Chapter 23

The intimidating skyscraper stood proud and tall. Elena's curious eyes sized it up and down with an impending wave of trepidation. Deja vu came to mind, as it wasn't that long ago that she stood in this exact spot, building the courage to parade inside. Back then Elena had her mind set on disclosing her feelings to a certain blue-eyed enigma that knocked all common sense out of her. Now, she was here at his very request. Scratch that - at Damon's very instructions.

When did Elena become so agreeable? She didn't. The conversation consisted of yes,no,yes,no,yes,no until it was obvious that Damon wasn't having it any other way and given that Elena's stubbornness sought right through to the bones, the argument would never see the light of day. So, she gave in, against all odds.

Just another perk of falling for the guy. But in Damon's defence, this was for a good cause.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going to be known as the girl who sleeps with the boss to help further her career." She elaborated with a frown as she climbed out of bed and threw on a nightgown.

How ironic of Damon to start the conversation after they've had sex.

"That's ridiculous, who would even think that?" Damon rolled his eyes and followed Elena into the kitchen, not all that bothered about his own nakedness.

He sensed that it wasn't going to be easy to convince Elena to do anything; that was always an obstacle course. She'd scream, kick and fight before coming to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

And this one wasn't.

"Everyone." Elena stated the obvious.

"Alright, let me rephrase that. Who cares what people will think?"

She turned around mid-walk and gasped when she saw that Damon was fully naked.

"Nothing that you haven't seen before." He smirked, noticing the timidity.

"I care, Damon." She grabbed a pillow off the sofa and threw it in his direction. "And that doesn't mean that you no longer need to wear clothes."

Damon laughed, easily catching it. "I can think of a few people that wouldn't mind if I'd sworn off wearing clothes."

Elena glared at him, knowing all too well that he enjoyed teasing her. The thought of the eager and lustful eyes on Damon was not one that she wanted to entertain.

Deciding to ignore him, she plopped down onto the sofa and switched on the TV. It was Saturday morning, and they didn't have anything planned for the day. Hauntingly enough, this was their final weekend together, before Damon left for Los Angeles. Yeah, that was still a sore spot.

"You know that I'm just kidding, right?" Damon put the teasing aside and joined Elena, sitting at the far end of the sofa with her legs on his lap.

"About which part?" She kept her eyes fixed on the screen.

It was hard to concentrate with his thumbs skilfully massaging her feet. Why did he have to be good at everything?

"I don't care about anyone else checking me out." Damon clarified with a chuckle. "Now about the other thing, please do hear me out."

"I'm not changing my mind." She managed to murmur. "But go on, if you must."

That was the massage talking.

Damon smiled, watching as her eyes closed and the tension began to crumble away.

"I think that it would be stupid of you not to take this opportunity."

Elena's eyes snapped open, shooting daggers in his direction.

"But" He interjected right away, giving her a knowing look. "I understand the position that it puts you in. Although, I don't understand why you give a fuck about other people's opinion of you, which is a whole different issue."

"Are you getting somewhere with this?"

"Yes, I am. Now, hush." Damon chided playfully. "You don't want to do the internship at the firm because you think that you don't deserve it, or you don't like things being handed to you. What if we go about it the normal way? I'll schedule you in for an interview and you can go and show them why you deserve the chance."

The conversation with Rebekah had finally come round to bite Elena in the ass. Apparently the blonde took it upon herself to bring Damon up to speed on their brief encounter from a couple of weeks back, the one during which Elena mentioned that she was thinking of going into content writing. The memory of that conversation quickly faded away, and Elena didn't think anything of it.

Naturally, Damon thought that it was a perfect idea to have Elena do an internship in the marketing department at Salvatore & Co - an opportunity like that would open a lot of doors for her after graduating. Secretly, a part of him hoped that Elena would grow to love the place and decide to stay on permanently after finishing college. Well, that dream was triumphantly shattered when Elena outright shot it down.

Coming to think of it, bringing the subject up after sex was a stroke of genius.

"They'll still know that you scheduled the interview." Elena pointed out, although the concept was tempting.

"I'll get Vicky to do it then."

"Yeah, but they'll know, so they'll give it to me anyway. How could they say no to you?"

"You don't seem to have an issue with saying no to me." Damon rolled his eyes. "I don't see how you could turn this down. I'll be gone for three months, so most people won't even know that there's something going on between us. You'll get to make connections and see how you like it."

It's not that Elena didn't want to do it; in fact, she'd been applying to a number of companies in the city in hopes of getting picked for an unpaid internship. It didn't even matter which industry it would be in, she just needed something that would help her gain some experience. But this was New York, and the competition was vast, so the job search proved fruitless.

Then Damon dropped this bomb, eagerly offering an entry position that was more than Elena could dream of. But, he was right in saying that she didn't like things being handed to her, and that's exactly what this felt like.

"Provided I do well in the interview."

"And I have no doubts that you will." He countered. "I could just get you the job, screw the internship. Come on, let me do this one thing for you."

"No way." Elena sat up right away. "I'll do the interview if you promise me that you won't be the one to set it up." Her expressive brown eyes drilled into his.

