AN: So, I had to give Damon something to do while Elena was away. It was a hard long chapter to write, but the end is worth it. Enjoy!
It's been three ridiculously long and boring weeks. I've managed to waste most of my savings on bourbon, piss off my boss, and let my apartment get filthy. I'm currently lounging on the couch, bottle of bourbon clutched loosley in my hand, drunk off of my ass. Midnight it sitting on the floor in front of the couch, just staring at me and barking every so often. I should probably take him outside, do my dishes, and wash my laundry. But then, what is the point? No one is coming over, it's just gonna be me for at least another five months, if not longer. I still remember that night, clear as day, like a dream and a nightmare all in one. I'd told her I loved her at the end of it all. But, she didn't look back at me, she only paused for a second and then whispered "I can't."
I took a drink of my bourbon and rolled off of the couch. It was late friday night and other than riding Mint tomorrow afternoon, I had no plans for the weekend. My mom was doing some remodeling around the ranch and refused to let me help. I hadn't had single phone call from Elena since she left and those were really my only two options. I stumbled into the kitchen, in search of Midnight's leash. It was buried underneath take out boxes and dirty dishes. I carefully pull it out, trying not to knock things over, but they topple off the counter anyway. "Shit!" I hiss, jumping out of the way.
I hook Midnight's leash to his collar and head towards the door to my apartment, when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I frown, because I haven't heard that sound in a long time, I'd forgotten my phone was in my pocket. I pull it out and look at the screen, my heart stops. She'd texted me...I wasn't sure if I wanted to look at it or not. In the end, I lost the battle and opened the message.
I miss you.
That was all she had said and I stuck it back in my pocket, too hurt to respond just yet. I walk out the door and down to the parking lot. I take Midnight to his usual spot and stand around waiting. The world is spinning slightly and I'm hoping he gets done fast so that I can collapse on my bed and sleep off the alcohol. I wobble a little and finally give up, sitting on the curb while Midnight runs around excitedly. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but a little while later I'm waking up to Elena's face. Only it's not her, I can tell by the look in her eyes and the smirk on her face. "Damon, I found your dog wandering out by the road. I was on my way to Elena's old place from a nearby bar and I was a little worried." She helps me sit up and I have to close my eyes for a moment.
"Katherine...don't tell Elena." I manage to get out through the pain.
"I won't, let's get you inside and in bed." She says and I sigh.
"I don't think-"
"I'm not going to take advantage of you." She cuts me off. "I just know that if something happened to you, Elena would be heart broken. I'll tuck you in and then I'll take off, I promise." She says holding up her right hand.
"Okay." She helps me to my feet and wraps an arm around me to keep my drunk ass from falling over. Only then do I notice that she's got Midnight's leash in her hand. He's sitting by her feet waiting patiently and I'm reminded of the time that he tied me and Elena together. I stumble my way up to the apartment with Katherine's help and she settles me in bed. The sheets still smell like her and I let out a strangled sob. Katherine stops on her way out of the bedroom and turns around to face me. "I miss her and I know I sound like a pussy right now. But I don't think I can do this much longer."
"Damon." Katherine comes back over and sits on the side of the bed. "She's coming back for you. As long as you'll take her, she'll be back. She got a job last week and she's working nights to make money to move out. Just be strong a little longer and take a damn shower." She adds at the end and I can't help but laugh.
"She texted me tonight." I add when I finally calm down. "I haven't texted her back yet, because I don't think I can handle talking to her and not seeing her. I have no one to distract me until she comes back. I'm kind of a loser in the sense that I have no friends." I'm sitting up against the headboard now and I hate that Katherine is seeing me like this. No one should have to see me like this.
"Well, now you have one." My eyes snap up at that. "I will be your friend and keep you busy until she gets back." She gives me a cheery smile and tucks me in. "Now get some sleep, because I'll be here bright and early to distract you." She orders and leaves the room. I'm out before I can process the fact that I just made friends with Katherine, Elena's twin sister.
When I wake up in the morning, due to a stomach ache, my room smells like cleaning products. I sit up slowly and look around my room. All the clothes are picked up off of the floor and the dirty clothes hamper is empty. I frown and climb out of bed. I walk into the bathroom and it's just as clean as my bedroom. After using the bathroom and taking a hot shower, I get dressed, finding that all my clothes are clean and put away. Had Katherine really taken the time to clean my apartment last night? That would have taken her at least a couple of hours to accomplish. Freshly showered and dressed, I walk in the kitchen to find the coffee pot going and breakfast waiting on the island. I look around, thinking Katherine was in the room somewhere, but she's not there. I pour myself some coffee and sit at the bar to eat. I'm about halfway done when the front door opens. "Hey, you're up!" She says happily, striding into the apartment.
