There was a moment when I would do anything for Stefan. When my love for Stefan was greater than imaginable, greater than any love I've ever had. There was also a time when it was me and him against the world. I don't know what made me change my mind. What made my morals blink away and my life alter completely. Maybe it was the look in Damon Salvatore's eyes when I pulled away from kissing him. Maybe it was the thrill of possibly getting caught. I don't know when I fell for him, but I knew it wasn't easy and it never will be.

"Come over later." He almost pleaded, his bright blue eyes misting over with a hopefulness I hardly ever saw. This wasn't supposed to happen. I should be running home to Stefan, not to his darker, sexy brother. I had gone against everything that anyone's ever told me about cheating and lying, and yet it felt so right.

"Stefan will be expecting me." I knew Damon never liked when I mentioned Stefan, or when he was ever talked about in general, but I think saying his name was a sort of wake up call. Reality needed to be set in but in never felt like it would. I should be running home to her boyfriend of many months but instead I was lounging around some high end apartment belonging to his brother. I could see the sadness take over his face for the smallest moment before his blank expression completely took over him. His 'I don't care' façade.

"Stefan should learn how to share." Damon stated, rolling over on the bed so that he could look up at the ceiling. I knew he was joking in his sick twisted way, so I threw a line back.

"I think it's you who should learn how to share." I stated. This was slightly true. Okay, it was truer than it was a joke. Damon Salvatore has probably never shared anything in his life. I was not his. I was Stefan's. Figuratively that is. Physically, I felt like I was Damon's, I felt like he could give me more than Stefan ever could, but mentally, my mind was still attached to the perfect life I could have with Stefan.

"You're completely right." Damon rolled on top of me, our half naked body's brushing kindly against each other so that he could cup my face in his hands and I could bring mine to his bare waist. "I want you all to myself."

"That sounds amazing." I whispered as he brushed soft, feathery kisses along my face. He pulled back after I had spoken so that he could look at me curiously.

"Then why can't I have what I want? There's no doubt you want it to. Why are you resisting? Why do we always have to cover it up? Look, we both know what this is and it's more than just sex. I feel more than that and you do too."

"You know why this can't work, Damon, I've said it time and time again." I sighed, knowing Damon could never get this through his thick skull. I blamed it on the ego. It was too big to hold anything in that mind of his.

"You've said it but I still don't understand it."

"Damon, what we have- You're right. This is more than sex. What I feel is so much more than just a simple affair. I'm still with Stefan because I still love him. There's still something I have with him that I can't just throw away on a whim." I said. I knew this was selfish. I knew I was an awful person. I roped in Damon when I could have been content with Stefan. I hated myself for it, truly, but I was in too deep now. This was more than a mistake.

"Why can't you just take a leap of faith? I love you, Elena. There's no one else, I only want you." That made me slightly uncomfortable but nothing with Damon was comfortable. Except his bed.

"I want to but I'm scared." I finally voiced. These were words that were locked in my head for weeks. I was so afraid of losing both or either of them that I couldn't even choose. If I ended things with Damon than I knew he'd never come back for me. He'd never stick around town. He'd drown himself in booze and sorority girls. But if I broke up with Stefan and things didn't work out with Damon (because I knew this would be tricky) then I'd lose them both. "I know that I'm falling in love with you, but this is all so complicated."

"Look, Elena. I need you to choose. I can't pretend that I'm not stabbing my brother in the back every second that I'm with you. I can't pretend it doesn't bother the hell out of me when you're with him. I need you to choose. Me or him?" I think that was the hardest decision I'd ever been told to make. It was one brother or the other. The bad boy, the unpredictable charming, witty man behind the curtain or the safe, kind, compassionate man in the spot light. Damon or Stefan.

"Damon, I don't know-" But the look that he had on his face when he moved off of my body and stopped touching me told me everything was okay.

"I'm not making you decide right now." Damon said quietly and I knew he was thinking. Something in that cocky, arrogant mind of his was brewing. "I'll know you're choice tonight. Come home to me and you break it off with Stefan. Go home to Stefan, and we're done." He stood and that told me that I needed to go now, to let him think hard about everything that was said this morning. I rolled out of bed, removing his shirt that I'd thrown on late last night. I searched for my clothing on the floor, pulling my jeans up my legs and pulling my sweater over my head. I knew he was watching me. I could tell that all he wanted to do was be with me. Tonight I had to break someone's heart. I turned towards him and scurried over to him. I pressed the sweetest of kisses on his lips before turning and leaving the house.

Stefan was waiting for me when I got to our little home in the middle of town. Our house was too big for the two of us. There was one two many bedrooms, one two many bathrooms and a kitchen that seated five instead of two. His home, our home was too big for just the two of us. Damon's apartment was perfect. One bedroom, one bathroom one large living room with a kitchen attached to it. It was made perfectly for Damon and I. It was compact, yet still luxurious and spacey.

"So, how was your sleepover with Caroline?" Stefan asked casually, leaning against the counter. I sneaked up to give him a peck on the cheek. "Is she still recovering from her break up with Matt?"

"They were together for a long time, she feels crappy but she's doing better." I lied fluently. That seemed to be a talent. I would lie often to Stefan and it'd sound so normal and he'd buy the whole thing.

"Yeah, I'll bet. That's too bad; they were good for each other." Stefan gave a shrug then moved towards me for a second.

"You smell sweaty." Stefan commented, brushing a hand through my messy hair.

