better off alone

Deep down Nate had suspected that Allison was going to break up with him before it had even happened. They had known each other for a long time and he had known that she wasn’t herself back then. She had been through so much and for a while the two of them were happy together but as time went on something started to change and Nate couldn’t hate her for that, in fact he was pretty sure that there was no way that he would ever be able to hate her. He still cared about her and he knew that he always would so he hadn’t tried to change her mind about breaking up with him and instead he’d been doing his best to give her space. He knew that she’d needed time to focus on school and figure out what she wanted from her life and more than anything he wanted her to be happy so he hoped that the time would do her a world of good. Things had changed so much since they first met back in Chicago, Allison was a hunter who had been resurrected, possessed by a demon and brought back from the brink of death while Nate was now a chimera. Their lives had taken them in completely different directions but Nate knew that as long as he had her in his life then he would be happy so he hoped that they would still find a way to be friends at least.

Ever since they broke up Nate had been doing his best to move on with his life and he knew that he couldn’t do anything more than that. Work kept him busy and he spent time with Leanne as much as he could as well so things were going pretty well at the moment and for that he was grateful. There was always something going on in Mystic Falls but the town had become home to Nate and he knew that Leanne felt the same way so he was doing his best to keep the town safe. That day he had the day off, however, and after catching up with a couple of friends he decided to head to the Grill for something to eat. He had sent Leanne a text and told her to meet him there since they always ate together when they could but he had ended up getting there early and perhaps the last person he’d expected bumped into him as he headed in the direction of an empty table. “It’s ok, no harm done,” Nate assured her, a smile forming on his face as he looked down at Allison. “I’ve been pretty good, work has been keeping me busy and I’ve been spending a lot of time with Leanne. How about you?” he asked, hoping that she was doing better now than she had been when he’d last seen her.

ALLISON ARGENT

Nate had grown used to the way his life could change in a moment. It had been that way when his mom was diagnosed and the same thing had happened again when his dad had left. Every time things seemed to be going his way something happened to derail it all but Nate was determined not to let that happen this time around. He and Leanne had decided to move to Mystic Falls following the two of them ending up there after being experimented on by the Dread Doctors and Nate hadn’t realised just how much he had needed a fresh start after everything that had happened. He and Allison had tried to make a go of it after he’d learned that she was in the town too and it had been good for a while but then she had decided that it wasn’t what she wanted any longer. Nate knew that he could have been angry or upset about that but the truth was that he understood and he’d half expected it. He had known that something had changed and while his feelings for her had remained the same he had known that Allison had needed to do what was best for her and he’d respected that decision. The two of them were friends before they got together and they’d promised that they would always stay friends so he had given her the space that she’d needed and he had known that she would reach out if she ever felt ready.

He hadn’t expected her to bump into him that day, though, and he couldn’t deny that he was glad to see her. Nate had been happy to take everything at Allison’s speed while they were together and it was the same after they broke up but he couldn’t deny that he’d missed her. For a long time he’d tried to convince himself that he didn’t feel anything more than friendship towards her but he’d learned before they got together that that was just a lie and she still had the same effect on him now that she always had done. “It is,” Nate agreed with a nod, a smile forming on his face in return as he looked over at Allison. As she asked him to apologise to Leanne for her, Nate nodded. “Of course. You should come over sometime, I know she’d love to see you,” he admitted. Just because he and Allison weren’t together any longer that didn’t mean that she couldn’t still visit Leanne and he knew that he didn’t want his sister’s friendship with the girl to suffer. As Allison said she’d just had her final exam and was going to be a junior soon, Nate’s eyes widened in surprise. “I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone, it feels like yesterday that we were at your prom,” he admitted. They hadn’t actually gone together, he had agreed to go as a chaperone so that he could keep an eye on Leanne but that had ended up being the night that he and Allison had ended up getting together. “How does it feel to be free for the summer?” Nate asked. He had never made it to college, instead he had joined the police force straight after high school so that he could earn enough money to support himself and Leanne. It wasn’t a decision that he regretted but there were certain things that he missed like that feeling of having a whole summer ahead of him even though he had spent most of each summer working anyway. He was a little surprised when Allison asked if they could keep talking but his expression soon softened. “We can keep talking, I was just about to find a table actually,” he admitted just as his phone chimed with a text from Leanne and he quickly apologised to Allison. Checking the message, he soon learned that she was going to be eating with friends that evening so he sent a message back to her to say that was fine and that he would see her later. “I had hoped Leanne would make it but she has other plans. Are you hungry?” he asked, knowing that he didn’t want to end up eating along if he could help it.

