A/N: See! I did it, I wrote and posted chapter 7 quickly, I'm so proud of myself!
Check out my new If I Stay story, Where to Now?, if you get a chance.
Chapter 7
Today is the day, it is finally here, and neither Damon nor Elena can erase the stupid smiles from their faces.
Elena had not exactly talked to Damon since he called her after her classes on Monday evening, like he promised he would. There conversation was brief, seeing as they were both swamped with a massive amount of homework, but still surprisingly comfortable.
Despite the lapse in communication, she had no doubt that he was thinking about her just as much as she was thinking about him. His gifts throughout the week were undeniably sweet, but what really got to her was the message hidden between the lines of each one, that he was looking forward to their second-attempt-at-a-first-date too.
-flash-
On Tuesday, she woke up to a few knocks on her door. Once she had woken herself up enough to crawl out of her warm, comfy bed and stumble over to the door, she opened it only to come face-to-face with a way-too-perky-for-any-time-before-10am Caroline Forbes. She was clutching a large, white garment bag.
The huge smile on her face threatened to split her face as she thrust the bag towards a still half-asleep and very bewildered Elena. "Good morning! Special delivery for one Miss Elena Gilbert!"
Elena was still utterly confused as she hesitantly reached out and took the bag from Caroline. The other girl made no move to leave and go back to her own bedroom so, not really knowing what else to do in that situation, Elena just left the door open while she walked back to her bed, setting the garment bag down on top of her messy comforter.
She noticed a note was pinned to the front:
Elena,
I know that I bought you a dress for our first first-date but I saw this and I thought you'd like it better. Plus, I'm pretty sure that that other dress is cursed.
Hope you like it,
Damon
She made quick work of unzipping the bag and pulling out a gorgeous red, halter tie, spaghetti strap dress with pleated and scallop detailing on the bodice. The skirt looked like it would fall to just above the knee. It was not until she turned it over that she discovered the nearly nonexistant back. She almost laughed out loud at how very Damon that little detail was.
"So what did you get?" Caroline asked in her same overly excited voice from behind her, startling Elena, who had completely forgotten that she had company.
Elena turned to look back at the giddy blonde and flashed her a small smile before turning back to the dress. "Oh, just a dress."
Caroline walked over to stand beside her in order to get a closer look. "It's stunning! Who's it from?"
Elena does not even stand a chance of fighting off the gigantic grin that spreads across her face, but she is still careful not to mention Damon by name, knowing perfectly well how people, especially other girls, react to the mere mention of his name. "Oh, just this guy I have a date with on Saturday."
"Ohhhhh," Caroline squealed out. "Someone's falling hard!"
-flash-
On Wednesday, another special delivery was waiting for her on top of her bed when she walked in her bedroom after a long day of briefly wonders how and which one of her sorority sisters Damon got to help him break in to her room but quickly dismisses the specifics as inconsequential.
As she approached the bed, with a smile set firmly upon her lips, she discovered that it is actually two seperate packages. With eager anticipation, she flips open the lid of the first and pulls out a pair of red, faux leather sandals with tons of skinny straps stacked from peep toe to ankle. The ankle strap adjusts with a metal buckle and hidden elastic, on top of a sexy, wrapped stiletto heel.
Then she opened up the second box and found a matching red, velvet clutch purse.
Her smile brightens when she noticed the note that had somehow gotten thrown to the side in her excitement.
Elena,
I know every woman loves a new pair of shoes and a new handbag.
I can hardly wait to see you tomorrow night, all decked out in red.
Until then,
Damon
-flash-
On Thursday, as she was getting ready to swipe her student ID card through the machine to pay for the chicken salad sandwich, individual bag of salt & vinegar potato chips, and miniature bottle of diet soda that she had gotten for lunch, a tap on her shoulder made her whip around.
A graying, little old cafeteria lady stood there, grinning up at her through her thick glasses. "Oh you don't want to eat that, my dear." She took Elena's tray of food away and sets it behind the counter, Elena was too stunned to object. "Come with me Miss Elena, I have something very special to show you." No idea how this woman she has never met before knows her name but all she could do was follow her.
They weave in and of tables before eventually coming to a stop at one of the many round lunch tables, this one is not packed with a bunch of boisterous students, unlike the surrounding tables. A takeout bag from her favorite nearby restaurant sat in the middle and Elena could not keep the swarm of joyous butterflies out of her belly nor the face-splitting grin that took over her face.
