She loved him.
He loved her.
They shared an intimate dance together in the library of his impressive family home that he had been so modest about before actually introducing her to it. The dance had truly been one of the most memorable of Elena's life for a variety of reasons, but the most important being the "I love you" they had each shared with one another at the conclusion of it.
She had never been loved like this before. Not even by her own parents. This love was the kind of love that most romance novelists penned for a living to give girls the hope that one day soon they would meet their prince charming, although it almost never happened in reality.
This was the kind of love that could be perfectly expressed with just the slightest bit of passion and the overwhelming presence of his easygoing smile or the way that he worked his fingers through her hair like it was made of silk, or the way he dipped her back during their dance, his steady eyes never straying from her unsteady ones as they waltzed their way through half of the classical music Damon had selected for the occasion.
The dance was that upcoming weekend. It was still nerve-wracking for her to imagine taking center stage like she was expected to do, but she found herself not caring about the jitters as much now that she knew some of what she was doing and knew that she had a firm partner to rely on during the routine.
Trying to avert her attention away from the dance and the even more pressing urgency of how much she was missing Damon while she was away from him, she focused on working her fingers through the racks at the clothing store she and her friends had decided to come to.
It had been awhile since she, Caroline and Bonnie had been given the opportunity to spend time together since her relationship with Damon had been taken to the next level. Trying to enjoy the moment, she grinned when Caroline skipped over to her with a skirt that was the latest in fashion but one that her family would most likely not allow her to wear.
"What is that?" Elena asked, taking the smooth fabric in her hands as she examined the beautiful white and lace design.
"A skirt," Caroline said. "It's a pretty one. I thought it brought out the color of your eyes."
"It's pretty short," Elena pointed out.
"Elena, most women are wearing shorter skirts now. It's not like the 1800s anymore."
"I know that but I have to be careful," Elena whispered. "My parents have built up this reputation around town. If they see their only child prancing around town dressed like a harlot, it could send out the wrong message."
"Elena, you need something new. Besides, this is Georgia. This isn't home right now."
"What do you think?" Elena asked, turning to Bonnie for either her approval or disapproval.
"It's up to you, Elena. I think you do think you need something new, though."
Deciding to be brave and bold and try something other than the usual wardrobe she had carefully selected all of her years, she decided to go with the design that Caroline and Bonnie were recommending for her.
Walking up to the counter to pay for their merchandise, she was mindful of the clock that was ticking away the hours until the following morning when she would wake up and go to meet Damon for the party that would be that evening. Before then, they would have lunch together and go over their final routine before the big show.
Ignoring the painful rush of butterflies that assaulted her stomach at the very thought of it, she tried to keep the smile off her face as she waited for Caroline and Bonnie to go next. Everything around her seemed different now that she was in love with someone. The air had a much sweeter smell to it, the trees and the breeze held a different meaning to her, and the music that she listened to was filled with twice as much passion and thrill than it had before.
"What's the update on you and Damon?" Bonnie asked, as they walked across the parking lot to reach their vehicle.
"I am escorting him to a dance tomorrow," Elena said, as she slid into the front seat.
"Where?" Caroline asked, unusually subdued when it concerned the subject of Elena's new boyfriend.
"It's out near the falls around here."
"A dance?" Caroline asked skeptically. "You have never danced a day in your life since I knew you."
"Well, Damon Salvatore has proved to be a very capable teacher."
"What do you get if you win it?" Bonnie asked.
"Some prize," Elena said with a shrug.
"What dance have you been practicing?" Caroline asked.
"The waltz."
"Have you fallen on your face yet?" Bonnie asked with a chuckle.
"No. Damon makes sure I don't."
She didn't know why she felt the need to be defensive around her two best friends, but when the conversation circled around Caroline and her obvious distaste for him, she could not help but defend herself and the relationship.
"So how are you two progressing?" Caroline asked.
"We...well, I told Damon that I...loved him," Elena whispered. "And then he told me that he loved me back."
"So this is official?"
"Yes, Caroline. It is "official.""
"And you're sure-"
"That he isn't using me for my money?" Elena snapped. "Yes. I am. If you took half as much time to get to know him as you do finding fault with him, you would find that he is a very kind and gentle man with a heart bigger than any man I've ever met in my entire life.
Don't you dare judge him, Caroline, just because he doesn't have the money that we're all accustomed to by now. Don't you dare presume to think that you know him when you really don't."
Taking a deep breath, she turned her body around in her seat to look in the backseat where Caroline was seated with an absolute look of shock on her face. That outburst had been coming for weeks now every time she was with Caroline and could detect the hint of resentment and judgment brewing off her face.
"Don't be mad," Caroline pleaded. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."
"I'm not going to get hurt by him," Elena said, shaking her head. "The only people who have the power to hurt me right now, are sitting in this car with me."
"What did your parents think of him?" Bonnie asked quietly.
"They liked him. I think."
She and her parents had never officially discussed their views on her boyfriend since the Sunday lunch. Since the topic had never been brought up again, Elena could only assume that they had found it in their hearts to be respectful of her for once and of the choices that she was making.
Even if by some atrocity they did not approve, Elena could not imagine that making a difference in the bigger picture when she knew what she wanted, when she knew that Damon was far different from the person that people assumed that he was.
"I'm sorry, Elena," Caroline said, furiously batting away tears.
"It's okay," Elena said with a resigned sigh. "Just please, as your friend, please think before you say something hurtful, Caroline."
"You're right. I'm an idiot."
"Well, that's no surprise," Bonnie said.
"I am delicate right now, Bonnie!"
"Well, I am so sorry."
