Elena woke up early the next morning. Sunlight was streaming through the glass wall of Damon's apartment, and she rolled over and watched Manhattan come alive before her as tiny people and cars started moving on the streets below. It was apparent that both Salvatore's were still sleeping – the two bedroom doors were firmly shut. Elena sat up and stretched. Her stomach rumbled, and she realized how hungry she was. The last time she'd eaten was a hurried bagel at the airport back in Virginia. The memory already seemed like a lifetime away, even though she hadn't even been in New York for a full day yet.

Elena removed Stefan's bathrobe and put on a pair of denim shorts and a loose white tank top. She ran a hand through her long hair as she poked through Damon's kitchen. There were five bottles of gin lined up on the counter, an old pizza box in the fridge, and a tray of ice in the freezer.

Awesome.

Elena decided to venture out and buy breakfast herself. That was the perk of living in the city, right? She would probably only have to walk a few blocks to find something to eat. She grabbed some crumpled bills from the bottom of her suitcase and glanced regretfully at Stefan's door before she turned to go. She almost wished he were awake so they could get breakfast together. But the apartment was silent, so she slid into her flip-flops and let the door swing shut behind her.

The sun was warm on Elena's shoulders as she strolled down the street, observing the various people who inhabited Manhattan, from the rail thin models to the small families to the businessmen barking into cell phones. She first set her sights on a Starbucks down the road, but when she reached it the line was out the door. So she turned another corner, and then another. Elena was so caught up in absorbing the bustling, unfamiliar environment that she hardly paid attention to where she was going. Before she knew it, the streets of Manhattan had become more and more rundown and most of the shops were boarded up. Elena stopped walking when she nearly tripped over a homeless man, curled up on the side of the road.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed. Feeling bad, she quickly leaned down and tucked her dollar bills into his front coat pocket. Then she turned around and stared at the distant skyline, trying to figure out where exactly she had gotten herself lost.

It took Elena exactly .05 seconds to realize that she had absolutely no idea where she was. She didn't even know what direction she had come from.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. She thought to herself as she pulled out the iPhone she'd spent all of senior year saving up for.

There was only one person she could call.

"Hello, you've reached Damon Salvatore. I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as you can. Thank you!"

Damon sounded so civil and friendly on his answering machine. Elena knew that he'd be the opposite when he found out she'd gotten herself lost in the city. He'd probably never let her hear the end of it.

Elena called him four more times. She got the same answering machine each time. Each time, her heart sank a little more. She had no money for a cab, and now the one person who was supposed to be taking care of her was M.I.A. Could things get any worse?

"Elena? Is that you?"

Elena jumped at the sound of her name coming from the window of a sleek black Lexus that was slowing down by the curb. She whirled around and found herself face to face with Stefan, who was the car's driver.

"Stefan!"

"First my bedroom, now a street corner in the middle of nowhere. Why are you always showing up in the strangest places?" Stefan gave her a wink as he reached over and opened up the passenger door. "Get in,"

"I like that you drive yourself around." Elena commented as Stefan maneuvered the car through the crowded city streets. The scenery slowly became more and more familiar as they drove. She explained to Stefan that she had gotten lost while looking for something to eat for breakfast.

"So I'm assuming you're still hungry, then? Let me treat you to lunch."

Elena quickly accepted the invitation. Stefan was so polite. She couldn't imagine a boy from back home saying let me treat you to lunch.

The restaurant he chose was a small outdoor café with pretty white table clothes and wicker chairs. He guided Elena to the outside pavilion and motioned for her to sit down.

"So, what were you doing in that area anyways?" Elena asked. Stefan's shiny black car had looked so out of place in the depressing, broken down neighborhood.

"I have my shortcuts." Stefan said, sipping his water.

Elena raised an eyebrow. "So you've spent time here before? I thought you grew up in Mystic Falls."

Stefan ran a hand through his golden hair. "I did. But I used to come here on the weekends a lot. It was a nice escape from . . . " He trailed off and shrugged.

"From Damon?" Elena finished for him. She'd always assumed the two brothers had gotten along, but maybe that wasn't the case.

