I sit on my bed, burying my problems with Algebra, trying not to think about the fact that Stefan left Mystic Falls because he doesn't think he's right for me or how I'm the least depressed about it or that Damon is the only person who can make me feel the least bit better. I slam my book shut and grab my history text-book for Alaric's class and start reading about the "blah blah blah, of the Civil War and the blah blah that surrounded it" attempting to drone out my antsy inner monologue when the air next to me is disturbed.
"Do you know how to use a door?" I look from Damon's black clad body to my now open window and back to the blue eyed god standing in front of me with his usual smirk on his lips.
He moves my bag to lounge on the bed next to me, his hands behind his head and his legs crossed.
"Sure, Damon, come on in, make yourself at home." I say sarcastically, continuing to pretend to read these painfully boring paragraphs, writing very possibly wrong answers on the worksheet Ric handed out.
"The battle of Swells Creek was in May of 1861, not June of 1863." He corrects my mistake.
"I knew that." I mumble as I earase and re-write.
"And the battle of Big Bethel was June 10th." He smirks, looking at me with his know-it-all face. "In case you were wondering."
"What do you want, Damon?" I say, closing my book and pushing it away along with the sheet of questions.
"To help you learn history." He gives me an innocent grin.
"Right, now that you got that out of your system, what do you want?" I get up and strut to my window, closing and locking it.
"How am I going to get out now?" He avoids.
"Why did you answer my question with another question?"
"Why did you do the same thing?"
"You can use the front door, like a normal person." I roll my eyes.
"I'm not a normal person." He appears behind me, his cool breath tickling the back of my neck.
"Why are you here?" I flip around, coming face to face with him.
"I'm here to make sure you're still alive. Why else would I be here?" He brushes past me to look at the pictures on my mirror, this time without touching them.
I go to look with him, seeing the picture of my parents, Jeremy and I in Atlanta; Caroline, Bonnie and I in front of the Lockwood mansion, Tyler and Matt totally photobombing us with goofy faces in the backround. My parents wedding picture, Jenna trying to make a cake, Jeremy with his arm looped around Vicki's waist. A picture of Stefan and I when we first started dating, before I knew about vampires and I still thought my life was normal, Stefan's arms wrapped around me from the back. And the newest addition to my most important memories (even though the picture was taken a while ago), a picture of Damon and I dancing at the Miss Mystic Pagaent.
He takes the picture of us out of the mirror frame, furrowing his brow, something flashing across his face before he puts it back and faces me again. I look down at my bare feet and take a soft step back, feeling a little too comfortable with the close proximity. My eyes return to his as he steps closer to me, obviously enjoying the little game I just un-knowingly started but I refuse to play so I just go where I'm bound to end up, the wall behind me. I back up until I hit it and slide down, sighing quietly as I go.
"Well... I'm alive. Sort of..." I squeeze my eyes shut.
"How are you doing with that?" He sits next to me, sincerety in his voice.
"I don't know why but... It's somehow better when you're around." I finally say. "How are you doing with all of this?" I open my eyes and turn to look into his clear blue, surprised eyes.
"Same," He quickly looks away as emotion floods his eyes, after all, my boyfriend may have left but his brother is gone for an undetermained* amount of time.
"Hey..." I kneel in front of him and carress his face gently, "We're going to be fine. Okay?" I raise my eyebrows, holding back tears. He nods, stopping his own tears
from overflowing.
"What am I doing?" He stands up with vampire speed, "I am not going to cry over my ungrateful little brother's absence. I went 15 years without him, I can handle a month." He growls at himself.
"Damon, it's okay to show emotion. There's nobody here to judge you." I stand and flatten my hand on his back comfortingly.
He lets out a dark chuckle and turns around to say,"Why are you doing this? You don't care about how I feel. You're just worried about your precious Stefan." He clamps his jaw shut.
"I do care about you, Damon. I care about you more than I should." I allow a tear to slide down my cheek. "And I don't want to see you hurting. If it's what you need, you should leave me here and find him. Just because he can't be with be doesn't mean he can't be with you. You're family. I get it. It would be selfish of me to keep you here with me." I start to turn around but am stopped by a thought. I'm okay with Stefan gone but if Damon does what I just said... I don't know how I would continue living.
"But I need you to know this," I continue, placing my hand on his chest. "If you do go, you will be missed. I know you think nobody cares about you or loves you but they do. If you were gone, who do you think Caroline would have to place all her critisizm on, who would Bonnie have to threaten, who would I have to make me second guess every single choice I've ever made." I try to keep calm but my heartbeat still speeds to that of a humming bird's. "You've been playing a big role here that, if left un-played, a lot of things would feel empty. And if Stefan wants to be a dick and leave us here... Well. Then I guess I shouldn't have gotten close to him in the first place." I finish with a bang, wiping my tears away and letting Stefan go at the same time.
"Jeez Elena, tell me what you really feel." He smiles widely, making me burst into giggles, dropping my hand and shaking my head.
"Wow. Just like you to ruin a perfectly dramatic moment."
"If I was gone," He says, mimicking me, "who would be there to do that?"
I slap his arm playfully, loving that he's the only one who can turn a moment like that into a moment like this. "Right... No, 'did you just say you need me?' or 'yay, I have friends' or even a 'look me in the eye and...' fill in the blank?" I chuckle.
"Did you just say that you need me?" He gets serious.
"Yeah... I need you, Damon. I shouldn't feel that way but... I do, so..." I look down.
"If you hadn't told me that... What else have you been keeping from me?" He leans a bit closer.
"Well..." I look up at him through my lashes. "There are some things that I have to admit to myself before I tell anyone else, Damon."
"Like what?"
"Why do you ask so many questions?"
"Sorry, I'll just go then..." He walks towards the door, his back to me, but I grab his wrist, sliding my hand down into his. He looks at our hands and I follow his stare as the electricity starts and I pull it away.
"Maybe... um..." I look back up to meet his loving gaze. "I guess you could stay... For tonight." I blush and look away.
"If you want me just say so." He smirks. I roll my eyes.
"It's just... I've been having nightmares and I don't want to sleep alone." I lie easily.
"Yeah. Definetly." His smirk transforms into happiness at my offer.
"Great!" I say without thinking, "I mean... Cool... Okay."
"Mmm-hmm." He hums, smirking again at my bright red blush.
"Shut-up." I mumble.