AN: Again - I can't thank you guys enough for the support that you're showing me. Your alerting, favoriting, and especially reviewing this story really inspires me so please keep letting me know what you think!
Plus I would like your advice on something; would you like me to write major angst, or something that isn't too heavy? Personally I'm not a sucker for long-term angst, but I also wanted to try something different from my other stories. Although I'm not sure.
Anyhow let me know what you think and meanwhile I'll keep thinking about it. LOL.
Thank you again for reading and please review! :)
What was she supposed to do now? Keep pretending that they didn't know each other, or awkwardly explaining how they knew each other?
Elena decided that if asked she would casually say that they went at the same school during highschool, and if Damon was smart enough, he would probably do the same. There was no need to involve other people with the details.
He had made clear enough that he despised her so keeping it cool was the best thing to do.
She made a mental note to call Stefan later, always if he was reachable. His brother had clearly changed drastically in a matter of six years and he needed to be aware of that. Their mother too.
Elena felt suddenly anger filling her as the thought about how Damon hadn't been around for years. She would have known if he came back even for a little period of time. But not once that he did.
They didn't touch the argument very often but Stefan believed that it was because of the hatred that he felt for this town and how everyone treated him. He took off right after graduating, which meant that he was a little older than eighteen-years old.
What she guessed was that he felt probably ashamed at some point. Maybe he didn't want to come back because he knew how deeply he had hurt his family. But didn't he realize how much he was hurting them in the first place? She could be completely wrong and he could have completely different reasons…it wasn't her business anyway.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the door cracking open.
"What are you doing?" Jeremy asked as he rested against the side of the door.
"Just fixing my dress." She said smiling weakly.
She quickly smoothed her hair taking a look in Jenna's mirror as she stepped outside with him.
"Jer..can I ask you something?" She said quietly.
"What's up?" He asked.
"I know that I'm your sister so you probably don't even notice these things but...is my butt kinda large, big or whatever you would say?" She said sighing deeply, a little embarassed about asking it to Jeremy.
He snorted as he shook his head and Elena narrowed her eyes.
"Sorry." He said as he tried to stop his laugh. "But no, you don't. You have a pretty nice butt but again you're my sister so yeah…this is kinda awkward." He said a little appalled.
She rolled her eyes and headed downstairs.
She immediatly felt a strong female perfume and she groaned a little. She hated when women wore fancy fragrances and used like the whole bottle in one time just because they felt cool doing it. It was nauseating.
She then saw Jenna hugging and squealing with another woman and guessed that it was probably her the cause of the problem.
"Oh hey Elena, she's my friend Andie." Jenna said smiling as she introduced them.
Elena felt a little intimidated by her look as she checked her out from tip to toe. She then gave her a fake smile and headed her hand out.
"Hi." She said in a sing-songing voice almost as if she was talking to a five-years old, her fake smile still in place. "I'm Andie."
"I'm Elena. Nice to meet you." She said pretending a smile as she shaked her hand.
She took off her coat and all that scent that she had smelled before just grew more powerful and Elena had to keep herself from plugging her nose.
They all headed into the large living room and she noticed how Damon and Alaric immediatly turned around at the sound of Andie's needle heels. How could she ever walk in those things, she would never figure out. And why wouldn't she take off that little fugly scarf? She didn't know why but she just didn't like the girl. The predatory look that she threw at Damon once she noticed him surely didn't help. Wait, why did she even care anyway? She didn't. She couldn't care less if they ended up marring and having tons of little annoying babies fugly like their mother.
Damon returned her flirty look with an equal flirty smirk and she had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Just let the two most annoying people in the room pair up already she thought.
"Andie." She introduced herself softly as she extended her hand. "Jenna told me great things about you."
"I'm Damon." He pratically charmed her, bringing the palm of her hand to his lips and kissing it softly. "And it's mutual." He concluded with his usual smirk.
It was just puke-worthy. She then felt a hand resting on her hip and she nearly jumped.
"Hello dear Elena." The familiar voice said. "Don't you look just stunning tonight?" Logan said.
