Chapter 3

Damon ignored her texts for a day. It's not a particular long time to not speak to someone, but Bonnie thought this thing between them needed to be worked out and she was getting impatient. Besides, Damon never ignored her texts. He always responded.

She drove over to the Boarding house on the morning of the second day. Stefan answered the door when she rang the doorbell.

"Hey." He greeted her, opening the door wider for her to come in.

"Hey." Bonnie said, walking in and heading for the sitting area. "Is Damon here?"

"Uh, yeah." Stefan said with a motion to the stairs. "He's in his room."

"Thanks." Bonnie said as she headed for the stairs. When she looked up, Damon was standing there, string down at her. Her steps faltered.

"Damon."

"Bonnie." Damon replied and descended down the stairs.

Bonnie pursed her lips. "I'm sorry for the unexpected visit. Maybe if you'd answered my texts…"

Damon smiled. "I was busy."

Bonnie folded her arms are glared at him. She knew he was going to do this. She knew he would go back to being his cocky self and try to pretend that the weird moment they had 2 nights ago had never happened.

"Listen," Bonnie started, but her words hesitated in her throat. She didn't know how to go about explaining how she felt. Hell, she didn't even know how she felt.

"Bonnie," Damon said as he descended down the stairs and came to stop in front of her. "Just forget it. Like you said; this," he motioned between them, "means nothing, right?"

Bonnie hesitated and opened her mouth to complain, but Damon cut her off.

"Right?" He promoted.

Bonnie sighed and gave up. "Right."

Bonnie wondered what she expected. Suppose he did have feelings and he admitted them. Then what? Where do they go from there? She was certain that she didn't want a relationship with him. Damon had more emotional baggage than a Jerry Springer guest and that didn't go for good relationships. But at least if they were both having feelings, then they should talk about them like adults.

Damon made it clear that that wasn't going to happen, though. He was way over a century and he still handled his issues like a teenager. The thought made Bonnie smile beside herself.

"Something funny?" Damon said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Bonnie shook her head. "No. I'm gonna go."

Damon pursed his lips and squinted at her and Bonnie was suddenly and unexplainably irritated with his face.

"Well, ok." He said with a shrug. "Thanks for the visit. Drop by anytime you like."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and turned to head for the door. Stefan was standing by the doorway with his arms folded, a broody expression on his face.

"Everything ok?" He asked as he looked past her and at Damon who was sporting a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah, Stefan. Everything's fine." Bonnie said as she opened the front door. "I'll see to you later."

Stefan only nodded and he and Damon were so wrapped up in staring each other down that Bonnie thought one of them was going to burst into flames from the intensity of it.

"Okay." She mumbled under her breath as she let herself out. Maybe they had an argument before she got there. It happened often and sometimes they wouldn't talk for a couple days, choosing to only communicate through glares. Normal Salvatore routine. Bonnie decided to stay out of it.

She didn't see Damon again until that Friday at James Michael Chase's party.

Ok, so Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie didn't intend on going to a high school party when they decided to hang out together, but they figured what the heck. There was beer, music, and people they actually knew and liked.

And James Michael Chase (the soccer player who was a year younger than them and had cute cartoon hearts in his eyes whenever he saw Caroline) invited Matt and asked him to extend the invitation to Caroline and co. Matt couldn't go, but they could. Bonnie got dressed up (well, as dressed up as you could get for a high school party) and headed out.

She could hear the music from blocks away. The fast, rhythmic pumping that got louder as she pulled up and stopped on the next street over. As she got out of the car, she heard a chime from her phone signaling a new text message. She pulled it out of her bag to look at it. The message was from Caroline telling her that she and Elena were waiting for her by the mailbox. Slipping the phone back into her bag, she set out to find them.

It wasn't hard to spot Caroline amongst the massive set of people buzzing around her dancing and laughing. She was wearing a silky teal top and a skirt so short that Bonnie was sure she was going to get propositioned by all of the heterosexual guys at the party. Bonnie saw Elena next, dressed down in a simple tank top and jeans. They each had a red plastic cup in their hands and Bonnie was about to chastise them for starting to drink without her when one of the guys next to them turned around and looked up.

"Bonnie." Damon said, causing Caroline and Elena to notice her walking towards them.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Damon spread out his arms and shrugged. "It's not a party unless I'm here."

Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie gave him identical exasperated looks.

"What is with you vampires and teenage parties?" Bonnie asked she stopped next to Elena.

