Feel This Moment
Disclaimer: I don't anything or anyone from The Vampire Diaries.
I'm back! I had an amazing time travelling, it was insane and incredible and I'm sad to be home but not sad to get back into writing and posting more chapters for you awesome people!
But first...
For those of you who don't already know, I've started a new story. It's called Cannonball, and just like this one it is AU and all human. It is a story about Damon and Elena coming from two rivalling families who hate each other, one family on the good side of the law and the other on the bad. They couldn't possibly fall for each other, right? ;)
So please, if you haven't already, check it out! I'm nervous about starting a new story and I really want it to do well and hopefully it will be as successful as Crying Lightning!
Anyway, back to the main event:
In this chapter Damon is 23 and Elena 22 and it is set during the summer after they have both graduated from college.
(PS another little warning, it's late and I'm tired and I wanted to get this posted tonight because I felt bad for making you all wait this long already, so I haven't proof read this chapter so I hope if their are any spelling, grammar or even simple timing/story mistakes that you'll let it slide just the once :) thanks!)
Australia is amazing.
It is everything that he ever imagined it to be and so much more.
The beaches here are beautiful, the locals are friendly and even the food is great.
He can't say a bad thing about the place.
So why the hell does he feel so sick and anxious right now?
Damon takes a deep breath as he stands out on the porch of the beach house they are staying in, looking out over the ocean of Bondi Beach, his hands resting in his shorts pocket, his right one clutching a box tightly.
He steps down the porch decks and walks out into the sand, the grains slipping into his sandals as he strolls along.
He hears Elena before he sees her.
She's in the water attempting to surf with some Australian locals that they became friendly with since they got to this part of Sydney just over a week ago. She's laughing loudly, trying not to choke on the salt water as she goes to jump up on the board as a fairly sized wave comes along.
He smiles at the sound. At the way she looks so free right now, so happy, so alive.
He loves her so much.
They've been in Australia now for over a month, and they still have another three weeks left in the country before they are flying back to New York to start living in the real grown up world now that they have both graduated from college. They've already traveled the country, hitting Melbourne, Perth, Cairns and Adelaide before landing here in Sydney.
He thinks they'll probably end up staying here for the rest of their trip. He likes it here and he knows that Elena does too.
He chuckles to himself as the big wave Elena was waiting for comes along and she manages to stay standing on the board for a good 40 seconds before she goes flying off.
For a second a wave of worry and panic overtakes him as he watches his girlfriend go crashing into the surf, disappearing from sight as she sinks under the water but it doesn't take her long to resurface and he lets out a breath of relief and his smile comes straight back as he watches her giggle, push her wet hair from her face and climb back onto her board to try all over again.
Another reason why he loves her.
She never gives up.
"Hey Damon!" Harry, a local they met who works in one of the bars along the coastal strip they are near. "What you doing just standing there mate? Come join us! Some of these waves are insane!"
He clutches the box in his shorts pocket even tighter and sees from the corner of his eye that Elena has noticed his presence. "I'm good Harry, maybe tomorrow!" he calls out.
"Chicken!" Harry teasingly shouts back but he just laughs and shakes his head.
He stands still and watches as Elena starts to swim back out to shore and he immediately tenses and holds onto the box tightly in his pocket.
Shit.
"Hey." she sounds breathless as she walks out of the water and he feels his penis twitching as the water drips down her barely covered body. Her bikini not leaving much to the imagination and all he wants to do is reach out and touch her. "You ok?" she tilts her head to the side, a small smile on her face.
"Yep." he nods quickly, his eyes wide and he watches as an evil smirk crosses her lips.
"You like?" she asks quietly, a teasing tone to her voice and it makes his heart skip a beat.
"You know that I do." he smirks back, his worry and panic momentarily forgotten about. "I hope you're going to give me a private show later."
"If you're lucky." she winks at him and he laughs and it puts his guard down because before he knows it Elena is right in front of him with her arms wrapped around his waist and he immediately tenses and pulls back. "What's wrong?" she asks confused, looking at him worriedly.
"Nothing." he tries to sound casual but even he can hear the nerves in his voice. "I just...don't wanna get wet." he lies lamely and sees Elena go to speak again but he cuts her off. "I've just showered." he continues. "I don't want to smell of salt water again."