Before Stefan could answer, a pair of hands covered Elena's eyes from behind. She whirled around.

Damon stood behind her, wearing his work clothes, with a few other young men his age as well as a couple girls in tow. His friends were looking at her suspiciously. Elena watched as one of the girls eyed her cheap sandals and raised an eyebrow at her brunette friend.

"Speak of the devil." Stefan said from his end of the table. "What are you doing here?"

"Lunch break. I didn't know my fiancé was awake, or else I would have invited her along." Damon replied. His blue eyes were going back and forth between Stefan and Elena, as if he was trying to figure out what exactly they were doing together.

"Stefan and I ran into each other in the city, uh, honey." Elena stood up nervously. Play your part, she reminded herself. "Maybe we should all eat together? I'd love to get to know your friends."

Damon caught her eye, looking pleased. "Sounds perfect."

They seated themselves at a large table in the corner of the indoor section. Elena scooted in between the two Salvatore's, and the rest of Damon's work friends piled along the other end of the table. Damon gestured to each of them, saying their names, but Elena was hardly paying attention. All she could concentrate on was how good Stefan smelled beside her. Like cinnamon with a tiny hint of cigarette smoke and aftershave.

"So, Elena, where are you from?" One of Damon's blonde friends asked her from across the table.

"Mystic Falls. That's where Damon and I met." Elena replied, hoping she sounded like a doting wife.

"Congratulations on tying Damon down. I never thought I'd see the day." One of the guys – Brendon? Brandon? – gave Damon a slimy smile. Elena resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose in distaste. Instead, she forced out an awkward laugh.

"Is your top from Fred Segal? I swear I was about to buy the exact same one last week." Another one of the girls chimed in. Although Elena was grateful for the chance of subject, she had no idea what the girl was talking about.

"Fred who?"

"Fred Segal. You know, the store?" The girl frowned, confused. Her blonde friends tittered quietly beside her.

"Oh. Um, yeah, maybe. I, um, forget." Elena nervously brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Thankfully, at that exact moment, the waitress came with their platters of food.

The rest of the meal was filled with conversation about people that Elena didn't know, parties she hadn't been invited to, and gossip she wasn't interested in. She noticed that Stefan stayed quiet beside her, not chiming in on any of the conversation. She let her mind wander, wondering what would have happened if she and Stefan hadn't been interrupted by Damon and his friends. What would she have learned about him? She felt like she wanted to know everything.

Elena suddenly felt Damon's arm around her shoulders.

"Whens the big date?" Someone was asking across the table. Elena realized that their wedding was, unfortunately, the topic of discussion once again.

"Tonight, actually. But sorry, it's a private ceremony." Damon smirked. His friends balled up napkins and threw them at him in mock anger, and he leaned over and pressed his lips against Elena's. She shot away from him hurriedly, not realizing what she was doing until it was too late. She tried to save the situation by leaning into Damon's chest again, but the damage was done. His friends were looking at them strangely.

"Of course, wedding gifts will still be accepted." Damon quickly joked, causing his friends to laugh. The awkward moment was over, but he wouldn't meet Elena's eyes.

By the time the lunch was finally over, raindrops were spotting the pavement outside. Damon's friends lingered by the café doorway, not wanting to venture out into the cooling air.

"I'll go get the car," Stefan offered, jogging off into the rain to where he and Elena had left it parked a few blocks away.

"Elena, would you mind speaking with me privately over here for a moment?" Damon's voice was even and polite. He gestured to a small alcove, away from where his friends stood talking. Elena nodded and followed him.

Damon waited until they were out of the sight of his friends before his polite mask slipped away.

"Not Stefan." He growled.

Elena frowned quizzically. "What?"

"Not Stefan. I told you you could do whatever you wanted, with whatever guys you wanted. But not my brother."

Elena shook her head, finally understanding. "Me and Stefan aren't-"

"Of course you are!" Damon's voice was loud, booming in her ear. He towered above her, his eyes turning dark with anger. Elena shrunk back into the wall at the intensity of his words. "I can see it in his face, and in yours! I swear to God Elena, if you get anymore involved with him, this entire deal is off." He made a slashing movement over his throat as he enunciated the final word.

