Disclaimer: I own nothing

AN: Hey guys (: I'm a newbie at this (since this is my first story written) so go easy on me! I truly hope you guys like it (:

Chapter 1

Elena Gilbert sighed as she pulled out her paints and easel. She didn't even know why she had signed up for this course. Oh wait, yes she did. It was all Caroline Forbes's fault. Elena sighed again as she was hit with a memory of an event from a few days before.

"Come on Elena, you're really talented, and plus, you need a distraction to get over Matt! You've been depressed for almost half a year, and you really need to stop!" Caroline said, exasperated.

"Caroline, I don't know. I mean, first of all, I'm not THAT good at painting. Second of all, I am NOT depressed! I've moved on, you know." Elena said, giving her a knowing smile.

"Oh really?" Caroline retorted, "And who have you moved on to, may I ask?"

Elena pretended to be serious. "Oh, these two brothers. Their names are Nestle and Haagen-Dazs, and they are absolutely in love with me. 100 percent." She grinned.

Caroline couldn't help but smile at that. She then shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're SO funny," she said in mock sarcasm, "But no, Elena, I really worry for you." She said, getting serious. Then, a small smile played across her lips. "So, what you're going to do is sign up for that course and get your mind off of things. And if you won't do it for yourself, then do it for me. Please?" Caroline put on her cutest puppy face.

Elena rolled her eyes. "FINE. But only for you!"

Caroline jumped up and down while clapping happily. "Yay! Oh Elena, you have no idea how happy this makes me!"

Elena grinned. "Yeah, I know. But what are best friends for, anyways?"

Caroline grinned right back at her, and got up to hug her best friend. They embraced each other for a while until Elena croaked out "Caroline, I can't breathe," and the blonde promptly released her grip on the small brunette.

Elena groaned openly. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that she was actually there, she felt awkward and shy. Everyone else had already made friends with someone else in the class, and she felt like a complete loner. Maybe it wasn't a good idea at all. She nodded to herself. Yes, she would just gather her stuff and leave, and no one would notice.

Suddenly, just as she had convinced herself of leaving, the door to the classroom opened and in walked her professor. Great, she thought sarcastically, sighing for the umpteenth time. Elena sat back down on to her stool and waited for the professor to start talking.

"Hello class, my name is Mr. Saltzman, though you can call me either Mr. S, Saltzman, or just Alaric. I'm open for anything," he added with a grin. "So, I see all of you have your easels and paints out already. Good, good. Very good. So, does anyone know why you're here?" he asked, giving his class a smile.

A skinny girl with black hair and skin the colour of chocolate raised her hand. Alaric (as Elena felt the most comfortable calling him) pointed to the girl.

"To learn more about painting?" she tried.

Alaric laughed. "Well, yes, but we're also here to do something else. We're here to fall in love."

Elena gulped at this. This was exactly what she was trying to get away from. Maybe instead of being a good idea, taking the class had been a bad idea of epic proportions. She silently cursed Caroline in her mind. All she had to do was pack up her paints and-

Alaric interrupted her thoughts. "You," He called out, pointing to Elena, "What do you think we're here for?"

The whole class turned to look at her, expecting a proper response to the question. Surprised by the impromptu question, she didn't have time to think of a proper response, so she blurted out "To get away", before she could stop herself. She blushed a deep crimson shade as she realized what she'd just said.

Alaric smiled lightly and nodded. "You're absolutely right, Miss..."

"Gilbert. Elena Gilbert," she supplied.

"You're absolutely right, Ms. Gilbert," he tried again, and then turned to the class. "We're here to get away from our world. To get away from our world, our friends, our lives, and even to get out of our comfort zones," he said with a knowing smile to the class.

Elena started feeling uncomfortable. She didn't like stepping out of her comfort zone. She just came here to paint, and that was it! She liked her comfort zone right where it was, she thought with a grimace.

"So that's why today, even though it's the first day, I want you to start off with something that will open your mind a little. I've asked a former student of mine, Damon Salvatore, to come in and model for you guys. And don't worry, he doesn't bite." Alaric said as he chuckled at the thought.

Elena began to worry. This was all happening too fast. No, she wasn't ready to sketch anyone yet. He hadn't even taught them anything! She didn't want to step out of her comfort zone. And she did NOT want to find love! Oh, what she would do to Caroline once she saw her best friend again. She would chop her head off with an axe for ever suggesting she should join this stupid class. She would -

Elena's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the door opened once more, and a man in a robe walked into the classroom. Elena's stomach instantly started fluttering. This man was not just any man. He had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. And his jaw line - she wished she could reach out and trace its contours. He walked into the room with a smirk on his face, almost like he knew all the girls in the room wanted him. He walked up to Alaric and pulled him into a manly hug. Elena quickly composed herself as Alaric introduced the stranger.