"Hey!" Caroline snapped.

"Not you, Caroline." Bonnie said as she looked at Damon. "I meant the old ones."

"Pfft." Damon said flippantly. "I'm forever 24."

"Well, I am not going to stand around and listen to you two bicker." Caroline said as she handed Bonnie her cup. "I look cute and I'm going to go dance. You know where to find me."

And with that and a flip of her hair, she was gone, getting lost in the crowd of people as she made her way deeper into the party.

"And I'm going to get some punch." Elena said as she turned to leave.

"It's spiked. You might as well get another beer." Damon offered.

Elena mumbled something under her breath that sounded like 'OK', and she was off too, leaving Bonnie alone with Damon.

"These parties are overrated. The music isn't even good." Damon muttered.

Bonnie chuckled. "If you only came here to grumble like an old guy, why did you even come?"

"Stefan's being a bitch and The Grill is dead. Everyone in this town between the ages of 16-25 seems to be here tonight."

Bonnie shrugged. "Well, I'm sure there were lots of other places out of town you could have gone."

Damon turned to look at her. "Is my presence bothering you, Judgey?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "No. You can go wherever you want. You're a free man."

"Stefan didn't think I should have come either."

"Why not."

"Because Elena's here and you're here."

"What do I have to do with anything?" Bonnie asked, turning to look at him.

Damon smiled. "For some reason, my baby brother thinks that I'm leading you astray and that this will end in your teenage heartbreak." He paused and looked at a girl who was walking by and smiled at her when she turned back to reveal a blush on her cheek. "Stefan's very old school."

Bonnie cocked an eyebrow and took a sip out of Caroline's cup. "How long have you guys been arguing over this?"

"Since the night I fucked you and made you cum while thinking about my brother."

Bonnie, who was in the middle of another sip, sputtered and almost choked. When she got her ability to breathe back, she looked around to make sure no one was listening. "What the hell, Damon?"

Damon was looking down at her with bright blue eyes and Bonnie was so tempted to use her magic on him and wipe that smirk off his face. Instead she jabbed him in the ribs hard with her elbow and turned to leave when he doubled over.

"Hey, hey!" Damon said as he reached out and grabbed her elbow. He was still smiling. In fact, he was starting to laugh.

Bonnie struggled to pull her elbow out of his grasp. "Let me go, Damon, or I swear to God –"

"Am I interrupting something?" Caroline asked as she approached them, looking a bit sweaty and a bit tipsy already.

Damon's grip slackened enough for Bonnie to pull free.

"No." Bonnie said quickly, then shot Damon an annoyed glance. "Damon's just being a dick."

"Grass is green, sky is blue." Caroline said as she glanced at Damon. "What's new."

"Ouch!" Damon said with mock hurt.

"Come on, Bonnie." Caroline said as she started to pull Bonnie away. "We're here to dance and have fun, not stand on the sidelines."

As she was pulled away, she turned back to see Damon's eyes already on another girl, the same one he'd checked out earlier. She was at his side now, her delicate hand on his shoulder. Bonnie was only gone for about 30 seconds. It was like she couldn't wait for him to be alone.

Turning her head forward as Caroline continued to drag her to where the music was loudest, Bonnie expected to feel jealous, but she didn't. Maybe it was because she honestly had no right to be. He wasn't her boyfriend.

They met up with Elena and the three of them, buzzed with alcohol, dance to the loud, deep bass music that pumped throughout the whole property.

After about a half hour, James Michael Chase, who had been staring at Caroline since she got there, finally worked up the nerve to ask her to dance. Elena was asked next by a guy who worked at The Grill with Matt, and soon a guy with sandy blonde hair and bright green eyes asked Bonnie.

The guy (she learned that his name was Peter) was not a good dancer. After he and Bonnie bumped into each other for about the 15th time, they decided that they should just sit and take a break. He reminded her of Jeremy, almost. The sweetness on his face and the shy/awkward way he tried to make conversation. Bonnie decided that she liked Peter.

A few minutes into their conversation, a shadow fell over Peter's face and he looked up and faltered on the story he was telling Bonnie. Bonnie turned around to see what had gotten Peter attention and looked straight at Damon.

"Wanna dance?" He asked as he held out a hand.

"I'm kinda in the middle of a conversation." Bonnie said as she shook her head.

"No, it's ok." Peter said as he held up his hands. "By all means, it's a party. I can finish the story another time."