ALLISON ARGENT

Nate didn't regret anything about his time with Allison, it had been good to give into the feelings he'd developed for her for a while even though it hadn't lasted. He had felt like she was pulling away from him for a while before they broke up so it hadn't come as a surprise when she had ended things but it didn't stop him from still caring about her even now. They were friends before they got together and they had promised that they would always stay friends. It had been a while since they had last seen each other but Nate still wanted to keep their friendship intact and he hoped that Allison did as well. She meant a lot to him and that wasn't going to change. As she asked if they could still hang out even without Leanne around, Nate felt a smile form on his face. "Of course we can. I hate to break it to you but you're stuck with me whether you like it or not," he said, knowing that there was no way that he was going to turn his back on her.

"Don't be silly, you looked beautiful the whole night," Nate assured her. She really had taken his breath away that night and he knew that it was one that he would always remember no matter what. It wasn't something that he had planned on, he had gone as a chaperone so he could watch over Leanne and everyone else in attendance but in the end the two of them had gotten together so it had proved to be a special night in the end. "I'm sure you'll manage it, you've got a great group of friends around you who won't let you push them away." He had seen the way that Allison's friends had stood by her and she had told him about what they had been through together so he knew that they wouldn't give up on her either.

"Sure," Nate nodded as Allison suggested that they find a table inside. It wasn't too crowded in the Grill so they would still be able to talk and that wasn't a bad thing. Checking his phone when it chimed, Nate wasn't too surprised when Leanne cancelled on him and he half expected Allison to think it was too awkward if it was just the two of them and leave as well but instead she said she was hungry and asked if he would mind spending his dinner plans with her. "I wouldn't mind at all actually, that would be great," he admitted. "You'd save me from eating alone, you know how much I hate that," he added, his smile returning as his eyes met hers. "There's a free table," he said before heading in that direction and pulling the chair out for Allison before sitting down opposite her. "What are you in the mood for?" he asked as he handed one menu to Allison before glancing over another.

ALLISON ARGENT

Nate couldn't deny that it had hurt when Allison had pushed him away, he'd had feelings for her back in Chicago but back then she was underage and he had known that it would have been wrong to act on it. Instead he had buried those feelings deep down and he knew that it was the right thing to do. When she had started pushing him away he had wanted nothing more than to hold on to her that much tighter but he had known that wasn't what she had needed. She had needed some space to figure things out on her own so Nate had known that it was time to let her go no matter how difficult that might have been. He wasn't sure that those feelings for her would ever completely go away but at the end of the day Nate knew that it was better to be in her life as a friend rather than not at all.

"You don't seem to want to run a mile so I'm taking that as a good sigh," he said, a smile forming on his face as he looked over at her. He hadn't blamed Allison for keeping her distance after they broke up and if he was honest some space had done him good too but he couldn't deny that it was good to be back around her again. As Allison spoke again, Nate shook his head. "I'm really not. You might not see it but you're beautiful and that night at your prom you stole my breath away," he said sincerely. They weren't together at the time and they hadn't gone to the prom together, Allison had gone because it was her senior year and he had gone as a chaperone, but it was the night they had ended up getting together so he knew that he would always look back on it fondly. "You're not going to lose me and you're not going to lose any of your friends either. They moved across the country to save you, they're not going to give up on you and neither am I," he assured her, pretty sure that he couldn't even if he wanted to.

