You Gave Shelter To My Homeless Heart
~Chapter 8~
~A New Day~
Elena tried to keep herself busy in the kitchen. She couldn't remember a time when she was more embarrassed. First she had kissed Damon last night, then she had dreamed a very vivid dream about him and then she had walked on him half naked in their bathroom. She flushed just remembering the size of his bulge. She ran her hand in her long chocolate hair. Think about something else. Think about something else, damn it!
As an answering to her prayers, her cats, Boone and Ian, stroked themselves on her ankles all purring. She looked down at them and crouched to caress their heads between their ears. She was greeted with more purring and mewing. She laughed when the black one tried to jump on her lap.
"You guys are hungry?" She cooed. "Yeah, I bet you're hungry." She giggled.
She filled their bowls with foods and fresh water and the cat fought to eat in the same bowl. She scratched them beneath their ears and laughed softly.
"Hey! There's enough for both of you!"
The cats completely ignored her and kept eating like there was no tomorrow. She watched them for a while with a soft smile on her face, but then she sighed and walked to the fridge. Way to go Elena! Two minutes without thinking of him!
Elena opened the fridge and picked the orange juice and the eggs carton. She decided that making herself breakfast would keep her mind busy enough to make her think about something other than running upstairs and kissing him again until they both pass out of exhaustion.
Damon was sitting on the edge of his bed with his elbows resting on his knees and his face in his hands. Why? Why did all this happen to him? Why did he meet her? Why did was she so generous to him? Why did she kiss him and why did he kiss her? And why, oh why, did she walk on him this morning? A few years ago he would have laughed his ass off at the situation and he definitely wouldn't have been embarrassed by it. On the contrary, he would have taken advantage of it... Now everything would be complicated.
He raked his hands in his tousled raven hair and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was six thirty. He should be leaving for work. The Grill would open in an hour and he thought he should be there early and familiarize himself more with the place.
Damon snorted. Work. He didn't get a job in what... almost two years? He couldn't remember. This made him nervous. He knew he would be okay in a kitchen; cooking was always easy for him and he used to love to cook when things were different, but he couldn't help to feel nervous.
And the fact that in a few minutes he would see Elena again made his heart raced. He would have to face her and they would have to talk about what happened. He could already picture her telling him that it was a mistake, that the kiss shouldn't have happened and that it could not happen again. He could even picture her telling him that he should leave.
The thought depressed him. He knew this situation was only temporary and that she only invited him in her house until he was better, which he was. He knew his 'job' was temporary too but he didn't want it to end. It had nothing to do with the fact that he had a roof over his head or that he could eat whenever he wanted to or that he would make a bit of money. He didn't want to leave because he'd miss her. Too much...
Damon slowly made his way downstairs and went to the kitchen. His eyes widened when he heard a loud yelp followed by a thud on the floor. He walked in the kitchen as fast as he could with his wounded hip and found her near the oven holding her hand. At her feet was a frying pan with burnt scrambled eggs.
"Elena? Are you okay?" She watched him getting near her with a concerned look on his face.
"I burnt myself." She tried to control her voice.
He walked her to the sink and turned the faucet of cold water on. He gently grabbed her hand and brought it under the running water. The cool liquid soothed her redden skin but the touch of his fingers on her hand started a fire somewhere else that had nothing to do with burnt eggs.
"Thank you..." She said softly avoiding looking at him.
"Just keep your hand under the water while I clean."
She finally looked up at him.
"Damon, you don't have too."
"It's okay. I still have a little time before I go to work." He shrugged and picked up the frying pan from the floor.
"That's right! You're first real day of work." She smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm nervous." He admitted and threw the uneatable eggs into the trash can.
"I'm sure it'll go just fine, Damon." She assured him. "Just don't overcook the eggs like I did and you'll be just fine." She tried to lighten up the mood.
He nodded with a small smile and put the frying pan on the oven.
"How's your hand?" He changed the subject.
She closed the faucet and gently wiped her hand with a towel. Once she looked up, Damon was standing next to her.
"Can I see? Your hand?"
Elena didn't answer. She only gave him her hand and Damon carefully lifted it to examine it. It was red but there was no blister or anything else so her burn was superficial. Damon gently massaged her hand, drawing tiny circles on the back of it.
Elena felt her heart quicken. Memories of her dream and images resurfacing made her want to combust. Their gaze met and her lips parted. She watched mesmerized when his head dipped toward hers. He kissed her cheek, his lips barely brushing her skin in a soft feathery caress.
"I should go..." He only said and then he was gone.