"Have a good lunch, sweetheart! Don't you even hesitate to let me know if I can help you with anything. I'll be right back there," she said, pointing one of her wrinkled fingers back towards the main entrée counter on their left as Elena took her seat. With one more sweet smile, the cafeteria worker headed back to her job and Elena pulled the delectable-smelling bag closer.
Before she had the chance to rip into the bag and dive head-first into her lunch, she spotted a note taped on to the side:
Elena,
Eat up! I like a girl with an appetite
Is it Saturday yet?
Yours,
Damon
"Do you mind if we sit with you?" The voice jerked Elena out of her daydreams about the blue eyed boy that had not been very far from her thoughts for even one minute over the past week. She quickly turned her head toward the voice, with a slight blush on her face at being caught dreaming about inappropriate things in public, only to see a grinning Caroline, who tugged another of Elena's sorority sisters, an equally happy Bonnie, behind her.
"No, of course not. Take a seat!"
The three girls chat and begin to form a bond throughout the remainder of lunch, they swapped food back and forth from each of their lunches.
At one point she watched as Matt walked by. A bitter scowl graced his lips at the sight of her and her new friends, but she just quickly adverted her eyes away and returned to gabbing and laughing with Bonnie and Caroline. If he wanted to act like a child simply over who she chose to date, that was his issue and she honestly was in no mood to deal with all of that.
-flash-
Just yesterday, as soon as she exited her Contemporary Ballet class her eyes immediately land on the last person, other than her father, that she wants to see right now. Her mother, in all her snooty, judgmental, disapproving glory, was sitting on a bench right outside of the front door, a none-too-happy glare on her pinched face directed right at her only daughter.
Oh shit! I'm busted, she and dad must have found out about me changing my classes behind their backs. And now she's just seen me confirm my treachery by coming out of the Arts building instead of the Business building, carrying my dance duffel instead of a laptop case. I am so screwed.
This is all Elena could think about as she walked up to the bench and greeted her mother coldly with, "Hello, mother."
"Elena," her mom greeted in a equally cold voice, her glare still in place. "What in the world do you think you're doing, young lady?"
"Geez, mother, would you knock it off already? What part of 'it's MY life, MY choice' do you and dad not understand?"
"But he is absolutely perfect for you."
Elena is utterly confused by this point so she raised her voice when she asked, "Wait!? What? What are you talking about? Who is absolutely perfect for me?"
"Mathew," her mom said as if that should have been the most obvious thing in the universe.
Elena lets out a short, relieved laugh before she asked, "Matt? What does Matt have to do with anything?"
"I just told you, he is absolutely perfect for you. He's smart, funny, and good-looking. So imagine my surprise when Mrs. Donovan rings me up nearly in tears because she got a frantic call from her clearly brokenhearted son complaining about my daughter rejecting him in favor of whoring herself out! Explain yourself?"
"First of all, I did not reject Matt because (A) there's nothing romantic between us, never was and never will be, and (B) if anything Matt rejected me by pushing my friendship away when I CHOSE to GO OUT WITH, not whore myself out with, someone he doesn't approve of." Elena shook her head to herself, completely spent from having this conversation with her mother once again, and started to walk back to her sorority house as she said, "I am so sick and tired of you and dad interfering in my life because who I date IS my life, my choice."
Her mom did not even bother to follow her but still called, "Well, sweetie, we DO know what is best for you."
Elena stopped in her tracks, considered turning back around and continuing to argue with her mother but resisted the urge and just kept walking.
By the time she had gotten back to her house and made her way up to her bedroom, her good mood from learning about and doing the thing she loved the most all day had all but vanished. That was until she entered the hallway to see the most glorious arrangement of flowers. A smiling, happy face, brilliantly yellow, ceramic mug full of warm yellow roses and classic white daisies sat on the floor right outside of her door.
She knew instantly that the flowers were from Damon because who else would know what she needed before even she knew it? and they were exactly what she needed at that moment, they cheered her up right away and brought the smile back to her face.
As she picked up, then carried the flower arrangement into her room, she noticed a note positioned between the blooms:
Elena,
I want to see that beautiful smile of yours in person tomorrow!
Did we say 7 o'clock or 8?
Kidding!
I've been thinking about this all week!
Smiling myself,
Damon
-flash-
Today is finally Saturday and two hours before her and Damon's date is supposed to begin, Elena decides to just start getting ready, rather than stewing in her nervousness any longer.