Spending time with Allison wasn't exactly how he had planned on spending his evening but he knew that he wasn't going to argue especially since Leanne had bailed on him. "That wasn't the only reason, it gave me an excuse to spend more time with you," he admitted. "It is true though, I do hate to eat alone. I guess it was all those years spent in the group home," he added with a shrug. Back then he'd had hardly any time alone with Leanne and the other kids around and it was something that had stayed with him. As they reached the table Nate's actions were automatic but soon enough he was glancing over the menu although Allison's words had a smile creeping across her face as he looked over at her. "Go for a burger if that's what you want, you know I won't judge if you make a mess," he grinned. "I think I'm going to have a burger, I haven't had one for a while."

ALLISON ARGENT

Nate had tried his best to be understanding and give Allison the space she needed but the truth was that it wasn't easy. He had fallen for her a long time ago and he had thought that things were going well between them but as time went on she had started pulling away from him. They were friends before they got together so Nate knew that he was always going to want what was best for her but he couldn't deny that it was tough going from being with Allison to not having any contact with her whatsoever. Nate had thrown himself into his work after that as a way of keeping himself busy. He hadn't known what would happen when they finally saw each other again but the truth was that this was going much better than he had thought that it would. "I don't believe that for a minute," he chuckled as Allison said that she would get tired of running after a few minutes. "You can do anything you set your mind to."

Seeing Allison again now was enough to make all those old feelings come rushing back. He had done his best to bury them deep down and try to move on but they were still there underneath it all and Nate wasn't really surprised by that. It was easy being around Allison despite the initial awkwardness, though, and Nate couldn't help but feel glad that they had run into each other. He knew that Allison didn't necessarily see her the way that he did but Nate knew that he would always try and remind her of how amazing she was. "I won't, I promise," he assured her as she told him not to let her disappear again no matter how hard she tried. The way she squeezed his hand was enough to bring a smile to Nate's lips. "You're stuck with me now." It would only be as a friend, of course, but Nate knew that he would have to find a way to be okay with that.

As she asked if it was make Allison shy day, Nate couldn't help but laugh. "Of course, every day is make Allison shy day," he chuckled. She really did look cute when she blushed and Nate knew that he would never miss an opportunity to make that happen again if he could help it. Twice now he'd had Allison disappear from his life completely and even though she had told him not to let it happen again he knew that he might not necessarily have any control over it but he knew that he would certainly try. "Sounds good," he nodded as Allison said she was going to order something similar. It wasn't long before a waitress arrived to take their order and Nate placed his before waiting for Allison to do the same. Nate turned his attention back to Allison once they were left alone again once more. "How are you doing, are you okay?" he asked, knowing that she had dodged the question earlier.

ALLISON ARGENT

Nate wasn’t the kind of guy who would say something without meaning it, Allison had always been a force to be reckoned with and he honestly did believe that she could do anything that she put her mind to. “You know I wouldn’t do that,” he said gently. They might not be together any longer but Nate still cared about Allison and his opinion of her definitely hadn’t changed. He had known she had pulled away because it was what was right for her at the time but now he hoped that this might be the start of the two of them getting back onto the right track. Even before they got together she was one of his best friends so he knew that at the very least it would be good to get back to that.

As Allison asked if they were stuck like glue before pretending she couldn’t pull away from him, Nate couldn’t help but laugh. “You got that right,” he chuckled, linking their fingers together and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. It felt good to be able to joke around with Allison like this again, Nate had missed it more than he had realised and he knew that he didn’t want to go through a time without seeing her like that again if he could help it.

“Of course you do,” he teased. “You’d better get used to it,” he added with a grin. Allison really did look cute when she blushed so Nate knew that he wouldn’t argue with getting to see her like that again. Once they were alone, Nate studied Allison carefully as she said that she was great. “There was hesitation there, what’s going on?” Nate asked, wanting Allison to be honest with him this time around. She had bottled things up before and it had resulted in her breaking up with him and pulling away completely in the end and he knew that he wanted things to be different. “I’m good, work has been keeping me busy but that’s pretty normal,” he shrugged. “I don’t get to see so much of Leanne these days now she’s older,” he added. They still spent time together when they could but Leanne had her own life to lead so it wasn’t as often as it used to be.

ALLISON ARGENT