"Are you sure? I mean –"

"I'm sure, Bonnie." Peter said with a wide smile. "I'll see you around."

Bonnie sighed. Damon was sporting a cocky smile when Bonnie turned to look at him. His outstretched hand beckoned her forward and Bonnie took it hesitantly, allowing Damon to drag her back into the middle of the dancing crowd.

Bonnie looked on with mild amusement as Damon came to halt and held his hands up in the air, swiveling his hips.

"Are you serious?" Bonnie asked, her voice almost drowned out in the music.

"I've had years to practice." Damon yelled over the music as he continued moving with the song. "I'm a pro at dancing, honey."

He moved in, reaching out to pull her closer by her hand. Bonnie laughed as Damon spun them around.

"C'mon, Bonnie." Damon said as he moved up behind her. "I've seen you dance before. Remember that disastrous 60's dance?"

Bonnie had started to sway with him. The upbeat music had slowed down a bit. It wasn't exactly slow dance music but she and Damon were just rocking side to side, slow and steady.

"How could I forget?" Bonnie said as Damon wrapped a hand around her waist.

The position they were in matched the 60's dance almost to a T. They were pressed a lot closer now and the music was raunchier, but it was still like déjà vu almost.

"So where's the girl you were talking to earlier?" Bonnie asked despite herself.

"She was boring." Damon said with a sigh. "She went on and on about how drunk she was. I think she was trying to get me to have sex with her."

"And you didn't?" Bonnie asked as she turned in his arms to look at him. "Well color me surprised."

"I do have standards, thank you very much." Damon said, taking a step back and starting to do a dance he probably learned in the 70s. "What about the Debate Team captain?"

"Peter?" Bonnie asked as she began to dance to the music as well. "He's not on the Debate Team!"

"How do you know?" Damon asked and raised his hands up in the air again. "Did you guys swap life stories?"

"It's none of your business." Bonnie replied easily. "Don't you have some girl to chase into your sheets tonight?"

Damon leaned closer so that his lips grazed Bonnie's ear. "Only one."

He stepped back and Bonnie caught the heat in his gaze. She smiled and stepped closer to him, standing on her toes until she was close enough for him to definitely feel her breath on the side of his face.

"Not tonight, Damon." She half whispered into his ear. She stepped back, feeling a little smug. "I'm going to find Elena and Caroline. Thanks for the dance."

With that she brushed past him, feeling his eyes on her back as she retreated.

It took her a while to find Caroline and Elena. They were inside the house, buried in a crowd of people playing beer pong. Elena and Caroline greeted her with more red plastic cups, urging her to drink so she could get as buzzed as they were.

After a few drinks, Bonnie excused herself to use the bathroom. She stumbled up the stairs, checking about 100 rooms before she found the bathroom which was thankfully empty. When she was finished using it and after she fixed what she could of her appearance in the mirror, she headed out. As soon as she opened the door, Damon's smiling face greeted her.

Bonnie jumped at first then fixed Damon with a steely expression. "Please don't tell me you've been standing out there this whole time. It's creepy."

"Nope." Damon said. "Caroline literally just told me where you were. How much have you had to drink? You look rosy."

"None of your business. I'm an adult." Bonnie said as Damon entered the bathroom.

"You're 18." Damon said as he locked the door behind him. "You're a baby."

Bonnie looked around and folded her arms. "Unlock the door. I'm not having sex with you in a bathroom at a party."

"It should be on every woman's to-do list." Damon said as he stepped closer. "The chance of being caught is exciting and sexy all that. I read it in a Cosmopolitan."

Bonnie smiled. "Cosmopolitan?"

"Yes." Damon said as he reached out and touched her waist. "It's a very educational magazine."

Bonnie laughed as Damon picked her up and walked them over to the counter by the sink. "You're full of shit."

Damon put her down and settled between her dangling legs. He groaned as he flushed himself against her completely, rocking his body into hers and making her feel the hard outline of his cock. Bonnie must have had too much to drink because when Damon looked up at her, eyes icy hard and blue heat, Bonnie surged forward and crashed their lips together.

Damon's hand found their way under her skirt and got a grip of her panties, pulling them down and almost off, leaving them hanging on her leg.

Bonnie pulled away from his mouth to breathe into his ear. Damon lowered his lips, mouthing at her upturned chin and sliding down to her neck as his hands worked at unbuttoning his jeans. Bonnie bucked up and whined and only had a second to wonder what the fuck she was doing before Damon's hand slid up her thigh and pulled her almost clear off the counter.

