Chapter 48

(A/N: Patreon.com/TheGreatestHunter is way ahead of webnovel with the chappies, sooooooo, check it out.)

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Upon waking the next morning, Jeremy was greeted with the heavy sensation and incredibly pleasant scent of a woman in his arms, and he immediately knew who it was, seeing as how they were still laying in the exact same positions as when they went to sleep.

The only difference was, his morning wood was making its presence known, and upon seeing that it was still dark outside, he knew that it was still too early to wake Elena to extricate himself. However, this is Super Jeremy, so with nothing more than a lift here and a scoot there, he found himself free once again.

After placing a light kiss onto his cousin's forehead, because she truly was adorable faced, he made his way out of her room. His mind telling him that it was pretty much around the same time he got up every morning. So, with a quick brush of teeth, and a wash of his face, he once more found himself in the backyard. His morning practice underway.

It was only when Elena and Jenna made their way outside that he stopped his movements, the sun just barely making its presence known to the world around him, and his body once more providing him with that exceeded limitation pain that he had become accustomed to.

He took them through their stretches and movement training. Making sure to set the basis for a capable body and not one that just looked good. However, he did note that it was only Jenna who did the usual grumblings this morning, while Elena seemed rather preoccupied with something on her mind. Luckily for her, what they were currently doing didn't need her to perform precise, focused movements, since he was setting a strength building foundation, before they needed to perform movements with all their attention on each motion. Therefore, he let her think while she worked.

Upon finishing, he immediately went and did his morning routine of washing, drying, dressing, and then cooking, before taking the grimoire and going on his way.

As things currently stood, he had pretty much everything in motion that he should and if he wanted he could take the next few months through a time skip... which is exactly what he did.

Though first, before he allowed himself to be lurched forward only to have to summarize a bunch of stuff, he decided to put his attention on the one girl who was still outside his sphere of influence, but had arguably the most usefulness out of everyone.

As he entered his warehouse, he scanned everything, noting that just like outside, everything inside was undisturbed. So, he sat at his monitors and got to work, checking the routine of Bonnie, in order to predict where she would be and when she would be. Immediately deciding that it would be best to avoid running into her at cheerleading practice, since it was too soon to bring her into what he and Caroline had going on. Therefore, he decided to check what she usually does after finishing.

'Hmmm, yes, it's just like I thought. Most interesting. Bonnie Bennett, has no life.'

That was the conclusion he drew upon seeing that Bonnie spent most of her time either driving around Elena and dropping her off at the graveyard, and then pretty much just going around town to sit and talk to some extras or going home.

'Man, there really is nothing to do in this town. Maybe I should change that.' He thought, though he quickly dismissed the notion...and then revisited it, because if he were to start up something in town that could gather everyone together, that could go a long way to spreading his reach and his connections. 'I'll save thinking about it for later. For now, I should decide how to approach Bonnie to maximize my time spent. I already know she's attracted to me just based on the way she looks at me. However, if I start something up with her right now, she will throw a shit fit when she finds out about Caroline, if the Blondie hasn't already called and told her all about it.'

He sat back in his swivel chair as he thought, his feet propped up on the edge of the long desk.

A few hours passed, as he navigated the web, searching, chatting, and having a right good time, before he saw that it was almost time for practice to get out. His time had been spent mostly texting back and forth with Caroline before practice and a little with Vicki during. Him telling her that he was busy and would see her later, with her telling him that she was willing to come to him, and while the thought did make him a little interested, he knew he had already decided on how he would spend his afternoon.

He made his way to The Grill, and waited outside, refusing to go in lest he run into Matt. Ain't nobody got time for that. He simply stayed seated on his bike, and surmised that Bonnie would be making her way there, unless she had something to do with Elena, which he knew she didn't, since Elena told him she would be staying in, and once again missing practice, not that he minded.

Time passed, and if wasn't long before he watched as Bonnie's car pulled into the parking lot, no doubt about to pick up something to eat for her and her gran, before taking it to the tipsy lady and then proceeding to do what she did during her usual day. Though, he knew this was no usual day.

He watched her watch him as she parked her car. She smiled and waved and he waved back, mentally admitting that she really was exceedingly beautiful. It was just her personality that could use some work. The judgmental personality types that both she and Elena defaulted to would not work well with his...well, less than ethical way of doing things, and he knew that he would have to confront that one day.

Though, for now...;

"Hello, gorgeous," he greeted the Bennett witch. Her smile shining in the face of his compliment. "What brings you here?"

She closed the car door, and walked the few feet to where he was seated.

"Picking up lunch for gran and me. What are you doing sitting here? Waiting for someone?" She asked, a sly smile on her lisps as she asked her last question, playing it off like she was teasing him, but he could see she really wanted to know.

'Hm, is it possible Caroline didn't tell her anything?' He thought to himself. Only to quickly get his answer.

"Is it Caroline, she told me you two "met up" yesterday." She added, with air quotes around the two words, clearly showing that she knew about his dalliance.