"Uh, yeah, thanks for cleaning up. You didn't have to do that." I reply awkwardly.
"It's what friends do. Now, eat your breakfast, because from what Elena tells me, you have a horse to go ride." She walks over to the fridge with a bag I hadn't noticed before and puts away the groceries that she bought.
"You bought groceries?" I ask, arching an eyebrow.
"I'm not eating canned soup and sandwiches every day." She replies and throws the bag in the trash. Then she heads into the extra bedroom. I'm not sure what she's doing in there, but I don't go find out. Instead, I finish my breakfast and coffee, then take my dishes to the sink to wash them. Midnight comes into the kitchen and wags his tail happily. I tell him goodmorning and give him a good tummy rub. I feel kind of bad that I've been neglecting him so much lately. I make a mental note to pick him up something special at the store later. When I stand back up, Katherine walks back into the room, holding my keys and her purse.
"Are we leaving?" I ask curiously.
"Yes, grab your phone and lets go." She says marching over to the door. I do as she says, grabbing my phone and hooking Midnight's leash to his collar. We drove around looking at ranch houses for a while, did a little shopping which I barely survived, and then drove out to the ranch to ride Mint. Katherine refused to get on the horse, so I rode in the arena where she could sit and watch. Luckily there were some jumps set up from the week, so I went over them several times, laughing at the way Katherine would flinch when Mints hooves left the ground. After a thirty minute workout for Mint, I took him back into the barn to brush him down and feed him a treat. I'm in the middle of putting up his saddle, when I hear Katherine talking to Mint. "What is she talking about?" I whisper to myself and go stand by the door, where she can't see me.
"We're gonna get him through this, me and you. Between the two of us, time will fly by so fast, he won't know what hit him. Cause no one likes seeing Damon sad, am I right?" Mint snorts in response and Katherine shrieks a little. I laugh and walk back out to put Mint in his stall.
"Are you okay?" I ask, closing his stall door behind me.
"Yeah, he's actually really sweet. I never got along with Elena's horse. I swear that thing hated me." I just laugh again and take Katherine's arm as we walk out of the barn together, Midnight in tow. From there we head back to my apartment to watch a movie that Katherine had bought while we were out shopping. She insisted that I get at least one, and that my movie collection was sorely lacking. I tried to explain to her that I didn't used to have time to watch movies and she just looked at me like I was crazy. I gave up and let her pick out one. She pops some popcorn and for a moment, while she's standing in front of the microwave, she looks just like Elena. But then she turns around and the moment is over, my heart sinks. She takes the popcorn out and joins me on the couch. She smiles at me and presses play. I've never heard of this movie before, but it has my interest. From what I understand it's about a girl who takes a test, finds out that the test results are inconclusive and has to keep this hidden from her family. I'm about halfway through the movie when I notice that Katherine is asleep. She's nestled into my side, just like Elena, and it's completely innocent, but it feels wrong. I lean my head back against the couch and try to calm my pounding heart. I turn my attention back to the movie and watch as the girl takes out a bunch of people and then runs away with the man she fell in love with. When the credits start rolling, I carefully move away from Katherine, setting her head gently on the couch. I walk into my bedroom, grab a blanket, and come back out to cover her with it.
"Stefan." She sighs and I smile, there's someone else and it makes everything seem okay again. I tuck her in, returning the favor, and grab my bottle of bourbon before heading into my bedroom.
Katherine and I continued this way for a long time, looking out for each other. She spent most nights on my couch and I wondered if she was dating Stefan or if she just had a thing for him. I would have to ask her at some point. We took turns making breakfast for each other, her on the weekdays and me on the weekends. I discovered that she was a decent cook and also that she liked to sing while she cooked. I'd woken up more mornings than not, to her singing some random pop song that I didn't recognize. Eventually we ran out of things to do and we started hanging out at the apartment and just talking to each other. I did find out that she had Stefan's number and that they talked all the time. She had been on one date with him, but he lived an hour and a half away, so they didn't see each other all that often. She told me about the things that they talked about and the sweet things he said about her. I was starting to realize that Katherine and Elena weren't all that different.
It was late one saturday night and I hadn't heard from Katherine all day, I was starting to get worried, when my phone went off. I picked it up off of the coffee table, setting down my glass of bourbon. I'd worked my way back down to drinking it out of a glass instead of a bottle, which helped me drink a lot less. I looked at the screen and suddenly wished that Katherine was with me.
I'll see you in a week.
Four little words and my world falls apart again. She was coming back...it'd been seven months of Katherine and me, I'd actually managed to keep my spirits up. I wondered if things would be the same, would she still want me the way she did? I needed a hair cut and a shave. I had told her I loved her and she hadn't said it back. I wasn't sure I was ready to face her again, but I couldn't tell her no.