She loved Jenna, she really did, but how come that there were more annoying people in the room than ones that she actually cared about? Couldn't Logan and so-called Andie just get lost already? And Damon too. Obviously…
"Logan…long time no see." She said as the tried not to cringe.
He was Jenna's boss but he was also an ex-fling. She remembered him sneaking out of Jenna's bedroom a few times when she was a little older than sixteen. However things didn't work out and even though Jenna couldn't stand him anymore, he had rudely insisted in coming over.
"Indeed." He said as he threw her a look that she didn't like.
She looked across the room and saw Damon eyeing their interactions for a moment but he immediatly turned around when he caught her eye.
Jenna and Alaric took Logan and Andie to show them the house and Jeremy was sitting at Ric's laptop playing some game, so she awkwardly remained in Damon's company.
She still felt embarassed and uncomfortable, and the way he was looking at her when she caught his gaze wasn't helping.
"Some wine?" He politely asked as he took the already opened bottle of Merlot from the table.
"Yes, thanks." She said clearing her throat when she heard her voice being a little weak.
He slowly poured her some of the wine and she quickly took a sip.
"What do you think about her?" Elena found herself asking.
He seemed thoughtful for a moment. "She seems really cool and smart. I was looking forward to meet her to be honest." He told her sincerely.
Her shoulders fell a little at his answer. Why was she disappointed?
"If you say so…" She said casually as she took another sip.
He gave her a strange look and spoke again. "Well gee Elena, I thought you had a better opinion about your aunt." He scoffed as he drank some wine himself.
Her eyebrows knitted together as she heard his words. Wait…was he talking about Jenna?
He suddenly grinned like a Cheshire cat and shook his head a little.
"Considering your reaction, I guess you were talking about the other her." He said. "But why do you even care what I think about Annie?"
She bit her lip from smiling and cleared her throat a little.
"I think it's Andie, actually. And I was uhm…just wondering since she has a pretty strong perfume on her, so I just wanted to know if you noticed too." She invented the excuse as she finished her wine in one gulp.
He lowered his head a little to her neck to smell her and she found herself shivering at his closeness. She could smell his cologne, shampoo, aftershave or whatever it was and it sent goosebumps down her spine.
"Well I think yours is better." He said as he pulled away casually, almost as if the closeness didn't affect him the way it did with her. Or maybe it did since he swallowed nervously and drank his wine in one gulp.
She blushed hard and recomposed immediatly as the others rentered the room. They all took a seat and soon enough Jenna was serving lasagna.
"Oh my god, I love lasagna and this is exquisite. Cheers Jenna." Elena said as she took a bite.
She saw Damon throwing her a cocky look but she shrugged it off.
"Damon came a little earlier and helped me cooking. It's him you guys should thank." Jenna said smiling.
They all turned to Damon and he explained that he pretty much knew how to cook every Italian dish due to his origins.
It was something that Elena already knew since she knew how well Maria could cook, but she was surprised that Damon kept the tradition going, since Stefan could barely make a sandwich.
"Well it's really good Damon." She found herself bound saying.
"Enjoy." He told her, giving her that little sarcastic voice and look that only her could notice.
She threw him a grimace and he smirked amused.
Pity that she ended up being in the seat in front of Andie and she just couldn't enjoy her meal properly.
She was taking such small bites and eating so slowly that not even a newborn ate that way. And looking at her so closely Elena noticed how literally fake she was. She'd had a boob-job and you could see it a mile away even from her silky shirt, she was a fake blonde, and the heavy make-up on her face just screamed how completely different she probably was without. She actually could go on all day pointing out all her flaws and fakeness. And those flirty knowing looks that she threw at Damon from time to time…so annoying.
She hadn't judged a person like this since forever. She meant it when she said that she wasn't the mean immature girl from highschool anymore, it just didn't suit her at all. The last person she had found herself bulling was Tyler Lockwood after he cheated on Caroline about two years ago.
So what was that was bothering her so much about Andie? Just then she whispered something in Damon's ear and he laughed at her words.
She turned her head around not to see the scene just to be faced with a mischevious Logan eyeing her.