"Ok..." she frowns and he can tell she is unsure of whether or not to believe him but he sighs in relief when she seems to let it go. "So, where are you taking me tonight? You promised me a hot date, Salvatore."
"And a hot date is what you will get." he feels himself going back to normal. "I need to go and email Stefan about something, I'll see you back at the house?"
Elena nods her head. "Sure. I won't be too long."
"Good." he smiles sweetly at her before stepping back and walking back towards the beach house, looking behind him briefly to see Elena stood still watching him go and he throws a smile in her direction before walking back inside, cursing himself for being such an idiot and going down there in the first place when he has her damn engagement ring in his pocket for her to easily find.
He needs to make sure it's in his possession at all times, he can't let her see it before tonight.
So Damon has been acting weird.
She knew he wasn't himself when she hinted at him to join her in the shower and he completely missed it. She practically had to spell it out for him, and when he did finally get the message she didn't miss the look of panic that crossed his face before he stuttered out an excuse about how he needed to go to the grocery store because they'd ran out of milk and it was about to shut for the night.
She tries to think back to the past few days since he started acting differently, wondering if she'd done something unintentionally to piss him off or upset him and he wasn't telling her about it.
But she can't come up with anything.
As far as she knew, they were having the best time of their lives here.
So what the hell was the problem?
"Hey Elena." Damon taps his knuckle on the bathroom door. "You ready baby? We're going to be late."
"Yeah just a sec!" she calls back before finishing up with her mascara. She quickly applies some lip balm before giving herself a once over in the long mirror.
Her white summer dress is flowing down her tanned body and she thinks she looks hot, hopefully hot enough for Damon to snap out of whatever phunk he is in right now. Her hair is in waves, flowing past her shoulders as her side fringe hangs to the side.
She takes a deep breath, fighting off the nervous feeling in her stomach because she's not exactly sure what she has to be nervous about.
It's Damon.
When she opens the door she sees Damon's eyes widen slightly as he gives her a once over and she smiles, that familiar feeling of butterflies creeping into her stomach and she knows that she has succeeded.
He looks hot himself in his tight black shirt and dark jeans and she watches as he steps forward before pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
"You look beautiful." he murmurs against her mouth before kissing her again, deeper this time and she quickly returns it, her arms wrapped around him, pulling him as close enough as he can but the second he is pinned against her he quickly pulls away and steps back. "Come on," he puts on a smile and holds out his hand. "Don't want to be late."
She nods her head and plasters on her own smile as she follows him out and they take a slow walk along the coastal strip, walking down the busy road through the hustle and bustle of different kinds of people. Tourists and locals, young and old.
She clutches onto Damon's hand tightly, telling herself that she's just being paranoid, that Damon isn't being distant with her.
But she notices the way he keeps fidgeting, the way he keeps playing with the collar of his shirt, the way that his left hand is fisted into his jeans pocket, his entire body tense.
We stop outside a fancy seafood restaurant and Damon opens the door before leading me inside.
"Table for Salvatore." he smiles at the pretty waitress who immediately checks my boyfriend out and I scowl at her in annoyance.
It's been nearly five years since they got together and she's still not used to the way that girls shamefully eye her boyfriend up and down right in front of her.
Do they have no tact?
"Right this way Mr Salvatore." she grins at him, completely ignoring her and she rolls her eyes and lets Damon pull her along through the crowded restaurant to a more private spot in the back corner.
"Thank you." he nods at the waitress politely before holding out a chair for her and sliding her in, he squeezes her bare shoulder for a moment before going to sit on his own chair across from her own.
"Can I get you any drinks?" the waitress asks, her eyes lingering on Damon.
"Red?" he looks at her and she nods her head with a small smile. "Bottle of your finest red wine please." he speaks without taking his eyes off of her, much to the waitresses dismay.
"You don't want beer?" she asks surprised, usually Damon opts out of the wine and gets her a glass, choosing a simple beer or bourbon for himself.
"I want what you want." he smiles sweetly at her and Elena swears her heart skips a beat.
