The sun bleached the room a pale yellow as it shone through the drapes. Elena's heavy eyelids opened and shut repeatedly, her vision blurred. Waking up in Damon's arms the next morning was astoundingly comforting, she thought. Elena inhaled and exhaled contently. Perfect. Despite this, the alarm clock still beeped aggressively to her left, appearing to have not affected Damon's sleep. Elena lazily reached over to silence it, freezing as she noticed the time.
08:15
Stefan.
How had she forgotten? How, after all they had been through, had she forgotten that she was with Stefan? Routine meant that 08:20 was the time of the day in which Stefan would greet her with an occasional breakfast or equally delightful morning surprise. Her mind wondered idly to the time when the 'morning surprise' was in the form of an utterly naked Stefan under the covers. She laughed to herself.
08:17
She suddenly jolted back from the steamy memory and began to free herself from Damon's hold. Damon stirred and sat up.
"Why the rush?" he croaked. Elena hushed him and lent down to whisper- Stefan could be able to hear their every word if he were close enough.
"Stefan. Here. In 5 minutes." She blew into his ear, a lock of his black hair caressing her cheek. Damon didn't move and gave Elena the most unconcerned look she thought she had ever seen.
"Damon, c'mon.. He can't find you here," She whispered again, getting more and more agitated.
08:18
"I don't see why my baby brother shouldn't know how loud I made his girlfriend scream last night," He spoke, too-loud. Elena was hastily dressing, throwing Damon's clothing at him as she paced past it on the floor, her breath scattered.
"Damon, please don't do this." she pleaded with him. Her voice was more urgent now as the digits had just changed.
08:19
"Don't do what?" He smirked, appearing in front of Elena still fully undressed in a blur of movement. He placed his hands on her waist, pulling her close to his body. "This?" he purred, moving them slightly so they rested at the very bottom of her back. "Or did you mean this?" He whispered, sliding them to cup her behind.
"Damon," she sighed, losing herself in his touch as she melted in his arms.
Knock knock.
"Elena?" Stefan's voice questioned. "Can I come in?"
"Just a second," she returned, her voice sounding a little too bright and care-free, her eyes wide as she looked at Damon.
Damon gave a light squeeze of her and kissed her once, winking. Within a few moments he was dressed and leaving through her now-open window, smirking as he left.
"Is everything okay?" a voice came from behind the door again, a little concerned.
"Yeah, just not dressed yet!" the too-bright voice responded. Elena scrambled around, collecting the evidence from the night before; ripped clothing, still-saturated underwear, broken lamp, smashed glass...
"Well, perhaps we won't be needing clo-…" the voice began.
"No, really. Nearly all done now." She said to him reassuringly, picking up the last few scraps of material from her floor and forcing them into an already too-full draw in her vanity.
"Come in!" she chimed, still shooting looks around the room for good measure. Stefan opened the door and stepped in, his face seeming normal and unaffected. He stepped forward to embrace Elena, but froze and his worried eyes darted around the room, his eyebrows knitting together.
"Elena, did you-…" he began, his tone cautious.
"Did I what?!" she laughed, the voice of a peppy cheerleader returning. She stepped forward but he stepped back to avoid the contact. He didn't look at her.
Everything was quiet.
"Stefan?" she questioned, her voice registering at an octave lower than before.
In a rush of movement, he reappeared before Elena. A black shirt hung from his fist and his face was pained.
Damon's shirt.
"Why is my brothers shirt in your hallway Elena?" he asked, monotone.
"That's my shirt, Stefan!" she squeaked as her voice cracked. He threw the shirt at her and gestured for her to put it on. She buttoned it up and rolled the sleeves up in an attempt to make the lie seem more credible. When the too-big shirt was readjusted many times more, she folded her arms and sighed over-dramatically, trying to make it seem as if the task was pointless.
"See," She smiled obviously.
The air was heavy again and the silence stretched between them once more.
"What happened?" His voice was strained and he didn't look at her.
"What do you mean?" She chirped again, stepping forward and using her hands to attempt to coax his fists apart. He remained as unmovable and solid as stone and she backed away from him, both tears and a confession brewing beneath the mask.
