A/N: I'm happy to announce we finally get an angst free chapter! It was nice to write a happy, sweet moments and memories for them for a change. Things are looking up for my DE. Thank you for sharing these moments with me. I really appreciate your thoughts. They've all been so amazing and supportive.
We have about another 5 chapters left of this story. There are milestone we need to hit and I look forward to reaching them. :-) We won't stop until they see their happiness in action!
Thanks for your time!
Somebody I Used to Know
Chapter 25
"They saw us! They saw us this time!" Ten-year old-Elena squealed, ducking behind a chair on the balcony of the bookstore. She crouched down next to the box of filled water balloons, waiting her turn to jump up and throw one down at unsuspecting customers.
"Awww….wittle Ewena is afwaid of getting in twouble," he mocked in a baby voice and she frowned. "Whimp! " he laughed. "If you're gonna nail someone with one of these," he lifted a big, blue balloon up, "own it," he wiggled his eyebrows and sent it down on a group of three kids riding their bikes past the store. His arms flew up in the air in victory and he crouched down next to her to hand her the next balloon. "Okay, Elena. It's your turn. This is the biggest balloon we have. I just saw Sheriff Forbes walking past. Come on," his eyes went wide. "Don't fail me now!"
She shook her head, laughing. "No…I am not throwing a water balloon at a cop,"
"Okay, okay," he smiled. "We'll both do it," he grabbed her on the inside of her elbow and yanked her up, setting a balloon in her hand. "On the count of three,"
Her eyes went wide and a big grin spread across his face as he began counting. "One…two…THREE!" He yelled as their balloons sailed down in unison and landed with a splash on the woman below them.
"That was awesome," he high-fived her. But their laughter quickly ended when they heard a familiar, screeching voice below.
"DAMON AND ELENA!" Arianna screamed up at them, shading her eyes from the sun with her hand. "I know you're up there! Get down here right now!"
"Crap!" Elena's eyes went wide, "She's serious!"
But when they were met with a soaking wet Arianna Salvatore, they couldn't help but giggle. The woman's hand went up to pull Elena's sunglasses off her face. "I realize I am not your mother, dear. But really, I'm going to treat you both the same right now," she huffed. "You may NOT throw water balloons at customers, especially not police officers. What on earth were you thinking?" Her eyes looked between them and Elena's cheeks darkened.
"Oh, Mom!" He smiled. "We were just having fun. Don't scold Elena. It was my idea."
"Don't 'Mom' me, Damon," she rolled her eyes, tugging his sunglasses off, too. Elena's eyes brightened when she caught a closer look of his mother's wedding ring.
"Wow…your ring is amazing!" Elena's small fingers latched onto Ariana's hand and they both smiled. She'd seen it before but never paid much attention to it…never noticed how it sparkled when the sunlight caught it just right. "It's so bright and beautiful…it's like a princess ring!"
"Thank you, dear," she frowned, distracted from their scolding. "But don't change the subject. You two get in the store and get cleaned off, she turned over their filthy hands, covered in dust from crawling through the attic to get to the balcony. "No more of that. You're not even supposed to be up there. Do you see how dirty that attic is? And that balcony…I'm sure it's not sturdy…"
"Yeah, okay," Damon nodded, but as soon as Arianna walked back into the store they were all giggles again. "Troublemaker," he frowned at her in jest.
"What? Me? It was you who gave me that balloon to throw! I just said I wanted to go up to the balcony and see what it was like since we'd never been up there! I never said we had to do that!"
"Well what else would we do up there?" He laughed.
"I don't know…have a picnic or something?" She shrugged. "Sandwiches, soda and popsicles," she nodded. "Yep, that would be much better than water balloons."
"Yeah well, we'll never be allowed up there again, so sorry I blew your dream," he swallowed. "Good idea with the ring thing, though. You changed the subject, quickly."