"Come here." she smiles at him and pats the space on the table next to her, motioning for Damon to bring his chair around to her left so he is sat diagonal to her instead.
Damon smiles almost shyly and stands up and moves the chair and sitting back down, shuffling closer to her as she reaches out her hands and places them on his cheeks. "That's better." she smiles. "I can kiss you now." she leans forward and presses her lips against his in a slow soft kiss.
A clearing of the throat interrupts them however and she pulls away just in time to see the waitress from before place their drinks on the table, a smile on her face but it's nowhere near as genuine as before. "Here's your menus, I'll be back soon to take your orders."
Damon pops open the wine and pours them each a glass and he raises his. "A toast?" he suggests and she can't help but smile and hold her own glass up. "To being here in one of the greatest countries in the world, to graduating to college, to us." he winks at her and her smile widens.
"To us." she clinks her glass against his before taking a sip, watching him over the rim of her glass before she puts it back down on the table. "So...what are we eating?"
Elena ends up not being able to decide between the lobster and the calamari so Damon decides to order both and they share each platter between them. As always, they share a desert and go for the simple choice of chocolate cake, it's delicious, of course.
Once they've finished, Damon pays the bill and they leave, her arm linked through his and Damon suggests they take a walk along the beach.
She quickly agrees and they both slip off their shoes and hold them in their spare hands as they walk along the shore, the waves coming out and riding over their bare feet.
As beautiful as this night has been, she can't help but notice that Damon was gone quiet again. During dinner he was fine, back to his normal self, but the second they left the restaurant he was back to being reserved and fidgety and she was debating whether or not to say anything.
She doesn't want to start an argument tonight.
They walk further along to the beach and stop at the docks, Damon helps her up onto the wooden decking and motions for her to follow him. She frowns confused, wondering why he wants to walk through this bay when there is nothing to see but a ton of boats and yachts.
Which is why she's surprised when they stop by a medium sized yacht.
Damon unloops her arm from his and quickly unties the rope that is holding the boat to the wooden dock and her eyes widen in horror.
"Damon!" she hisses, frantically looking around to make sure that no one is around. "What are you doing?!"
"Relax." Damon laughs and she'd be grateful for the sound if she wasn't so mortified about what she thinks he's about to do. "I'm not stealing the damn thing, Elena." he smirks before holding out his hand.
She looks at his hand warily. "You're not?"
"No!" he chuckles and moves his hand, motioning for her to take it. "I've rented it for the night."
"Oh." her mouth opens up slightly in shock, because stupidly, that thought didn't even cross her mind.
Damon shakes his head with a smile before he grabs her hand and helps her onto the boat. He moves around to the drivers part and pulls out some keys from his pocket and slipping it into the ignition.
She watches him curiously as the engine of the yacht roars to life and they start to move away slowly.
She knows he knows how to drive a boat, they've done so many times before while they've been travelling.
He surprised her one evening when they were in the South of France right after High School, he'd rented a boat, one just like the one they were in now, and he swore to her that he knew what he was doing.
She thought he was just saying that to get her to go with him.
She was proved wrong of course.
She found out that he had boat lessons when he was younger and his Grandfather used to take him and Stefan sailing during some of their summer vacations.
He was very smug and made sure to say I told you so.
She wraps her arms around Damon from behind as they move further away from the shore and into the deep dark water, she presses small kisses between his shoulder blades through the thin material of his shirt and she smiles when he takes one hand off the wheel to place on top of her own, their fingers linking together.
"I love you." she murmurs softly into his ear, briefly having to stand up on her tip toes to reach it.
"I love you too." she hears him reply and they stay like that for a while before Damon eventually turns off the engine and turns to face her with a smile.
"Stay here." he tells her firmly and she raises her eyebrow curiously and watches as he walks around the other side of the boat, her view of that side blocked.
After about ten long minutes, she calls out his name, asking if she can go round yet because she's starting to get bored and she misses him.
"Just a second!" she hears him call back and she sighs happily and lets the feeling of giddiness and excitement overtake her as she wonders what he is up too. "Ok!" he shouts. "You can come round!"
She grins and moves around the boat and she gasps when she finally makes it to his end of the boat.
It's not something that is particular spectacular, it's nothing that she hasn't seen before in movies or read about in books.