What a night.
She stood up and offered to bring the dessert and as Jenna stood up too to help her with the dishes, Logan told her that he would do it.
She cringed a little. She really felt uncomfortable around that man, he just inspired malice.
"What's for dessert?" He said getting closer once they were in the kitchen.
"Chocolate cake." She quickly replied, not making eye-contact.
"Are you sure?" He whispered in her ear as he pulled her closer.
"Get off." She said as she pushed his hard body away.
"Oh come on…I remember you being so feisty." He chuckled devishly, gripping her wirsts tightly.
"I said get off." She repeated more firmly, her heart beating fastly.
Just then she heard the strong, male voice.
"Is there a problem?" Damon said with a serious look on his face.
"None at all." Logan said annoyed as he loosened his grip on her.
She immediatly escaped and tried to calm her racing heart.
As she was about to pass ahead him, Damon gently but firmly took her arm in his hand.
"Are you okay?" He asked, his face not holding any tipe of emotion as he checked her face.
She swalloed nervously and nodded, walking past him.
As Elena stepped out of the kitchen, he slowly started walking towards the counter where Logan was casually cutting slices of cake.
"If you touch her again, you better lawyer up asshole. But remember that you ain't got a chance against me in a courtroom." He said as he patted Logan's shoulder. "Do we understand each other?" He asked deadly serious with a tight smile.
"Yeah." Logan scoffed trying to sound unaffected.
"Great." He said as he walked away.
By the end of the night everyone had fun and the accident with Logan was pretty much forgotten. From time to time Damon would throw a glance at Elena but she kept avoiding his gaze.
What happened was minimal, yes, but her wrist still hurt from Logan's manhandling.
Jenna and Alaric talked about their honeymoon at the Hawaii and how much fun they had. Their skins were tanned and their faces relaxed. Elena realized since how long she didn't go on a real vacation and sighed quietly. Last time was with Bonnie and Caroline more than an year ago.
She looked at Andie sitting in the same couch as Damon and almost rolled her eyes. She was just so clingy and transparent about how much she was into him.
She yawned a little and realized that it was almost midnight. She nudged Jeremy and quietly asked him if he wanted to go. He nodded and got up, going to take their coats.
"We're going Jenna." Elena said smiling as she headed towards Jenna to kiss her on the cheek. "Thank you for the great night. I'm so happy for you and Ric."
"Thank you honey." Jenna said as she got up and hugged her. "I love you and that little terror of your brother." She said as she chuckled a little.
Alaric hugged her too as he told her to come by more often. He'd been with Jenna for years now and she saw him as a paternal figure.
She waved at the others, her gaze holding Damon's for a moment. He surprised her by getting up and motioning with his head to follow her in the hallway as he said invented some excuse about Stefan.
"Thank you for earlier." She said as she uncomfortably crossed her arms.
"It was nothing." He simply replied.
"No Damon, seriously. Thank you. Logan is known for manhandling women and being rough." She said. "You've been quite the gentleman." She said attempting a smile.
"I would have done it for anyone. I know people like Logan Fell. As I said, it was nothing. But if he tries it again don't hesitate at letting me know. I can help you." He said serious.
Her smile fell as she realized that he wasn't even interested in creating some kind of bond with her. He would have done it for anyone obviously. It was his job. She was like everybody else for him.
She nodded a little and walked towards Jeremy who was saying goodbye to Jenna and Alaric.
"Elena?" Damon called.
She turned around and saw him smiling tightly.
"Goodnight." He said.
"Goodnight." She said, returning his smile.
As she and Jeremy headed out she noticed the blue Camaro which probably belonged to Damon and smiled a little. It was so him.
"It was fun tonight." Jeremy stated as they got into the car.
"Yeah…if Logan and that friend of his weren't there it would have probably been better." She muttered.
"That Damon guy seems pretty cool though." Jeremy said shrugging. "He's Stefan's brother right?"
"Yep." She said nodding.
As they got home Jeremy immediatly went to bed saying goodnight.
