It's not even been an hour since she arrived at Mystic Falls' annual festival and Elena is ready to go home. She's been standing on the sidelines for the past thirty minutes, eyes roaming around for any sign of Caroline.

She meanders over to the refreshment stand where she accepts an ice-cold glass of sparkling cider.

"First rule of any Mystic Falls soirée, bring your own alcohol."

Elena whirls around, nearly knocking over a passerby. Damon's strong arms quickly wrap themselves around her waist and hold her upright, catching her before she lands in heap. "Maybe you've already had enough?" he quips with a smirk.

"You're hilarious," Elena deadpans, straightening herself out before looking at him. Damon looks spectacular with his low-slung jeans, tee-shirt, and leather jacket.

A witty retort is on the tip of her tongue before all her thoughts leave her with three little words from Damon.

"You look nice," he says simply, eyes locking with hers.

"Thank you," she replies, blushing profusely before taking a deep and steadying breath. "You clean up nice, too." Elena knows she should make a hasty retreat. It's dangerous to be so close to him.

"Oh, I know." He waggles his brows at her teasingly.

"Cocky much?"

"Very much!" Damon smirks, his cobalt eyes doing crazy things to her insides. She takes another sip of her cider and wills away the furious scarlet color on her cheeks.

"So, where's Enzo? I figured you two would be together," Elena asks, as she looks around again for her blonde friend.

"He got held up at work. He'll be here later," Damon explains as he reaches into his suit jacket and pulls out a small silver vessel. "You want a swallow?"

Elena rolls her eyes. "You brought a flask!?"

"Yeah!" Damon flashes the shiny silver container, an inviting smile on his lips and mischief lighting his eyes as he takes a drink.

Elena shakes her head when he offers it to her. The last thing she needs to do is get drunk with Damon Salvatore. It won't end well for either of them.

"Elena?" comes from behind her.

Elena turns to see Caroline waving her arm. She's grateful that her friend finally showed up.

"There's Caroline. Bye, Damon." Elena drops her cup in the garbage can and skirts through the crowd to meet her friend.

"You don't want to ask Damon to join us?" Caroline asks as she looks at some homemade jewelry at one of the booths.

"No!" Elena answers succinctly, exasperated with her friend already.

"Come with me." The blonde pays for a necklace, links their arms, and leads her to a quiet area under a big, leafy tree. While Caroline gets them something to drink, Elena rubs her sore leg. She probably should've brought her knee scooter along but didn't want to bother with it.

"Here you go," Caroline hands Elena a glass of lemonade and sits down beside her friend. "Now talk."

"Damon cooked dinner for me the other night. It was wonderful and delicious. And..."

"And?" Caroline asks with a raise of her eyebrow.

Elena nibbles on her bottom lip. "We almost kissed," she sighs, "and then Sybil called so he left."

"Talk about bad timing." Caroline blurts out with a smile.

"No! Thank God, she did call. It's wrong, Caroline. He's engaged to her. I can't let that happen again."

"If he was so in love with Sybil Cade, that never would have happened."

"Caroline, I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright, I won't push. But how are you going to stay away from him?"

"I don't know. I suppose he'll be leaving soon and it'll no longer be an issue."

"You know I love you. He'll be gone but your feelings won't be," Caroline adds pointedly.

"It doesn't matter. He has his life and I have mine. Time can be a good friend," Elena adds. As she looks at the crowd, she catches a glimpse of Damon laughing with Enzo. Her heart twists painfully in her chest as she lets out a sigh and empties her glass of lemonade.

A motorcycle engine revs up in her parking lot. They're not uncommon sounds around here so Elena brushes it off and continues her work. When it doesn't quit, she gets up to see who's outside.

Sitting in the parking area, straddling a Harley, is none other than Damon. He's sitting with his arms crossed over his chest, grinning at her and he looks so good.

"Why are you here?" Elena asks, perplexed.

"Did I miss the no motorcycles sign?" He uncrosses his arms and rests his hands on his thighs; one foot lifting to perch it on a peg.

Elena doesn't even know what to say and is mad at herself for finding him so damn hot.

Damon gets off the bike and starts walking toward her.

"I'm busy."

"Come on, you can take a time out," he states, forming a T with his hands. "Five minutes...I'll show you my bike."

"I've seen your bike."

"Do you ride?" Damon urges her over to stand next to it.

"Yes, I've ridden a bike before. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

Damon doesn't break his gaze as he reaches over and turns off the engine, pocketing the key.

"Have a seat?" He smirks. "Go ahead. Get on."

"You're not going to quit until I do are you?"

"No," he replies, waggling his brows.