"You're stubborn as fuck." Damon smiled, shaking his head.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, Elena. I will treat you like the dirty little secret that you are and get someone else to do it for me." He laughed and stole a quick kiss from her.

Despite the initial resistance, Elena couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect. Well, also nervous about making a good impression, but mainly happy at what this possibly meant for her future, if all went according to plan.

So, that's how Elena ended up standing in front of the Salvatore & Co building, heading for the interview that was scheduled to take place in ten minutes. Now the idea didn't seem so great, and she hated agreeing to do it in the first place.

Those were just nerves, she tried to reassure herself.

Elena spent every free moment preparing, researching, practicing. Damon's insight would have been helpful, but she refused to speak to him about it. The least that she could do was impress the interviewer with her knowledge, experience, and the portfolio that she put together for the meeting. Given that the interview was Tuesday, Elena only had two days to soak in all the information.

The receptionist handed Elena a visitor's card alongside some helpful instructions on how to get to the right place. This was a strategic mission, she couldn't bump into Damon, because that would be an awful distraction. She also didn't trust Damon to pull off the whole platonic thing in front of other people.

Arriving right on time, Elena was told to take a seat in the waiting area; someone would call for her when they were ready. The waiting was the hardest. Eyes pacing around the room, fingers nervously tapping against the knees, heartbeat accelerating. Elena simply hoped that there wouldn't be an empty canvas in her brain by the time she was called inside.

Maybe it was a bad idea to opt in for the interview.

What if it would end up being terribly messy and embarrassing?

"Ms Elena Gilbert?"

Well, it was too late to back out now.

"It was a pleasure meeting with you, Elena." The tall blonde shook Elena's hand and flashed a genuine smile. "We'll be in touch within the next few days."

"You too. And thank you for your time." She returned the smile and left the room, trying not to stumble over her shaky legs.

Making it around the corner and safely out of the hearing range, Elena blew out a big sigh of relief.

The interview went well, or at least so she thought. Now the questions that they asked were just a fuzzy blur, but none of them were unexpected and the interviewer seemed impressed with Elena's portfolio and some of the marketing blurbs that she had whipped up.

She gave it her best shot; the rest was up to the universe. And the interview guy.

Peeling her back from the wall, Elena tucked away the loose documents into her bag and walked in the direction of the elevator. There was already a text message from Damon to see how the meeting went, and then another one came a couple of seconds later, asking her to meet him at the park nearby. Damon's enthusiasm about the whole thing was yet to cool off, and Elena found it sweet that he was this invested.

It would definitely make her miss him more.

The elevator door slid open, and Elena groaned internally at the fact that it was not empty.

"Well, what a surprise." Rose looked Elena up and down with an elated curl to the lips. "Elena, right?"

This was more than just bad luck.

"Hi Rose." Elena reluctantly stepped inside, standing in the opposite corner.

"It's been a while." She commented, as if trying to make conversation.

Coming to think of it, Elena had no idea how long it had been since their last encounter, but she was certain that it wasn't a pleasant one. This one would likely fall in the same category.

"Yep, since Italy."

Glancing down at the buttons, it appeared that they were both heading for the ground floor.

Perfect.

"So, what brings you here? or should I say who?" Rose prodded with slightly too much excitement.

"I think we both know who."

Rose nodded knowingly. "Spending time together while you still can, good thinking."

There was no double meaning, or was there? Elena wouldn't put it past Rose, but then again, it was probably common knowledge that Dmon would be relocating for some time.

"Don't worry, I'll take real good care of him in California."

"What do you mean?" Elena followed up.

There was no use in pretending, the look on Elena's face surely betrayed all that she was feeling in that moment.

"Oh, Damon didn't tell you?" Rose smirked proudly. "He's not going there alone, Elena. I'll be accompanying him at all times."

The loud pinging noise broke in, and the doors slid open as the elevator arrived at the ground floor.

"Good seeing you." Elena muttered out and hurried to leave the building.

She couldn't believe that Damon had kept that tiny, relevant detail to himself, and it infuriated her to the core.

Was it anger or jealousy? There was no way of pinning it down, but it got deep under Elena's skin, and she wasn't going to let it slide.

Without giving it any further thought, Elena made her way to the spot where Damon was supposed to be waiting. She practically power walked in the pair of grossly uncomfortable heels, but in that moment there was nothing that could stop her. She needed some answers.

Damon didn't need to ask to know that something was wrong.

"What happened?" He stood up, looking concerned.

"Oh, no. You're the one who's going to be doing the talking." Elena snickered in disbelief, sliding the shoes off because she was about to die of pain. "Guess who I ran into on my way out?"

Damon's brows furrowed. "Stefan?" He offered, confused.

His little brother was a pain in the ass, but it seemed unlikely that he could cause Elena this much turmoil.

"Rose." She declared with a tight-lipped smile. "The girl that you were in a relationship with, remember that one?"

Oh fuck.

A sheer look of realisation washed over Damon.

"Elena, you have every reason to be angry with me.."