"You need me just as much as I need you!" Elena hissed. She thought that she'd made it clear yesterday that she and Damon were to be EQUALS.

But Damon didn't appear to be listening.

"And great job today at lunch, really amazing job." He went on sarcastically. "Could you make it any more obvious that you find me completely repulsive?"

Elena opened her mouth to speak, then halted. She peered at Damon. There wasn't just anger in his eyes. He was hurt.

"I don't find you repulsive." She mumbled, her eyes focused on the ground.

"Well, you have a funny way of expressing your emotions, then. Come on, we have to get back. They're going to wonder what were doing." Damon guided Elena back to the front of the café, still looking agitated.

Elena quickly found Stefan in the crowd. "Lets go home," She offered him a small smile, all too aware of Damon's eyes boring into her back as she did so. Stefan nodded at her, looking relieved, and they exited the restaurant together.

"Your brother seems to think that we're . . . involved." Elena said once they were sitting together, alone in the car at last.

"I'm not surprised he's behaving the way he is." Stefan said as he eased the car into a long line of traffic. The way he spoke made Elena wonder if he had overheard her and Damon's argument.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

Stefan sighed. "A similar situation has happened before I guess. We've never been good at sharing girls. Her name was Katherine."

"Katherine?" Elena pressed.

"I don't really want to get into it." Stefan admitted. He looked slightly pained.

"Whatever you say." Elena was curious, but she didn't want to press Stefan. She watched as the light turned green and the cars shot forward into the city. After a few moments, The Plaza came into view, and Stefan was pulling the car into the parking garage.

The apartment was empty when Stefan and Elena entered it. A few of Damon's jackets and shirts were strewn across the living room, but besides that it looked just as it had that morning.

"So are you getting a job for the summer, or . . .?" Elena trailed off, watching Stefan as he removed his jacket and settled down on the couch in the living room. "I'm not sure yet." Stefan admitted. "I'm going to Stanford in the fall. I didn't have any summer plans, so I decided to come here. I figured Damon could help me find . . . someone . . . to help me entertain myself." He looked at Elena amusedly, and she couldn't help but wonder if he meant her when he said someone.

"And has he?" Elena breathed. She didn't care how it sounded. She was tired of skirting around the topic. She wanted answers.

"I think so." Stefan was standing now, and moving towards her. He slipped one hand around Elena's waist and leaned in until his face was inches from hers. Elena could see every fleck of gold in his eyes, every shadow on his face. "I don't care if you're my brothers fiancé." He whispered. "You're too beautiful for me to ignore you." He leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers, gently at first, then with more passion.

Fireworks should have been exploding in Elena's mind. She should have been on cloud nine – hadn't she spent all day thinking about Stefan and how gorgeous and polite and funny and interesting he was?

But instead another image flashed before her eyes. Damon's face, just a half hour before in the café alcove. How he had looked so hurt. In that moment, he hadn't been the rich, cocky playboy he portrayed himself as. He had been vulnerable, sad, and innocent.

Elena pulled away from Stefan, stumbling slightly on the living room carpet.

"I'm sorry." Stefan looked surprised, holding up both hands in front of him as if to signify that he wasn't going to try to touch her again. "I thought you wanted me to."

"I did too." Elena said dazedly. She was still so confused. But kissing Stefan, it felt wrong. At least it did when she had that picture of Damon in her mind.

"I just remembered that I have something to get done this afternoon." Stefan said hurriedly, excusing himself. He grabbed his jacket and made for the apartment door. Elena couldn't tell if he was angry or upset or disappointed.

"Stefan-" She called, but the door had already swung shut behind him. Elena sighed and plopped down on the couch. She put her head in her hands and sighed. Who knew she would ever find herself feeling bad for Damon Salvatore? She remembered what Stefan had said just minutes before in the car. Katherine. What had happened between the brothers to make Damon, who was so confident and good-looking and self-assured, feel so neglected?

A buzzing sounded from Elena's pocket, and she pulled out her cell phone. It was a text from Damon.

St. Patrick's Cathedral, 7 PM. Don't be late.

Underneath the words was an address. It finally hit Elena.

She was getting married.