It was way too soon to get up but her breakfast in bed plan was on the agenda today. Elena tiptoed out of the room and quickly freshened up in the bathroom before going downstairs. She had posted a new article to the writer's guild along with an apology for her absence from the retreat. It was like she didn't care anymore about it.
She quickly made some pancakes and squeezed fresh juice for Damon who was sleeping upstairs. She loved him for sure but it was always going to bother her how she dated his brother before. Now that was barely a memory. She took the breakfast upstairs, keeping the food on the bed. She crawled closer and kissed his cheek as she wrapped an arm around him, "Good morning."
His forehead wrinkled before he smiled without opening his eyes, "Hey." He turned to her and cupped her face, "Mm where were you?"
She gestured to the tray behind her to which his eyes widened slightly, "Is it possible to love you more?"
She giggled and punched his arm lightly, "Stop being cheesy. I thought we'd spend our morning together since you are going to be out all day long!"
He huffed wrapping his arms around her as he sat up, his chest pressing into her back as he kissed her temple softly, "I hate this too, but no matter how much I want, I can't just not go to work."
"I get that, it's just that –"
He interrupted, "You're ignoring your friends, not meeting your father, not writing or doing anything that makes you happy."
She pursed her lips, "I am thinking about getting a dog."
He reached for the tray, "Elena, you can't stop your life like this, you need to confront it." She shook her head, "I don't want to confront it. Everything is ruined, Damon. Sometimes I wish I'd just be invisible." She heard him sigh, he rested his chin on her shoulder slowly and she felt herself burying herself deeper into his arms, "I know you're tired, beat and scared of all this crap but you need to get up and fight this. They have to see the Elena I know, the one who believes, the one who does the right thing no matter what, who doesn't ever give up on the people she loved and cared for."
She swallowed thick and turned her head towards him slightly "What if they don't want me anymore?"
He wiggled his brows, "Well more for me." He stole a kiss from her mouth, she smiled kissing him back before cupping his face and pulling back, "Can I catch a ride with you? I think I'll meet my dad today."
"You sure about that baby? Don't go if you don't want to." He said as he stroked her hair. Though she was a bit anxious and nervous, she forced a smile, "Yeah I should."
Damon drove her to the hospital after their breakfast. Elena had been quiet the whole way and he was pretty sure he saw her muttering something to herself as if rehearsing what to say, he bit back a laugh seeing her curl her fingers as she 'practised'
"What?" she asked as she saw him shaking his head with a light laugh, "Elena, you're practising as if it's a speech at the White House."
She narrowed her eyes, "Well I just want to know what I am going to talk about."
He stopped the car near the hospital, "Hey, stop thinking about it too much, you're perfect." He said leaning forward a bit and cupping the side of her face, she smiled but it didn't reach her eyes like it usually did, it did bother him- he felt the need to control it all. His lips crashed against hers and even though surprised, she kissed him back a lot softer, her tongue slowly danced with his, she pulled away with a beaming smile, her forehead rested against his as she huffed, her fingers stroked the sides of his face, "Thank you for this, I just wish you'd let me do the same for you."
"What do you mean?" his voice hesitant.
She shrugged, "Like you try to be here for me, I want to be too. You hide it pretty well but I catch you when you get distracted sometimes like you are lost somewhere. Take your time, trust takes time."
One of her hands reached down to hold his hand, she squeezed his hand. He tried to force a smile but he couldn't. It was like she had peeled a layer to him without his permission. She kissed his cheek softly before leaving the car.
With a huff, he hit the wheel with his fist. "Damn it!"
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Grayson took her to a cafe for breakfast, everything was fine up to now. She sat down and sighed as her dad got them breakfast, she fisted her hands below the table to keep her nervousness at bay, "I behaved very inappropriately, I was- not right then."
Her father nodded, "It was my fault, I pushed you. It's just when I read that, you had written it so beautifully. I felt like you needed to see how amazing of a writer you are."
She reached to hold his hands, "I know that. I do. I love you Dad but that wasn't me. I am finally getting over it. I should be allowed to mourn my mother without feeling like a criminal. I miss her more than anything in the world. What happened was awful but I wasn't catalyst here."
