25

                                    

                                          

Catching a breath after dancing a lot, Elena stood on the wide porch, enjoying the fresh night air. Her date and boyfriend had gone to the bar in order to get them some drinks. The wind softly played with her hair and brushed over her skin which was still hot and slightly damp from all the dancing. With an absentminded smile, she turned her head towards the bar, instinctively looking for Elijah.
In the next second, her smile quickly disappeared and she gasped. Right at the bar, she saw another woman turning her boyfriend around with a tap on his shoulder. When he came to face her, a smile appeared on his lips and she kissed him.
One second later, he pulled back again, seeming mildly surprised. But then, he got a closer look at the woman he just kissed and immediately backed away. A glance towards the porch confirmed his suspicion that his girlfriend had seen what just happened. Elena gave him and angry glare and shook her head. 
The glare disappeared when the other woman turned to look at Elena, a smug smirk on her lips.
"Katherine." she whispered.
***
Davina and Kol were overlooking the ball from the top of a staircase. 
"Do you remember how we set off the fire alarm during a really boring party which made the sprinklers go off and spray a ton of water on everyone?" Kol asked, an arm resting around his girlfriend's waist.
She giggled at the memory. "Your parents were so furious."
"Yeah. On the bright side, I think it was the only time Dad and Klaus ever agreed on something and came to me as a united front. Now my dear brother knows what that's like." Kol smirked. The short brunette chuckled at his remark and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Together, they watched the party and its guests go on for a while.
***
"My dearest sister! What an incredible surprise!" Katherine gave Elena a fake smile. "And you're here with Elijah. Oh darling, I didn't know you missed me so much! You could've come crawling back to me instead of getting it on with a bad copy of me."
Elijah clenched his teeth at her words, fury rushing through his veins. "You have some nerve talking to me and Elena this way!" he hissed.
Elena got between her sister and him. "Elijah, could you please leave us alone for a while? This is something Kat and I need to sort out between ourselves." she said.
The dark-haired man gently pulled her aside for a moment, facing her and looking straight into her eyes. "Elena, I am so sorry for what happened there. I'm quite capable of telling you both apart, but I only saw her face for a split second before she kissed me and I didn't know she would even be here tonight. I swear, I didn't mean-"
Elena put her index finger on his lips, silencing him. "Shh, I know. Believe me, you're not the first boyfriend of mine she tricked like that. I'm just glad you did see the difference a few seconds later. And I'm not blaming you."
He gazed into her eyes for a moment, trying to tell her everything he couldn't say out loud with only his eyes. Elena's chocolate orbs held his gaze and streamed the same affection that laid in his gaze, back at him. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips before leaving her with her sister like she asked him to.
With a resignated sigh, he joined Klaus and Caroline who were standing in the crowd. Klaus was just telling his girlfriend about the different pieces of art that decorated the room when the dark-haired Mikaelson approached them. 
"Good evening, brother! How is it going?" Klaus inquired, giving Elijah a smile.
The dark-haired Mikaelson shook his head and grabbed a champagne flute from a passing waiter. "Your party is marvelous, Niklaus. If I had not run into Katerina, it would even be perfect."