But when she sees the small blanket on the deck of the boat, candles lit around it, rose petals darted about and two glasses of champagne balanced on top, a strawberry placed in each one, her heart sets on fire.
But that's not what makes her gasp.
No.
It's Damon, in the middle of all that kneeled down on one knee.
An open box in his hand.
A ring inside.
She slowly takes a step forward as she notices Damon gulp before opening his mouth.
"I went through a million ways in my head about how I was going to do this." she hears the nerves in his voice, his words coming out shaky and she doesn't miss the fear in his eyes, his blue pools lightening up from the candles that surround him. "At first I thought about doing it on your graduation day, but it seemed to be too chaotic, then I thought I'd do it on your birthday, but I didn't want to take the attention away from that. So I thought I'd do it the night before we left for Australia, but the timing didn't seem right, I needed it to be special, to be perfect. There were so many nights when I took you out on dates, with the intention to propose." she thinks back over the last few weeks, and it seems so clear now, there were so many nights when Damon spoiled her rotten, took her to fancy restaurants or made special picnics for them on beaches with candles and roses. She just thought he was making Australia extra special for her.
She honestly had no idea about his real intentions.
"But nothing seemed good enough, no matter what I did, what I planned, nothing seemed fitting to show you how much I love you, how serious I am about asking you this question. It wasn't until during the flight to Sydney from Adelaide when I realized that I didn't have to make some big romantic gesture, that I didn't have to find a unique amazing epic way to propose to you. It was when you told me the story about when your Dad proposed to your Mom," she blinks in surprise, because she told that story so casually during one of their many flights in a moment of boredom, she didn't think that he was even listening properly. "You said he was over at your Mom's house for dinner, that it was a regular routine and they were eating spaghetti and meatballs because that's one of the only things that your Mom could cook, you said that they'd did the same routine hundreds of times, but then your Dad just blurted out that he wanted to marry her. Your Mom said yes and she told you it was the best night of her life and she couldn't think of a better way for him to propose, because it was just so him." he takes another deep breath and I feel a tear slide down my cheek. "That's when I realized that it didn't matter how I propose to you, because our engagement is just the beginning, this proposal is hopefully just the beginning. All that matters is that you know how much I love you, that you know and understand how much I want to spend the rest of my life with you, that you know that I want to start a family with you, grow old with you, be with you forever. I'm so insanely madly in love with you, Elena Gilbert, and I want nothing more than for you to be my wife."
She doesn't realize it, but she's now standing right in front of him, her body towering over his as he kneels down in front of her and he takes her left hand in his, looking up at her with watering eyes as a tear falls down his cheek.
"Marry me, Elena?"
She watches him with wide eyes as he looks up at her with a mixture of fear and hope in his face.
She falls down onto her knees in front of him, her head nodding furiously and she watches as a wide smile crosses his face.
"Yes! Yes!" She wraps her arms around his neck tightly and we almost tumble backwards at the impact. "Of course I will marry you!" she pulls back and peppers his face with kisses and Damon laughs against her lips and kisses her hungrily.
He stops after a short moment though and lifts up the box between them. "Wait, let me put your ring on first." his smile is the widest she has ever seen it and she knows she's matching it.
Her face stings but she can't stop.
Her heart flutters and her hand shakes as Damon takes the ring from the box and takes a hold of her left hand before sliding the ring onto her finger.
The ring is beautiful, and it's diamond, and she shivers with excitement before looking up at her boyfriend, no, fiance, with a watery smile.
"I love you so much, Damon."
"I love you too." he places both of his hands on either side of her face and kisses her hard, the two of them falling back onto the blanket as the kiss deepens.
The only light coming from the candles around them and the full clear bright moon above.
They make love right there on the boat, nothing around them but the dark deep sea as they shower each other with kisses, barely stopping until the sun came up.
She can't wait to spend the rest of her life with Damon.
She can't wait to become Mrs Elena Salvatore.
I hope that was worth the wait!
I know a lot of you had requested a proposal chapter, and I hope that it was good enough for you all :)
Please review and let me know!
PS, don't forget to check out Cannonball! It'll mean a lot :)
Until next time!