Surprise
It's her birthday and everyone's in their absolute best.
So he dons a suit, but no tie.
After all this time, he no longer tries to fit himself into a cliché of "the perfect guy". It's because he knows she's not looking for perfection anyway. It's because he knows she values other things. She's not like other girls.
He knows that for sure.
His eyes sweep the room to catch a glimpse of her when he spots her descending the staircase. She's not in her usual jeans and Chuck Taylors, so he's pleasantly surprised.
She's flaunting an evening dress – soft and flowing – like what a girl would be comfortable in, like something she could dance in. It's the kind of dress that shows a little, but leaves him yearning for more. She knows he likes a flirt, a tease, yet she doesn't know that she, herself, is one.
He takes a step forward, intent to have the birthday girl on his arm tonight. But she's got a fill-in escort and with a polite smile in place, takes his arm instead.
His brows draw close and his jaw clenches. He's pondering whether or not he should still approach her then begrudgingly decides on the latter. The last thing he wants to do is spoil her night.
The party's pleasant. While people nibble on hors d'oeuvres, he nurses a glass of golden liquid.
The air ignites as they catch each other's stolen glances from across the room. He's trying to look impassive yet failing. He's pretending to pay attention to this flirty blonde though he clearly isn't.
He tries so hard to keep his eyes off her, but when he hears her silvery laugh, he knows it's futile.
He watches her dance, hooked on her every sway, her every turn. The dress is working him like a charm. And by the time the song ends, his feet are disobeying orders and he's headed towards her. He figures that he lost all rational thought, along with his better judgement, sometime during the chorus.
He loathes dancing. He wouldn't dance for his life.
Yet with a strong hand firmly pushing the fill-in escort away, his steel-blue eyes are only for her.
"Do you mind?" he asks, but doesn't wait for the response.
With a graceful swoop, he has her in his arms, and they are in sync to the song's slow beat. Beneath a mastered look of genuine surprise, her eyes ask what took him so long.
He expects to be told off, chided at the very least. But the night's just full of surprises.
"Do I know you, sir?" she asks, a small smile playing upon her lips.
It's his turn to smirk.
"Oh, you'd be surprised."
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries
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