Summary : College student Elena Gilbert, meets Damon Salvatore in a rather unfamiliar situation. Sparks fly higher than usual but she knows it can't end well from day one.
A\N : I want to thank Cher ( Cher Sue ) and give her a million hugs if I can because she is the one who encouraged me to write this, and also for her AWESOME beta skills ( Even if it's temporary ) and if you're not reading her story A Woman's Worth, then what are you doing on ?!
Disclaimer : I do NOT own The Vampire Diaries or its characters, they belong to their rightful owners. I just like to play with them so don't sue me ;)
Excited, that was how Elena Gilbert was feeling when she got a letter from NYU telling her she'd been accepted to the University.
Elena was 19 years old, soon to be 20. She was a regular small town girl with big dreams and good grades, a brunette with long straight hair, brown eyes and a nice healthy figure.
Her parents , Grayson and Miranda Gilbert, had always supported her in everything she chose to undertake... well, almost everything, which she found out the hard way when her dad didn't approve of her going to NYU, "Because it's in another city, " and "Bad things could happen to you." But, it took some joint efforts with Mommy Gilbert to double-team him and after some time, they managed to convince him to let her go and live her own life. After all, how could one man stand against two very wide and pleading chocolate doe-eyes?
And then Elena was calling her best friend, Caroline Forbes, screaming away the good news and telling her to come over.
Later in Elena's room ..
"So when are you leaving?" Caroline asked when they were sitting on Elena's bed having some much needed girl time.
Elena paused the movie they were watching - The Notebook, Caroline's favorite movie - and turned to look at her friend's watery eyes, unsure whether it was a reaction from the movie or at the thought of not seeing her best friend for a while.
To say that Elena was dreading this part of their time together was an understatement. She hesitated before saying, "The day after tomorrow, Care," and then went to hug her so tightly that Caroline laughed through her unshed tears.
"You're suffocating me, 'Lena."
So Elena reluctantly released her, allowing her to breathe before she continued. "I hate leaving you, Care, but you're going to California. But I promise I'll call you every single day, and so will you, deal?"
Caroline wiped her tears and smiled happily, saying, "Look at us; we're a couple of badass girls, going after our dreams. Who would have thought?"
".. Yeah, we sure are, " Elena said quietly, fighting tears of her own. And so they fell silent again, continuing to watch the movie distractedly, each wrapped in their own thoughts until Caroline suddenly spoke.
"We're totally going on a shopping spree tomorrow, right? We're going to need new stuff for the new 'us'," she commented matter-of-factly and an ear-to-ear grin, as if daring Elena to disagree with her, but the brunette had learnt her lesson not to ever come between Caroline Forbes and her love for some retail therapy.
Besides, she was absolutely right about needing some new stuff for the new journey they were about to embark on. "Sure, why not?" Elena shrugged, smiling in agreement and from the look on Caroline's face, it was a satisfying answer.
Elena was tired, drop dead tired.
Caroline has no mercy when it comes to shopping. She left late after completing their movie date night, but not before barking out her orders at the exhausted brunette. "I'm picking you up tomorrow, 11 a.m. sharp. You better be awake and ready to hit the mall,"she had warned.
Elena thought she was ready, but the fact that they wiped out the entire mall in 4 hours and bought a whole new wardrobe made her think and feel that no one would ever be ready for that kind of a shopping spree.
Now, I better start packing if I plan on getting some sleep and rest before waking up early tomorrow, she thought and opened two suitcases on the bed and started the process of folding, arranging the clothes into the suitcase and repeat…
Now that she was packed, had dinner and showered, it was finally time to get some sleep after an eventful day.
Setting the alarm for 7:00 a.m. the next morning because her flight was at 12:00 noon and giving herself time to look presentable, she fell asleep with a smile on her face and one last thought of an exciting future in New York.
The shrill sound of her alarm went off the next morning, the day that Elena Gilbert became a University student in a different city, in adifferent state.
Stretching out in bed for the last time in a while, she yawned loudly and then proceeded to indulge in a half-hour long shower, and started going through her normal hair routine, but with a slight difference. She blow dried it as always but instead of straightening it she lightly curled her hair to give it a wavy look.