"I was serious!" Her cheeks went pink. "I've never seen a ring so beautiful. It's not even because it's so big. It's just beautiful…I want a ring like that one day,"
"Okay," he rolled his eyes. "I'll be sure to tell your future husband when I see him," he elbowed her when her cheeks flamed red. "Just remind me."
"Don't worry. I will," she stuck her tongue out at him and plopped a water balloon on his head before running off to the bathroom.
He left the store late the night of the signing. His head floated with visions of a teary-eyed Elena, nodding wildly as he slipped the ring on her finger. Everything was aligned, everything perfect. The store was closed Sundays…he didn't have to think about work or the book or Katherine…
The next day it would be just Elena. No TV cameras, no interruptions…just memories and dreams…
His heart thudded with gratefulness. Now that he was alone, driving down lazy, dark roads with dim street lights, his brain could wrap around what proposing to Elena meant. It wasn't an obligation. It wasn't forced as it had been with Katherine. He'd heard so many of his friends say they felt pressured to propose to their girlfriends…that they'd reached that point and it was just the next logical step.
They'd mentioned companionship, the assurance that they wouldn't spend eternity alone. They'd said it was just 'the right thing to do.' When he'd proposed to Katherine, he'd done if for those reasons, too. It was an escape from a life of loneliness, he thought. Luckily he realized how wrong his line of thinking had been. How could he have ever thought he could force himself to love someone other than Elena?
His life would've been lonely, had he married Katherine. Their relationship didn't have the strengths it took to withstand forever. It lacked honesty and dedication; they hurt each other willingly and left no room for any love to grow. His conversation with Katherine at the store had furthered his belief that they were never meant to be. They'd been going through the motions…racing toward the finish line just to say they'd gotten there.
But a wedding wasn't a finish line at all, he knew. It was the beginning of a marathon and he wanted to run side-by-side with Elena. They'd start out strong, energized. The world would be at their fingertips, nothing would slow them down….
But they'd hit bumps in the way, he knew. They'd reach points when they were just tired and thought they couldn't go on. He and Elena were anything but the typical couple, but it was silly to think they'd live happily ever after without any problems. He welcomed the bumps; they'd only help their love grow.
They'd finish their marathon together, Damon knew. His journey with Elena wouldn't end until it had to…until one of them was resting in the ground with their parents.
Life was just different with Elena. Everything just made a little more sense.
The same friends who'd mentioned 'obligations' and 'logical steps' hadn't described feelings that came anywhere close to his for Elena. A lot of people had their own definitions of love. There were examples in books and on television and movies. It was supposed to be a universal feeling…
No one told him he was going to feel this way… this uncontrollable need, urge to share every moment, happy and sad with one woman for the rest of his life. They'd said nothing about their emotions, as men, at all….it had all been about doing what their girlfriends wanted or required.
But Elena made him want to be more than just that 'logical step." She made him feel bigger, braver than what he once thought he was.
Despite the way he felt at times, Damon was really just a man in love. A stranger would see a man who'd gotten his ex-girlfriend pregnant. They'd see a failing bookstore owner; an author of a children's book that was just exposed on National television. He'd just be a man who was wrong for loving a woman that became his sister by some weird twist of fate...that guy who walked out on his fiancé the night before their wedding because of that sister…
Yes, he was all those things. But when he looked into Elena's eyes, the man reflected back at him was a strong and happy. He was a new father, a lover, a friend. Elena looked at him like he was the single most important person in the world. And to her, he was. She made him believe in himself, believe in them. The future wasn't so scary with her by his side, but it didn't have anything to do with selfishness or the need to feel loved. He didn't want just anyone. He wasn't settling. She was his forever; she have him that very feeling people spent their whole lives searching for…
Katherine had thought his feelings for Elena were silly at first. She'd said she'd never been in love before, so the idea of him still loving a girlfriend from high school had frightened and astounded her. He'd told himself long ago that there was nothing trivial about his feelings for her back then. But as much as he loved her at eighteen, he loved her more now.