I'm still here.
I simply put, not sure what else to say. I sent the message and put my phone back on the table. I went back to watching the movie that Katherine had insisted that I see. I still didn't know where she was. I picked up my phone and texted her.
Where are you?
She didn't text me back until the movie was over. I hadn't gotten ready for bed, taken Midnight out, and had another glass of bourbon by the time my phone went off.
I'm sorry, I got busy with school work. I had a paper to write and didn't have any time
to leave the apartment.
I rolled over onto my stomach and stared at the wall for a moment. She had to know that Elena was moving out, I was sure that they talked about everything these days. Katherine was always telling me how much Elena missed me. Why hadn't she told me?
She's coming back.
I texted her back and closed my eyes, trying to breath in Elena's scent, it had long since faded away, but it didn't stop me from trying. I wondered briefly if she would still smell the same.
I know.
I could almost hear the sympathy in her voice. How did she know me so well after such a short time. But when I thought about it, Elena knew me inside and out after a month.
You're not coming over anymore are you.
She didn't want to get in the way of our relationship, I could tell by the way she suddenly disappeared when Elena was suddenly coming back. On the downside, though, I missed my friend. A week without Katherine or Elena was going to be a long week.
Not unless Elena invites me over. Trust me, this is for the best. You'll be okay
And don't forget to shower.
I laughed, I trusted Katherine, as weird as that was. I knew that she was doing this for a reason, but it didn't mean that it sucked any less.
I won't lol. But just so you know...I'll miss you.
It takes her a little while to text back and I wonder if she's actually with Elena. If that were the case, she'd be trying to hide the fact that she's talking to me.
I'll miss you too, Damon. Goodnight.
I text her back goodnight and close my eyes, not bothering to put the phone on the charger. I'd probably sleep through anyone calling anyway. I hadn't told Katherine, but I'd only been getting about four hours of sleep at night. I close my eyes and while I'm sure I fell asleep, all I remember is seeing her face.
I wake up at five the next morning, exhausted from lack of sleep. I roll out of bed, get dressed, and make my coffee. On the way to the ranch, I stop at a gas station to grap some breakfast, a new habit of mine after the night I came down sick. When I pull up outside of the barn, the sun is just coming up over the horizon. I get out of the truck and let Midnight loose. He's big enough now that I don't have to keep him in the stall, but I have to watch him a little around the horses. He's pissed off more than one of them. I walk quickly through the barn, moving from memory as I clean stalls, brush horses, fill feed buckets, and then go to my truck for lunch. I sit in the front seat, Midnight sitting next to me as I eat the sandwich I keep in my fridge every night before work, so I can just grab it. I give him a bite of bread here and there, watching the clouds move across the sky. I pull out my phone and try sending a text to Elena, even though I have a feeling she won't answer, since she's either in class or with her parents.
Midnight is huge now.
It's a safe topic and if she responds, her parents shouldn't suspect anything. I don't know if they know that Elena got me a dog. I look over at him and he licks his chops, eyeing my half eaten sandwich. I smirk and give him another bite of bread, before taking a huge bite myself. I wonder if I'll always work from seven to seven or if I'll have a job that pays well enough for me to work shorter hours. I have a feeling that if I get Elena back, I'm going to want to spend as much time as possible with her. My phone buzzes and I open the message assuming that it's from Elena.
Did you get up and go to work? Are you doing okay?
It's Katherine, she sounds really concerned. I forgot to text her this morning to let her know that I wasn't falling to pieces again. I smile, because she turned out to be an unlikely friend. I finished my sandwich before texting her back.
I'm up and at work. I'm doing fine, just finished lunch and I ate breakfast. I'll be home
around seven. I know you said you shouldn't come over anymore, but I'd like to see
you.
I text her back and I pause for a moment, wondering if I shouldn't have done that. I shake it off and go back into the barn to saddle up Mint. We go for a short trail ride and I'm on my way back when I hear it again. The rushing water is faint but it's there. I pause for a minute, debating on whether I should go back there. I decide that I won't return there without Elena, it's a place that is only special with her. I ride back to the barn at a slightly faster pace than I'd been going. I put Mint back in his stall and finish my work at a liesurely pace. I finish around seven thirty, thinking that Katherine won't show anyway. I drive home the scenic way and go through a drive through to get a burger. I pull up outside my apartment around eight thirty, to find Katherine's car sitting in the parking lot. I roll my eyes and get out, letting Midnight out of the back seat. He takes off for the stairs at a run, knowing the routine by heart now. Katherine is waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me.
"You couldn't have told me you were going to be home late? I've been here since seven-fifteen." She says crossing her arms and glaring at me.
