"And then what happened?" Caroline asks, leaning forward on her elbows.
"He kissed me," Elena reveals as she leans back in her chair and rests her leg on the desktop in her office.
"He kissed you?"
"Yep. Right here." Elena points to the spot just above her right temple.
"Is that all?"
"Yes, Caroline, that's all, and as innocent as it was, I can't let it happen again."
"You have feelings for him..." Caroline deduces, her eyes meeting Elena's.
"Of course, I do. I've known him my entire life," Elena deflects as she looks away.
"It's not that kind of feelings and you know it."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Yes, you do..." Caroline remarks with a sharp rise of her perfectly shaped eyebrows.
"Listen to me. He loves Sybil Cade; they're going to get married. I don't want to get hurt either, Caroline. Please understand that."
"I get that. I do but what if he has feelings for you, too?"
"He doesn't. This conversation is over. We have another surgery to get ready for."
"And denial is a river in Egypt," Caroline quips as she opens the office door.
"I'll be out in a few minutes," Elena responds as the blonde pulls her door closed. She pulls a bottle of Ibuprofen out of her desk drawer, drops a couple in her hand, and swallows them down.
She's about to get up when her cellphone rings. Seeing who it is, Elena lets out a sigh and clicks it on.
"You're supposed to be at home taking it easy," Damon admonishes her.
"Well, dad, it's like this..."
"Haha," Damon answers and she can hear the sarcasm in his voice. "Meredith told you to rest."
"I have a business to run. Now if that's all, I have surgery to perform."
"There's no one else that can help you out?"
"No, Damon, there isn't. I'm not a successful millionaire who can take several weeks off without worrying about how to pay the bills. And I have a responsibility to my clients."
"You win...how about I come over later and cook you dinner? That leg will be hurting something fierce by the time you're done for the day."
"That's not necessary, Damon. I can take care of myself."
"I'm well aware but I want to. I'll see you around seven," he offers as Elena considers it.
"You're not going to give up are you?"
"Nope," he replies, popping the p.
"I need to go. I have a cat waiting to be spayed."
"See you later, Elena," Damon adds before the line goes dead.
Hanging up the phone and placing it on her desktop, Elena drops her face into her hands. Several seconds pass before she hops to her knee-scooter, and wheels herself towards the surgical suite.
"Enzo, hi!" Elena looks up when he raps on her office door.
"That must hurt?" Enzo points at her leg as he sits down.
"Yeah, close encounters with venomous snakes do tend to cause pain."
"Aren't you the comedian?" he counters with an eye roll. "Shouldn't you be resting that leg?" Enzo looks at her pointedly.
"You've been talking to Damon," Elena scowls at him.
"Only when he called to see if I'd take care of your snake. We did have a couple of drinks at The Grill a few nights ago. You should be more careful, Elena, you could be dead!"
"Don't be so melodramatic, Enzo. I'm fine."
"You say that now..." he starts but lets his voice trail when he notices her glowering at him. "About Damon, how long is he going to stay?"
"How would I know? He came for Giuseppe. Honestly, he's already stayed longer than I thought he would."
"He's a lucky man. Sybil Cade is one fine-looking woman."
"I suppose he is. Now if there's nothing else, I have some work to finish."
"Why do I get the feeling you don't want to talk about him?" Enzo posits as he tents his fingers.
"What's there to talk about? He'll leave here and forget about us all over again. So, no, I don't want to talk about him," Elena contends, meeting his stare.
"There's a story there but I won't push...today. See you around, Elena."
Elena raises her hand. Moments later she hops to the window and watches Enzo drive away.
Elena comes through her front door just in time to hear the front clock chime seven o'clock. He frowned as the house seemed darker than normal, particularly so close to the dinner hour.
"Damon?" Dropping her bag near the door, Elena walks to a small table in the foyer to thumb through the mail she's ignored for a couple of days. She removes the scrunchie from her hair when she abruptly stops. Turning around, she sniffs at the tantalizing aromas. "Damon?" she repeats in a louder voice. "What have you been up to in the kitc..." She never finishes the sentence as he appears in the hallway.
Damon walks towards her slowly. Elena swallows hard as he finally stands before her.
"Hi," he says softly. "You must be tired. Go take a shower or relax with your leg up in the living room. Supper isn't quite ready."
Elena looks around tentatively. "Hi, yourself. That smells like..."
"Eggplant parmesan, your favorite, or at least it used to be," Damon replies as he pushes the front door closed.
Elena nods silently, hoping he can't hear the way her heart is practically beating out of her chest. She takes a shaky breath. "I think I'm just going to go change clothes, I'll be out in a bit," she says softly. Backing up with her scooter, she wheels herself away to put some much-needed distance between them.
Damon slips his hand into a protective mitt. He looks over his shoulder just as Elena appears, hobbling on crutches. "Have a seat," he tells her as he removes a large casserole from her oven. Once he sets it down, he retrieves a bowl of salad from the refrigerator and sets it on the kitchen table.
"It smells good." Elena takes a seat on one side of the table and pulls another chair close enough so she can rest her leg on it.
Damon carries two steaming plates to the table. "I wrote some lyrics today." Damon sits down in the chair on the side adjacent to her own.
"That's great." Elena breathes in the enticing aroma.
"So," he says brightly, changing the subject, "how does dinner look?"
"Eggplant parmesan and tossed green salad. It smells delicious." Elena eagerly picks up her knife and fork to cut her meal and after tasting some, she shakes her head in amazement. "This is terrific."