He'd once thought he saw the future with her back then: college degrees, nice cars, fancy jobs in a big city for a while before they'd settle down. He thought they'd have years before they'd take over the business…years before they'd have babies.
How different life would be if they'd never lost their parents.
The minute he and Elena fell out ten years ago, everything changed. In the blink of an eye, he just wanted home and familiarity. He wanted his family, his beat up car, his little small town bookstore… but he still wanted his Elena. His bigger dreams seemed so much smaller without her, even then.
But now the world was in the palm of his hand. He knew what was important to him in life and he was going to keep it forever. No fancy car or big name job would ever come close to the feeling of raising their baby girl together in their bookstore. There was simply no better dream than Aria running through those aisles, laughing with her friends. There was only good in store for them, now.
But their years apart had done them some good, too. Although they'd never discussed it, there had always been a chance they would've broken up as teenagers even if their parents hadn't had an affair. They were young and on very different emotional levels. He'd been through hell and she'd barely scratched the surface. They were in love but showed it in different ways. They'd never really know if they'd have made it if they were given the chance…but it didn't matter now. It had just simply been the two of them, loving each other in the best and worst of ways for a decade.
Pain had done them good, too. It had shown them they were wrong to give up. Their love was worth fighting for, and he was certain they both knew that now.
The big, square clock on the wall read midnight when he walked through their front door that night. His eyes were heavy and dry. It had been one of the longest, most exhausting days he could remember. It was hard to remember a more emotionally draining day in his life.
Inside he was pounding with happiness and hope, but on the outside he looked worn, rough. He found her laying on the couch in a fetal position. She was hugging a pillow and another one rested between her knees for back support. His lips curved upward quickly. He couldn't help but smile at how innocent she looked…not a crease of worry on her forehead, not a single tear sliding down her face. She deserved to feel at peace and rested. She'd been brave for both of them that day.
He took a moment to just watch her breathing, noting the way her chest rose and fell in a calming rhythm. Tiny snores escaped with each breath and a small pool of drool soaked into the light blue pillowcase. He crouched down beside her and stroked her loose hair behind her ear. She stirred a little, touching her lips and frowning. Her attempt to stay awake when she'd gotten his text at 10 p.m. had failed. The events of the day had caught up with her, too.
She yawned and blinked until his blue eyes became clear before her sleepy, watery eyes. Her throat was rough as she said, "You're finally home," The words came out in a mumble and it made him smile more.
It hit him like a ton of bricks. It was the last night he'd go to bed with his girlfriend. Tomorrow he'd say goodnight to his fiancé, he hoped. That night was the end of an era that had been filled with doubt and confusion. Tomorrow would be the start of something completely new, if she said yes. It would be the beginning of forever.
"Let's get you into bed," he picked her up and carried her to their room, tucking her under the soft blue covers. "I'm sorry I'm home so late. I had a lot to do at the store," he paused, smiling to himself. She had no idea how much work he'd done after Katherine left.
All those boxes…that dusty attic… he'd be sore tomorrow…
"You said on the phone that your conversation with Katherine went well," she whispered, turning on her side. "So I take it she's gone?"
"Yeah, her plane left tonight sometime, I guess. She had all the time in the world to ream me out and then when we were done she flew out of there like she'd missed her flight. My guess is she had it changed," he explained. "But yes, I got what I needed out of her."
"Apologies, I hope" she swallowed, staring at him with hope-filled eyes.
"There were a few apologies buried in there somewhere," he frowned, thinking about how draining it had been to admit that she wasn't the only one in the wrong back then. "Some yelling…cussing…" he smiled softly, gently. "I'll tell you all about it in a couple days, when all this has settled down. My brain is fried."
"Or tomorrow," she nodded. She was curious, but not jealous. Her concern was more for the fact that he sounded as if he'd had the longest day of his life. "I had a big afternoon, too," she yawned.