He pursed his lips, "You aren't baby, I took it out on you, I am a horrible father." She shook her head, "No you aren't, you just coped that way. I was mad at you but I don't want to be mad anymore. I love you, I want you in my life."
Her father smiled slightly, "Thank you, Elena. You are all I have now. Maybe I pushed you because I wanted to avoid getting hurt. I was a mess, no girl should see her father like this."
Elena got up and went across the table to wrap her arms around her father, "I am just glad you're back."
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Elena called up Bonnie after catching up with her father to spend time with her. They went shopping, even though shopping was more of Caroline's thing. The blonde still wasn't talking to her. "You left a Europe retreat to be with a guy you've been going with for four months?" Bonnie asked as they checked different dresses on displays, Elena picked out a pair of shorts and held it against her thigh, "My relationship is very important to me. Besides, Damon says he is planning a vacation."
Bonnie raised a brow, "Wow, look at you jumping from millionaires to billionaires."
Elena giggled, "Yes I love him for his money." She said sarcastically, Bonnie laughed along, "I am going out with someone too, thank you for asking." She rolled her eyes.
Elena gasped, "What? Don't tell me it's that guy from our Lit class."
Bonnie scrunched up her face, "Eww no, he is a psycho, he literally texted me to ask me about what perfume I use so he could spray it all over his sheets."
"you need to get a restraining order." Elena said with churned teeth, "So who are you going out with?"
Bonnie blushed suddenly as she picked out a red dress, "His name is Enzo. I met him at my internship. He is so hot."
"Really, do you have a picture?" she asked suddenly excited. Bonnie nodded holding in a girlish squeal as she reached for her phone in her bag, Elena looked around the store, trying to find a good dress she could buy for a date night when her eyes landed on none other than her boyfriend. Except he was past the glass walls of the store, accompanied by another girl. "Isn't that Damon?" she asked nudging Bonnie. The girl looked from her phone, "You're just so in lo- Oh." She stepped a bit forward, "Yeah, who is that with him?"
Elena shrugged, "I d-don't know. Not anyone I know." She walked closer to get a good look. The woman with brown curly hair was talking to him, she wore a black body con and high heels. "Why don't you call and ask him where he is?" Bonnie suggested.
Elena bit her lip, she reached for her phone and called him. She couldn't help but remember her ex-boyfriend cheating on her. Damon would never do that to her. Damon reached into his pocket and looked at the phone before holding his hand up as if telling the girl to stop. He stepped back, picking up the phone, "Hey, how'd did it go?"
"It went well, he wants to officially meet you since you're my boyfriend now." She said trying not to sound suspicious. "That's great. I hope you put in a good word for me."
"I did. Hey- where are you, there's just so much noise at the back." She asked looking at Bonnie who nodded in encouragement and then him who was looking around nervously, "Ah, I am at the mall. There's a problem I have to take care of."
Elena sighed with relief, at least he didn't lie, "Okay. I'll talk to you later." She hung up and turned to Bonnie, "He says he's here from some work."
"Did he tell you who the woman is?" she asked with an arched brow, she shook her head, "I am not going to ask about that Bon. It's way too-"
"Possessive? Elena, you are giving up too much for this guy, at least make sure he's loyal to you." She said with a hand on her hip, Elena huffed shrugging off the negative thoughts, "Hey, love needs trusts, besides they don't look very-" her eyes went towards them, the woman seemed to be arguing with him, "Very couply" Bonnie completed. Elena nodded, "Exactly. Hey, let's check that dress out." She pointed to a white sundress at the back. Giving them a last look.
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Elena rolled her eyes as she saw Stefan's name on her phone again. She rejected it, putting her phone on the nightstand. She rolled in her bed, looking at the clock. It was twelve in the night. She had a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach because of that woman and now he was late. She held her pillow tight and dug her head into it, hitting her head against it thinking, 'Not again'
She was half asleep when she heard a small thud which jolted her up, holding her head up, she saw Damon near the walk-in closet, probably changing. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, checking the clock. It was one. "It's pretty late."
He looked over his shoulder as he took off his shirt "Oh did I wake you?"
She shook her head, "No I was waiting for you."