"Mr. Salvatore, do you mind staying behind and giving me hand with some heavy boxes in my office?" Katherine, in full-on professor mode now, calls out to Damon as he and the rest of the students scramble to gather up their things and walk out of the classroom.
He considers ignoring her, to just keep walking forward and pretend like he did not hear her. But that option flies out the window when she grabs on to his forearm. "Mr. Salvatore, did you hear me? Can you help me?" He barely suppresses his sigh of annoyance as he follows her back to her office as the last of the class clears out.
She walks inside but he deliberately stays standing in the doorway. Looking around but not seeing any boxes, he asks, "So what did you need my help with?"
"Why don't you come closer, lock the door behind you, and I'll show you," she says, throwing him a wickedly suggestive wink while she perches on the edge of her desk, lifting up her skirt and spreading her knees teasingly apart, giving him an excellent view of what is between her thighs.
"Um, no. I don't think that's a good idea." He is shuffling his feet by this point and desperately trying to keep his eyes adverted.
He is clearly tempted to fall back into his player ways, but then an image of Elena's sweet, smiling flashes into his mind and remembers how in less than a hours time she will be expecting him to be on her doorstep, ready for their second-chance first-date. "If you don't really need my help, I think it'd be best if I go."
She simply chooses to ignore him and lifts the hem of her skirt up a few more inches. "I do need your help though. It's been over a week, my body aches for your touch."
All he can do is give a cold laugh at her desperate and, quite frankly, lame attempt at seduction. "I'm really not in the least bit interested. Go find another play thing, Katherine. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date to get ready for."
He readjusts the strap of his backpack on his shoulder before backing from the office doorway, then leaving the classroom altogether to head back to the frat house.
At 6:55, five whole minutes before their date is supposed to begin, Damon knocks on the front door of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority house. A girl Damon does not recognize answers the door and is immediately struck dumb by the beautiful piece of masculinity standing on the other side of the door. Wearing a pair of dark washed blue jeans, a black v-neck t-shirt, and his signature black leather jacket, with his perfectly messy, just-fucked hair, Damon knows he looks good. He just flashes this girl one of his patented smirks and asks for Elena. The girl, still in a state of shock, quickly scurries away, upstairs presumably to tell Elena that her date is there.
A minute later, Elena makes her way downstairs, looking smoking hot all decked out in her red dress and red high heels. The dangling, silver earrings, necklace, and bracelet with the tiny dancer charm that he had bought her accessorize her outfit. With her chocolate tresses up in a low hanging, loose bun with a few strands of curls hanging down each side of her face, she takes his breath away.
"Hey," she breathes out when she gets within a foot of him.
"Hey back," he manages to say.
After about thirty seconds or so of silence, in which they each openly admire the other, he snaps out of it and leans slightly forward to leave a peck on her cheek. While he is pulling away he whispers near her ear, "You look stunning."
He pulls back in time to see her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink. "Thanks."
He just grins at her adorable shyness and places one of his hands on the small of her back before beginning to lead her out to his car.
Right before they reach the front door, they hear the bitter, unpleasant voice of Rebekah from behind them. "Well, well, well what do we have here? A manwhore going on a pity date with a naive freak. How cute."
They look at one another and silently agree to just ignore her, and keep walking out the door, shutting it behind them. Leaving a seething blonde on the other side of the door.
He leads her towards his camero, opens the passengers-side door for her and closing it again once she is seated safely inside.
"So, where are we going?" she asks with a smile as he turns the key, the engine roars to life.
"Nice try. But no, it's a surprise!"
"I don't really like surprises, Damon. Just tell me," she whines out playfully.
"That's just too bad."
She turns in her seat to face him, widens her big brown eyes in mock innocence, and fake pouts, her face growing more and more exaggerated by the second until he breaks and laughs out loud.
"Don't give me that face! It's not going to work! You just turn right back around and be patient!"
She is smiling hugely now as she turns back and faces forward.
A comfortable silence descends over the interior of the car, each shooting the other a flirty look every once in a while.
Less than ten minutes later, Elena's jaw nearly hits the floor as they pull into the parking lot.
A/N: I'm an idiot! As I'm finishing writing the Damon/Katherine scene, it hits me that it's supposed to be Saturday in the story and they don't do classes on weekends (or do they? I've no idea) But I like that scene so it's staying. Just go with it.
What did you think of the new promo for S6 of TVD? Poor Elena :(
Please leave me a review below! My numbers keep steadily dropping and that is not helping with my writing process at all.