All was quiet again and the silence stretched impossibly further: an elastic band, threatening to snap at any moment.
"It was a mistake." She whimpered, her words slow and quiet. Stefan finally looked up, tears in his eyes. The truth of her words slashed at him as his wet eyes bore into Elena's.
"When? How? Why?" he sobbed, his hands in his hair as he paced quickly. She didn't know which question to answer, so remained silent. "Do you-…" he began again, unable to function the words he wanted. He sighed heavily and stood completely still, his jaw hard and his teeth clamped together.
"Do you have feelings for him?" He whispered, but there was no question in his tone. He already knew the answer.
"No.. Yes.. I don't know anymore!" she shouted, truly unaware of what she was feeling for the man who bought her so much pain and pleasure at once. She growled in frustration.
There was a long pause as Stefan regained his composure. He walked over to the girl and cupped her face in his hands, speaking very deliberately.
"You need time to decide what you want-…" Elena felt the words coming before they were said. "I'll leave town for a while, give you some space." She began to cry once more. She'd ruined everything. Stefan kissed her once on the forehead, sustaining it, and Elena closed her eyes.
With that he had disappeared from her vision, and everything was still.
She collapsed on her bed, gasping for air. Her phone buzzed alive from her bed-side table, the screen indicating an incoming call from Damon. She struggled up from her position and scrambled to reach it. Accepting the call, she sobbed into the handset; pleading with him to get to her house as soon as he could. The call ended and moments later Damon appeared, looking concerned as he wheeled into Elena's bedroom.
"What's wrong?" His voice was serious and his eyes were worried. Elena tried to respond but instead sobbed more, collapsing again. He was then by her on the bed, maneuvering her so she was leaning on him, crying into his shoulder. He whispered soothingly, stroking her hair and occasionally kissing her forehead.
"It's going to be okay, tell me what happened." he cooed.
She scrambled away from him instantly. This was his fault. Stefan had gone because of him.
"You." She accused, getting up from the bed and wiping her tears from her cheeks. Alarmed, Damon also got up and appeared directly in front of her, his hands cradling her face.
"Tell me." His words shattered through her and she sighed, recoiling from his touch.
"Let me go," she whispered, and he did. "He's gone, Damon. He's left. Because of last night. Because of you." She spat through her teeth, the words poison on her lips.
Damon backed away from her, his expression turning hard and cold.
"I'm sorry Elena, but by the sounds of it, you were hardly unwilling!" he seethed at her, losing his temper. Why was she ruining this. He threw his arms up, surrendering. "Oh but of course it's my fault. Heaven forbid that you actually take responsibility for your feelings!" he bellowed, sick of the game. He stepped back, his words coming fast and loud.
"Forget this ever happened Elena!" he spat. "Or even better," he snatched her locket of vervain from her neck. "I can make you forget,".
It was only then that Elena responded, snatching the locket back.
"Don't you dare, Damon." She said through her teeth, tears beginning to blur her vision once more. His stance softened and he walked to her.
There was a long pause before he spoke.
"What are we doing Elena?" he sighed, touching her face again. "Do you even think of me-…" He began, but Elena knew what he was asking.
"I don't know." She interrupted, monotone, backing away from him. "I just don't know." She sighed, infuriated at herself. He closed the small distance between them and cautiously lowered his head to hers, angling himself so he could reach her lips.
"Maybe this will help you decide." He whispered as he pressed his against hers gently with purpose.
"No Da-…" she began, pulling away. But it was too late. She had been pulled in for another. The reprise was again slow and gentle, every movement deliberate. Elena's hands were locked between their chests and as she tried to free them, she noticed that she was kissing him back before she had given herself permission to do so. Her face was hot and wet and she lost herself in the kiss; the world disappearing for a moment. She melted beneath his touch and her hurt seem to dissolve, leaving only content in its place. They pulled back from one another slowly and their foreheads remained together. Neither opened their eyes as Damon spoke.
"Remind me to help you with your decisions more often," he purred and she laughed slightly. He stepped away from her slowly, sighing at the loss of contact.
"I have to go do something, I'll be back later." She nodded and was pulled into Damon's arms for a few moments. They embraced one another and then he was gone.
