Chapter 10

Damon left the bathroom in favor of the bedroom. He took several calming breaths reminding himself that he was a destroyer. He would ruin her and that would be bad. Instead he put on his stoic facade on and once again planted the 'player' smirk on his face closing of all his emotions. He had learned a long time ago to never allow anyone to see under the bad boy surface. They would always take advantage of his vulnerability.

With long steps he left the room, turned his mic on and went to the living room. Making himself a drink he joined Andie on the couch. The reporter flashed him a smile that barely reached her lips, her alone her eyes. She had been compelled for too long. Maybe Stefan had a point. Compelling people wasn't always a grand idea.

"I've missed you so much! It's been forever since I've seen your handsome face."

She said in an inviting monotone. Damon grit his teeth and covered it by a cold smile. Andie immediately slid closer to him and put her hand on his leg.

"How's it been living with her? You're such a loner baby and she's throwing herself at you"

Andie spit the word 'she'. Damon wanted nothing more than to throw Andie out on her ass. Maybe get a bite out of her while he was at it. He also knew it would be a bad, bad, bad idea. He was supposed to be a playboy that left zero asses untapped, not some lovesick fool who was pining over his shy roommate.

Focus Damon! What you want doesn't matter, you have a reputation to think. He heard his father's voice scold him in his head. God what was Bella doing to him? His father had been dead for 150 years!

Damon took a deep calming breath and put his hand tentatively on Andie's on his thigh. He thought about breaking it for a moment.

"It's been nice, Andie. I like her. Bella's a good girl and she's interesting to be around."

"Yeah, well I think she's annoying as hell. I can't wait to get you alone tonight,"

she said as she laid her head on his shoulder and started talking about the steps of her upcoming show and what life in Mystic Falls had been like since the show started. Damon noted that Andie never once mentioned Logan. Her husband.

Turning a deaf ear to her chatter, he sipped his scotch as he was wondering what Bella was doing. From the loud banging that was coming from the kitchen, it was apparent that Bella was taking it out her emotions on harmless pots and pans.

"I need a cigarette, Roxanne,"

he pulled away from her and walked out the back porch. When he passed in front of the kitchen he saw Bella over the open half wall that separated it from the dining table but the girl of his thoughts had her back firmly to him. In fast she stood so straight he could bounce a quarter off her spine. He sighed and shook his head.

sliding the glass doors open he stepped to the twilight. He tapped one out of the pack and fumbled for his lighter. Andie's heels clicked as she followed him out.

"Oh, thank God! I've needed a nicotine fix since I got here. Couldn't they take you somewhere close to civilization? And why is this place so rotten? It feels like its ancient"

She fired complaint after complaint. If he threw her down at the rocks, could he play it like a horrible accident? He smirked as he imagined the scenario again and again and how it would look on the cameras as he lit a cigarette, handed it to her and got one out for himself.

It was going to be a long weekend.

Bella knew she was in one of the four corners of Hell. She had shied away from the happy couple on purpose and the best way she knew to achieve that was to throw herself into cooking. Piling her long hair in a messy bun on the top of her head she held in place with a single chopstick and dove through the fridge and the pantry to find something to bake.

If she kept her hands busy then she wouldn't try to find ways to off Andie. Simple as that. Damon and Andie had spent the entire afternoon outside smoking and talking and as the hours rolled by, he felt a little more numb inside.

The darkness that crept from outside made her wish for sunshine although she was thankful that they hadn't turned on the porch lights. The last thing she wanted was to see them.

What was she thinking? Just because they were somewhat friendly to each other and spent every waking minute together that something would happen between them? Putting them together, locked in a house was the show's baseline, idiot! Just because the few times she had woken up during the night, Damon would be holding her, that meant he liked her? Just because they spent their afternoons together in the porch, her reading with him writing songs, that meant he liked her?

his producers were firm. Damon Salvatore doesn't like anyone.

She stirred the jasmine rice firmly and blamed the steam that hit her face for the burning in her eyes. She refused to cry. Their kiss meant nothing, it was just sexual release. that was all and she had to keep it in mind. They had to coexist for six more weeks and the fastest they passed the better. Meanwhile she'd take permanent residence on the couch or out back. She loved falling asleep in the porch back at forks. Put distance between her and Damon.

"Honey, I'm home!"

A very familiar husky voice called. Turning around slowly Bella took in the bare feet clumsily put in slip-ons, the cut off jeans with the holes in both knees and the strong, rusty skin tone. The joking smile that shone in the room tingled at her like a Colgate commercial and she shot like an arrow for the open arms.

"Jake!"