The evening passed surprisingly quickly.
As he worked behind the counter, Aiken made sure not to miss a single word coming from Stefan Salvatore's table.
Tomorrow there would be a party at the Falls.
Apparently, it was a traditional event held at the beginning of every school year.
More importantly, Stefan had agreed to attend only after Elena Gilbert said she would be there as well.
Aiken still hadn't decided whether the vampire genuinely liked the girl or simply found her blood appealing.
It didn't seem like the latter.
Still...
You could never be too careful when dealing with vampires.
Either way, Aiken would be attending.
That much was certain.
...
By the time his shift ended, the Grill was beginning to empty.
Aiken left through the back entrance and headed toward the parking lot.
His thoughts immediately returned to Stefan.
I need to find a way into that group.
If he managed to become part of their circle, keeping an eye on Stefan would become infinitely easier.
As he walked toward his car, he noticed someone a short distance away.
This morning's annoying blonde girl.
Caroline Forbes.
She was frantically digging through her purse.
"Where the hell did I leave them?!" she exclaimed.
Aiken ignored her completely.
Not his problem.
He unlocked his car and opened the door.
Then suddenly—
An idea appeared in his mind.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Aiken slowly stepped back out of the car.
At that exact moment—
"AHHHH!"
Caroline's scream echoed through the parking lot.
Aiken immediately spun around.
His hunter instincts reacted before his brain did.
"What happened?!"
Caroline was staring at the ground.
Wide-eyed.
Aiken followed her gaze.
A squirrel.
A small gray squirrel was struggling across the pavement.
One of its hind legs bent at an unnatural angle.
Broken.
The animal trembled as it desperately tried to crawl away.
Caroline had accidentally stepped on it.
The moment Aiken saw it, his expression changed.
Genuine concern appeared on his face.
Without hesitation, he rushed forward and crouched beside the animal.
"What are you doing?!" Caroline exclaimed.
"Helping this poor thing."
His voice carried a surprising amount of anger.
"Watch where you're stepping."
Caroline blinked.
The squirrel attempted to flee as Aiken reached toward it.
Yet with its broken leg, it barely managed a few inches before collapsing.
Carefully, Aiken lifted it into his hands.
"It's still alive?" Caroline asked.
"You almost killed it."
For the first time since meeting him, Caroline saw real emotion in his eyes.
Not annoyance.
Not arrogance.
Not indifference.
Worry.
Pure, sincere worry.
She found herself staring.
This guy was a complete nutcase.
An arrogant jerk.
A walking headache.
And yet...
Looking at the squirrel now, his eyes seemed impossibly gentle.
Almost pure.
Like a mother worried about her child.
...
Before his siphoner abilities awakened, Aiken's reputation within the Blackroot Coven hadn't come solely from his great talent.
Nature had loved him.
Animals constantly surrounded him.
Wolves behaved like pets.
Snakes happily curled around his arms.
Birds landed on his shoulders without fear.
The Blackroot Coven was famous for its connection to nature.
And Aiken's affinity had elevated his status even further.
But when his siphoner powers awakened...
Nature turned against him.
Animals recoiled from his presence, disgusted.
And it was exactly because the Blackroot Coven cherished nature connection far more than other covens, that their hate for Siphoners was also much higher.
But, ironically, Aiken's feelings never changed.
Even now, years later, there was only one thing Aiken genuinely cared about.
Nature.
...
He suddenly turned toward Caroline.
"Redeem yourself."
"What?"
"Hold him while I get my medkit."
Before she could object, he carefully transferred the squirrel into her hands.
"Wait, but... that's dirty—"
"Shut up and hold him."
His voice was sharp.
"It's the least you can do after nearly killing him."
As Aiken passed the squirrel over, the animal practically threw itself toward Caroline.
As if remaining in Aiken's hands for another second would kill it.
Seeing that reaction, Aiken quietly sighed.
Still hated.
Caroline looked down at the squirrel as though it might infect her.
Meanwhile, Aiken sprinted toward his car.
Less than a minute later, he returned carrying a medkit.
"Hurry," Caroline said nervously.
Aiken ignored her.
He picked up a small fallen branch nearby.
After snapping it to the proper length, he began treating the squirrel's injured leg.
"Stay still or I'll end up hurting him."
Caroline frowned.
"What about me?!"
"You could die for all I care."
Caroline stared at him.
"...Wow."
Aiken didn't even acknowledge her.
Instead, he carefully disinfected the wound.
Wrapped the broken leg.
Created a tiny splint using the branch.
Every movement was unbelievably gentle.
Caroline found herself watching silently.
Not once did he make a mistake.