"I forgot the wine." Damon jumps up and pulls it from the fridge. After popping the cork, he fills her glass.
"Thanks." Elena smiles and takes a sip. "It's good. When did you learn to cook?"
Damon put his fork down deliberately. "I don't know. My mom worked at a restaurant in LA. I used to hang out in the kitchen when I had nowhere to go. I learned a few things," he explains and waggles his brows at her.
"It seems you did...learn a few things I mean." Elena takes another bite and has to swallow back a moan at how good it is.
"Well, I'm just glad you like it." Damon picks up his wine glass, emptying it. When Elena pushes her plate away, he places their dishes in the sink. "Are you ready for dessert?"
"You made dessert, too?" she asks, surprised.
"I never do things halfway, Elena," he quips. Damon as he opens the refrigerator. Damon takes a huge bowl out of the refrigerator, removing the cover dramatically. "Peaches." he places the bowl on the table along with a carton of fresh cream. Before sitting down, he pulls a couple of bowls out of the cupboard. After ladling some in one, he slides it in front of Elena and hands her the cream.
"How did you know that I love peaches with fresh cream?" Juice runs down her chin as she slurps up a spoonful.
"Looks like they're juicy," Damon murmurs, taking a napkin to wipe her chin gently.
Elena nods, her eyes locking with Damon's. "They are..." the words die on her lips as he leans in closer to her. Mesmerized she starts to do the same when his phone rings, ending whatever that was.
"It's Sybil, I have to take this." Damon stands and walks outside, pulling the door closed behind him.
Elena is breathless and limp, completely shocked by what almost transpired. Grateful for Sybil's timing, Elena scoots her chair back, puts her bowl in the sink, and stares outside into the darkness, illuminated only by the light of Damon's cellphone as he walks away.
"Good morning, Giuseppe," Elena calls out as she enters his hospital room. She doesn't want him to know she's troubled about Damon so she smiles brightly as she approaches his bedside. "I brought you some of Theophilia's amaretto coffee and a slice of peach kuchen."
"What's the occasion?" he asks as he searches her eyes.
Elena pulls out her phone, opens her photos, and lays it down on his over the bed table. "I thought you'd like to see a few pictures of the foal. He's doing very well. Have you thought about names?" she asks as she pulls the chair over to sit down.
"I was thinking Gunner." Guiseppe looks at Elena to gauge her reaction.
"I like that name, very much." Elena extends her sore leg.
"Damon said you got bit by a Cottonmouth. Are you okay?" Giuseppe asks and stuffs a bite of kuchen in his mouth.
"I'm fine. It's just a little sore..."
"You wear a good poker face but you're not fooling me. What's troubling you?" he asks as he puts his fork down to give her his full attention.
"You're so frustrating. I come in here wearing a smile and bringing you breakfast..."
"And?" he asks.
"You see right through me," she murmurs in frustration.
"I've known you since you were a little girl, Elena. I think I know you better than I know my own son," Giuseppe admits and drops his eyes for a moment.
"You should talk to him."
"Do you also need to talk to him?"
"Alright, Giuseppe, I'll admit it. I have feelings for Damon but he's engaged to another woman. It's wrong...at least he'll most likely be returning to Sybil soon and then everything can go back to normal."
"If you want my opinion, I don't think Damon knows what he wants. He hasn't said anything and I could be wrong...it's just a hunch I have."
"It doesn't matter. His heart doesn't belong here, he said this place isn't home. So no matter what either of us feels or wants, he's going to leave and resume his fairytale life with Sybil."
"Yeah," Giuseppe nods and empties his coffee cup. "Thanks for this, and, oh, are you going to the town festival?"
"You're welcome. I need to get to the clinic and yes, Caroline talked me into checking out the booths. She always finds something," Elena adds as she gets on her knee-scooter. With a little effort, she opens the door. "Goodbye," she calls over her shoulder before letting the door fall closed as she wheels herself away.
The stars are brighter than Damon remembers them being, or maybe he just never really took the time to pay attention before. Looking up at the sky, he stares at the moon before picking up his guitar and sitting down on the porch swing.
I never knew there'd come a day
When I'd be sayin' to you
Don't let this good love slip away
Now that we know that it's true
Don't, don't you know the kind of man I am
No, said I'd never fall in love again
But it's real and the feeling comes shinin' through
I'm so caught up in you, little girl
And I never did suspect a thing
So caught up in you, little girl
That I never want to get myself free
And baby, it's true you're the one
Damon sings as he strums his guitar. His gaze drifts across the landscape and he wonders what she's doing right now. As much as he wants to deny it, Elena's gotten under his skin. He can't stop thinking about her. She's even invading his dreams...
As he sets his guitar down, Damon glances at his Rolex, a gift from Sybil...Suddenly it feels heavy on his wrist, almost like a handcuff. "You can't think this way, you're engaged. You love Sybil, right?" he asks himself as he stares at the way the moonlight reflects off the diamonds that mark the hours on the watch's face.
With a sigh, Damon walks out to the yard and stoops down. His fingers clench at the loose dirt... Whether he wants to admit it or not, this place is beginning to feel like home.
Huge thanks to all of you. You're all amazing.
Thank you, Eva.
Damon's song 'Caught Up in You' by .38 Special.
Chapter title: 'Home' by Daughtry.
Take care and have a fabulous weekend. See you next week.