"Elena, I'm just going to be 10 more minutes." Caroline pleads into the phone, "Just come in when you get here and I'll be ready before you know it."
She doesn't make the mistake of going against Caroline's demands.
A blonde haired, blued eyed, boy pulls open the door, smiling shyly at the sight of Elena at his doorstep.
"Wow, you look…amazing." He admits, pulling her into him before she can thank him.
Laughter echoes across the house, reminding them both how easily sound travels. "Uh," he stutters, "Caroline's still getting ready. But, uh, my mother's been badgering me, says I need to have you over again."
"It has been a while." She realizes, following him down the hall.
"And it would be great if you could get her off my back." He laughs, jumping as his mother cuts in.
"Elena," she sighs happily, pulling her arms around the surprised girl, "It's been much too long."
"How've you been?" she holds her at arms length, her grey hair falling into her eyes, "We've missed you, Matt's missed you." She corrects under her breath, "And we've all been worried sick! I'm sure that it's been hard since-"
"I'm doing well." She cuts her off, doing everything in her power to steer the conversation away from that. "Sarah's been a great distraction."
His eyes land on her, and the moment they do she can feel them. This girl…Elena…stood embracing his aunt, smiling warmly as Matt's inexperienced gaze falls to her.
"How far along is she now?" she easily takes the bait, "Oh, I haven't seen her since she was 5 months along."
Glaring at his hand that falls from the small of her back with such hatred and jealousy.
"8 months and ready to pop."
Her hair is fastened low, just at the nape of her neck, small strands of the wavy hair falling around her face. The strings of her bikini peeking out from her white summer dress, and as the sun shine in through the window it hinders the material completely transparent.
"My!" Mrs. Joliet gasps, "Well-"
"Elena!" a small voice yells, the little boy barreling into her legs, nearly causing her to fall from the force of it.
"Sam," his aunt chastises, "You know you're not supposed to do that."
"Elena's fine with it." He smiles innocently at his aunt, "Aren't you?"
She crouches down to him, pulling him into her arms and reaching into her bag.
"You got it don't you?" he whispers conspiringly.
"Mhm." She smiles, placing the bag of sour Japanese candies into his palm.
"Look, look, look! She got them for me!" he wriggles out of her hold, shoving the foreign candy into Matt's face.
Elena laughs as he continues to run around happily, her eyes falling to the rest of the family. And him.
"Sorry! I'm ready now!" Caroline calls, rushing behind Elena.
But her gaze is transfixed by the green eyed stranger in the middle of her ex-boyfriend's living room. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart hammering against her ribs.
"Aren't you going to introduce us?" he says after a long moment, focusing his eyes on her.
"Oh, uh, Elena that's my cousin Damon." Matt sighs, "Generally speaking you should ignore every word out of his mouth. He's an ass. And in desperate need of a heart, he seems to have been born without one."
"Language, Matt." His mother reminds him.
"And Damon," he calls his attention away from the beauty in front of him, "Elena's is off limits."
Matt would pay for that later. But for now she was leaving with Caroline in tow, not to return for another grueling 6 hours.
He knows what he's doing, he plays this game all the time. And his goal-endgame-is her sweaty body beneath his as she screams his name.