"I honestly didn't think you were going to show. So, I went for a drive and stopped to get a burger. But since you're here, what do you want to do?" I ask, starting up the stairs after Midnight, Katherine follows me, sighing in defeat. She must have been expecting me to get huffy right back.
"I'm not sure, it's too late to go do anything really. Do you wanna cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie?" She asks and it feels like thats all we ever do, but she's right, it's too late to go anywhere.
"Sure, its not like I am lacking movies these days. In fact, I have more movies than I have time to watch." I joke as I unlock the door and let Midnight in.
"Well, we have a week, so why don't we watch one a night until you've seen them all." She follows me inside and I lock the door behind her. Midnight has a hold of his squeaky toy that I bought him the other day. I walked around him, into the bedroom.
"I'm gonna shower, you make the popcorn and pick a movie and I'll be out in a bit." I call to her and close the bathroom door, not waiting for an answer. I started the hot water and stripped down. With the hot water, the smell of horse got a little more intense than it was before. I heard my phone buzz on the floor, inside my jeans pocket. I reached down and pulled my phone out of my pocket, checking the screen before I opened the message.
Can you send me a picture of him, pretty please! I miss him too.
I chuckled and set my phone on the counter, before climbing into the shower. The picture would have to wait until after my shower. The hot water relaxed my muscles as it sprayed over my body. I felt as though I might actually fall asleep in the shower, if I didn't get out soon. I scrubbed my body quickly and then shampooed my hair, massaging my scalp as I did so. When I was rinsed and clean, I got out and headed into my bedroom to get dressed. I picked out some pajama pants and a plain white shirt. I'd stopped sleeping without my shirt because I didn't want Katherine seeing more than she needed to. When I walked back out, the movie was already started and Katherine was eating popcorn like her life depended on it. I stood behind the couch for a moment and watched to see what movie she picked. I wasn't sure what it was called, but it had a lot of monkeys in it. I joined her on the couch a moment later, letting her curl up into my side, just like Elena used to. She sighed contentedly and continued munching on popcorn. I wasn't sure exactly when it happened, but I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up to Katherine whispering my name in my ear. "I'm up." I said in a daze and sat up. She was standing over me, with a smile on her face.
"Don't rush, it's only been an hour. I just thought you might want to sleep in your bed." She offered and helped me up off of the couch.
"Yeah, it tends to be more comfortable. Are you staying the night?" I ask hopeful, its just nice to know that someone else is in the apartment. She looks like she's thinking it over and then she just moves away from me. "Did I do something wrong?" I ask, following her into the kitchen.
"You're getting too attached, I'm afraid that this is going to get in the way of your and Elena's relationship. I'm gonna go and you're going to go to bed. Text me tomorrow, Okay?" She says, gathering her things. I just nod and walk into my bedroom, I flop down onto the bed and listen for her to leave the apartment. I fell asleep before I heard the front door shut.
I drag my butt through the next few days, using movies to keep me busy in my free time. I'm drinking bourbon every night, but not enough to get drunk. I've been there and done that and I don't want to do it again. I want myself in control when Elena comes back. I text Katherine all the time, but I don't invite her over anymore. I've ridden all the trails out at the ranch over the week, using it to keep me busy on my lunch break. By friday night I'm fried, walking like a zombie into my apartment. I let Midnight off of his leash and stumble into the bathroom and start the bath water running. Then I wander back into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of bourbon, taking it back into the bathroom with me. I set my glass on the almost full tub, turn of the water, and strip down. I slip into the water slowly, groaning at my sore muscles. Once I'm settled, I take my glass and take a drink. I swish the liquid around in the glass, watching it swirl. It's been a week and I haven't heard from her, did she change her mind?
"I don't know, Midnight. Maybe she did figure out that she could do better." Midnight barked at me. "Yeah, you're right. She'll be here." I lean back, resting my head against the tub. I take another drink and close my eyes. I hear Midnight leave the bathroom, he's bounding around the living room. I figure that he's playing with one of his toys, so I don't open my eyes. As I'm laying there my mind starts wandering, I remember how Elena's body feels pressed up against mine in the water. The way she gripped my hair, her soft lips brushing over mine. My body is reacting to the memory and I groan.
"Is the bath that good or are you dreaming about me?" I sit up suddenly, because I know that voice. She's standing just a few feet from the tub, a huge grin on her face.
"Elena." I feel like an idiot, because I can't form a coherent thought at the sight of her. I'm reminded of how different she is from Katherine. Even the look in her eyes is vastly different. I want to go to her and hold her, never let her go. But if I stand up out of the tub, it'll be a really awkward reunion. "I...I..." I'm stumbling over my words and she's just laughing at me.
"I'll be in the living room." She says through her giggles. I watch her leave, and I'm out of the tub so fast that the water hasn't even begun draining. As I'm getting my pajama pants on, I can't help but smile, life seems right again.