It was all I could do not to stare. His black hair and stark pale blue eyes drew me in like a moth to a flame. He was bad news, but I had to know his name. I had to know what it would sound like if he whispered my name in the dead of night, our arms wrapped around each other in a passionate embrace...
I shake my head, trying to deter my thoughts from that sultry path as I sit in the sun with my best friend Caroline, both of us watching as a group of young men play a game of volley ball in the ocean. I look over at Caroline, who's eyes are glued to one of the guys, whose name I think is Stefan Salvatore. Caroline and I had come to the beach to celebrate our completion of college, and now we planned to stay here, in California to start our new lives.
"He's so... What's the word I'm looking for Elena? Astounding?" Caroline asks me, grabbing a wine cooler from our cooler and opening it, taking a drink as she sits back in her chair, wriggling her toes in the sand.
"Astonishing, Car. I can say the same about the tall, dark haired one. Though he's a bit more, mysterious." I reply, taking a sip from my own drink.
"He is. We need to go talk to them, now." Caroline says, putting her drink down in the sand and standing up. She pulls me to my feet, brushing the sand from her legs and ass, tossing her sunglasses into her beach bag.
I sit my drink down and brush the sand off myself, nodding in agreement. Caroline gives herself a once mover before running out into the ocean, faking a fall and landing right near the guy she'd been eying up all afternoon. The guy helps her to her feet and smiles her trademark smile. The guy gives her a smile in return, and they begin talking. Caroline made it look so easy, but then again she never had problems with going up to guys and introducing herself. I, however, wasn't too good at it. I walk out into the water, giving my dark haired hottie a shy smile as I make my way deeper into the ocean, the waves splashing me. The dark haired hotie smiles back at me, distracting me as a big wave comes and takes me down as it crashes; and I go under fast. I fight the current as I struggle to get to my feet, when warm, strong hands pull me up and out of the water. I cough and wipe the salt water from my eyes, looking up at who had saved me. Pale blue eyes meet mine and blush, coughing up more water. Of course he would be the one to pull me up. What an idiot I must look like!
"Are you okay?" He asks, helping me back to the water's edge. His voice is deeper then I had imagined.
The dark haired hottie helps me to sit down, then sits beside beside me.
"I''m fine now," I cough, feeling embarrassed. "Thank you for saving me."
"No problem." He smiles. "I'm Damon Salvatore, by the way."
"Elena Gilbert." I reply, thankful I had stopped coughing.
Damon brushes a strand of hair from my face, giving me another heart stopping smile. My heart skips a beat.
"I saw you and your friend watching my younger brother and I from up on the beach. Why didn't you just come and say hello? It's not like we bite."
I blush, giggling. "We didn't want to interrupt your game. I wanted to come and say Hi, but, I'm kinda shy when it comes to that sort of thing, unlike my friend Caroline." I tell Damon, smiling as I look over at Caroline. She and Damon's younger brother were playing a solo game of Volley ball, the other guys that had been playing no where in sight now.
"Your friend Caroline seems like the type of girl that once she sees something she wants, she goes for it." Damon comments, his hand brushing mine. He pulls his hand away quickly, blushing. "S-sorry."
I grin. "It's okay. That's Caroline alright, once shes got someone in her sights, she stops at nothing to get them."
Damon grins. "So, are you and Caroline visiting for the summer? Or are you locals?"
"We just moved out here, well, kinda. We just graduated college and had only intended to come out for the summer, but after being here for a month, we decided to just stay. It's not like we don't belong out here. Caroline majored in Drama and acting, and I majored in business management." I blush again. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling on."
"Don't worry about it. My younger brother Stefan also majored in drama and acting, hes just graduated too. I graduated three years ago in business management myself. If you;d like, I have an opening at my company that I think you'd do great in. Are you good with a computer?" Damon exclaims, laying his hand over mine again, but not taking it away this time.
I grin. "I'd love that. Caroline and I are currently living in a hotel until we can find an apartment to rent."
"There's an apartment building right near my business, it's called Salvatore Enterprise. We're an accounting firm. If you'd like, my brother and I could take you to check the apartment out later this evening, and maybe go out for drinks afterwords, that is, if you'd like to."
"I minored in accounting. I'd have to ask Caroline but that sounds like awesome idea." I give Damon the name of our hotel and our room number. Damon smiles.
"Stefan and I will be by to pick you up around eight tonight."
Caroline and Stefan come and join Damon and I on the sand, Stefan handing Damon his cell phone and Caroline handing me mine. Damon explains to Caroline what we were thinking of doing tonight, and she's all for it. We all exchange numbers, then head out into the ocean after dropping out phones off at our towels, to play a two on two game of volleyball. We payed three games, Caroline and I only winning one, before we parted ways with Damon and Stefan, the thought of tonight making both Caroline and I excited for what is to come.