Damon arrived at The Grill at seven but the door was still closed. He looked around but the street was deserted. He closed in his forehead to the window and tried to look inside but there was no one there. Maybe he was just too early... He huffed. What was he thinking? He never thought this thing would go this far when he started 'this' two years ago...
The sound of an old pickup truck approaching disturbed him from his thoughts. He saw Matt climbed out of it and walking toward him. He was wearing the blue shirt from The Grill and had a set of keys in his hand.
"Hey, man!" Matt said genuinely nice. "You're here early."
"I thought I should." Damon shrugged. "You know... To know where everything is and get used to the place more."
"That's great man. But you did very well yesterday. I'm sure you'll have no problems." Matt said unlocking the door. "And we'll have both waitresses today with us." He opened the door and walked inside holding it for Damon who followed him.
Matt relocked the door since it was too early to open and then switched the lights on. Damon followed him unsure of what to do. Luckily for him, Matt told him before he looked like a lost puppy.
"So, Damon... Since you'll be our cook for a while, why don't you just go in the kitchen? Usually, Charlie starts by preparing the dough for the pancakes and then he slices the salads and some vegetables for later. You know... All the stuff that can be done in advance..."
"Okay."
Matt chuckled. "Man, you look nervous."
Damon shrugged again. "It's been a while since I did something like this..."
"Don't be. You were great yesterday and like I said... We'll have waitresses today so I'll have the time to help you. If there's something just ask me."
"Thank you..." he frowned.
Matt chuckled again and shook his head.
"Really, Damon, you'll do great."
Elena was proud of the little progress she just made on her article. It was far from being finished but at least she succeeded in starting it. In fact she just wrote down her thoughts and impressions of the little time she spent out there. She wrote down the notes she hadn't put on paper yet. She made sure not to forget the old lady that was nice enough to buy her a sandwich and a coffee. There hadn't been any judgment or disgust in the elder woman... Just pure compassion.
That had been very different from the rest of the people that had crossed her way... The stupid teenagers that had thrown chips at her laughing like this had been the funniest joke on earth and the man that had yelled at her to find a job. How could she forget the pervert and his condom? She was practically sure he had winked at her. What had hit her the most, though, was how indifferent people had been... was and probably still would be.
She sighed. Elena was still debating whether she should talk about Damon or not. She should ask for his permission first. It was his life after all and even if she wouldn't mention his name he had the right to know.
Elena looked at the time. It was ten thirty, now. She wondered how it was going for him. She hoped it was doing well but she had no doubt about it. The breakfast he had done for her was simply delicious. She groaned and stared at her hand. And you can't even cook scrambled eggs... she muttered to herself.
She closed her eyes. Damon... Never a man had affected her this much. She didn't even know his full name and he was still a complete stranger, yet, she was drawn to him like she never was to anybody. A part of her regretted to have fled last night. The feeling of their perfectly molded lips together had been exhilarating. She had felt so much passion coming from both of them...
She shuddered at the sweet memory...
Damon finally sat on a stool at the bar to take his first break of the day. It was now eleven and the first half of the day went away before he even knew it.
"How's the day so far?" Matt asked while sitting on the stool next to him.
"Crazy." Damon replied with a deep sigh. "Haven't work this much in a long time." He admitted.
"This place is crazy sometimes." Matt chuckled. "But you'll have an hour to rest a bit. Usually at this hour we have only a few client and they order coffee. The lunch rush starts around noon and ends near two."
"I'll take the rest." Damon chuckled. "I don't want to complain but after four hours of nonstop work, it feels to sit down."
"I know the feelings. Don't worry about it."
A phone rang and Matt got up.
"I'll get it. Enjoy your break!" Matt patted his shoulder.
Damon slowly sipped on his coffee. The morning had flown away in a blink of an eye. He didn't have the time to think about anything else but eggs, omelets, pancakes and waffles. But now that he was at the bar, doing nothing but drink coffee all he could think about was Elena.
"Hello, new guy." A flirtatious voice came behind him. "I'm Vicky."
Damon turned his face toward the voice and was faced by a smiling sandy blonde. Her curly hair waved around her face and her big eyes staring at him like he was the sweetest of sundaes. She bit on her lower lip and hopped on the stool next to him.
"How's the first day going?" Vicky asked checking him out slowly up and down.
"Okay, so far."
"I've never seen you before..." She played with her hair. "Are you new in town?"
"Yeah... I'm new." Damon took a gulp of his coffee.
Vicky's eyes lit up like the Christmas lights. "Maybe I can show you around..." She bit on her lip again and put her hand on his arm.
"It's really nice of you... Vicky. But... hum... I'm staying at a friend's house. I don't want to take advantage of her generosity." Damon explained.