"I don't need your stupid validation." She jerked away as he got closer. "Why the hell would you decide to keep that to yourself?"

"It's not like that, believe me, I wanted to tell you."

"How could you keep that from me?" She asked in a lower voice, suddenly feeling more upset than angry.

"I swear that I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how to." Damon sighed, his confidence slipping.

"How am I supposed to trust you, Damon?"

He wanted to show Elena that he was worthy of her trust, that he'd never do anything to hurt her. But this situation was the polar opposite of that, and he was painfully aware of how badly he messed up.

"I know that it sounds ridiculous, but you can trust me, Elena.." He tried to piece the words together. "I should have told you sooner, and the reason that I didn't was because I know how you feel about Rose."

"So, now it's my fault?" Elena's eyes widened in disbelief at what she was hearing. "I'm the one that stopped you from telling the truth?"

"That's not what I meant." Damon quickly denied. "Everything about us is new, and I'm trying not to screw anything up. Obviously, I chose a really bad way to go about it."

"Yeah, keeping that from me was a mistake." She swallowed nervously, stepping away. "Now I don't know how I could ever trust you whilst you're there and I'm here. I need to go."

Damon watched as Elena turned her back to him, and he realised that she was beginning to slip away, without there being any distance between them. They couldn't end like this. Not over someone so negligible like Rose and much less over Damon's lack of judgement. He quickly overtook Elena, blocking her way.

"Lena, please. Let me explain."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Leaving you behind for all this time is the last thing that I want to do." Damon ignored her pleas and pressed forward. "The fact that I'll be stuck there with Rose makes it that much more unbearable. I didn't want it to scare you away, and that's why I didn't tell you."

Elena forced herself to look into his eyes, she was afraid of giving in instantaneously; but would it be such a sign of weakness, if she gave Damon the benefit of the doubt?

"Why would that scare me away?"

"Because it's all moving so fast, because you don't have to deal with any of this crap? You could walk away today and find a guy who has none of this going on, who you can actually be with." He ran a hand through his hair. "And Rose? I swear I want nothing to do with her, I don't even notice when she's around."

"I don't want any of that." She said quietly, fidgeting with her fingers.

The expression on Damon's face hardened. "Okay.. I get that." He sighed.

"No. I want this." Elena admitted. "I don't want a regular guy, with a normal life, living around the corner from me. I want your stupid baggage."

"You do?" His brow arched.

She nodded. "But I'm not going to stick around if you keep things from me. I need you to be honest, always."

There was an underlying warning in the tone of her voice, and a layer of vulnerability that slowly unravelled.

Trusting Damon could be the end of everything, but at the same time every nerve in her body ached for him, like he was the only that could make her feel alive. This was a leap of faith that Elena was willing to take.

"I promise." He mused, swatting away a strand of hair from Elena's face. "And I won't be alone with Rose. There are two other guys from the team coming."

"Okay."

There was an awkward silence, which was a rare occurrence.

They always had something to talk about or something to do.

Elena might have come around, but she was still seething.

"Am I allowed to kiss you?"

Dammit if she didn't look hot as hell all angry like that.

"Nope." Elena slipped her shoes back on and checked the time on her phone. "I need to get going, I have a class in 30 minutes."

Damon frowned. The chances of him getting his daily Elena fix were looking slim to none.

"Will you at least tell me how the interview went?"

"Fine." She playfully bit down on the lower lip. "I think he liked me."

Damon could swear that she was doing this on purpose.

"Who?"

"Scott Baker, the guy could not be more obvious if he tried." A small, sexy laugh escaped her.

Could a laugh be sexy? Yes, yes it could.

"Did he say something?"

Now Damon was riled up, and oddly aroused at the same time.

"Oh, not so much with words, but his eyes spoke volumes." She blushed. "I think it might have been the dress. It's nice, don't you think?"

Elena twirled around, looking back over her shoulder, eyelashes batting away. Her hands traced the soft contours of her body, stopping just below the hips. The tiny black dress accentuated every curve, leaving enough to imagination, running past the mid-thigh. With the oversized blazer the outfit didn't seem that daring, but with it off and the shoes highlighting her slender legs, anyone would melt under that provocative gaze.

"Yeah, nice, very." Damon swallowed with a nod, unable to peel his eyes away.

"Elena?" He said hoarsely.

Her head tilted to the side, giving him the go ahead.

Suddenly aware of their surroundings, he noted that there weren't too many people around, which was exactly what he needed.

He slowly approached Elena, effectively backing her into the brick wall behind them. She was trapped between the wall and his body but didn't seem to mind the lack of an escape route.

"You wanted to say something?" She asked innocently, eyes darting to his lips.

"You're ditching class today." He whispered, running one hand down her thigh.

A/N: Hello! I hope you liked this one, we're getting closer to Damon's departure, what are your thoughts so far?

I've noticed that the interest in the story has slightly decreased which is a bit of a bummer, so I'll be planning how to wrap it up sometime soon. But those who do read and leave reviews - thank you so much! It's so so appreciated. Reading your reviews is so rewarding and motivating. I hope that you enjoyed this one, and see you soon :) Kaya xx