He walked to her, a sorry expression on his face. She looked up at him as he stroked a strand of her hair back, "I had to go meet my lawyer. I didn't think it would get as late as it did." He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her plump lips, her arm wrapped around his neck as he slightly parted, she pressed a slow kiss against his lips, using her tongue to deepen it, her legs wrapped around his waist as she lowered on the bed pulling him on top of her.
She just needed him to make her feel like he loved her right now. His hot kissed trailed down the skin of her neck kissing slowly and sucking on it. Elena threw her head back, he slightly pulled up her rose gold satin slip that she knew he liked. PJ shorts were a close second. "God damn it, Elena." He cursed as he saw her see-through white lace thong, he put her leg up on his shoulder, softly kissing the golden skin of her leg and the inside of her thighs up to her aching heat, "Did you get this for me?" he said fingering the material above her clit, she gave a slight nod, "Do you like it?"
He looked up at her, his eyes dark, "Fuck yeah." He placed a kiss on the spot and then sucked through the material, she moaned pushing her hips up to his mouth.
Getting rid of his pants he slid the panties off her legs and then threw them back. "Come here" he pulled her up to his lap and found the zipper. He pulled down the straps and kissed the skin of her shoulder, nibbling and biting. She gasped wrapping her legs around him as he rested her back and with one movement filled her to the hilt. A cry escaped her lips, she slowly arched meeting him thrust for thrust, her hips moved against him violently as her nails clawed down his back, he pulled back a bit and cupped her full breasts, "Unghh right there." He looked into her eyes as he slammed his hips against hers, he loved hearing what he did to her, he loved how her toes curled and her nails dug deeper into his skin, her teeth biting her lower lip almost enough to draw blood.
But unlike usually when they 'made love' her eyes weren't beaming. She wasn't telling him she loved him to the point where it made him sick. She looked hurt and even a bit angry. Almost as if she knew him. He pulled out when she came around him and with a soundless cry she lied back, not making a move to reach for him like she usually did. When she rolled to her side he reached for her and pulled her to his chest, spooning her, "I am sorry I made you wait."
She nodded slightly, "That's fine. You didn't ask me to wait."
She shivered when he kissed her temple, "Hey. What's wrong?"
"I don't want to talk about it." She dragged herself away from him and that second her phone rang out loud, before she could reach for it Damon checked it, "Seriously, it's two in the night."
When he looked at the name, he stilled for a second before throwing the phone to her side of the bed, "Here it's probably important."
She saw Stefan's name and huffed clicking the red option on her touch screen, "It's not what you think, I never talked to him."
He bit the inside of his cheek, "I didn't ask you. I don't understand this anymore. What is this?"
She swallowed thickly as she reached for him, "I am in love with you. And if it blows up in my face this time, I think it'll fuck me up for the rest of my life. So tell me, are you in this or not? Do you love me or-" he cupped her face, pulling her closer, "I love you, how many times do I have to fucking say it, Elena?"
She flinched from his loud tone, his grip on her face wasn't soft, his eyes were enraged, "Prove it to me. Tell me whatever fucked up shit Stefan wants to tell me, I want to hear it from your mouth. So just tell me please." Tears started rolling down her eyes, she shook her head, "I can't do this all over again. I don't want to lose you." She looked so small to him as she started crying, he let her face go, she dug her face in his chest sniffling, "Fine, if you want to know- then maybe you should."
He held her shoulders to make her look up at him, "My record hasn't been clean, there are things I've done in the past that might be unacceptable to you."
She waited for him to say it. He couldn't look in her eyes when she was looking at him with so much love, it really was sick, "I've covered up a lot of the things my father did. Stefan doesn't know half of it. My lawyer told me that they found a witness, Lily and Stefan are going to drag up an old dead story. Since my father is dead, I am going to pay for it all alone."
"How does that benefit them? Won't the media tear you all together?" she asked.
He nodded, "Stefan doesn't care anymore. He will get the public backlash while I get jail time. That's what he wants." He sat back, "It's all Lily's doing. She would do anything to get control over the company, Stefan is her puppet, if she asked him to sign the company over to her to avoid public backlash on the brand, he will."
Elena bit her lip, "So what is it? What did you do?"
