Gravity
Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from The Vampire Diaries.
So honestly, feel like this chapter is a little rushed. But I am just getting back into the swing of things so hopefully it'll get better.
Big big big thank you to Mara for being my beta! You've been a major help for this chapter, so thanks! :)
Hope you all like it...
July 19th 2013
Friday 1:30pm
Las Vegas, Nevada
We broke our one week rule in Vegas for the first time since we left Mystic Falls.
The days passed quickly and before I knew it we reached the seven day mark. Neither one of us brought it up; instead on the seventh day Damon woke me up with a kiss and asked me if I wanted to go out for breakfast.
I agreed.
We've stayed ever since and haven't made plans to leave yet. But we will have to leave, eventually. We can't stay here for a month. It's too risky.
We'll stay in denial for just a little while longer. Damon is happy here, and when he is happy, so am I.
"Elena!" I lazily lift my head up and peak at Damon through my sunglasses. He is still in the pool that our motel has for guests only, his wet arms out over the surface glistening in the sun. "Get in here!"
I huff and shift my sunglasses but still keep my eyes covered. "I'm sunbathing." I stretch my legs out on the sunbed with a content sigh.
"Oh come on! Don't make me come up there and get you!" he smirks.
"Don't you dare!" I shout back, my tone full of warning. When he doesn't reply I force myself up just in time to see him climbing out of the pool. "Damon, I'm serious!"
He holds his hands up in defence as he gets closer and I immediately back away as he gets closer.
"Elena, relax," he rolls his eyes with a grin before sitting on the edge of my lounger. "I'm not going to get you wet…" he trails before smirking. "Not like that anyway." He wiggles his eyebrows and I swat him on the arm.
"Damon!"
"What?" he chuckles innocently while leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss against my lips. "Can I at least get a hug?" he shifts slightly over my body while I rest, his toned chest pressing against me.
I roll my eyes but wrap my arms around him anyway, groaning when he shifts again so he is lying completely flat on top of me.
"You've gotten water all over me." I whine half-heartedly but I tighten my arms around him anyway. He rests his head into my neck, his lips pressing slow lazy kisses against my skin.
"Sorry," he mumbles against me, not at all sounding the least apologetic.
I sigh and slowly trail my fingers up and down his bare back slowly, basking in the sun and the weirdly nice feeling of his heavier body crushing mine. We both stay still for a while, my fingers repeating their slow trails up and down over and over again.
"This is nice," Damon sighs blissfully, pressing another kiss into my neck.
"I like our life when it's like this." I agree quietly. It's nice to just be still, even just for a few minutes.
"Yeah. Can we just stay here like this for a while?" his voice is quiet, different, and for a moment I feel a nervous pit in my stomach before I don't know why.
"Of course," I whisper and bend my head down to kiss his temple.
Damon returns the gesture and tilts his head to press a slow kiss against my jaw before moving his head back to its comfortable spot and I sigh loudly in content. He doesn't even have to ask, because I certainly don't want to move anytime soon.
I feel his arms tighten around me and my eyes flutter closed under the shade of my sunglasses.
"It's my Mom's birthday today."
I freeze, my hands stilling on his back and my eyes springing open.
"She would have been thirty-eight," he continues quietly. "She was young when she got pregnant; nineteen when I was born. It's been nearly eight years since she died. Somehow, it feels like so much longer."
"Damon I…" I trail off pathetically, a lump in my throat because I really don't know what to say.
"It's okay." He squeezes my waist. "You don't have to say anything. I just…I just wanted to say it out loud that's all."
I clench my eyes shut to stop the tears because it's not fair. Despite some of the questionable things Damon has done, he is still a good guy. He deserves a far better life than the one he has been dealt with and it's just…God…it's just not fair.
"I wish I could have met her." I think back to the beautiful necklace that Damon gave me for Christmas. I've rarely taken it off since, but now it's securely locked away in a safety deposit box back in our motel room.
"Me too." Damon nudges his nose against my neck. "She would have loved you."
I smile and wrap my arms around him that little bit tighter. "I'm sure the feeling would have been mutual."
He lifts his head up with a smile before leaning forward and kissing me slowly. The kiss is soft and I press my hand against his cheek, keeping him closer for a little while longer so I can deepen the kiss.
"Love you." I mumble against his lips, pulling away with a soft smile. My breath hitches in my throat as my eyes catch his bright blue ones, the eyes that always pull me into his aura and away from the real world.
"Love you." He replies with a small smile, his lips softly grazing mine again.
My smile widens as Elena giggles loudly while I spin her around on the dance floor. I pull her straight back into me, so her chest slams against mine and she throws her head back with a laugh before wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me closer.
"You look so hot tonight," she grins with a drunken smile.