"Yeah, well, Caroline likes to work out when she's depressed." I felt so bad about lying to him. But I'm sure he'd rather hear lies than the truth. Instead of going to the gym with Caroline I was having wild sex with your brother. That's always sweet to say to your boyfriend of a year and three months. "I'm going to hop into the shower. Will you be here when I get out?" I asked, wondering how long he'd be staying in the house for.

"I have time to make you breakfast before my meeting at 11:00." Stefan said, and I ran up the stairs to make my shower quick. When I got back downstairs, pancakes were served and Stefan was sitting at the table waiting for me.

"I'll be home around five; work is really slow so Damon and I don't have much to do for Dad." The name sent shivers up my spine.

"I might be later; I have a few errands and a couple people to see." I replied, eating one of the pancakes.

"Okay, well, I'll see you tonight." He kissed me on the forehead and I closed my eyes briefly. "Love you." He said before leaving out the front door.

"Yeah." I said to the closed door.

It was five o'clock now. I knew both Stefan and Damon were sitting at home waiting for me. I knew I was going to lose one brother tonight, one way or another. So I sat in my car in between me and Stefan's house and Damon's apartment crying my eyes out. This was harder than I thought. I'd busied myself with stupid chores all day. Going out to get things I didn't need, seeing people I didn't have to. I could hear the light tapping of rain on my windshield but I didn't bother look up. My forehead was planted firmly on my steering wheel in a grocery store parking lot, my tears falling onto the wheel and my lap.

No one else knew about Damon and I. No one knew that I was secretly in love with my boyfriend's older brother. I had no one to consult to about this. If I told Bonnie, she'd hate me for doing that to Stefan, because nothing irked her more than Damon Salvatore. If I told Caroline, she'd blab to the entire town without even meaning to. If I told Jenna, she'd judge me immediately. Telling Jeremy or Matt or Tyler or even Alaric, I had no clue as to how they'd react but I'm sure everyone except Ric would tell me to stay with Stefan. I was alone with this.

I knew though. Deep down I've always known but it just didn't occur to me until I looked up at the gloomy sky. I started the car and drove in the direction of me and Stefan's home. The rain had pounded harder and as I stepped out o the car, my body was instantly soaked. It took half a minute to reach the steps, fumble with my keys and finally enter my house.

"Elena, oh, you got caught in the rain, you must be freezing." Stefan said, appearing from the living room to study me.

"Just a little." I gave a weak smile. "I think I need a warm shower." I said, inching up the steps.

"Elena?" Stefan called after me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I smiled, walking up to the bathroom for the second time today. When I finally made it back downstairs I was in warmer clothes. A dark wool sweater and thick black leggings. I looked towards Stefan as I took the seat across from him on the couch.

"Stefan, I need to tell you something." I confessed, looking up at him sadly. I knew I'd probably cry while explaining everything to him. While telling him how I've been fooling around with his brother for the past few weeks. He turned his gaze towards me and off whatever paperwork he was holding. "I haven't been a good girlfriend to you." I stated. "I've done something that I shouldn't have and I'm so sorry." The tears began.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked.

"I've been having an affair." That was the nicest way the words could possibly have left my mouth. "I'm so sorry, and I know how disappointing that is because you're such a great man."

"Who?" Stefan looked angry but I could tell he was trying to keep his cool for the neighborhood's benefit.

"It's Damon." I whispered. That was probably the worst flash of emotions I'd ever seen in anyone's eyes. I saw sadness, and anger and just plain fury cross his face. But his reaction was calmer than he truly was inside.

"I forgive you. You made a mistake. I understand." Stefan said softly.

"No you don't. You don't because I don't want to be forgiven." I stated. "He told me to choose. You or him. Stefan, I don't want to be with you anymore, I love Damon." I said. It felt as if a weight was lifting off my shoulders but Stefan just looked aggravated.

"Don't make that mistake, Elena. Damon can't offer you what I can. Damon can't love you back."

"But he does." I said. "Damon may not be as perfect as you but he does love me."

"Damon's fucked up." Stefan said bluntly. "So much has made him a wreck. You don't mean what you're saying; Damon isn't right for you, Elena, don't you see that?" Stefan said, and his tone was turning from soft, to angry to scary. I looked towards the hallway where my bags were packed.

"It's too late. You didn't do anything wrong, I hope you don't blame yourself." I said, standing and walking towards the door. "I love you, I just love him more."

"Don't walk out on me, Elena!" He yelled. It startled me but I picked up my bags and opened the door. "You're making a mistake." He called after me, but his words were lost in the slamming of the door.

It took me seven knocks for him to finally open the door. He looked surprised. He wasn't expecting me to choose him. I saw the bottle of whisky on the counter and his button up was open so I could tell he'd already started losing himself.

"Elena." Was all he said.

"Damon." I said. I didn't know what else I could say. At the moment I was speechless. He looked towards my bags and the brightest of smiles appeared on his face. He pulled them out of my hands, tossing them beside the door and yanked me inside, pulling me hard against his chest for a bruisingly passionate kiss.

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't have chosen me." He told me in between kisses and it made me laugh.

"I'm taking a leap of faith, is that okay?" I asked, smiling against his lips. His smile only widened and he didn't even voice his answer. It was already in the way that he was kissing me.

I would marry Damon Salvatore, Mystic Falls' resident jerk in two days. One of the most eligible bachelors in town who didn't think marriage was necessary was going to be my husband and I would be his bride.