Authors Note: I just want t thank you all so much for the great reviews and I think I even got an add on Instagram from my best friend so thanks so much.

This chapter was inspired by the song Let Her Go by Passenger.

Saturday, 7 April. (Continued.)

"Okay. Enough is enough, Damon. You've been avoiding this all day. What the hell happened last night with Katherine?" Elena stared at him waiting for an answer. All day he'd been avoiding her.

First, it was the breakfast. He'd sat there and told them all the story of how his mom taught him to make the perfect breakfast. Consisting of magically made to perfection eggs, a simple glass of OJ and his secret family recipe for pancakes.

Next, He had to go to the shelter because he volunteers there while Stefan and I hung out at home and ordered a pizza. He only got back like 5 hours later, which was about the time that I figured out he was avoiding me. Then, he went to go buy some chocolate and granola bars for our movie night. Now here we are. Finally alone in a room and he isn't even looking me in the eye.

"Things were fine, Elena." He still wasn't making eye contact with her.

"Fine? What does that mean, Damon?" she whispered.

"It doesn't mean anything, Elena. Things were fine. Why does it matter to you anyway?"

"Because you're my friend and I care." She grabbed his hand and felt her whole body heat up as he intertwined their fingers. "So please, tell me."

"Okay. But you need to stop hovering." He gave her the smallest hint of a smile. "She kissed me."

"And then what?"

"And then I left. I don't know Lena I know it's only been one date but I think I'm falling for this girl."

He said it with so much joy and Elena felt so happy for him. For like a millisecond. Then she felt like she'd been daggered in the heart a hundred and one times. She tried to hold back her tears but a few slipped out.

"Hey? What's wrong?" He looked into her brown doe eyes wiping away her tears. "You're not jealous are you?" He said with a slight smirk.

"Nothing's wrong" she lied.

" I'm just happy for you. I know you've been crushing on this girl for like 6 months and I'm just happy that you're happy." Again. Another lie. She was looking him in the eye and lying straight to his face.

"You sure Lena? Cause I'm here for you." He hugged her. She felt so safe in his arms.

She loved it when he'd sit with her like this and just hold her. Because in those rare, perfect moments, they were themselves. They'd be Damon and Elena. No drama. No relationships. No one and nothing else, just them. Elena thought back to the first time they'd ever sat like that in a moment of complete love and silence.

"Hey you." She whispered as she sat down on his bed. She could tell just by looking at it that he hadn't slept on it. Though there were tissues all over the dresser. She felt her heart break a little for him.

"Hey you." He said back, showing her just a hint of a smile. He walked over to his closet and took out a suit jacket. She'd never seen him wear a suit. Heck, didn't even think he owned one. But she managed not to comment on that today.

"How you holdin' up?" She asked. She wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say but she couldn't think of anything else.

"How do you think?" He snapped. He saw her look down at her hands but he could still see the hurt in her eyes. "I'm sorry Lena." He sat down next to her reaching for her hand and squeezing it tightly.

"It's okay, Damon. You don't have to apologize." She whispered.

"She's gone!" tears started rolling down his face and she pulled him in for a hug." I loved her so much. She was everything to me. And now she's just gone." He turned his face away hiding his tears from her.

She turned his head around, cupping his face in her hands. "It's going to get better, Okay? I promise you," she whispered. They looked into each other's eyes and just for a moment Elena thinks he actually loves her back. The way she wants him too. In that moment, she has hope that he'll put his lips against hers and let passion, lust, and desire take them away. Then Damon stands up and walks back toward the mirror, shattering Elena's moment of hope.

"Can you help me with this?" He asks holding up a royal blue tie. She nods, slowly walks over to him hoping he doesn't see her making her 'cheerleader crushing on the quarterback' eyes.

"That's a bit of a bold color choice don't you think. And why is it so small?" she points to his tie wrapping it around his neck.

"She gave it to me." He doesn't need to elaborate more on who he's talking about she already knows." When I was 10." He smirks. "It was my birthday present. I was obsessed with becoming some big time lawyer when I grew up."

"Then what happened?"