He noted the slight blush on her brown cheeks and the hint of jealousy in her eyes that was just below the surface, not even mentioning the way she said the two words met up, as if they were somehow provoking her.

Naturally, he would not miss such an opportunity if it's handed to him. So, with a full on narrowed-eyed smirk that spoke of limitless amounts of danger, he flicked Bonnie on the nose.

"Ouch! What the fuck, Jeremy." She said, as she rubbed her nose, frowning at his amused expression. Once she was done being dramatic, he just gave her a genuine smile and pulled her up against him before kissing her on the cheek.

"I'm sorry for making you jealous, Bonnie. I didn't know you liked me." He told her, as he let her go. Enjoying the flustered look on her face, and the way he could see her trying to force her mouth to deny it, only for the words to get stuck.

'Yeah, cocky shit doesn't work on Bonnie at all. This lovely one responds better to sincerity and companionship.' It was as he was thinking that that he swung his leg over his bike and proceeded to wrap an arm around her shoulders and walk towards the entrance of The Grill.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her brows a little furrowed and her expression slightly guarded, though she made no move to get out from under his arm.

"I like Caroline, Bonnie." He said, and he could see the slight hurt cross her features. "And I like Bonnie, Bonnie." He finished, making her look at him like he was a little crazy. "But even if I knew that you liked me, I still would have chosen her to be my first. Which she was. Do you know why, Bon Bon?" He asked her, and it took her a moment to shake her head no, her face a mixture of confusion and doubt, but also questioning herself on if she should even give him an answer.

"I would have chosen her for one simple reason. I want her to know she is loved." Then, he held the door open and waited for her to enter, knowing that it was time to manipulate a girl who was always down to put the needs of others ahead of her own.

The conversation went pretty much as he expected. He simply told her that Caroline is always the one to be chosen last when it came to the people in their lives. She had abandonment issues, and as they both knew, she was pretty much convinced that no one would ever choose her if they had another option, and while he led the conversation, Bonnie pretty much followed right along, since she knew Caroline had self-esteem issues, not even realizing that she had them too, only to a less severe degree.

"That's why Bonnie, even if I had known that you were interested in me, I still would have chosen her. No matter how much I wanted it to be you. Can you accept that?"

"...I can, Jeremy. But that doesn't make it okay. You know now, we can't be together."

"I know, Bon Bon, which is why, despite what I'm saying, I can't really say for sure if I had been given the option if I would have really chosen her. This could just be me trying to make the both of us feel better. After all, you were my first crush."

"I was?"

"You were. Though, I know it's too late now. Despite that, I really don't want to let you go. While we can't be together, at the very least, we can be friends. Better friends than we have been. After all, I didn't even know the girl I spent most of my life crushing on had a thing for me until I saw the jealous look she gave me when she found out I was with someone else." He finished with a slight chuckle.

"...Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. We can be friends. Better friends."

"Braid each other's hair?" He said.

"Paint each other's nails" She said.

"Finish each other's pizza/pizza" They both said the last word at the same time before bursting out laughing.

"We haven't said that in years." Bonnie said, laughing a little, remembering what she, him, and Elena, used to say to each other when they were kids, before pre-Jeremy went slightly emo.

"Well, hopefully one day, we'll actually be able to finish each other's sentences. You know, if you want, I'm sure Elena told you about what I have her and Jenna doing in the mornings. Caroline will be joining. I want to you come too. Will you come, Bonnie?" He asked, pretending he did notice that he put a bit of heat in his voice when he asked that last question, nor the slight reddening of her cheeks in response, while his eyes held nothing but sincerity.

"Y-Yeah, why not. Though, I don't know how I'm going to get up that early in the morning." 

He gave her a smile that was a bit more maniacal than he intended.

"Don't worry, I have the perfect way to wake you up, and I'll come get you."

'I just need to make sure the alarm doesn't wake Sheila, since I really want to avoid that lady for the time being.'

Their conversation continued through the day, even as they got their food. Rode together to her house, and then spent the day in her room, just talking one another. Telling each other all the things that they had failed to say during pre-Jeremy's emo phase, which was admittedly since like the start of middle school. Bonnie telling him about her cheerleading, the crazy shit her gram's says. Him saying it might not be so crazy. Them laughing. Touching. Harmlessly flirting. 

All the while, Jeremy taking care to see if gran sensed anything from the necklace he had hidden under his shirt, however his caution was for naught, seeing as how that ladies senses were so far dulled she probably could barely feel the wind on her face.

When Jeremy left Bonnie's that night, it was to a kiss on the cheek from her, followed by a finger to the forehead from him, and a him proceeding to take a walk down the street. Secure in the knowledge that with some hard work, a lot of effort, and a little bit of allowing her to walk in on him and Caroline, that one day, he would definitely call her his. Especially, now that he actually spent time with the girl. She was just too fucking sweet...and so fucking fuckable.

'Shahhhh, I'm such a romantic.'