He'd been so quick on the phone earlier that she hadn't had the chance to tell him Elijah had dropped by for a visit. "We can talk about it all in the morning, over pancakes?"
"Mmm, pancakes. A normal breakfast for once," he teased. "But how about we take a day off from the drama tomorrow? We'll promise to go over all that on Monday. Tomorrow is Sunday and Sunday was meant to be a day of rest," he yawned. "So let us rest," he clicked off the lamp on the nightstand and took her hands in his. She stilled at his movements. She'd never felt more safe in her life. She'd never felt like she could say whatever she was thinking without worrying about what he'd think.
"Elijah came by," she said softly in the dark and Damon's eyes widened. He'd been curious about Elijah's state for months, but it seemed nothing had changed. Elena didn't want to get into it all that night; they'd save that for Monday, too, but she told him just to be honest. She wasn't interested in keeping anything from him anymore. There was no reason to hide the truth.
"And he still doesn't remember?" He asked.
"He remembers everything," she said softly. She was close enough that she could see his blue eyes even in the dark. They calmed her.
"You should've called me," he frowned, thinking back to how he was in the store, setting up for his surprise while she was there dealing with Elijah and his newly returned memory. "Was he…is he still in love with you?"
"He was fine," she assured him. "But yes, he is. Things are calmer…I told him no, Damon. He knows not to ask again. He wants to stay away for a while," she yawned. "I'm too tired to relive this…" she frowned. "Let's sleep in really late tomorrow," she suggested. "I'll wake up and make pancakes, even if it's noon. I promise."
"Whatever you want," he smiled, knowingly. "We can spend all day here and…oh, oh no," he started, smiling on the inside. But Elena was genuinely concerned. "I just remembered something…crap."
"What?" She propped herself up on one elbow and dipped her eyebrows.
"We have to go to the store tomorrow night," his hand slammed into his forehead. He was playing his part well. She looked genuinely concerned. "I know its Sunday but I only got through with half of what I was working on after Katherine left tonight. I thought it could wait until Monday, but now I remembered why it can't. Remember I told you last week that our inventory got bumped up a week? That means we have to spend more time there…even a Sunday…sorry…" he bit back his smile.
"Fine, you can go, I'll stay here. Or I'll go grocery shopping, as lame as that sounds. My coupons are about to expire, anyway, so…"
"No, I need you there with me. We've got to go over the paperwork together. I need input,"
"Ughhhh, I don't want to. I trust you to make the best decisions with the store. You always do." she groaned. "I know, I know. I have a bad attitude about it. But after the kind of day we've had, I just want to keep those doors locked and stay away from the general public. You know they aired it, right? Elijah said he saw us on TV…"
"Let them talk," he waved it off. "We were fine then, we'll be fine now. It's not a secret anyway; all of Mystic Falls already knows our story. That was nothing new to our little town. They hurt the book more than they hurt us, if anything. So yeah…we'll do whatever you want all morning, but we need to spend at least two hours at the store tomorrow night. Sorry. I'm putting my foot down on this,"
"Fine," she said in a huff, rolling over. "But I'm going to be crabby about it. I'm telling you now, so don't be surprised when it happens,"
"Oh…I think you'll be just fine," he smiled to himself. "Goodnight, Lena." He kissed the back of her head. "Don't stay mad at me for too long now."
Oh, he had her. She had no idea what was coming. He was okay with making her slightly angry if it meant she'd be extra surprised tomorrow night.
Their next morning was filled with chocolate chip pancakes and decaf coffee. They spent some time decorating in Aria's room and discussing godparents.
They were a little low in the family department…
They'd decided on one rather quickly, but the second was still in the air. They'd both severed so many ties with friends over the years. It almost saddened them to realize just how alone they'd be without one another, now.
And although Elena had made one last ditch attempt to avoid going to the store that day, Damon had finally convinced her. He'd resorted to lowering their time there to one hour instead of two, but he knew it would be longer once she saw what he had done.