"Things changed. I changed." He closes his jacket button. And turns towards her, picking up her purse. "You ready to go Princess Gilbert." She covered her face in humiliation.

"Damon-I don't know your middle name-Salvatore! You promised you'd never use that again. It was a phase. I was 6. Get over it. She playfully shoved him.

"Come on. Lets go down. Can't keep my baby bro waiting forever."

"Damon, wait!" He stopped just as he reached the doorframe.

"Yeah?"

She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Squeezing him for all she was worth. "I'm sorry your Mom died." She whispered. And he squeezed her back. She felt his tears fall onto her shoulder. They stood like that a few minutes. And that was it. That was there first moment.

"Earth to Elena!" Damon waved a bowl of popcorn in front of her.

"Yeah?" she'd disappeared into her thoughts for a moment. Remembering that bittersweet moment. "What were you saying?"

"I said I think you should start dating again." Once again, Elena received the usual dagger in her heart feeling from hearing his words.

"You think what?" she was used to hearing those sorts of things from Jenna, Caroline, and bonnie. But hearing them from Damon, hearing him basically tells her to move on. Hurt like Hell.

"I just think you should start looking for Mr. Right."

He's sitting right in front of me. She thought.

"Excuse me?" she said sarcastically "As I recall, you're the one who's kicked all my boyfriends' asses from here to China." She laughed.

" Only because you usually just date jerks. And PS. that's the nicest adjective I could think of." He smirked." Besides we could be those two overly protective best friends who go on doubles dates!"

"What's next?'" she joked." Are we going to braid each others hair and paint each others nails?" He chuckled at the thought of her trying to braid his raven black hair. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Caroline would never forgive me for going on a double date with you instead of her." We both broke into laughter picturing the look on Caroline's face.

"Oh please, Blondie and I have a mutual love-hate relationship."

"Sure you do!" she said sarcastically. Urging Damon to throw a few pieces of popcorn at her face. "Stop it. Can we please just get back to our movie?" she pressed play. And they spent the rest of the night watching movie after movie cuddled up on that couch, until eventually their eyes closed and they were sleeping in peaceful bliss.

Sunday, April 8.

Elena woke up in her living room. She sat up and scanned the room. Everything thing was the same. Pieces of popcorn lay all over the floor. Empty wrappers and soda cans cover the coffee table. There was just one difference; Damon wasn't there.

"Damon! Pick up. I am going insane worrying about you! Where the hell did you go?" Elena dialed his number again. After an hour of trying to reach Damon she was fed up. She grabbed her keys and headed for the Salvatore boarding house.

"Elena what are you doing here?"

" Oh hey Stefan. Have you seen Damon?"

"Um…yeah I think he's in his room. What's wrong?" he saw her walking up the staircase. "I wouldn't go up there if I were you."

"Why not Stefan?" She didn't even bother waiting for a response she just made her way up the staircase. She opened his door to see an empty room but she heard a noise coming from his bathroom

She walked in to find Damon throwing up in the trashcan. "Damon, what the hell happened?" she rushed to his side and handed him a box of tissues.

"Nothing, Elena. I'm fine. Go home. I'll meet you later." He said it with a soft, gentle voice but behind that she heard a bit of a demanding tone.

"Are you insane? No way in hell I'm leaving until you tell me what the hell is happening here!"

He stood up and walked over to the sink he started splashing water all over his face and rinsing his mouth." I'm okay now Lena. Please just go or wait downstairs."

"No Damon! I'm not leaving until you tell me what the hell is wrong with you!"

"Elena enough!" He yelled. She was worried about him and he could see that. He loved her for it. But she'd never give him a break if he told her what was actually happening. "I was just feeling kind of woozy and then I felt kind of sick. Please Lena. I'll call you tomorrow but right now you need to go home, Okay? I promise you I will be fine."

"Damon I am here for you. I need… I want to help you. Please Just tell me what the problem is."

"Dammit, Elena! I said I don't want to talk about it why can't we just leave it at that?" He shook his head and started walking out. "Actually no, don't answer that. If you won't leave then I will. Just please be gone when I get back." He walked out of his room and she heard the front door close with a bang.