"Well class, this is Damon Salvatore, who I told you would be posing for us today. Now, I should warn you that today we'll be doing full-body sketches. You all know what that means." He added with a wink. "So, " he said, turning to the handsome stranger, "Start whenever you're comfortable." He turned to the class, "And I have to go get something from my car, I'll be right back - I promise!" And with that, Alaric left the room.

Elena was still collecting her thoughts. What had Alaric said? Full-body sketches? What was that supposed to mean? Oh no. It couldn't. Alaric couldn't possibly do this on the first day there. He couldn't possibly think they were ready to -

Elena's train of thought was interrupted for the third time that day, when Damon stood up on a block at the front of the room, and let his robe fall to his feet.

Elena almost fainted. First she took in the sight of his muscular shoulders, which were perfectly shaped. Then, she moved her line of sight a little lower, as she took in his perfectly toned abs. She could cook a meal on those, they were so smoking. She kept going lower and felt her jaw drop even more. This man was..well, he was perfect. Everything about him was making her insides scream. She stared at him with lusty eyes, and felt herself grow even hotter.

Damon was used to this. Every semester, Alaric pulled the same stunt. Even when Alaric was his professor, he still pulled the full-body-sketch-and-disappearing act. He would introduce the class to the man, or woman, that was supposed to model naked for them, and then he would disappear "to get something out of his car". Damon knew that Alaric was actually going to get some food from McDonalds or some other fast-food restaurant, and maybe going home to take a quick nap. He also knew for a fact that the middle-aged teacher was not coming back until the last two minutes of the class.

He smirked as he stood up on the block and took off his robe, revealing himself to the newbies. He could bet they hadn't seen anyone like him before. He looked around the room in satisfaction as he saw all the girls in the room widen their eyes and look at him with lust-filled eyes. As he was scanning the class, he stopped on a girl at the very back. He thought she was cute. She had brown silky hair, and an amazing body, as far as he could tell. What struck him most about this girl, though, were her eyes. Her big, brown, doe eyes. The girl's eyes widened in trepidation as she realized she'd been caught ogling, and she quickly averted her eyes to her empty canvas.

Elena blushed furiously. Why was he looking at her like that? And why couldn't she stop looking at him? Well, it was obvious, she told herself. His body was flawless. As soon as she thought of that, she wanted to slap herself. Why was she so shallow?

"Don't judge a book by its over, Elena" Matt said, "God, you can be so shallow sometimes."

She winced as she recalled the words Matt had said to her when she had simply expressed her disdain for another girl taking all his time over his girlfriend.

"You don't even know her. And you know what? Meredith doesn't judge others like you do. Actually, she doesn't even badmouth anyone, ever." Matt spat out.

Yeah, Elena thought. That was because Meredith never talked about anyone but herself, ever. And the blond bimbo didn't care for anyone but herself either. But Elena didn't care. She was over Matt now. Well, mostly.

Elena shook herself away from her past, and returned her attention back to the center of the classroom, where the beautiful naked stranger was standing. Okay, she thought. Taking a deep breath, she brought her pen to the canvas. She started to sketch his face from memory, too embarrassed to look up and be caught staring at his defined body again. Unfortunately, she kept messing up and ended throwing most of her work to a nearby trash bin. It was so frustrating! She would look at him once, she decided, and that was it. Elena quickly glanced at Damon, and planned to look away again, but Damon locked her into a gaze. Elena felt a shiver run down her body as his ocean blue eyes looked into her chocolate ones. They looked into her eyes for a few moments, before he smirked, ruining the moment, and Elena blushed again and hid behind her canvas once more.

She is definitely cute, he thought to himself. He liked the way she had held his stare for a second; most girls didn't. They were too afraid of his "intense look" as Katherine, his ex-girlfriend, used to call it. Well, she was a bitch, he thought as his face darkened at the thought of her. He shrugged off the memory and promptly returned to looking around the classroom. Everyone looked so preoccupied with sketching him that they didn't notice, or mind, him trying to read their expressions. There were a few girls just staring at his junk, while there was a guy in the back right corner practically dozing off on his canvas. Damon shook his head. Typical. He then returned his gaze to the cute girl in the back. Though, for some reason, he could only see the top of her head. It was like she was trying to hide from him or something. He mentally urged her to peak out from behind the canvas, and somehow, for some reason, she actually did.