It was seven p.m. and he clicked the lock on the front door of the bookstore closed. He threw his bag up on the counter as Elena started filing through manila folders and envelopes next to him.
"Let's make this quick," she groaned. "I still don't understand why you want to be here today. You never want to work on Sundays. It's like our only day to relax together. I get that its inventory soon, but we really needed to just relax today. Now I'm all flustered and crabby. I'm no fun right now. I feel like Mommyzilla…"
"That's cute," he pinched her cheek and she rolled her eyes. "Mommyzilla…" he pondered, but this he plan began. "Hey, I need to check on something," he walked toward the rarely opened door to the attic and smiled. His heart was pounding. This was it. He was moments away from forever.
"Up there?" She frowned. "Ugh, it's a mess up there. I went up there two months ago and I nearly had as asthma attack from all the dust. It was a mistake. I wouldn't do it…," she called out to him, but he was halfway up the stairs. She rushed over, yelling louder. " Did you know all their old junk is still up there? It's been almost six months and we have so much of their stuff to still sort through…it's depressing up there, Damon," she stood on the second to last step.
"Can you come up here a minute?" he called. "Oh, and can you grab my bag off the counter?" His voice echoed from above.
She rolled her eyes but did as he asked. But as she was halfway up the staircase, she noticed the musty smell was gone. It smelled fresh. Her hands ran along a new, smooth oak banister as she made her way to the very top step. Her eyes were watery in a heartbeat.
No boxes, no dust. The floor was polished and open. It was all too much for her to take in at first, but slowly she turned and saw just what he'd done. The walls were bright and colorful with a big, bright "ARIA" in purple lettering. He had to have done it in the last few weeks, she thought; it didn't smell like fresh paint.
There was a crib off to the side with a rocking chair and a changing table next to it.
"I wanted her to have a place here," he smiled. "I thought it would be nice if she could be here with us. I made room for a bed for you, too, so you can rest while she takes her naps those first few months. I know you could just stay home with her…but I thought it might be nice if you two were here by me once in a while,"
She saw a TV off in one corner in front of a large, fluffy familiar couch, and computer in the other. They were his old things from his apartment. He'd made it into a small living space and moved all the old boxes into a storage unit down the block. "I figured we can go through all that old stuff later. This is more important right now. We may as well use this space for some good. We don't have a lot of money so it's all old stuff, but…"
"This is wonderful," she beamed, assuring him his hard work hadn't gone unnoticed. "I never would've pegged you as this thoughtful when we were kids. You always rolled your eyes at me when I mentioned anything too serious. You've definitely Damonized this place," she smiled. "Outlet plugs and door knob protectors already and she's not even born," he smiled as she plopped down on the soft couch. "Hmmm…now that I see how cozy it is, maybe I'm okay with being here tonight. Bring the paperwork up here…"
He lifted a pillow from the couch and walked to the entrance to the balcony. When his hand twisted the childproof door knob lock and they were met with a sweet, cool summer evening breeze. He couldn't have picked a better night. The sky was clear, dotted with thousands of stars. The universe was looking out for them tonight. It was finally their time.
The world was swimming before her now as tears slowly leaked from her big, brown eyes. And once they cleared, she saw the railing of the balcony lit with tiny, white candles. There was music, a band playing at the park a few blocks away…some familiar melody that they'd heard a thousand times but couldn't place. Her heart was thudding in her ears…his mouth was moving but she couldn't hear a word. Suddenly she was in his arms, pressing her forehead against his chest. The pillow was between them but she was too emotional to notice.
"I'm sorry I'm a mess," she apologized, "Hormones and memories…" she laughed when he smiled down at her.
"Don't apologize," he tucked her hair behind her ears and placed his hands on her face, bringing his lips to hers. "But there's more…" He backed up and took the backpack from her shaky hands. He pulled a blanket out of his backpack and laid it down on balcony, covering the couch pillow.