Monday, April 9.

It's been a whole day. Elena had been waiting at the Salvatore boarding house for one whole day and still Damon isn't back yet. She'd asked Stefan what the hell was going on but he said Damon should decide whether or not she knows. 'Knows what?' What the hell was there for her to know? She thought has officially gone insane. She sat there on Damon's bed waiting for him to come back. She left him 29 voicemails; she sent him 45 texts and still no reply. She didn't get it. She just wanted to know what happened to Damon. Why the hell won't anybody tell me? She thought.

She got up and walked over to Damon's dresser. She marveled at all the things he kept on it. She'd mocked him about keeping stuff on his dresser, thinking it was so un-masculine of him. He had a picture of him and Stefan next to a wooden toy car. At the bottom of the picture frame were the words 'my sons'. Elena knew Damon's mom must have engraved it. Damon and Stefan's father was a soldier fighting in the war. He'd died while their mother was still pregnant with Stefan. Damon didn't mention him much. She figured it was because he didn't remember him.

There was a photo of him and his mom. There was even a picture of him and Elena. It was of the two of them with Stefan. It was from Stefan and Elena's graduation. Elena's mom had taken the picture while none of them were looking.

"Stefan you're insane if you think I'm going to hug you." Damon said sarcastically. But Stefan pulled him in for one anyway. Instead of pulling away, Damon embraced his younger brother." Congratulations, brother!" He patted Stefan on the back.

"Oh my god!" Elena said sarcastically." You two actually know how to hug each other?"

"Don't be so surprised!" Damon smirked." I'm a good guy you know?"

"A good guy with a big ego" she laughed.

"So are you going to join us or just watch?" Stefan lifted his arm, making room in the hug for Elena. She gladly accepted the offer.

"Ugh! I hate groupies!" Damon groaned.

"Too late!" They heard a camera click and turned to see Miranda gilbert taking a picture of the three of them.

"Mom!" Elena cringed. "Way to embarrass me in front of these two knuckleheads!"

Elena was shaken by the text alert on her phone. She checked the ID. Damon.

Hey Lena, I know we need to talk meet me at your house in 10.

-D

She got up and put Damon's picture back into its place. She shut the door behind her and headed straight to her house.

As she walked in she saw Jeremy sitting on the couch playing Xbox.

"Hey is Damon here?" she asked while peeping into the kitchen.

"Yeah I think he said he was going to wait upstairs." He barely even looked at her, keeping his eyes focused ONLY on his game.

"Thanks!" she headed upstairs, mentally preparing herself for whatever they were going to talk about. She opened the door expecting to find Damon sitting on her bed or beside the window where he usually was. But instead she walked into an empty room. The window was open and there was a letter on the bed. She picked it up and slowly traced her fingers over the writing, reading it over and over again just to make sure she read it right. No matter how many times she read it though, it always said the same thing.

Dear Lena,

I know you probably hate me right now. And if you don't, I'm pretty sure you will after you read this. I'm so sorry but I'm not ready to deal with what's happening to me and I don't want you to worry about it so please don't be mad at Stefan if he doesn't tell you. I need to deal with this alone. I'm leaving town for a bit, but I'll be back. I promise you.

"He's gone." She whispered as she dropped the note to the ground and didn't fight back towards the tears that so eagerly wanted to come out.

Damon watched from outside her window. He saw the pain in her eyes and the tears slipping down her face. He started walking towards his car, which he'd parked behind her house. Before he got in, he looked back at her house. "I'm sorry Lena," it was barely even a whisper but he couldn't help but hope she heard him. He got into his car and rove straight to Alaric's. Alaric was Damon's "friend." As he called it.

"Damon? Hey what are you doing here?"

"I came to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? Where are you going?"

"Away."

After their awkwardly long goodbye, Damon drove away, leaving Mystic Falls behind him. But more importantly, leaving his brother and Elena.

Authors Note: Next chapter will be from Damon's point of view. There will be a few Stefan and Damon flashbacks. And you'll start seeing exactly how Damon feels about Elena.