When it came to getting dressed, she was wary about what Caroline insisted on making her wear; Caroline had picked a loose blue and white tank top, dark skinny jeans and a white leather jacket, completed with high heeled brown sandals and a long necklace that rested in between her breasts.
She wore them anyway and kept her make-up simple, adding just a hint of light pink lip gloss, and darkened her mascara and that was it. Elena looked around her room for the last time before closing the door behind her, feeling a pang of sadness as she did.
Squaring her shoulders for some much-needed strength, she made her way downstairs for breakfast, only to find everyone dressed and waiting for her. Her mother's eyes were teary and her father looked like he was barely holding it together, trying to maintain his manly façade while blinking back tears but her brother, Jeremy was another story. He didn't utter a single word to her all the way to the airport.
When they got to the airport, Elena jumped out of the car when she saw Caroline waiting right outside the departure hall entrance with her boyfriend Matt. Smiling broadly at the sight of her dearest friends, she went to them and threw her arms around them both and soon she found herself being hugged by her parents and then her brother as he whispered in her ear, "I'll miss you big sis."
She looked up at his taller frame, resisting the urge to cry as she whispered back, "I'll miss you, too." It was typical of Jeremy, not wanting to seem weak in front of others, so he opted to show his affection for her the only way he knew how; secretly.
Then, the announcement for her flight came over the speakers, so she went around to hug her parents one last time, promising to call as soon as the plane landed and then turned towards the gates towards her future.
Once the plane had landed, the flight attendant woke Elena up from her semi-nap, jolting her awake as she stammered a thank you before gathering her purse and left the plane with the other passengers.
Elena called everyone at home to let them know that she had arrived safely as soon as she set foot in the airport while waiting for her luggage. She wasn't too overwhelmed, that was until she finished everything and found out that the University had sent someone to help her and accompanied her until she had settled in.
The tensed silence in the car was getting on her nerves, so she tried to start a conversation with the guy who was behind the wheel.
"You didn't tell me your name yet, it'll be a bit helpful if I know it," Elena called out in a hesitant tone from the backseat.
The quiet guy answered her without even sparing her a glance. "My name is Trevor, Miss Gilbert," he said with an evidently bored tone.
How rude, she thought. When it became clear that he wasn't going to add anything else to ease the silence, she gave up on trying to be polite and stopped the almost-conversation herself, letting her eyes wander over the streets of New York through the side windows. The ride from the airport to the University took almost an hour, and the minute she felt the car slowing to a stop, she lifted her eyes to see the huge building in front of her.
I'm finally here, this is my dream coming true.
As she started getting out of the car, Trevor spoke up for the second time since they got into the car. "Since you're already an accepted student, you must now go to the secretary and give her your particulars. She will give the directions to your dorm room, and you'll be living with a roommate for the rest of the duration at the University. Any questions?"
Elena shook her head mutely and gave him a small smile as a thank you for the ride and for finally speaking more than a single sentence in her presence. He then nodded with a tight smile on his lips and pointed her to the right direction to the secretary's office.
She went there gladly just because she didn't feel like spending another minute in his company, finding the office without any problems. She knocked on the door twice before she heard a female voice saying, asking her to, "Come in."
She opened the door carefully to be greeted with a lovely sight; the entire office was furnished in dark caramel and white color, every piece nicely put together. She must've looked like she was in awe because when the secretary smiled at her, she realized that she had been staring and blushed.
Not a good way to start, Gilbert, get it together, she told herself.
The secretary stood up from her desk and extended her hand to Elena. "Hello, I'm Rose. You must be Elena Gilbert," she greeted with a warm and friendly smile. This was a much better reception than the one she just experienced with the surly Trevor.
Returning the gesture, Elena shook the offered hand and nodded, saying, "Yes I am. The driver – Trevor - said that I should come here to get the information on where I'll be staying?"
At the mention of her accommodation, Rose's face fell a little and that worried Elena a little, wondering if there was some kind of problem. The secretary answered her unspoken question, confirming her worry. "Umm, yes, Miss Gilbert, but there has been a complication regarding where you'll be staying."
That caused Elena's brows to furrow. "What do you mean by 'complication'?"