He helped her sit down on the pillow and pulled out two bags of sandwiches and two sodas before assuming his cross-legged position on the blanket. "Your picnic…18 years later," he smiled. "I figured we're adults now. No one can tell us not to come up here…" but her bread was soggy with fallen tears before she even finished her first bite.
"This place…" she sighed. "We have so many good memories here," she smiled. "How did you remember that I loved it up here? We were only up here once and… you just surprise me every day, Damon." she smiled. "Will it always be like this with us?"
"Yes, always," he smiled, knowingly. "If you let it," he nodded.
"So the whole time I was complaining about coming to the store today, you were laughing to yourself…" she smiled, sipping her soda. "You schemer!"
"Oh, yes," he laughed. "Elena…please, I had you convinced we were going to be buried in numbers and decimals. You were genuinely pissed at me. You haven't slept turned away from me in a month," he winked. "I knew this little picnic had to be good tonight so I could make it up to you…" he leaned in and wiped some peanut butter off her lips and pressed his thumb into her mouth for her to lick it off. Her tongue lingered on him a little too long and he reveled in the warm heat on his skin.
"How sturdy are these floorboards?" He winked, crawling to her on his hands and knees.
"Hey, Romeo, this is a public place. People can hear," she smiled dangerously.
"Oh, I'm kidding….kind of," he shrugged. "That would be bad for your back right now, anyway."
Once their cans of sodas had been drained and their sandwiches were gone, he helped her up and led her over to the edge of the balcony. His hands went upward, pointing to the stars. "This is what I love about Mystic Falls," he began. "I love these clear, starry nights. You'll never see this clear of a sky in a big city…not with all the smog and bright lights," she nodded at his words. She knew exactly what he was referring to; their time in New York.
He crouched down in his bag again, fishing for something, but Elena's eyes were glued to the moon. "And I love the smell of a summer night here, too. It's familiar…like Mrs. Flower's bakery…her fresh bread all day long…and that coffee…makes me want a cup, even at this time of night. Funny how just being up here stirs up so many memories I thought I'd forgotten…" she sighed.
"Remember last time we were up here?" He asked, still crouched down by his bag, his hand clutching the ring box nervously. Her face exploded into a smile at the thought of water balloons and Sheriff Forbes…and Arianna. Life was so simple back then before she got sick.
Elena bit her lip and frowned as he started to pull something out of his bag. She assumed he'd be handing her a nice, full water balloon… "Oh no… she laughed. "No, I am not throwing balloons at people again. You can just go ahead and put that right back in your little bag. That's a part of that day I could handle forgetting," she winked.
"Oh, okay then," he smiled. There wasn't a balloon in sight but he'd done a good job convincing her. He was reeling her in now...just as he'd planned.
"See…you remember the water balloons from that day. I do, too, I guess. But I seem to remember something else," he shrugged, his lip forming a near pout. "It was the first time my mother reprimanded you, but instead of getting upset, you changed the subject," his hand was shaking on the box. He kept his focus, swallowing before he continued.
She racked her brain, trying to remember. It was so long ago…so many things had happened since then. Did he really think she'd remember a conversation from 18 years ago? She frowned silently and his heart fell for a moment.
"I see…" he paused, nervous that it wasn't going to work out the way he wanted it to. She wasn't remembering….she was supposed to remember….
"I asked you to remind me about something, but I never forgot. You're the one who needs the reminder, Lena," he gave her a second to process his words, and a look of complete understanding crossed her face the very same moment he pulled the ring box from his bag. He cracked it open and let her stare at it. A small gasp escaped from her lips and he watched breathlessly.
His voice shook now, but not out of fear of rejection. He was overcome with emotion. The scene had played out in his mind hundreds of times but it had never felt like this. Oh, she was teary-eyed, just as he'd always imagined…but he'd never felt the tears in his own eyes that were there now.
