Disclaimer: I've written it before and I will write again: I don't own The Vampire Diaries.
Chapter Ten- Jumble
Elena wiped her desk with her hand. Over the months, Damon had noticed that, though usually Elena preferred to be more tidy, her room's desk seemed to often be neglected. He supposed that, between saving the town and trying to stay alive, there wasn't all that much time for her to clean up her room. He stared at her, wondering why he had been called there. It wasn't like he was very good at organizing things. Usually, he just tried to keep them in their place, which was defined by Stefan, who had always been somewhat of a neat freak. Damon's eyebrows knitted as he heard Elena sigh.
- What's wrong? - He asked her, almost running to her side to make sure she was alright.
- It's just that Stefan usually helped me out when it came to cleaning up my room. I'm not very good at it. - She admitted, throwing her hands up in defeat.
Damon groaned lowly. She expected him to be her assistant that day, since Stefan was out there somewhere with Klaus. He felt like saying something like "no, thanks" and running away, but he couldn't let his brother win. Most of all, he couldn't bring himself to let Elena down, not after all what he had failed to do. He wanted to be there for her, and he knew it was a package deal, he got both the nice parts and the not so good ones.
With a sigh, he got closer to her and leaned over to examine the mess. There were paper sheets, pencils, pages of her diary and several other odds and ends. He repressed a groan. It was going to be a long afternoon.
- Well, let's get to work. - He said, faking cheeriness.
As he started to pick up random items and try to figure out what he was supposed to do with them, he noticed something Elena didn't seem to be having much trouble with her part of the desk. While he was still trying to figure out where to put the pencil he held in his hand, Elena was sorting out all her things in little stacks on the floor, and she seemed to be having a fair amount of fun doing so. A suspicious grin started to form on his face.
- Elena, do you really need my help? - He nodded towards her part of the organization.
- Kind of... No. - She gave in, her gaze dropping to the floor.
He got closer to her, listening to her hear rate rising each step he gave. He stared at her flushed cheeks for a second, smiling, It didn't matter the how she was feeling, - sad, happy, embarrassed- she always looked astonishing. As he arrived beside her, he felt himself drawn to her, ready to take advantage of her emotionally weakened state. But he couldn't bring himself to do something so wrong to her. To any other girl, yes, but not to Elena. If he was ever going to have her, it would be on her own terms.
He put a hand on her shoulder and she lifted her head.
- I want you to know that you don't ever have to be embarrassed of asking me to keep you company, alright? - He told her, his voice a mixture of sternness and warmness.
She nodded, her gaze dropping to the ground once again.
Damon wanted to sigh in frustration. The battle that was being fought inside him didn't make it any easier for him to think of ways to make her feel comfortable with him again. Ever since they had that shared that moment by the fireplace, Elena had been acting erratically around him. He could only hope that one day things would go back to the way they used to be.
He stared at her again. He had no idea what to do. A part of him felt that there was no way to get her back, that she would never feel free to be herself around him again. He didn't know what had caused her to behave like that. He had never seen her shy or embarrassed around anyone. Then, as he replayed the scene on his head, he understood. He had seen at her most fragile state, having to face the truth that Stefan wasn't coming back and that she had to let him go, and she had seen him vulnerable as well. Had Katherine not called, things could have evolved.
He stared at her in the eye and said, as fiercely as he could while thinking that he could be making the second biggest mistake of his life, right after falling in love with Katherine:
- Elena, I don't know if there ever will be anything between us, but please don't do anything that you'll regret. I have waited for you for months and I can wait longer.
She nodded, relaxing. Her eyes met his and Damon could feel the turmoil going on inside her head. It wasn't just the desk that was jumbled, her emotions were as well. A minute passed without either of them speaking or moving. But suddenly, without any hesitation, Elena threw her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest.
- I don't know what to do, Damon. - She murmured - But I know that I have to let Stefan go. I meant what I said.
That was all Damon needed to hear. If he needed, he would wait a thousand years. It would be worth it if he go to have her love for even one single day.
She looked up at him, her eyes locking on his, and said, her voice loud and clear like she was trying to make a very important point:
- And I want you to know that I'm tired of pretending.
Damon stared quizzically at her, furrowing his brows. She just laughed at his face and gave him one more hug, making him completely forget her puzzling remark.
Author's Note: This chapter was bigger, right? I just started to write and when I realized it was somewhere around two times a normal chapter! And I felt like writing something a litte bit different from the other chapters. Did you like it? Please, R&R!