What do you think is going through Damon's mind right now? And now Kat's in the mix! What other surprises are in store?
On with the show!
I did my best to avoid Damon. It worked for a couple weeks. Stefan had to leave for a couple days though because there was some super powerful vampire that was looking for Katherine. He was going to tell him that she had been staked. He was going to lie to protect that monster.
I sat in front of the fireplace in the Salvatore Boarding House, thinking I was alone. I was engrossed in my book when I heard a throat clear. The sound made me jump and I looked up to see Damon standing in the entry way. I rolled my eyes and ignored him. I knew I should take Tyler's advice and talk to him about it. But no way was I going to seem vulnerable to him.
I sat in silence for about 30 minutes when I heard the air swish and felt a chill rise up my spine. Damon sat in front of me, begging me with his eyes to talk to him. I shook my head and rolled my eyes and got up. I ran up the stairs and into the safety of Stefan's room. I wasn't going to go there with him. Ever.
I took a deep calming breath and called Stefan. He didn't answer so I just climbed into the big bed in the little room. I sighed and fell into a deep sleep. Of course, even with the vervain necklace on, Damon wouldn't stay out of my dreams. This one was…different…I told him I loved him and I actually slept long enough to hear him say it back. He pulled me into a warm embrace before I woke up and kissed me. I didn't bolt up in bed, but rather stretched calmly. I had a sleepy grin on my face. The sun shone through the window and the birds were chirping. I climbed out of the bed and walked over to Stefan's desk. My journal had been on it since I started staying here and I wrote in it at least every morning.
I opened it up this morning and wrote out the dream from the previous night. Sighing, I put my journal away in my bag and got dressed. Today was the last day I'd be here. Stefan would be back tomorrow. I tried to make myself get excited and happy but all I could think about was how sad I was to be away from Damon.
I stepped into the hallway and took in a breath. "Damon!" I called out. Suddenly, he was there in front of me. I was getting used to it since he did it so often. His walls were down. I could see it in his eyes when I looked up into them. "Damon we need to talk about this," I said softly. He shook his head and his walls were up in a flash. "No Elena," he said sternly, "You need to leave." His eyes were betraying him.
I wanted to say so much more. Like how I'm not Katherine and how I'd made my decision. It wasn't fair that he cut me off every time I wanted to talk about it. But I didn't press the issue. Not yet anyway. Give him some time, I thought, he'll come around. I nodded my head and grabbed my bag. He followed me down the stairs and watched me walk out the door. "Bye Elena," he whispered. I gave him a questioning look and he shook his head turning away.
My only thoughts were, He can't leave me. But I realized he can. And he probably would. I let a couple tears escape my eyes and wiped them away. I hated crying over him. What was the point when he wouldn't open himself up to me?
Stefan came home the next day. It was relief to see him after so long, but it still didn't remove the hurt that I felt when Damon said goodbye. I cried in his arms for a while and when I pulled away I looked away from him. My head was killing me and I just really wanted to sleep. But this was the only way to make Damon stay. And you don't love Stefan like you used to. I pushed that thought out of my mind.
"Stefan we need to talk…" I said, "Just listen to me. Before you say anything, I love you. What we had was real. But I can't do this anymore. I can't pretend to be something I'm not with you." He looked taken aback as I took a breath. "I know it's not what you want to hear but you need to hear it. Stefan, I fell in love with Damon. The trip to Georgia started it. Then Isobel's word that night. All of it was leading up to this and don't tell me you didn't see it. I want to be your friend, Stefan. I do. But you have to accept the fact that I love your brother." Stefan sighed and looked away. "I knew it was coming Elena," he said softly, "I just hoped it would never make it here." "You know I'm not going to just run to Damon. I want to wait a little while before I say anything. But you have to convince him not to leave Stefan." I cupped his cheek in my hand and he nodded.
The next couple days were pretty good. Stefan got Damon to stay, at least a little while longer and we're good friends now. I wish it hadn't come to leaving Stefan for his brother, but it had. I'm just glad he took the news so well. But as days progressed into weeks and weeks into months, I didn't know if I could approach Damon...
Breathe Elena. Just Breathe.
And I walked up to him…