"I have had this ring for 17 years," he started. "My father gave it to me when Mom passed, but as you know I kept it hidden for a long time. When we broke up, I didn't open it for years, Elena. I couldn't look at it and know that it wouldn't be yours… I couldn't face that," he swallowed back his tears as he saw hers starting to fall down her cheeks.
"I'll never forget the first time you saw it….really saw it, that day after the water balloons. I've never see you light up like that over anything…except maybe Aria," his lips went lopsided. "And then you found it in my dresser drawer, when were 17 and we were having one of our 'highly illegal' friend sleepovers."
"Yeah…" she breathed.
"Back then it was my Mother's ring…even after she was dead. I couldn't associate it with anything but sadness. But when I got older…when that ring sat in my dresser alone, it hit me. It wasn't just my Mother's ring. It wasn't just an heirloom or an engagement ring to give to a woman I'd only known for a short while. I couldn't give it to Katherine, Elena… it was yours. In a heartbeat it was yours. Even if I never got the chance to do this, propose to you, I would've never given it to anyone else," he paused.
"Dad left me that note inside the box. It said to be sure I was doing the right thing…that I should be certain that I was giving it to the right woman. I thought he was overbearing the first time I read it, but then I realized that he was right. There were only two women in this world meant to wear this ring. My mother would want you to wear this. She loved you. I love you…more than I ever have, more than I ever thought I could love another person. I love the little you and the teenage you and the untamed, college you…all of you. I love every layer…happy, sad, wild, and calm. All the versions you thought existed could never compare to the whole package that you are now, Lena,"
"We've been back with each other for almost six months, but this feels right. It doesn't feel too soon for me. In fact, it feels like this has been a long time coming," he took her hand and raised himself up on his knees, so he could place their hands on his heart.
"Twenty years, baby. I've known you for a lifetime and it still won't be long enough," he breathed, and her breath caught in her throat. "I can't get enough of you and I won't get enough of you…" a tear slid down his cheek as he raised it up higher to her and exhaled deeply. "Ever"
It would occur to him later, just how different proposing to Elena felt from his time with Katherine. It had been quick with Kat; he hadn't had much to say. There weren't fancy explanations; he wasn't crying...
"Will you marry me, Elena? Will you let me tease you and love you every day for the rest of our lives?" the knots in his stomach loosened as she nodded her head, but his voice still shook with emotion. "Will you be my other half of that old couple that walks down our street everyday…that 'soccer mom' that drives our mini-van full of kids around and loves it," he smiled. "Will you, baby…" he swallowed, getting choked up now.
He was a wreck. His plan of keeping himself in check was quickly going overboard. The beauty of the moment had him quickly unraveling….
"Yes," she managed out, nodding wildly as he'd imagined her doing. "Yes, of course I will," she watched as he slid the ring onto her finger. It fit snuggly, as her fingers were swollen from the heat of the day, but it worked.
"We'll get it resized," he kissed her knuckles. "God it looks beautiful on you," he beamed. "Just like I always knew it would. It's finally where it belongs…." The happiness he felt surmounted anything he'd ever experienced. He felt giddy, relieved and wild all at once.
"I love you," she whispered against his lips, pressing her hands up to his cheeks. His hand fell on top of hers and pressed into the diamond. It really was big. "This is…you've surprised me again. I can't explain the way I feel. It's all jumbled. I feel like doing something crazy!"
"I have half a mind to call those damn reporters back and declare our engagement on National TV. Take that, Kitty Kat," he rolled his eyes. He'd find time, another day, to explain what he'd gone through with Katherine to get that ring. He'd tell Elena all the reasons he'd been quiet and moody the morning of the signing. He owed that much to her. But he'd promised them a drama-free day. The next morning would bring talks of Elijah and Katherine and everything in between. But for now, nothing could ruin their first hours and a newly engaged couple.
