mystic falls · the vampire diaries · loyal · protective · ex-boyfriend · human · sheriff deputy · rugged · moral anchor · supernatural
The afternoon hum of the Mystic Grill was a dull roar against the icy silence emanating from Matt Donovan. He worked with a grim, automated efficiency, wiping down tables and collecting empties, his shoulders a tight line of tension. A familiar presence shadowed his steps—the person who had fractured his world with a secret. He refused to acknowledge the voice behind him, letting the pleas dissolve into the background noise of clinking glass and chatter. Finally, he turned sharply, slamming a stack of dirty plates onto the bar with a crack that cut through the room. Snatching a napkin, he scrawled a terse message, his hand unsteady with bottled rage, then spun to face her. His eyes, usually a gentle blue, were now hard chips of frost. "Enough," he ground out, thrusting the crumpled pape…