He blinked a few times, "My father killed a woman, Sophie Jones. Only I know about it. I was an accomplice. I did what he asked me to. I was just sixteen. She was a reporter who had gotten some information on my father. It could tear him down."
Her eyes had widened as he continued.
"He sent me to befriend her and win her trust, act like my father was abusive towards me. I played the part I got her sympathies. She wanted me to be a part of her exposé on my father." He explained in a shaky voice, "I was a minor so if I got her to sleep with me it would completely ruin her credibility and reputation. So that's what I did, I slept with her, but I didn't know that she had actually bugged me, so our whole plan was recorded. That's when father said we had to get rid of her. I somehow convinced her to meet me, promising her that I was going to stand up for what was right and when she got there. My father killed her. The story never came up."
Elena's mouth was agape. She blinked a few times before she noticed Damon tucking her hair back, "I wasn't strong back then Elena. I couldn't dream of standing up against him. If I didn't do what he wanted me to do I would be dead by now."
"But how-" she was out of words, she didn't know what or how to feel, she felt disgusted, scared, sorry, disturbed, deeply disturbed, "Stefan said your dad loved you."
She saw a look cross his face which she had never seen before, just mentioning his father made him paler than a dead body, "He didn't love anyone. Stefan always had it better than I did. He thinks being avoided is the worst thing that the man did to his children."
She licked at her dry lips and turned away grabbing her hair at her temples, she felt his hands around her, pulling her back, "If you want to leave you can. This was going to catch up to me sooner or later anyway."
She shook her head as she pressed her face to his chest, "I am not leaving you. This man sounds horrible, what he did to you is horrible." She held on to his neck and softly brushed her lips against his, "You were so young. Why did he put you through this?"
He kissed her back, holding on tight to her, "I don't know. He's dead now so I don't think about it anymore."
It was slightly disturbing how he just accepted that, she couldn't imagine not knowing answers, "Are you happy?"
He looked down at her, "Now that he's gone, yes."
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A calm few days later, when he thought the worse was far from now, he woke up to see Elena getting ready after a shower, "Hey, leaving again at crazy O clock. He said with a low growl, Elena looked over her shoulder and arched a brow, "I have to. I applied for an internship a few days ago with Bon, they want me there today."
He frowned, "Work? But we are supposed to take the last month off." He reached for her, she smiled walking back to the bed, and sat down on the side of the bed, "It's just an interview today, besides all I do is bake cakes at home."
He curled his lower lip in a pout and hooked an arm around her, "Ughh well if you want to." she kissed him softly before getting up to brush her wet hair. Damon sat back in bed watching her when he heard a car, he frowned and looked back from the window near his bed. Stefan's car.
He smirked. So he finally showed up. Damon got up from the bed and walked up behind Elena, wrapping his arms around her, "So you showered without me?"
"I had to, you were sleeping like a baby." She said in a mocking tone. He chuckled turning her around in his arms, pulling her close, "Well don't you think you should be punished for leaving me on my own?"
She blushed as he got his hands under her dress to trace them up her sides, while he planted butterfly kisses on her neck and her bare shoulders, "This will have to wait."
"Nope." He said picking her up and pushing her up against the wall, she giggled, "I am serious, not now-" He interrupted her weak protests by kissing her, she finally gave in kissing him back with the same enthusiasm, he slid her dress up and slipped her panties aside, he pulled down his sweatpants and freed his length, pushing into her all the way. She grasped at his shoulders, as he drove into her relentlessly. Before she knew she was climbing up the edge screaming his name. "That feels so good baby!" he cursed as she squeezed him for all he had, they came together.
He panted against her shoulder, "You okay?" she looked at him with heavy eyes and nodded, "Ahuh I am going to be so late because of you."
He slowly pulled out of her and helped her fix up her dress. She pulled her hair in a high ponytail. "My legs feel like jelly now." She complained as she put on her heels, a small smile on her lips, "I like it when you're rough but it would be nice if I don't have to be anywhere after it." She blushed, confessing. He smirked, "you don't have to be." She pushed at his chest when he was getting closer, "Nice try. But the excuse my 'boyfriend' is needy doesn't really work."
She saw the expression on his face change, humour gone from his face as he approached her again, cupping the side of her face, "I've been wanting to ask you this."
"Ask me what?"
