"I've taken self-defense lessons, you know. I can now semi-effectively use kitchen knives and skillets as weapons." It hadn't done him much good when he was facing an angry wolf, but at least he knew how to take on a human attacker. "Not to mention I can throw someone to the ground. I could take you any day," he teased, nudging her with his elbow. With his leg out of commission, Cole was pretty sure even a kid could take him out right now.
He sighed, more weary than anything else. There was a time in the past when it would have sent him into a panic, but he knew now that there were worse things to fear than an angry older brother-type figure showing up at his door. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, really. The chances that he would approve of the age difference were slim." He couldn't begrudge the man - if he'd had a younger sister, he wouldn't want her dating someone ten years older either. "I can understand why he'd be upset - but do you think you should be here?" Cole pushed himself up, trying to sit upright. "If you keep lying to see me, he's going to think I have something to hide, or that I'm the perverted jerk he probably thinks I am." The last thing he wanted to do was stop seeing Ileana just because some guy didn't approve, especially since he wasn't actually her family.
"Do you think me meeting him would make things better or worse?" Cole didn't want to have Stefan's disapproval forever, but part of him was tired of situations like this. He had enough to worry about with his leg, the amount of work he was going to miss, and the creepy packages he kept getting. It was like there was an invisible weight on his shoulders that just kept getting heavier and heavier.