He slot their lips together again and kissed Bonnie as if he was starved. He then pushed into her with so much coordination and precision that, in the back of her mind, Bonnie wondered how the fuck he stayed so calm while she was feeling like she was going to burn.

Her hands reached behind him and clawed at his black shirt uselessly, hanging onto him as if she was drowning and he was life. He pulled back to look at her through heavy lidded eyes as he started thrusting shallowly at first, then he pushed her up further against the sink, bracing one hand on the mirror above her head, and slid in deeper. One of Bonnie's shows fell off as she hooked her leg around his waist, hanging on for dear life as he began to thrust harder and faster in time with the beat of the music pounding outside the door.

His lips moved against her neck, kissing and biting, but never breaking the skin. The slight pain mixed with the extremely pleasure made Bonnie buck and keen before cumming so hard that her vision whited out and she all but collapsed into him.

"What was that, like 5 minutes? That was a record." Damon said when she was able to see again. "Too much for you, Bennett?"

"Screw you." She panted as she leaned back and dropped her leg down.

Damon smirked, holding eye contact with her as he began to thrust again, slow and deep. Bonnie raised her hand to brush back his hair from his face. He was cool to the touch. He wasn't even working up a sweat like Bonnie was. He was calm and a little slack jawed as he looked at her. Bonnie was never ashamed of her body, but the way Damon looked at her then, even when she was completely clothed except for her underwear, made her blush.

Damon licked his lips and his pink tongue caught Bonnie's eyes. She leaned forward, closing her eyes against his gaze and kissed him again. He moved her back until her back was pressed fully against the mirror. His hand trailed up her leg and under her skirt, pushing it up higher, making it more obscene. Bonnie groaned into the kiss as she started to feel another orgasm closing in on her.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and before Bonnie could even flinch, Elena and Caroline came bounding in, giggling and holding each other's hands for support.

"What's taking you so long, Bonnie? We've been-" Elena froze and the cup she was holding slipped out of her hand dropped to the floor. Beer spilled everywhere and the smiles from Elena and Caroline's face slipped away.

"Shit!" Damon groaned, pulling out and stepping back, fumbling with his jeans. Bonnie's vision swayed and the only thing her brain would let her do was gape like a fucking idiot and make a half-hearted attempt to pull down her skirt.

Elena looked from Damon back to Bonnie, her eyes wide and shiny, the last of her previously felt happiness melting away from her face like heated butter.

Bonnie slid off the counter. Her legs were unsteady and she had to lean back against the sink to keep her knees from buckling.

Elena shook her head, turned on her heels, and left the bathroom without a word.

Bonnie wasted no time pulling up her underwear (an act that made her feel incredibly dirty) and following her out. The party goers in the hallway were standing around talking, dancing, and drinking and Bonnie felt as if she was in a video game as she dodged and maneuvered around them to get to Elena's retreating back.

"Elena!" Bonnie called out when Elena had reached the front door and went outside. Bonnie followed her through the front yard, around kissing couples and beer pong championships. She was still barefoot and she hoped that the liquids she had been stepping in wasn't puke.

By the time Elena reached the front gate, Bonnie was tired and her heart was hammering in her chest.

"Elena!" She tried again. "Stop, just listen to me!"

Elena stopped abruptly and turned around. "How long?"

Bonnie stopped a few feet away from her and panted. "A little over 2 months."

Elena shook her head and looked up at the sky. "I can't believe this."

Bonnie's eyes burned. "I should have told you, Elena. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"If I didn't find out myself, were you ever going to tell me?"

"Of course I was!" Bonnie said. "I was just looking for the right time…"

"You know how I feel about him!" Elena said and Bonnie felt her words like a slap in the face. Her guilt was starting to make way for anger now.

"No, Elena!" Bonnie said, still calm, but her voice had taken an edge. "I didn't! You told me you didn't want a relationship with either of them anymore! It's been a year!"

"But I still have feelings for them." Elena said as she blinked her eyes rapidly as if she was willing her tears not to fall. "The feelings aren't gone."

"Well, I think I have feelings for Damon, too." Bonnie admitted to both herself and Elena.

Elena fell silent and looked down at her hand. The air between them to sizzle and calm before she spoke up again. "I just thought he'd wait for me. He told me he'd wait."