Vicky was extremely beautiful and a long time ago he would have said yes without thinking twice about it. But truth be told... She had nothing on Elena...
"Oh..." She pouted. "I'm sure your friend wouldn't mind." She smiled. "And I can be very friendly too." Her fingers stroked his arm and she winked at him.
"Vick! You have tables to clean." Matt came back.
The sandy blonde huffed in annoyance.
"I'm on my break too, Matt." She scowled at him.
"You already took it thirty minutes ago, Vick."
"I'm busy, here." Her long fingers were still stroking Damon's arm.
Matt rolled his eyes. "Vicky Donovan... The tables. Now."
Vicky huffed again. "I'll talk to you later." She winked at Damon.
With a last scowl at her brother she walked away toward the other waitress and they started talking in whispers sending glances in Damon's direction.
"I apologize for my sister behavior." Matt told him.
"She's your sister?"
"Yep. Very annoying, I know, but I still love her."
"Is that your way to tell me to stay away?" He couldn't help but smirk.
Matt laughed loudly. "You can say that. But not for the reasons you think. Like I said... I love her to no ends but the girl's middle name is trouble." Matt face fell a little. "I try to take care of her the best I can but ever since our mother left... It's only the two of us since she's fourteen. But honestly I didn't know how to take care of a teenage girl when I was barely an adult myself." Matt sighed and shook his head. "Do I look like a mother? Seriously?" He tried to joke.
"You both seem great. I mean you both have a job. She seems to be fine. I think you did great."
"Are you flattering me to get an augmentation? Already?" Matt chuckled.
Damon smiled slightly, a vague trace of bittersweet feeling on his face.
"I know we don't know each other for long but from what I can see... It could have been a lot worst... You can trust me on that." Damon drank the last drop of his coffee."
Matt frowned. "You sound like you know what I'm talking about."
"I have a younger brother. I used to watch over him after the death of our mother." He sighed. "I just wish I had done things differently." Damon shrugged and Matt frown deepened. "Sorry, man. I usually don't talk about that crap." Damon scoffed.
"That's okay. I'm not much of a talker either." Matt slid off his stool. "Break's over anyway."
"I'll go back to the kitchen." Damon replied getting off his stool too.
Elena pushed her cart in the local grocery store. She had the intention of trying to cook something for Damon to celebrate his first day at The Grill. Or at least she would attempt to cook something without burning the house this time.
Her eyes fell on her reddened hand and her lips curled up and her eyes closed when she remembered Damon kissing her cheek. She knew she was starting to fall for him and she didn't know how to react to it.
"I love ice cream too, Elena." A bubbly voice cut her off her sweet day dream. "But what this one has that's so special to make you smile like a school girl?"
Elena looked up to be faced by a smirking Caroline. She could feel herself blushing.
"Caroline! Hi!" Elena giggled and hugged her friend before kissing both her cheeks.
"So?" The blonde inquired.
Elena giggled again. "Nothing, actually. I was just thinking about something."
Caroline's eyes lit up. "Something or someone?" She waggled her perfectly shaped eyebrows.
Elena blushed even more and avoided her friend's gaze.
"I knew it!" Caroline squealed loud enough for other costumers to glance toward them. "Who is it?"
"Caroline, please."
"Come on... don't be a party pooper and tell your best friend." She pouted and did her best puppy face.
"There's nothing to say, Caroline."
Caroline sighed dramatically. "Fine! Be that way. I'll find out anyway." She winked.
Elena rolled her eyes. What was she supposed to say? There wasn't anything going on between her and Damon. Right?
"I just have a friend staying home for a while."
The eyes of the bubbly blonde lit up again and she clasped her hands together.
"So, there is someone..." She smiled.
Elena picked a tub of chocolate ice cream in the freezer and dropped it in her cart.
"Just an old friend, Caroline. There's nothing going on, here."
"Can I at least know his name?"
Elena scoffed. "I never said it was a man."
"Pluh-ease!" The blonde began. "We wouldn't be having this conversation if it was a woman."
"He's just a friend..." Elena mumbled.
"But you'd like him to be more?"
Elena blushed. "I... I don't know, to be honest."
The girls kept walking on the alley and Caroline hooked her arms to Elena's one.
"Well... We're just going to have to find out!" She quipped.
Elena stirred the Bolognese sauce. It was a family recipe and this was one of the things she could cook without destroying the kitchen or poisoning anyone. All she would have to do next was to cook the pasta that would go with her Bolognese. She only needed to wait to Damon to come back. She nervously glanced at the time; it was four thirty-five. He should be home soon.