Elena couldn't help herself. He was just so..well, she wasn't sure how to describe him, exactly. All she knew was that she had to look into his eyes again. She quickly assured herself that she was doing this for the sake of art, and looked up to meet his blue eyes again. The moment lasted longer than before - though their gaze broke suddenly as her eyes started going on a path of their own down his body. She flushed red when she realized she was blatantly at his trunk. Faster than the speed of light, she was safely ensconced behind her canvas yet again.

What could she start with, she asked herself. She decided to begin with drawing his face. His beautiful eyes, his flawless nose, and those lips that were so perfectly formed. She then drew his defined cheekbones that she wanted so badly to caress. She drew his messy hair, which she knew he had woken up with. It was kind of sexy, she thought. It made her want to run her hands through his head. Then, she drew his neck and his muscular, square shoulders that she so desperately wanted to put her hands on. She sucked in a breath as she glanced at his abs and upper arms for future reference - she just wanted to lick him. Just as she finished drawing his perfectly muscular upper arms and prepared to move lower, Alaric walked back in the classroom, with his hair a little messier than before. It looked like he had just woken up or something.

"Okay, folks, time to pack up. I hope you got those drawings done! They're to be on my desk in two days! Oh, and Damon, you can get dressed now." Alaric added with a friendly smile.

Damon bent and picked up the robe he had dropped at the beginning of class, and went to go sit down in Alaric's chair. It's not like the man needed it, Damon thought. Alaric had just been napping.

Elena was not happy as she packed up her things. She was only half way done, and she couldn't even remember (most) of what his lower body looked like! She quickly rushed to Alaric, who was standing beside his chair, which seemed to be occupied by the prior model.

"Hi," Elena started, "Um, Alaric, I was wondering if I could get an extension on my sketch. I mean, I'm only half way done, and there's alot to keep in mind." Elena blushed at the realization of what she just said. Her eyes bulged out, and she corrected herself quickly.

"I didn't mean it like that, I just meant that I didn't have enough time to finish sketching, that's all." Elena mentally reprimanded herself for speaking before thinking.

Alaric chuckled. "Well Elena, there will be no more time in class, but if you want to ask Damon to model for you tomorrow after class, go right ahead," he joked.

Elena nodded her head, taking him seriously. "Okay, thanks Alaric, I'll ask him then."

Alaric just chuckled and shook his head, and left out the door.

Elena turned towards the man in the chair awkwardly. "Hi. I'm Elena. Elena Gilbert," and she stuck her arm out.

Damon looked up at her and smirked. Elena was getting used to that annoying smirk already. "I'm Damon Salvatore. Nice to meet you, cutie." He said before surprising her and bringing her hand to his lips. A pleasant tingle spread all throughout her body as he kissed her knuckles.

Elena turned tomato red again before quickly retracting her hand. "So, I was wondering what you were doing tomorrow after class," She asked quickly.

Damon smirked. "Already want to go out on a date, beautiful? It's a little soon...I mean, we just got to know each other's names. But maybe I can make an exception for you," he smiled while doing this strange eye thing that made her tingle all over.

He was such an ass. Though somehow it just made Elena more attracted to him. She turned even redder and shook her head, embarrassed. "No, you know what? It was a stupid idea. I'll just finish the sketch at home from memory, it's fine," she said with a forced smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Damon," Elena said with another forced smile and a nod, before she started for the door.

Damon's smirk fell. There was something about her that made him want to see her again, even if it was for a stupid sketch. He wasn't sure why he did it, but he called out her name.

"Elena, wait."

Elena turned around and gave him a questioning look. "Yeah?" she asked.

"I was just joking. See you tomorrow at 4:30? Here, when everyone else has gone?" he asked with a smile.

Elena gave him a rewarding smile back. "Sure," she said, "4:30 sounds perfect." She gave him another smile and a small wave, before exiting the building altogether. The smile never left her face.

AN: so yeah, that was the first chapter, which I hope you liked (: and lol, free to tell me what I can do better/improve on. I would really appreciate it! (:

I also wanted to thank my friend Kaisa for helping me and proofreading this for me - I don't know what I would have done without her!

I have a good idea of where I want this story to go, so if you liked it, stay tuned! Thank you soo much for reading my story!

*hugs you tightly*