She took off her make-up and put her pajama on before trying to call Stefan. She had tried to call him all morning but he didn't reply.
Even now his phone was on voice-mail and she huffed in frustration.
"Hey Stefan it's me. I've been trying to call you for hours, where are you? When you hear this message call me back. It's important. Okay…bye." She said before turning off her phone. She then crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep, unconsciously thinking about those ocean blue yes.
Next morning was a hurry as her shift started at 10 am and she only woke-up at 9:30. She quickly got dressed and brushed her teeth and combed her hair. She left the house quickly waving to Jeremy who was eating his breakfast.
The morning at the grill was pretty quiet as Vicky told her about how Tyler Lockwood wanted to get back with her and bla, bla, bla.
It was always the same story with that d-bag. Rebekah quickly got tired of the story and snapped telling her that he would cheat on her and dump her again as always. It almost started a catfight and Elena rolled her eyes at how the routine was always the same in this freaking place. Vicky was blind when it came to Tyler, but Rebekah should just leave it alone. She knew how Vicky would react anyways.
"What can I bring you?" She asked in her usual bored tone as another costumer took a seat on the stool. She didn't even bother to look up.
"Bourbon please, little Miss no clothes." He said.
She immediatly looked up just to be faced with a smirking Damon. She blushed as she remembered about last night and rolled her eyes.
He was wearing his usual leather jacket and Elena realized that she could now recognize it from miles away. She was almost growing fond of it.
"Damon. Always a pleasure." She said in a sarcastic tone. "What are you doing here so early anyway?" She asked raising her eyebrows.
"Waiting for someone." He said shrugging casually.
"Who?"
"That's for me to know and for you to dot, dot, dot…" He said.
She rolled her eyes again, something that she found herself doing quite often when she was around him, and brought him his bourbon a few minutes later.
She stopped on her tracks though when she saw who he was greeting. Of course it was her…that little skank of Andie had to put her paws on him one way or another.
She took a deep breath and headed towards them. She was sitting in the stool next to him as they chatted casually.
Elena cleared her throat as to make her presence known and quickly handed Damon his bourbon.
"Elena." Andie greeted, batting her eye-lashes. "I didn't know you worked her sweetie." She said with her fake I'm-better-than-you smile.
"It's been a while now." Elena said.
Damon was avoiding her gaze and she didn't understand why.
"Let's take a table and eat something? I so have to tell you about that thing." Andie said as Damon finished his drink.
"Yeah, sure. You sure you want nothing to drink fist?"
"Nah." She said as she winked at him.
She grabbed his arm and dragged him in one of the free tables. Elena noticed how she chose one of the most far away from the bar and wondered if she did it on purpose.
She didn't know why, maybe it was because she didn't like that chick at all, but she really didn't like the idea of Damon and Andie possibly dating. For some reason it just annoyed her.
She shrugged off the weird feeling as she rentered the kitchen.
"Your phone was ringing." Rebekah told her.
"Oh, thanks." She said as she went where the lockers for the employes were.
She took it from her locker and saw three missed calls from Stefan. What a great timing.
She called back and he picked up at the first ring.
"Finally!" He said.
"Seriously?" She scoffed. "I've been trying to reach you for a day Stef."
"Yeah...sorry about that. Mom and I were so busy with my aunt. You don't even know Elena, just shoot me now." He huffed frustrated. "But we're coming back today. Happy?"
Her heart started beating faster as she realized that she still hadn't told him that Damon was back. Crap.
She rubbed her forehead and sighed heavily searching for the words.
"About that...Damon is back Stefan. I've been trying to call you all day yesterday to tell you that." She said bluntly.
He stayed quiet for a few moments. She couldn't even hear his breathing.
"Are you still here?"
"Yes I…thank you for telling me…I need to tell mom now. I hope she won't faint again or something. Shit." He said.
"I'm sorry Stefan." She said, her voice understanding.
"See you later." He said as he hang up.
Family drama was about to start...did she have to tell Damon that his mother and Stefan were coming back today? Or would it bother him? She decided to do it now and she couldn't care less if she had to interrupt his little date with Andie.