Right on cue, she heard a door opening slowly. She could almost hear the hesitation in his steps, like he wasn't sure if he could come in. She decided to go and welcome him. The second she saw him her heart started to race and she felt the warmth on her cheeks. He really was the most handsome man she laid her eyes on.
"Hey! How was your day?" She asked smiling.
Damon made a few steps toward her. He was standing before her, only one foot of her. Their eyes glued to the others and her lips parted.
"I think it went well." He finally answered and ran a hand in his hair looking away. "It smells good." He then told after sniffing the air.
"Thank you. It's the Bolognese sauce. I'm making spaghetti for dinner. This is probably the only thing I can cook without burning anything." She giggled and his eyes darkened.
"You can go shower if you like." Elena said and took one step back. "I'll start the pasta just after. If you're hungry, that is."
Damon chuckled. "I'm starving, to be honest. I cooked all day but barely had the time to eat myself."
"Busy day, huh?"
"Very..." he smiled.
They fell into an awkward silence. Damon cleared his throat and pointed to the staircase.
"I better go shower now." And for the second time today, just like that, he was gone.
Damon and Elena were sitting at the little table in the kitchen. He swirled his spaghetti around his fork and brought the mouthful to his lips. Elena looked at him, anxious. She hoped he would like it. When he closed his eyes and groaned his appreciation to the meal, Elena felt very pleased with herself.
"You like it?"
"Hmm mmm." He nodded his mouth still full of the delicious food.
"Good. Because it's probably the only thing I can cook." She let out a soft giggle.
"It's really good." He smiled.
They kept eating in a comfortable silence. The comfort quickly was replaced by nervousness. Neither one of them had talked, yet, about what happened last night and this morning. Elena tried to keep her eyes on her plate but a quick glance in Damon's direction told her he was looking at her.
Her heart raced again and like she always done when she was nervous, she started laughing. At first it was only soft giggles that she tried to cover with her hand on her mouth but it ended up in loud laughs. Her laughs slowly came to an end when she saw Damon's frown.
"I'm sorry... I always do that when I'm nervous..." She looked down to her plate.
Damon swallowed hard and put down his fork on the table.
"I make you nervous?" His pulse quickened. To be honest he was nervous to.
She nodded and blushed. "Damon..." She began. "I think we need to talk."
"Need to talk?" His voice was low.
She nodded again.
"About what happened last night..." Her voice was as low as his.
This was it, he thought. She would tell him that what happened was a mistake and that it should not happen again. Maybe she would ask him to leave... He didn't want to leave...
"That's okay Elena. I understand."
She frowned. "Huh?"
"It won't happen again." He sounded resigned.
"Damon... I..."
"Don't worry, Elena. Like I said... I understand. It's okay if you regret it."
Elena could hear the hurt in his voice and it broke her heart. That was not what she wanted to say or do.
"Maybe I should go." He continued.
Go? Where? She didn't want him to go!
"Elena... Thank you for everything that you've done for me." He got up on his feet. "But I think it's best for both of us if I just leave."
Elena jumped on her feet and went to stand in front of him.
"Damon, I don't want you to go. I want you to stay." She said adamant, surprising both of them with her tone.
"Elena..."
She grabbed his hands in hers. "I don't regret it, Damon." She told him. "I ran last night because I panicked." Her heart was racing. "I enjoyed the kiss very much..." She whispered.
He shook his head. "Elena... The only thing I'm thinking of since we've met is you... And right now... If I don't leave..." He sighs deeply. "All I want to do is kiss you again and take you upstairs."
Her eyes widened and her lips parted. She could feel the desire pooling and aching down to her core. Her hands gripped tighter on his.
"Why don't you?" She breathed.
A/N: I'm so evil! Muahahahaha!
Please forgive me for stopping there. (puppy eyes) I wasn't supposed to. Damon was supposed to be very happy at the end of this chapter... I promise he will in the next one. The next chapter won't take more than a few days to be updated because half of it is already written. Maybe I'll just make the next chapter really short so you can read it in a week top. (more puppy eyes) I know just like me, you all want Damon to get some lovin'! Don't worry he will!
In the future chapters, Delena will obviously become more and more closer.
Don't forget that Caroline and Stefan are engaged and that Caroline and Elena are friends... The two brothers will eventually come face to face...
We'll also learn more about Damon's secrets and if he's really who he claims to be...
Please, please, please! Let me know what you think and leave a review! (even if I'm evil)
Take care,
Eve xo
Twitter: titeve79
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. I'm only borrowing the characters. All rights go to L.J. Smith, Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson.