Bonnie didn't know how to respond to that. If Damon was waiting for Elena, then Bonnie was probably an interlude for him. Something to pass the time with while Elena made up her mind. She and Damon did agree that it wasn't a relationship, so she shouldn't have been angry or sad. Not really.

Elena was sniffling now and Bonnie honestly felt like crying too. But she didn't.

"Are we fighting over Damon Salvatore?" She asked herself more than Elena. "This feels surreal."

"I'm not mad at you." Elena said, but Bonnie knew she was lying. "I just need some time. Alone."

Bonnie nodded and Elena turned away and walked steadily up the street, towards her house. Bonnie watched her until she was nothing but a small dot far up the road. When she was out of sight, Bonnie let out a chocked sob and buried her face in her hands. She felt as if she had just lost her best friend. Over a guy, to make things worse.

About a minute later, she felt a hand on her back. She turned around to see Caroline, a worried expression on her face.

She had Bonnie's purse in one hand and Elena's jacket in the next.

"Can we go?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah." Caroline said as she handed her her purse.

Bonnie didn't even want to go back to the bathroom and get her shoes. They were the least of her worries anyway.

They walked to their cars in silence. Bonnie could tell Caroline was glancing at her from the corner of her eyes and she wanted to ask her to stop, but she didn't. She just wanted to go home, crawl into bed, and wait for an appropriate time to call Elena.

When they reached Bonnie's car, Damon was already there, leaned up against the side of the trunk.

Bonnie's shoes were dangling in his hands and he held them up to her. She walked over to him wordlessly and took them, averting her eyes as he stared at her. The moment was tense and awkward.

"Do you want me to ride with you?" Caroline asked, speaking to Bonnie but looking at Damon as if she was expecting him to grab Bonnie and run off.

"No." Bonnie shook her head. "I'm fine. I'll call you later."

"Well," Caroline said, looking at her. "Ok. I'll call Elena."

Bonnie nodded. Caroline hugged her for a long time and rubbed her shoulder. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Bonnie said, and then Caroline was walking back to her own car.

When Caroline was gone, Damon spoke up. "You're drunk. You shouldn't drive."

"I can call Matt, he'll give me a ride." Bonnie said she bent down and started putting her shoes back on.

"I'll drive you home." Damon said as he turned to walk towards his car.

"No thanks." Bonnie mumbled.

"Ok." Damon said as he stopped and turned to look at her. His clothes were disheveled and Bonnie imagined that she looked no better.

"Damon, I can't do this." Bonnie said suddenly, looking directly at him. "I can't lose Elena over this."

"What does this have to do with Elena?" Damon snapped, making Bonnie flinch.

"Everything!" Bonnie snapped back, suddenly angry. "Did you tell her that you were going to wait for her?"

Damon hesitated then said, "I did."

"And are you?" Bonnie asked. "Are you still waiting for Elena?"

She got no answer, so she went on. "And what if she decided that she wanted you right here, right now?"

"Why do you care, Bonnie?" Damon asked, nostrils flaring. "It's just sex for you, isn't it?"

"I care because she's my best friend and she apparently still loves you!" Bonnie knew it wasn't the whole truth, but she still wasn't prepared to tell Damon more than that right now. Not when Elena was still a factor. "And I'm not going to be your side-project while you're waiting for Elena to make up her fucking mind!"

Bonnie's loud words seemed to echo up and down the street. She was heaving, now; panting out harsh breaths and made her body move rigidly.

They stared at each other, both angry and annoyed and tired.

Damon took a step towards her but Bonnie held her hand up, not wanting him to touch her.

"We can't do this anymore." Bonnie said quietly. "It's getting to be too much and I'm not going to ruin my friendship with Elena over this. I refuse."

Damon hesitated, but finally, he muttered out a dark 'Fine', and was gone before Bonnie could even blink.

Bonnie opened her car door and slid slowly into the backseat. She dropped her head on the back of the front seat and seriously contemplated whether she wanted to cry now or wait until she was in the comfort and privacy of her own home. A few minutes passed with Bonnie's face buried into the car's leather seats before her phone started ringing. She fished around her bag for it before she pulled it out and checked the caller I.D. It was Stefan.

Bonnie answered on the 3rd ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Bonnie." Stefan said on the other line. "Damon said you needed a ride?"

There you go! Hope you guys liked this chapter. Let me know what you think! :)

Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favorites that you guys have been giving me. I appreciate them all so, so much.