"You won't be staying at the dorms for at least 3 weeks or one month, Miss Gilbert," Rose began apologetically. "The room we set up for you and your roommate was flooded with water and it will take some time to fix it."
"But where do I stay until then?" She began to feel slightly panicky at the thought of not having anywhere to go until then. What if she had to rent her own place in the mean time?
It was as if Rose could sense her increasing concern as she was quick to reassure her. "Not to worry, we've arranged a place for you to stay with another student in their apartment," she explained hastily. "It's not very far from here, just ten minutes away, actually."
Hearing that, Elena breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she didn't need to sort it out on her own. For a moment, she actually thought that she didn't have a place to stay. Nodding her appreciation, she smiled up at Rose and said, "Thank you. Can you give me the address, please?"
Rose gave her two sheets of papers and told her, "The small one has the address, and the other one is your class schedule. Your first class starts next Monday."
Elena grinned and thanked her again, and was about to turn around to exit when Rose called after her. "Oh and Elena, Trevor will be with you just for today, after that you're on your own," she informed her, nearly drawing out a groan from the younger girl. She was so not looking forward to spending her first day in New York stuck with an unfriendly grouch!
Left with no other choice, Elena nodded and gave her a little wave of her hand before she sauntered to the door, closing it behind her. Back at the car, she found Trevor waiting, looking bored out of his mind. Wordlessly, she handed him the address as she got into the back seat, feeling excited to meet her new roommate.
Sure enough, ten minutes later, Trevor pulled up in front of a tall building and helped her with her bags up to the apartment door and left without so much of a goodbye. Shaking her head, she rapped her knuckles on the door three times before she heard some shuffling behind it and the door swung open to reveal a…..
….Guy.
NOT a girl, but a guy. A very good-looking guy, to be exact. That was all she could process in her mind at that time. That, and also that he had the most beautiful baby blue eyes she'd ever seen, but just as the shock came, it was gone in an instant.
"What the –" they both said before closing their mouths at the same time. Elena decided to approach this whole matter politely, just in case there was some kind of mistake or a misunderstanding, like maybe her female roommate had a 'friend' over who apparently just woke up, judging by his lack of clothing save for his pants. Stop staring, she scolded herself as her eyes wandered down his bare torso against her will.
"Umm, hi, I'm Elena Gilbert, the new roommate," she said awkwardly as she tried valiantly to avert her eyes from the very appealing display of chest that he wasn't shy of parading in front of a stranger.
She then saw how his face went from shock to anger before he contained himself and replied with fake enthusiasm, "Welcome. I'm Damon Salvatore, your roomie, I guess. Have a seat, I'll be back." He grabbed her luggage and ushered her into the living room before he disappeared into one of the rooms.
Left with nothing else to do but wait, Elena took a seat on one of the couches and looked around the apartment, finding it to be surprisingly clean for a guy's place. She had seen her brother's room way too many times to conclude that 'boys' and 'clean' usually didn't belong in the same sentence.
Her train of thoughts stopped when she heard his voice and someone else's getting louder, belatedly realizing the identity of the person on the other end of the line; Rose.
Why is he using the speaker phone?
"….when you said a roommate, I naturally thought you meant a guy NOT a girl, Rose!" his voice boomed over the thin walls of his room.
There was a moment of silence before she heard Rose answering firmly, "Well, unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about what you thought and what is happening, Damon. Be nice, now goodbye."
Click.
Elena heard him coming back out, so she busied herself looking at the design of the apartment, trying to act as if she hadn't been eavesdropping on his rather abrupt end of his telephone conversation with the secretary. Damon came back, now dressed in a black shirt that clung to him like a second skin, looking even more gorgeous but rather grumpy.
"Looks like we'll be stuck living together for the next month, so here are the rules," he started saying as he crossed his arms, appearing to be impatient now. "Rule number one; do not – under any circumstances – come into my room. Rule number two, when you leave a room, I want it to be exactly the way it was when you found it, okay? I don't like cleaning up after anyone but myself, are we clear?"