Not once did he cause the squirrel additional pain.
Eventually, she smiled.
"You should become a veterinarian."
Aiken let out an amused sound.
"Impossible."
"Why?"
"Animals hate me."
He glanced at her.
"You're the first example."
Caroline's eyes widened.
"Did you just call me—"
"Don't move."
He interrupted immediately.
"You'll hurt him."
Caroline froze.
"...I hate you."
Aiken ignored that too.
A few minutes later, he finished.
"There."
The squirrel looked considerably better.
"Can I let him go now?" Caroline asked.
Unlike earlier, she was now holding the animal comfortably.
"No. One second."
Aiken opened his medkit again.
After a moment, he pulled out a small packet of animal feed.
The squirrel immediately began eating.
Caroline watched in surprise.
The little thing devoured the food enthusiastically.
Once it finished, Aiken nodded.
"Now."
Caroline carefully crouched and released it.
The squirrel limped away toward a nearby tree before disappearing into the darkness.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Caroline stood.
She looked at Aiken.
"You're so gentle with animals."
Aiken remained silent.
"If you were like that with people too, you'd probably have more friends."
Aiken snorted.
"As long as people like you exist, I see no reason to treat people better."
Immediately, Caroline's brief goodwill evaporated.
"You—"
"But..."
Aiken interrupted.
Something strange entered his gaze.
Caroline blinked.
"But what?"
Aiken stepped closer.
"I think I might make an exception tonight."
"...Eh?"
She genuinely had no idea what he was talking about.
Aiken took another step.
And another.
Caroline suddenly became aware of how close he was.
What is he doing?
Before she could figure it out—
Aiken kissed her.
Caroline's eyes widened.
Her mind went completely blank.
...
Aiken drove through the quiet streets of Mystic Falls, one hand resting on the steering wheel as the headlights cut through the darkness.
Caroline Forbes.
The image of her stunned expression replayed in his mind.
The widened eyes.
The frozen posture.
The way her brain had clearly stopped functioning the moment he kissed her.
By now, she was probably still standing in that parking lot trying to understand what had just happened.
Confused.
Embarrassed.
Completely puzzled.
Aiken almost laughed.
The question was simple.
Why had he done it?
Did he actually like her?
Well...
He could admit she was beautiful.
Objectively speaking, Caroline Forbes was extremely attractive.
But attraction wasn't the reason.
The real reason had appeared a few minutes earlier, when he had been about to drive away from the Mystic Grill.
I need a way into Stefan's group.
That had been the problem occupying his thoughts.
And then he had seen Caroline in the parking lot and an idea had immediately popped in his head.
During his shift, Aiken had spent hours observing Stefan's table while pretending to work.
He had analyzed everyone sitting there.
Elena Gilbert.
Bonnie Bennett.
Matt Donovan.
Stefan Salvatore.
And Caroline Forbes.
Out of all of them, Caroline had immediately stood out.
Not because she was particularly intelligent.
Not because she was especially observant.
But because she was predictable.
Aiken had watched her spend half the evening staring at Stefan.
Every time he spoke, she paid attention.
Every time he smiled, she practically lit up.
It was painfully obvious.
Caroline wanted Stefan's attention.
Desperately.
And people who desperately wanted affection were often easy to manipulate.
Not that Aiken enjoyed manipulating people.
It was simply efficient.
Besides...
He wasn't exactly lacking in confidence.
If he were being objective, he was a very attractive guy.
Probably more attractive than Stefan.
At least in his own opinion.
That alone gave him decent odds.
The original plan had been simple.
Flirt a little.
Get her interested.
Use that connection to gain access to the group.
Nothing complicated.
Then the squirrel happened.
The moment he saw the injured animal, the plan had completely vanished from his mind.
For several minutes, all he cared about was helping it.
Only afterward had he remembered.
Right.
The mission.
So he improvised.
One kiss.
No explanation.
Then he left.
Simple.
Cruel, perhaps.
But effective.
Because now Caroline Forbes would spend the entire night thinking about him.
Why did he kiss me?
Does he like me?
Was he serious?
Was it a joke?
What does it mean?
Questions.
Endless questions.
Human beings hate unanswered questions.
Especially when emotions were involved.
The less explanation he gave, the more she'd think about it.
The more she'd think about it, the more curious she'd become.
And curiosity had a habit of turning into interest.
Aiken rested his elbow against the car door.
A small smile appeared on his face.
By tomorrow morning, Caroline Forbes would probably be more focused on him than on Stefan Salvatore.
And if that happened...
Getting closer to Stefan's group would become much easier.
To be continued...
***
***
Sorry if I didn't upload these days, I was on a holiday.