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Isaac sat at the Grill, nursing a drink as he absentmindedly spun the glass between his fingers. It had been a long night, but at least Stefan was safe now. Damon had pulled off the rescue, and for once, things hadn’t gone completely to hell.

“Hey, stranger,” a familiar voice chirped.

Isaac looked up to see Caroline Forbes sliding into the seat across from him, her bright smile lighting up the dim bar.

"Hey, Care," he greeted, a small smile tugging at his lips. "What’s up?"

"You tell me," she said, resting her elbows on the table. "You’ve been distant. What’s going on?"

Isaac shrugged. "Just... busy. Family stuff."

Caroline studied him, tilting her head. "You mean the whole ‘living with Damon Salvatore’ situation?"

Isaac huffed a small laugh. "Of course, Elena told you."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I’m glad you’re here. I feel like I never see you anymore."

He smirked. "You miss me?"

Caroline scoffed. "Obviously." She took a sip of her drink before adding, "Tyler too."

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "You two act like I disappeared off the face of the earth."

Caroline shrugged, a playful glint in her eye. "Well, maybe we just like having you around."

Isaac chuckled. "I’m here now, aren’t I?"

"Yeah, but you’re distracted." She narrowed her eyes. "What’s going on in that head of yours?"

He hesitated for a second before sighing. "Bonnie."

Caroline’s smile faltered slightly, but she recovered quickly. "Oh," she said, forcing a grin. "What about her?"

"I just... I miss her," Isaac admitted, running a hand through his hair. "She’s still with her aunt, and we talk, but it’s not the same."

Caroline nodded, masking whatever emotions were bubbling beneath the surface. "Well, she’ll be back soon. And you guys are good, right?"

"Yeah," Isaac said, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

Caroline noticed but chose not to push. Instead, she took another sip of her drink and smiled. "Well, in the meantime, you’re stuck with me. And lucky for you, I am very entertaining."

Isaac chuckled. "That, you are, Forbes."

She beamed. "Damn right."

Tyler walked in just as Isaac was taking another sip of his drink, his usual confident stride making him impossible to miss. He spotted Isaac and Caroline immediately and made his way over, pulling out the chair next to Isaac with a grin.

"Hey, guys," Tyler greeted, dropping into the seat. "What’s up?" He glanced between them, eyes landing on Isaac. "You know, I’ve been catching up on some reading."

Isaac raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Reading? You? This I gotta hear."

Tyler chuckled. "Yeah, man. After It Ends With Us and Ugly Love—thanks to matt—I dove into everything Colleen Hoover’s written. I’m pretty sure I’ve read like, half her books at this point."

Isaac laughed. "Wait, you? Reading all that romance stuff actually? Who are you and what have you done with Tyler Lockwood?"

Tyler smirked. "I’ve got layers, man. Anyway, her stuff’s addictive." He leaned back in his chair, clearly proud of his new bookworm status. "It’s kinda crazy how deep those stories get. Really emotional."