I'm sitting in the back of a taxi cab with Damon. It is pitch black outside, so there's nothing to look at out the windows. It has already been a long drive and the silence is almost killing me. Yes, Damon and I are back on good terms and friends again, but we have problems communicating when other people are around. Our best conversations always happen when we are alone. I'm not sure why it's awkward for us to talk when other people are around, but it is. Jeez, we're practically alone now as our cab driver seems completely focused on driving, but no, it's still awkward somehow. To break the silence for myself, I pull out my i-pod and plan on listening to some light rock. As I'm putting an ear bud into my left ear, I notice Damon's head turn towards me. I look up and see a curious expression on his face.
"Do you want to listen to some music?" I ask him tentatively.
"Well, that depends," he draws out with a smile on his face, "what kind of music do you have?"
He puts his right arm behind my shoulders along the top of the seat and leans towards me to look at my i-pod. I feel my heart skip a beat for some reason.
"I have lots of different stuff. My taste in music is pretty eclectic."
I watch him in silence as he uses his left index finger to scroll through my song list. The light coming from my i-pod creates shadows on his face so I can't fully see his expression. I don't think he looks disgusted though.
"I have an idea," he says enthusiastically as he turns to look at me. "Let's play a game!"
I look at him skeptically. "What game?"
"It can be like categories, but with music. I'll give you a category and then you have to pick a song from your i-pod that you feel best fits that category. After we listen to it, you can give me a category and I'll pick a song."
I can feel a smile starting to break out on my face. That's actually a really good game idea.
"Okay," I say with a little enthusiasm, "what's my first category?"
Damon and I play that game for twenty minutes non-stop. My first category was "best dance song", so I chose Usher's "DJ Gotta us Fallin' in Love Again". The first category I gave Damon was "best blow-off song" and he chose Maroon 5's "Misery". We were having a lot of fun listening to the songs and talking about them. I am just starting to think about another good category for Damon when he touches my shoulder.
"I actually have a song I want to play for you and then I'll tell you the category after."
"Okay," I nod. We had been playing for almost half an hour, so a switch up in the game would be cool.
We connect eyes for a moment before he looks down at my i-pod and picks his song. I look straight ahead and close my eyes, trying to see how fast I'll be able to recognize the song. The music is faint at first and sounds like little tinkling bells. My eyes snap open as I recognize the song. It's "As the World Falls Down" sung by David Bowie from the movie "Labyrinth". "Labyrinth" is my all-time favourite movie. I don't think I've ever told Damon that though. My head jerks to look at him, but he's gazing out the window at the night. I decide that I'll really listen to the lyrics to see if I can guess what his category will be at end.
There's such a sad love
Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel
Open and closed within your eyes
I'll place the sky within your eyes
"Labyrinth" is such a good movie. It has fantasy, comedy, music, David Bowie in tights, and even a little romance, or at least I think so. Yes, the movie centers around Sarah getting her baby brother back from the Goblin King, but everyone forgets how at the beginning, Sarah explains how the Goblin King falls in love with the young girl who asks him to take her brother away. Then there's this song where Sarah dances with the Goblin King, Jareth, in her peach dream. It's such a romantic song.
There's such a fooled heart
Beating so fast in search of new dreams
A love that will last within your heart
I'll place the moon within your heart
But why would Damon choose this song? Best romantic song?
As the pain sweeps through
Makes no sense for you
Every thrill has gone
Wasn't too much fun at all
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo
As the world falls down
The chorus makes me think of my life right now. It's painful, confusing, and not fun at all. My world is falling down around me.
I'll paint you mornings of gold
I'll spin you Valentine evenings
Though we're strangers till now
We're choosing the path between the stars I'll leave my love between the stars
I'm so caught up in comparing the lyrics to my life that I forget that Damon is sitting beside me. I slowly turn my head to look at him and I am surprised to see that he is no longer looking out the window. He's looking right at me. Our eyes connect. There's a faint smile on his lips, only it's not a happy smile, it's sad and filled with longing. Oh my gosh, it hits me why he chose this song. This romantic song expresses his feelings for me: the longing, the desires, the trying to please me. Just as my brain is registering these thoughts, Damon opens his mouth and starts to sing softly. I had never heard him sing before.
As the pain sweeps through
Makes no sense for you
Every thrill has gone
Wasn't too much fun at all
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo
As the world falls down
He's singing right where Jareth sings to Sarah in the movie while they are dancing. I can't tear my eyes off of Damon. The emotion in his eyes overwhelms me. Without really noticing or caring, I am beginning to lean towards him. This doesn't faze him; he just keeps looking at me and singing. Before I really know it, my hand has found his on his lap. We both look down at my hand on top of his for a brief moment and then look back up at each other. He lifts his other arm off of the top of the seat and gently rubs the back of his hand against my cheek. My eyes flutter close and I lean in towards his touch. This situation feels familiar, like deja-vu, but I can't place it, I can only remember feeling the same way as I do now: warm, safe, and loved.
As the world falls down
Falling
Falling
Falling
Falling in love
When I think about it, Damon has always been there for me. Even when I was mad at him, he always protected me and put my best interest before his. I'm enjoying the feeling of his hand against my cheek, but a small part of me is screaming about how this is cheating on Stefan. But is it really? Stefan and I hadn't really kissed and meant it since before I read about his early days as a vampire in Jonathan Gilbert's journals. And that was weeks ago. And now I was in a cab with Damon heading to some secret hide-out, while Stefan dealt with Katherine, a woman I still don't think he's over. As I look into Damon's blue eyes, I give him a faint smile and he smiles back. I'm brought back to the song playing as I realize that it's almost at its end. As I continue to look at him, I sing the last few lines.
Falling in love
Falling in love
Falling in love
Falling in love
Falling in love
As the music fades, my smile grows as I lean in to kiss him.