...

When you yearn for Jeremy's love but feel undeserving
Warnings none

Gracie
The rain fell in heavy sheets, drumming against the windows of the Gilbert house like a thousand whispers, each one more insistent than the last. Gracie Atwood stared out into the night, her breath fogging up the glass. The world outside seemed so distant, so unreachable. It wasn't just the rain; it was everything—the way the sky had swallowed the last rays of sunlight, leaving only darkness in its wake. Her heart felt like it was being pulled into that darkness, thread by fragile thread.

She didn't know how she'd gotten here—how she'd become someone who couldn't even look at the people she loved without feeling the weight of a thousand regrets pressing down on her chest. Every step she took in this world of secrets and broken promises only seemed to lead her further away from the light. And Jeremy... Jeremy Gilbert had always been the one thing in this town that had made her believe in something good.

But now, even he seemed like a distant memory.

"Gracie?"

The voice broke through her thoughts like a soft echo, and she turned slowly to find Jeremy standing in the doorway, his dark eyes searching hers. His face was pale, his expression unreadable, but Gracie could see the tightness around his jaw, the slight tremor in his hands as he stood there.

Her heart ached. It always did, when it came to him. The way he looked at her with such intensity—like he could see the cracks she tried so hard to hide. The way he loved her, even when it felt like the world was determined to tear them apart.

But she wasn't sure if she deserved his love anymore.

"I didn't hear you come in," Gracie said, her voice barely above a whisper. She quickly wiped her eyes, trying to push back the tears that had gathered there. "What are you doing here?"

Jeremy didn't move. He just stood there, his gaze never leaving hers. "I came to see you," he said quietly. "We need to talk."

Gracie felt her chest tighten at the words. Talk. That was never a good sign. They had talked before, countless times, trying to bridge the space between them. But every conversation only seemed to reveal more of the distance, more of the hurt that neither of them knew how to fix.

She turned away from him, her back stiffening. "I don't know what you want me to say, Jeremy," she murmured. "You know everything. You know about the vampires, the magic, the people who are trying to tear this town apart. You know what I'm mixed up in. And you know what happened between us." Her voice faltered at the last part, the words feeling like a weight she could barely carry anymore.

Jeremy's eyes darkened. He stepped forward, closing the gap between them until there was only a few inches of space separating their bodies. "What happened between us," he repeated softly, "isn't something that just... disappears. You're not the only one hurting, Gracie."

His words hit her harder than she'd expected, and she spun around to face him, her chest tight with emotion. "I know I hurt you," she whispered, the tears threatening again. "I never meant to. But every time I try to fix it, it just gets worse. Every time I'm with you, it feels like I'm holding you back from something better—something safer."

Jeremy looked at her with a mixture of confusion and frustration. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice strained. "You're not holding me back, Gracie. You're the one thing in this town that's kept me going. I need you."

His words hit her like a punch to the gut, and Gracie had to fight to keep from crumbling under the weight of them. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to reach out, to tell him that she was sorry—sorry for everything, for every decision that had led them to this broken place. But every time she tried to reach for him, the distance between them grew. Not physically, but emotionally.

And she couldn't explain why.

"I can't do this anymore," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I'm so tired, Jeremy. I'm so tired of being the one who keeps dragging you into this mess."

Jeremy reached for her then, his hand closing around hers with a desperation that made her heart ache. "Stop saying that," he pleaded. "You're not dragging me into anything. I chose this. I chose you."

The words echoed in her mind, but they felt like a lie. How could he have chosen this? How could he have chosen the darkness, the danger that followed her everywhere she went? She had tried, so hard, to keep him safe, but there were times when it felt like he was slipping through her fingers, no matter how tightly she held on.

"I'm not good for you," Gracie said, the words breaking free before she could stop them. "You don't deserve this life, Jeremy. You don't deserve to be stuck with someone like me."

His grip tightened on her hand, pulling her toward him. "Stop," he said, his voice rough. "You don't get to say that. You don't get to decide what I deserve. I'm not going anywhere, Gracie. I love you."

The words hung in the air like a heavy fog, and for a moment, Gracie didn't know what to do with them. She had heard him say those words before, but they never sounded as real as they did now, when everything inside her was falling apart.

"I love you too," she whispered, the words slipping from her lips without thought.

But even as she said them, she felt the familiar ache of guilt settle deep inside her. It wasn't that she didn't love him—God, she loved him with everything she had. But she wasn't sure if love was enough anymore. She wasn't sure if she was strong enough to keep him from drowning in the chaos she had brought into his life.

"I don't want to lose you," Jeremy said softly, his voice filled with raw vulnerability. "But I can't stand seeing you like this. I can't stand seeing you push me away when all I want is to be with you."

Gracie's breath caught in her throat as the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over, running down her cheeks. She let him pull her into his arms, her face pressed against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice muffled against his shirt. "I'm so sorry, Jeremy. I don't know how to fix this."

Jeremy didn't say anything for a moment. He just held her, his arms wrapped tightly around her as if he were afraid she would slip away if he let go.

"You don't have to fix anything," he said softly. "I just need you to be here. With me. That's all."

But even as he said the words, Gracie couldn't shake the feeling that they were standing on the edge of something—something fragile and broken that couldn't be fixed, no matter how hard they tried.

She loved him. She always had. But some things, no matter how much love you had, couldn't be undone. And deep down, she knew this was one of them.

And it hurt more than anything she had ever felt.

Ava's notes
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New imagineeee
Another one!!
Finally one for my favourite bae
Jeremyyy, he's fine shyte!! As well as my hubby drew starkey.
Speaking of drew go check out my obx imagines book if you haven't alr and if you've come from there hey!
How are you baby?
Also I encourage you all to request whichever charachters you would love to see!

Lmk if you ever want part twos

Another oneshot is hereee... hope you love it
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.Enjoy.