"Please, I always look hot." I throw her my signature smirk and instead of rolling her eyes and cursing me for being so cocky, she agrees with a nod and kisses me hard.
"I suppose," she continues breathlessly once she pulls away. "Valid point."
"I'd have to be hot to be able to date a beautiful girl like you," I wink at her playfully and she giggles, her fingers sliding through my hair greedily as we ignore the crowd dancing around us.
"Now that was just cheesy, Salvatore."
"Sssh." I hiss out playfully at the use of my surname and her eyes widen comically.
"Whoops, sorry!"
I chuckle and press a kiss to her cheek, swinging her back around to the beat of the music.
We continue to dance and just mess around, teasing each other and stealing kisses. Sometimes getting lost and caught up in the moment, ignoring the world around us. I like Elena when she's like this; completely stress free like she doesn't have a worry in the world. Honestly, I was kind of worried that she'd struggle to adapt to this new lifestyle. Me? No problem, I've been used to change all of my life, but Elena? Her life was simple, stereotypical, and boring even. She had school, cheerleading, family and friends and everything was normal. Everything was in a routine.
Then she met me.
Despite what Elena claim's, I'm not arrogant enough to think that I have changed her life for the better, but I do believe that I have at least spiced it up a little. Maybe not to what we are doing now, God no, because if I could undo all of this I would. If I could make us standing here in Vegas right now, completely free with no felonies in our back pockets then I absolutely would.
But that's not the case, and I'm not one to dwell on the past. So I say fuck it, and let's just enjoy ourselves in the here and now, despite the underlying circumstance of why we're here in the first place.
I love Elena. She's everything to me. She is my life and I don't know what I'd do without her. So if that makes me selfish, then so be it. I'll be selfish with her and I'll enjoy everything single second of it.
"Stop brooding," Elena tugs on my arms and I snap out of my thoughts to be welcomed back by her smile. "Shots?"
My eyes light up. "Shots." I agree eagerly before leading her towards the bar.
When we get there it's crowded, so I have to push myself closer to the bar to be served. I catch eyes with the only working female bartender and pull her over to me away from other impatient patrons with a smile. Luckily for me, Elena didn't notice, so I order us our drinks easily without being kneed in the balls.
We down our shots quickly, and Elena gazes up at me with the cutest smile that I can't resist kissing her before wrapping my arms tightly around her and pulling her flat against my chest, her head resting against my shoulder.
"You're so beautiful." I murmur into her ear, loud enough for her to hear me over the music.
She tips her head back to kiss me again before pulling away with a small smile. She fiddles with her necklace that lies on her chest and I look at her curiously, wondering why she looks so nervous.
"You know, I think we should have a drink for your Mom." She says without looking at me, instead her head tilted down to the ground as her fingers trace over the necklace that was once my mother's but now looks so beautiful on her. "Like a toast or something…I don't know…just something to like honor her or something." She sounds nervous and I swallow hard because I feel for her.
"You know, never mind…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be insensitive. It was a silly idea." She rambles on nervously while shaking her head, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Elena," I cut her off with a smile, one hand landing on her cheek while the other lightly presses on top of her own which is still playing with her necklace. "I would really like that."
Her eyes light up and she looks up at me in a mixture of relief and nervousness. "Are you sure?"
"Of course." I grin and pull her back towards the bar, "and I think that she would like it too."
I climb out of the car and stretch my arms up with a smile as I take in the view around us of the Red Rock Canyon.
"Wow." I hear Elena breathe out wistfully. "It's beautiful." I turn to look at her and I'm not surprised to see her snap a picture of the view with her new Polaroid camera. She purchased it yesterday when she insisted we needed to take pictures of our trip. I curtly pointed out that this wasn't really a trip, or a vacation, but she took no notice and pointed out that we couldn't take pictures on our phones because we regularly got new ones, and that she wanted to have pictures of us to be able to remember these kinds of moments.
"Come on, Damon." She grins and holds up the camera and I groan. She pouts and swings me around by my arm and snuggles into my side anyway. "Selfie?"
God I hate that word.
"Do I have a choice?" I grumble reluctantly.
"No." she replies sternly before grinning. "Now smile!"
Of course I do, because it's Elena. If she wants a freaking selfie, then I'll give her one.
I watch as she waits for the photograph to slide out and she looks at it happily before sliding it into her purse. I hide my smile at the action, stopping myself from asking her to take another one so I can have one for myself because I'm supposed to hate getting my photo taken.
So instead, I take her smaller hand in mine and link our fingers together. I put on my baseball cap with my other hand while Elena uses hers to pull down her sunglasses and lead her towards the footpath to start our mini hike.