The next morning dawned bright and early for Elena. The previous night had hardly awarded her any sleep, quite the contrary. Instead of the blissful rest that she knew was needed for pulling off something like a dance, she had spent the night tossing and turning in her bed before finally being granted a reprieve by the few hours she was able to sneak in during the wee dawn hours.
Getting on the clothes that she was going to wear to the dance that night, she hardly spoke a word at breakfast as her parents tried to make polite conversation with her that centered around her entrance exam to Sarah Lawrence in a few weeks.
Sarah Lawrence was as far from her mind as it was possible to be and she could tell that her parents knew it, too, before she pushed her plate aside to go out the door the second that she saw Damon's truck pull up alongside the curb.
Barely breaking stride as she saw him get out to open the door for her, she paused to claim his lips in a kiss before climbing in the front seat with him. The past twenty-four hours since she had last seen him, had been among the longest of her life as she waited impatiently for him to get in beside her.
"You look gorgeous, baby," Damon said, the smile never leaving his face as his eyes roamed over every square inch of her ensemble before hesitantly starting down the road.
"Thank you," Elena said, blushing. "You look very...dapper."
"Thank you," Damon said, mimicking her earlier response. "Did you have fun yesterday during the shopping trip?"
Elena shook her head as she snuggled closer to Damon, laying her head on his shoulder as he turned a corner that she knew led straight to his family's home. "No. Because during that time, I kept thinking about you and how I was going to see you this morning."
"I'm flattered," Damon said with his usual smirk. "Did you find anything you liked there?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. Caroline and Bonnie convinced me to buy something a little out of my comfort zone."
"Really?" Damon said, arching his eyebrows. "What do you think?"
"I like it."
"Will I get to see it sometime?"
"Maybe," Elena teased coyly. "I defended you."
"Really?" Damon said, and Elena could tell he was impressed. "Against the jaws of Caroline Forbes?"
"Yes. I actually think I got to make her see some sense."
"That must have been a feat."
"Knowing her for as long as I have, yes it was. Can you promise me something?" Elena asked, as her hand reached down to squeeze his.
"What's that?" Damon asked, as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"If we get married, can you promise me that we will never be apart for more than a day. I don't think I can handle it."
Even though the separation had only been a day, it was still one day too long for Elena who had spent that day trying to busy herself with other tasks but failing miserably when she was reminded of the treat that would await her the next morning.
Damon seemed to consider her statement as he pulled into the dirt driveway of his home. "Well, as far as you and I getting married, that's a done deal as far as I'm concerned. In answer to your earlier question, I think that sounds reasonably fair."
"You mean that?" Elena asked, forgetting all about her earlier concern when she heard Damon admit that he wanted to get married to her, that apparently this had been on his mind for some time.
"Mean what?" Damon asked, as he got out of the car and opened her door for her.
"That you and I are going to get married someday?"
"Sweetheart, I saw that from the second I laid my eyes on you. It just took you awhile to catch on."
Not able to deny that point once it was presented to her, especially when she was reminded of how hard she had tried to resist him, she did not argue it as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close.
"I love you, Damon."
"And I love you."
The dance had gone off without a hitch. Their golden rule had to been to have fun regardless of the outcome and that secret technique had worked well for them as they took home first place with the prizes that were promised to them. For Elena, now that the stress of the dance was over, she could focus on the amazing night that Damon had promised her with.
As they drove back to his house, the sun nearly setting over the horizon, she felt her hand once again take his as he squeezed it back tightly. Settling back against the seat, she tried to remember a point in time when she had been this content, this happy, and she could not find another point of reference to draw back on.
"You did amazing," Damon said, looking over at her as they drove.
"You think so?"
"I know so."
"It didn't hurt that I had a competent partner guiding me along."
"You should take more credit for yourself. I may have helped you, but you took to that floor like no one's business."
"Thank you."
Once they reached his place, Elena could hardly contain her nerves as Damon opened the door for her and carried her bridal style inside. Once inside, they hardly slowed down. Elena could not remember a time before this where she had been so deliriously happy as this as she and Damon's lips continued to dance together all the way up the stairs and into Damon's bedroom.
A bedroom that she would have considered to be amazing had she not been so focused on what her body was urging her to do, she let Damon guide her back toward the bed as they both collapsed on top of it.
"Damon-" Elena whispered.
Damon paused, taking a deep breath. "Are you sure?"
Elena nodded, tears of complete bliss and adoration on her face. "Yes. Yes, Damon."
Never had she been so sure of something in her entire life. Whereas before, she always felt the need to think things through and analyze, with Damon there was none of that as she buried her head in his shoulder, savoring each and every moment of this as he touched her as though she was the most precious and gentle being he had ever been fortunate enough to be with.
"I love you, Elena," Damon said quietly. "I love you so much."
"I love you, too."
The word seemed inconsequential compared to the raging fire that was brewing inside of her heart as she let him slide the strap off her dress, fighting the urge of anticipation as much as she could as she simply focused on the man that she loved more than life itself.
"Damon!"
A voice that did not belong to her was shouting Damon's name from downstairs somewhere. She automatically tensed in fear as she looked at Damon questioningly, wondering who this intruder was to him and if he knew him or not.
Beside her, Damon groaned in her ear as he straightened up, pulling on his shirt and pants as he made sure that she had something on to cover herself.
"Who is that?" Elena asked.
"My coworker from the carnival," Damon said, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Tyler! I'm in here! What the hell is it and why couldn't it wait!"
It only took a few seconds for Tyler's thundering feet to be heard over the hardwood flooring that covered the house, before the door flew open and he stood there.
"What is it?" Damon demanded.
"I'm sorry, man, but Elena's parents are freaking out. They didn't know where she was and they have the cops all over town looking for her."
