I walked slowly on the ocean shore, feeling the mushy sand squish in between my toes and the cool brush of ocean water flow over the tops of my feet. I had been walking like this for about an hour. Finally, I stopped and looked out into the vast ocean horizon. The gentle eastern breeze blew my hair off my shoulders. I closed my eyes, letting the cool air sink into my skin.
"Faith!" I heard a familiar voice exclaim. I blinked my eyes open and turned so I could fully see behind me. I saw a man, who looked no older than 21, but I knew he was much, much older. His hair was a medium length and was a night black that, at that moment, was being softly lifted by the breeze. He stood ten feet away from me. His eyes were a piercing a blue and were fixated on mine.
The moment my eyes reached his, my heart started beating like wings on a hummingbird. My mind flooded with thoughts of him and only him. They tumbled in my mind like clothes in a dryer. They swirled into the form of a name. His name.
"Damon," I uttered quietly. He smiled his trademark smile. The smile that makes you're knees quiver, and your heart melt. This smile was special, because this especially unique smile was for me and me alone.
Damon stepped forward, until he had closed the distance between him and me. His soft hands gently caressed my face, wiping away the tears flooding my eyes and face with his thumbs.
"Shh, shh," he comforted. "Don't cry."
"I can't stop," I told him. "I haven't seen you in so long. I thought I'd never see you again. How did you find me?"
"I followed my gut feeling," he explained, "and my heart." I looked at him with questioning eyes.
"I didn't realize how much I missed you," he said, "until I noticed all the missing pieces of my life. Every one of those pieces was there because of you." He took his hand away from my face, and took my right hand with both of his, placing it over his heart. The usually cooled skin was a comforting warm. I gasped in surprise. He chuckled slightly.
"You mean everything to me," he whispered. I looked slowly up, locking my eyes with his once again. Our eyes slowly started shutting as we leaned in. Our lips met. My heart beat wildly, unable to stop. All too soon, Damon pulled back slightly, smiling. I returned the smile, putting my forehead on his, the way they do in those romantic movies.
"Come back to Mystic Falls with me," he ordered softly. "If you want, I'll get down on my knees and beg." I giggled.
"Of course I'll come back," I said, "on one condition." Damon waited.
"What's the reason you want to bring me back?" His left eyebrow rose.
"I thought that was obvious," he stated. I shrugged.
"I just want to hear you say it," I carefully answered.
"I can think of a million ways to say it," he told me, "but it can best be summed up in three little words."
"And those words are…" I said, drifting off. His hands came back to my face, forcing eye contact with me.
"I love you," he explained. "I am completely, no-doubt-in-my-mind in love with you." I started tearing up again.
"I never thought I'd hear you say those words," I stated. "Not even after I said it. I always thought…that you'd go after Katherine or Elena, never me." He smiled warmly, shaking his head.
"It was always you." I slid his hands down my face and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly. I felt his arms slid in around my waist.
"Let's go home," I whispered into his ear.