"We've been together for five months, it's not much but it's longer than any relationship I've had, I think that I am ready for the next step." He pursed his lips looking down at her, she was looking at him without blinking, mesmerized by him, "The next step?"
"The future, I want you to think about a life with me. Do you want it?" she went completely blank. Was Damon proposing marriage? She found herself agreeing, "She did love him. He understood her like no one did. He was the reason she had moved on from so much bullshit, "I want it but we can wait, Damon. You don't have to do this just because I want it."
A knock from downstairs interrupted them, Elena frowned as she gestured to the door, she went outside followed by him and from the stairs, she could see Stefan in the main hall downstairs, she looked over her shoulder at Damon. Her ex-boyfriend looked hurt, she wondered how long he had been here, "What are you doing here?" she told herself she didn't need to feel guilty, he was the one interrupting their personal lives, the brown-haired man waited for them to come downstairs, "Before we take the case to the court, I just want to know if you'd be interested in last-minute negotiations, Damon this is for your own good."
Elena looked back to see Damon's cold face, "Not interested, I won't let you or Lily anywhere near my company."
"Yours?" Stefan laughed sarcastically, "See this is how this man changes colours, now that he has you on his side, he wants to eat up my tiny bit in the company." He yelled at Elena. She frowned, now she was sure he heard them, he was fuming, "How could you leave your brother alone Stefan? Can't you see-"
"I can't see it, Elena. You know, don't you? About Sophie Jones, the thirty-nine-year-old reporter that he had an affair with just disappears suddenly." He accused. "Don't you have a conscience anymore?"
Stefan's green eyes almost looked teary and she felt like she needed to look away from them before she'd spill the truth, "She coerced a minor into a relationship when she realized it was going to blow up in her face, she disappeared. How is it Damon's fault?"
"He isn't the fucking VICTIM," Stefan growled. Damon huffed, he didn't even feel the need to fight, his soon to be fiancé was doing pretty good defending him, "She didn't disappear, he definitely had something to do with it!"
Elena gritted her teeth together, "Why do you keep doing this? He wants to be better! Let him be better!" she shouted to which Stefan stepped closer holding her by her arms, "Because I love you Elena and he is going to fucking hurt you. Don't you get it? This stupid relationship is a joke to him. He is a fucking lunatic." Before she could go on Damon stepped ahead and pushed him, "That's enough brother. Elena doesn't need to be told what to do."
Her heart broke seeing Stefan so frustrated and in pain but she was tired of explaining herself to him, "I am sorry Stefan but we are over. If you're screwing with your brother to get me back, it's only making me hate you. I don't want to hate you anymore, I just want to move on, Damon and I are getting married." She didn't know how the words just flew out from her mouth. "What?" Stefan spat, he looked at Damon who rose his brows mockingly, "No, No, No Damon you can't take it this far, fuck! This is just too much."
Elena grew furious seeing Stefan act like she wasn't there in his ramblings, "Stefan enough, Please stop this, you are embarrassing yourself."
Stefan looked at her shaking his head, "Elena, I swear to god, he's a fucking fake. If you ever loved me believe me. This man will ruin your life."
She looked back at Damon, wondering why he was quiet throughout the accusations, the dark-haired man seemed calm as Stefan was growling in her face. When she looked at his icy cold eyes, he looked away with a huff, "Stefan If you don't shut the fuck up, I'll throw you out. Elena loves me and you need to get that through your stupid hero hair head."
Stefan realized his ex-girlfriend wasn't going to believe him, stopping his protests, he took a step back to stand on the Persian carpet, "Fine. Why don't you prove it to me, that this is not just some game."
Elena raised a brow as Stefan continued, "Prove it right now."
She looked back, Damon stepped forward, holding Elena's hand, "How?"
"Damon you don't have to-" Elena started but Stefan interrupted, "Elena if he really fucking loves you as he says, he'll go through with it, the Damon I know wouldn't."
"What do you want?" Damon bit out.
"Transfer half the company under Elena and I'll fucking drop the case. No one will talk about Sophie Jones anymore." He challenged. Damon looked at Stefan's blazing green eyes, "That would make the perfect wedding gift, wouldn't it?" the emerald-eyed brother said with a smirk.