house, huh?"

   Florence shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing's open at this hour," she said. "How did you know about this place?"

   "Zach took me here when I first came," he answered, glancing around. "Thought you'd enjoy it."

   "So, what's this?" She took a quick sip of her lemonade. "Our first date?" She stopped moving as soon as those words escaped her mouth. At that moment, she felt the blood drain from her face and then resurface to make her appear as red as the strawberries in her drink. "I-I mean..."

   "Sure," Stefan said, a wide smile on his lips. He didn't look angry or confused, but amused. "But, I think this should be our second date. I consider our first last night."

   Allison, the waitress, came with their meals at that moment. Stefan had a simple cheeseburger and fries, while Florence decided to their speciality: half pound of Angus beef burger topped with lettuce slaw (shredded lettuce, chopped pickle and mayo) in between two grilled cheese sandwiches stuffed with American cheese, ripe tomatoes and cherry wood smoked bacon, and a side of onion rings. She knew it was late and that she would probably wake up with a stomach ache, but it was the first thing she had eaten all day other than a few glasses of water.

   They didn't eat in silence, in fact, they spoke. Florence talked about Mystic Falls, informing him about the things he had missed ever since he left a few years ago. She told him about high school, and how it was stupid and she couldn't wait to graduate and move far away from the town, go someplace that wasn't Whitmore. She told him about how the majority of her family went to Whitmore, and how much she hated that stupid college. They were willing to give her a full scholarship due to the many activities she had done in high school, but also because her family were big contributors. 

   "Rough," Stefan muttered, shaking his head. He soon realised the tone of his words and immediately shook his head. "No, no! I didn't mean it sarcastically, not in any way. I just meant that it honestly sounds rough."

   "You're telling me," Florence mumbled as she pushed an onion ring to her mouth. "I wished they could just drop the whole Whitmore thing for a while, at least until school starts again."

   "They want what's best for you," he tried to reason, giving her a small smile. "All parents are like that."

   "Were yours like that, too?" she asked, growing curious. He did speak small about his family, and she just wanted to know more.

   Stefan glanced down at his plate of food. "My father wanted me to be studious, which I was," he said, a small smile appearing around his lips. "After my mother died, I decided that I wanted to become a doctor and try to cure every sickness that could take a way a loved one. I realised I wasn't meant to be a doctor." He finished with a shrug.

   "Why?"

   "I get queasy around blood," he chuckled, laying a hang over his stomach. "Trust me, not a pretty sight."

   Florence let out a chuckle and shook her head. "At least you had it all planned out," she mumbled. "I, on the other hand, have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life." She leaned back on her seat and looked up at the clock on the wall, then let out a sigh. "We should get going. It's late and it's quite a drive back." She took a twenty from the pocket of her jacket and laid it under her empty glass, stood, and walked out. Stefan walked behind her, brows furrowed. 

   She waited until he opened the car, then got in and bit the corner of her lip. Ten minutes in, she decided to continue their conversation from the diner. "My parents want me to become an athlete," she began. "Ever since I was small, they've been happy that I was studious and good at sports. It began with volleyball, then with softball, and now swimming. Ever since I won a few competitions against some other schools, they think that swimming is what I should do for the rest of my life. I don't want to be the next Tom Jager, or Leigh Ann Fetter, I want to be me."

   "Why don't you tell them that?" Stefan asked, glancing from the front of the road to her.

   "Because they don't listened," she said with an emotionless laugh coming from her lips. "They're good at throwing parties, but never at listening. Well, to me. Grayson's the golden child." She let out a short laugh and shook her head. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

   "No worries," Stefan answered. He glanced at her, smiling. "At least I know that I should take you out more."

   Florence raised a brow and looked at him with wide eyes. "Take me out more?"

   "Yeah," he nodded, "maybe tomorrow?"

   "Where?" she asked, a small smile growing on her lips. 

   "Well, hiking," he said, letting out a soft chuckle. "I know, not the best idea of a date, but I honestly hate malls."

   "No, no!" She shook her hands and head, the smile forming into a grin. "I prefer the outside to malls, so that's fine." 

   Stefan stopped the car and made a face, almost as if he were sucking the breath between his teeth. Florence followed his eyes to see her parents, Grayson and Miranda, and Zach and Gail standing in the front with crossed arms. Only her parents, Grayson, and Zach shared angry looks. Miranda and Gail were amused, both smiling almost knowingly. 

   "There goes our date," Florence mumbled. She turned to Stefan and gave him a smile. "What time?"

   "One," he said, the frown turning into a smile. "Be ready by one."

   "One it is," she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Stefan." She got out of the car, gave apologetic smiles to her parents, and hurried to the door before they could say anything else. While she stood in the front door, she turned to see Stefan and Zach quietly arguing outside the car while Gail was inside and waving at everyone goodbye. Stefan turned to her, their eyes catching each other, and they both smiled. It was a smile of relief, as if nothing could go wrong in the world, of gentleness and kindness and a simple thing that could grow into something. Florence's heart was going fast inside her chest, as if she was nervous just being around him. She took a deep breath and walked inside her house, her parents and brother following behind her. The smile on her lips soon left when they all glared at her.

   "Where have you been?!" Grayson yelled, surprising her. 

   "Grayson," Mrs. Gilbert said, laying a hand on his shoulder and making him calm down.

   "Mom, she was out with a boy she just met!" Grayson defended, pointing at his sister with his hand. "She could have been in danger!"

   "Grayson," Mr. Gilbert said, louder this time. "She was out with Zack's nephew, I believe that she was safe."

   "I was," Florence spoke up as she played with her hands. All eyes landed on her, making her cringe back. "We were hungry, and there was no food, so we went out for burgers."

   "Aw," Mrs. Gilbert breathed as she laid her hand on her chest. "That was nice of him."

   Florence nodded. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but you were busy talking to Mr. Lockwood," she said, glancing from her father to her mother. "I didn't want to interrupt."

   "You should have told me," Grayson said, shaking his head. 

   "You were talking to Sheriff Forbes," she defended. "It appeared like it was something I couldn't interrupt, so I didn't. And, we only went out for burgers, Grayson! We didn't realise the time."

   "Go upstairs," Mr. Gilbert said, laying his hands on his waists. "It's late, Florence. We'll talk about this in the morning. Goodnight."

   "Goodnight, Dad," she mumbled. "Goodnight, Mom. Miranda." She smiled at  her sister-in-law, then turned to her brother. "Night, Grayson."

   "Night," he replied with a sigh. 

   Florence glanced at her family, sighed, then headed up to her room. She changed from her dress to a pair of sweats and a shirt, then climbed on bed. Before she went to sleep, she had a ritual of writing in her journal. She wrote about her day, from the beginning to the very end. The last paragraph was about Stefan, about everything they spoke about and everything that she couldn't wait to talk about. She was excited about her day to come, the hike he would be taking her to God-knows-where.