Elena just met the guy and already, she was planning ways to kill him, it didn't matter how attractive she initially thought he was. She narrowed her eyes and nodded, feeling too tired to argue with anyone and when he smiled, feeling satisfied that he established his 'rules', she became furious. So, she stood up and shrug off her jacket, throwing it onto the seat where she sat defiantly, then said to him, "I see that there is only one bathroom, so when you use it please keep in mind that there is a person that will use it after you, am I clear? And which one is my room?"
Feeling a little more in control of her plight, she lifted her chin up proud that she wasn't taking flak from this stranger who made the mistake of underestimating her. That feeling, however, was lost when he arched an eyebrow and approached her with deliberate steps until he invaded her personal space.
"Your room is on the left, Miss Elena Gilbert. Please, make yourself at home," he smirked, completely unfazed by her act of defiance. He stood his ground, not backing away as he stared down at her, daring her to defy him once more, so she pushed past him and made her way to the room that was now hers, making sure to slam the door behind her.
Damon released a quiet chuckle, shaking his head at the now-closed door. She's got a hot body AND an attitude. Definitely going to be a hell of a month, he thought to himself, heading to the kitchen to make some coffee.
Elena sat on the bed, admiring the simply styled room before thinking, 'I'm in some deep shit here. I have to get a grip on myself around this guy!' She decided to call her best friend and tell her the interesting events of her day and perhaps even ask for some advice.
Caroline answered on the second ring. "Elena! I miss you already and it hasn't even been a day. Did you get settled in already?" the blonde's voice was her usual exuberant tone, making her smile fondly despite the crappy day she was having in New York so far.
"I miss you too, Care, and yes, I did get settled in but I have to tell you something and you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone, especially my parents, okay?"
Caroline was silent for a while but then quickly agreed anyway. She wasn't the type to shy away from learning about juicy tidbits, especially if she was sworn to secrecy before. "Okay, I promise. Now spill!"
Elena started from the beginning and told her friend everything, from her meeting with Rose, the secretary to how she was now in a different room and a different roommate. On Caroline's part, she did her fair share of appropriate gasps and mutterings at the right parts of the story .
"And here is the worst part; my roommate is guy," I announced finally, drawing a cry of surprise from her.
Caroline was definitely not expecting that. "A guy! How - why – wait, is he hot?" I could always count on her to be completely inappropriate at any given time.
"I don't know how and why, but I already told you about my room situation. And as for the last question..." Elena paused, thinking about his jet black hair, his baby blue eyes and his whole body for that matter, she blushed as she answered, "Yes, he is hot, but he is also a jerk and I have to live with him for a whole month. Ugh."
Caroline didn't answer right away but when she did, I almost laughed out loud. "And you called to ask me how to be around him and not lose your hormonal control, right?"
That's what Elena loves about Caroline; her ability to read anyone's mind. It also helps that the they have been friends since they were left to play in a sandbox by their mothers.
"Yes, Caroline , that's exactly why I called. Now will Your Majesty grace me with her advice?" Elena added the last part mockingly before they both burst out laughing.
When their laughter calmed, Caroline got serious and down to business. "Okay, listen carefully," she ordered. "The key to keeping your control of the situation is to make him lose control. When he says something snarky to you, you don't give him the satisfaction that he's getting on your nerves. You reply with something snarkier, see where I'm going with this?"
Elena thought about that advice before answering, "So basically, you're saying that I should push his buttons and not let him push mine?"
"Yes, you are smart! And I thought the only thing you've got going were your looks," Caroline teased her, giggling wildly.
Elena joined in on her hilarity, feeling much better than she did before she made the call. "Hey, I'm not the one who's blonde here," she teased right back. "Look, I have to go now. I've got some unpacking and planning to do, so thanks for the chat! Bye, Care."
"Good luck! Bye 'Lena."
Click.
Elena set her cell on the nightstand and proceeded to unpack everything for the next hour. She then decided that it was time for her plan to begin and so she changed into her usual pajama shorts and a tank top. Normally she wasn't one to show her pajamas to anyone, but she figured it was time for some payback because no one invades her personal space and gets away that easily!
She opened the door cautiously and found him sitting in the living room, watching TV and eating something similar to takeout food. She was tempted to cover herself up when he noticed her but the way his eyes travelled leisurely over her body from her legs up to her face had her forgetting her shyness.