I figured we could use a change of scenery from all of the casinos and nightclubs. As much fun as we had been having, part of me wondered if we were having a little too much fun and that maybe we should tone it down.
So when we both woke up this morning, tired and slightly hung over, I suggested we go and enjoy the sunshine and take advantage of the various attractions that Las Vegas has to offer. We might as well enjoy it while we can; it's not as if we can stay here forever.
"This was a good idea." Elena breaks our comfortable silence after we've been walking for an hour or so. Her hand gripped tightly in mine and I look down at her with a smile. "I'm glad you suggested this. It makes a nice change from the stuffy casinos we've been spending most of our time in."
I smirk and nod my head in agreement because it's like she can read my mind. "Elena?" she turns her head to face me. "If I ask you something will you answer honestly?"
Her eyebrows crease together but she nods anyway. "Of course."
"Has there been a moment throughout all of this when…" I swallow the lump in my throat. "When you've regretted this?"
I watch nervously as her eyes widen. "Damon…" she sounds scared. "Why would you ask me that?"
"Just answer the question," I try not to sound impatient, but this is something that I need to know. "Honestly…"
"Honestly?" she pauses, and I still my walk. Elena turning to stand in front of me and taking my other hand in hers and holding them up between our chests. "There have been times when I've felt…lonely, isolated, and scared." She admits sadly. I feel my heart sink into my stomach. "Times when I have missed my friends and family more than anything."
I nod slowly and look down at the floor, but Elena squeezes my hand and raises them to my chin before stretching out a finger from our laced hands to tilt my chin back up.
"But then I look at you, and I remember why I'm here. I love you, Damon. I'm so in love with you. If I could turn back time to that night when we left? I wouldn't change a thing. I'd still leave Mystic Falls with you. There was never really any other option, Damon. So the answer to your question is no, I regret none of it. Not even for a second."
I swallow the lump in my throat and take a deep breath.
"Elena?"
"Hmm?" she replies softly, our joint hand falling back between our chests.
"Marry me?"
She freezes, her eyes widening and I look at her with wide eyes of my own. The words leaving my mouth weren't necessarily planned, but they weren't out of the blue either.
I want this.
"What?" she stutters out, her voice shaky as she looks to me for an explanation, for anything.
So I take a deep breath.
"If you were eighteen, I'd take you out tonight and I'd marry you. However you're not eighteen yet, but that still doesn't mean that I don't want to marry you. I love you so much, Elena. Being around you drives me nuts, and not being around you drives me nuts. You're my life, and I don't know what I'd do without you."
She doesn't say anything, and her hands fall loose in my own so this time I'm the one that's holding them up.
"Someday I'm going to do this properly. I'm going to buy a really expensive ring that I know you'll love and I'll get down on one knee and propose, but for right now?" I smile nervously. "A yes would be pretty great to hear," I laugh anxiously. "Or you know you could think I'm a complete tool and say no," I squeeze her hand, "and that would also be completely okay. I'd still love you anyway."
"Damon…"
The lack of answer is starting to worry me, and I wait with baited breath as Elena stares right back at me completely stunned. I know this may seem unexpected and completely out of the blue, I mean, realistically, this is far too early. We haven't even been together officially for a year yet, but after everything that we've been through, after everything that we're still going through, together, I know that this is what's right.
My Mom's birthday yesterday gave me a lot to think about. Life is too short to hold back, to take things slow. If you want something, you have to grab it by both hands and take it.
I want Elena.
I want her for the rest of my life.
It's just a matter of whether or not she wants the same.
"Yes."
My heart stops and I'm snapped out of my thoughts, looking down at Elena with wide eyes as she stares up at me with a watery smile, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
I gulp, swallowing hard as I try to figure out if I've heard her right.
"What?" I breathe out in barely a whisper and Elena's smile widens.
"Yes." She giggles slightly her hands pulling away from mine to wrap around my neck, standing on her tip toes and softly nudging her nose against my own. "I'll marry you, Damon." She whispers softly against my lips.
"Really?"
"Yes," she throws her head back with a laugh and I look at her in complete awe, wondering how the hell I got so lucky. "Really!" she giggles before I crash my mouth against hers hungrily. "God I love you so much." She whispers against me, pulling away with the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face.
I grin, holding in a laugh because I can't seem to get a grip on my emotions. I lift up her left hand, single out her third finger and slowly, oh so slowly, press my lips against it.
"Someday," I whisper, raising my eyes to look at her. Not missing the single tear that escapes her eye and slides down her rose tinted cheeks.
"Someday." She agrees quietly with the most beautiful genuine smile on her lips.
I hope you liked it? Please let me know in a review, I really do appreciate them a lot!
Thanks to every one who took the time out to review the last chapter.
Until next time! :)