"You've been everything to me for as long as I remember. The second I laid eyes on you I knew you'd always be a part of my life. We've been a lot of things over the years…some things I wish we hadn't been…but I know now that every single thing we did has led up to this. We've ached and cried and gone through hell just to get here. But we made it. We survived something very few people do. All the times we thought we were fighting each other we were wrong. We were fighting for each other," she nodded. "My heart couldn't stop loving you, even when I begged it to. And it won't stop…it'll never stop. We'll never stop," she wiped her eyes.
"Never," he echoed her promise. "You'll finally be a Salvatore, just as you were always meant to be." The words were music to her ears…a sweet symphony that floated to the pit of her stomach and sent chills down her spine. "You say the word, baby, and I am there. If you want to wait a year, I will. If you want to wait 'til Aria's here, that's fine. But so help me, if you asked me to get in the car with you right now and drive to an all-night chapel I would because I'm that ready to be your husband," his heart was pounding.
"Okay," her heart spun into warp speed. "I want to," she nodded and his heart stopped.
"What?" his words were slow, checking for understanding.
"I want to get married soon…I don't to wait anymore. We don't have family…we don't have anything in Mystic Falls except Ric and our store," she swallowed. "There's no reason to throw a big, fancy expensive wedding. Maybe if they were still alive we would have…but they aren't. I don't really have good friends, aside from Elijah and that's…well, we'll get into that tomorrow," she frowned. "I guess the thought of a big wedding makes me sad, in a way. We have no one to share it with."
"We only need each other," he smiled. "And I want to spoil you," he whispered in her ear. "Make sure you get the wedding you want, Elena. We're only doing this one time," he winked. "So make sure it's perfect."
She shook her head quickly. "No, I'm sure of it. I want to be your wife now. I don't need the attention or a long, drawn out wedding,"
"Are you afraid of the cameras since the whole signing thing?" He slid his thumb across her knuckles raising it up against the ring and smiling. "It wouldn't have to be that way."
"No, it's not that. I just…I think we both know what we want. I think it would be worse to wait. We have no reason to wait, do we? I won't change my mind," she smiled. "And I'm not rushing this so that we're married when Aria gets here. We still have a few months before she's born….there is only one reason why I want to get married soon and you already mentioned it," she promised. "I just want to be your wife. I just want to be Elena Salvatore," she looked at the ring. "Maybe a month, tops."
Who was he to deny her that?
"Okay," he smiled, kissing her quickly. "We'll figure this out. We don't need to go far. I'm nervous about you flying long distances," he admitted. She could handle that.
"Sounds fair enough," she smiled. "We'll need witnesses. You have Ric…"
"He's known us forever, and even though he's just recently come back into our lives, he's good for us. He's family…we can make a family out of who we do have left." She nodded at his words. "And we'll work the rest out later. Right now I just want to stare at you and realize just how amazing my future is going to be now that you've promised me forever. You're the most beautiful, amazing woman I have ever known. This is the happiest day of my life,"
"Please remember that when I'm ripping your arm off in the delivery room," she smiled as he blew out the candles and led her back into the attic.
"How about we try out this couch…" he wiggled his eyebrows and sat them down.
"But what about the Popsicles? Our picnic was lovely but..."
"Dessert baby...dessert after this dessert," he mumbled, unbuttoning his shirt.
He wanted to say something suave and witty in that moment like 'I've never had sex with a fiancé before…' but his gut sank in when he realized the pure untruth of that statement….
So instead he wrapped her tightly in his arms and said, "You're the only woman in the world that makes me feel this way. It's remarkable. You make every time feel as amazing and breathtaking as our real first time….the one in your bed," the swallowed. "Will it always be like that with us?"
"Always," she whispered and slipped off his shirt, "Always."
A/N: Thank you for reading! Love to hear your thoughts on their engagement and Elena's idea for a quick wedding.
The next few chapters we'll see some of our supporting characters again as well as take a small jump in time. I can't wait to get their life and in order. It's going to be an amazing last few chapters to write.
Thanks for the feedback!