She felt herself blushing a little but she refused to let it spoil her plan. "Hey, I was wondering if you have anything good to eat for dinner? I wanted to sleep early so I can get up and go for a jog."
Damon cleared his throat and turned his head back to the TV when he found himself staring at her and answered "Yeah, I just bought some Chinese takeout. I didn't know what you like so I ordered you the same as me."
"Umm, thanks," Elena replied as she walked over to where the food was, feeling his eyes on her all the way there. She secretly smirked to herself when she turned and caught him looking at her.
He played it nice, though, acting as if she wasn't affecting him at all. "There are drinks in the fridge, if you want."
Elena smiled, "No thanks, I'll just drink some water for now."
She deliberately chose to sit on a chair beside him, watching whatever that was on TV as they ate in silence. Neither of them could focus because there was only a small table separating them and the few times that their hands accidentally brushed with each other's, there seemed to be an electric current that ran between them.
Damon thought that the silence should be broken sooner rather than later, so he ventured to break the ice. "So, do you go jogging every morning?" he asked suddenly.
His voice seemed unnaturally loud after the lengthy silence that stretched between them making Elena almost jumped out of her skin. "No, just on weekends," she answered hastily. "You?"
He let out a short chortle when he heard her question. "No, if you haven't noticed, I don't get up early nor do I need to run every morning. I mean, have you seen me?"
Elena rolled her eyes, apparently she won't be able to have a civil conversation with him at all. He was much too smug for his own good. "Yes, I have seen you, and I don't need to run every morning either, but it's nice to do it anyway, Mr. Big-Headed-Much?"
That made him shut up for a few seconds and look at her, their eyes connecting for a split second before Elena got up. "I'm going to sleep," she announced before heading back to her room.
I'm so gonna regret this, Damon thought to himself as he called out to her. "Wait, wait!"
She paused right outside her bedroom door but didn't turn fully around to face him, so he sighed, deciding to call a truce for now. "I'm sorry, I'm being an ass. How about we go get some coffee tomorrow? I'll help you get to know the places around here," he suggested in a hopeful tone. He didn't know why but there was something about her that made him want to get to know her.
Elena finally turned to him, suppressing a feeling like she really shouldn't go anywhere with him. "Fine, goodnight, Damon," she conceded before she went seeking for the sanctuary of her room.
Next Morning…
Elena woke up when her alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. She didn't even sleep that much and she wished that this was because it was the first time sleeping on a different bed in a new environment, but she would be lying to herself then. The cause of her restless night was currently sleeping in the next room, but the real reason why she was worried about him, she didn't exactly know.
Deciding it was now or never, Elena got up and tied her hair in a ponytail, then dressed herself in black yoga pants, olive colored tank top and her favorite Adidas sneakers before left her room to grab a water bottle from the kitchen. She was about ready to leave and was checking that her iPod and headphones were with her when she saw the bathroom door open and Damon coming out of it. At first he was surprised to see that she actually got up at this ungodly hour, but the way she looked in that apparel made him want to do things that were possibly far from her imagination.
"So you're actually going?" he asked in disbelief, his voice still gruff with sleep.
"Yeah, changed your mind yet?" Elena countered with an arched eyebrow and a hand on her hip, an unspoken challenge in her eyes.
He seemed to be thinking it over for a moment before saying, "I'm willing to give it a shot, so wait for me okay?"
"Okay," she nodded. Yeah right, like I'm actually gonna wait for him, she thought while he went back into his room. The second he closed the door behind him, she counted to ten before quietly opening the front door and sprinting down the stairs with one thought in mind; Elena - 1, Damon –0.
Damon, on the other hand, didn't hear the door and actually thought she was waiting so when he came back out of his room to find a deserted living room, he rolled his eyes in exasperation and went back inside, slamming the door shut in frustration. He thought of only one thing before going back to sleep; It's on, Miss Elena Gilbert.
A\N 2 : If you have reached this author note then THANK YOU ! for reading, and now how about dropping a review to tell me if I should continue or not, and maybe consider to be my beta ? ;)
You can see all the outfits in this chapter on Promisebreaker . Polyvore . Com (Remove spaces )
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