Elena scowls at him, puts her foot on the peg while holding onto the throttle, and moves her other leg over the seat. She can't help but move her tush a little to settle in and grab the other grip. She starts imagining riding behind Damon, her arms holding tightly onto his abdomen, feeling his muscles contract and react to her touch.

"Are we done?" Elena asks, trying to sound nonchalant.

"You have no idea the power between your legs right now," Damon quips.

"Damon..." she warns, drawing her brows together.

"I want to show you something. I promise it won't take long then I'll bring you back so you can do whatever it is that you need to do."

Elena doesn't move.

"Trust me!" He offers her the helmet and hops in front of her on the motorcycle.

Against her better judgment, she slips the helmet over her head and wraps her arms around his waist, just as she imagined.

"Ready?" he asks, revving the engine.

Elena nods and he takes off down the road. The wind's blowing her hair and it feels good to be so close to him. A few miles down the road, he stops in front of a patch of land with a for-sale sign posted. "What's this?"

"I was thinking about buying this parcel and building a house here for me and Sybil."

"You want to build a house here?" Elena asks, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, it's got a lake on the property. It's beautiful."

Elena laughs.

"What's funny?" Damon looks at her.

"Academy Award nominee, Sybil Cade is not going to want to live out here in bumfuck nowhere."

"You don't know her, Elena. I like the idea of having a place away from LA and New York."

"So tell me about Sybil. What's her favorite color, favorite gemstone. What's her favorite food? What movies does she like?" Elena asks, picking up a piece of grass to chew on.

"She's beautiful, smart, and very talented," Damon states as he looks out over the landscape.

"This I know. Come on, Damon, what's she like?"

"She's been famous since she was a kid. She's used to the adulation. Sybil taught me about dealing with stardom."

"But what are her favorite things?" Elena presses.

Damon deflects and changes the subject. "You know, I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time. Usually, I'm running to catch a plane or to play a concert."

"Are you complaining?" Elena asks, looking at him.

"I know it sounds exciting but it gets old fast. Waking up in a different hotel every morning, not knowing which city you're in until you find a newspaper."

"First-class flights, five-star hotel suites, huge bank accounts, being rich and famous...sounds like you have a rough life."

"You're making fun of me," Damon accuses, locking eyes with hers.

"Am I?" she asks, her mouth drawing into a grin.

"Come on, I'll take you back," Damon offers his hand and helps her to her feet. A short time later, he pulls up in front of Elena's office. After she jumps off, he steps on the gas and drives away, Elena's questions feeling like a lead weight in his gut.

Against her better judgment but as a favor to Enzo, Elena walks up the steps to Damon's porch and raps on the door. Her breath catches when he appears shirtless, wearing only low-cut jeans that leave her mouth almost watering as she follows his trail of hair till it disappears beneath the denim.

"Elena, hi," Damon states, drawing her eyes upward.

"Is there something you wanted?"

"Enzo's band is playing at The Grill. I told him I'd invite you," Elena explains, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger.

"Enzo has a band?"

"He does, they play on Saturday evenings."

"Sure, just let me put on a shirt. Come in."

"No, I'll just wait out here, it's a nice evening," Elena says, fanning her face when he retreats into the house.

Twenty minutes later they're walking into The Grill, taking their seats at a table. Enzo's already playing. "They're good," Damon remarks, signaling the bartender to bring them something to drink.

A short while later, Damon opens his arms to Elena in invitation. "Would you...I mean, as long as we're out here...?"

Elena shrugs her shoulders as she moves into his arms. "No reason to let perfectly good music go to waste?"

And then you sense a change
Nothing feels the same
All our dreams are strange, love comes walkin' in
Some kind of alien
Waits for an opening

Elena's right-hand slides from Damon's left to wrap around his neck. Damon shifts both of his hands to her waistline, pulling her even closer to his body. The dim lights and Enzo's voice compel her to lay her head on his chest as they dance to Enzo's beautiful vocals.

Another world, some other time
You lay your sanity on the line
Familiar faces, familiar sights
Reach back remember with all your might

Ohh there she stands in a silken gown
Silver lights shining down

Elena tries to control her reaction to Damon's closeness, but when she feels him rest his cheek against her hair, she whimpers softly. When she shivers involuntarily, Damon tightens his embrace, rubbing his cheek against her forehead. It sends fireworks racing down her spine to the place where her desire for him is pooling. As he slides his hands down her back to press her lower body against his, Elena pulls back to stare into Damon's eyes.

Damon ducks his head, watching as her eyelids flutter closed and her lips part. He presses his own to her plump bottom one, trailing his tongue over it before shifting up and sinking into a kiss. His fingers trail over her cheeks before cupping her jaw and tilting it to just the right angle for his tongue to slip past her lips. She moans softly, raising herself on tiptoes to meet his tongue with her own as her chest presses deliciously against his.

When the music ends, both of them seem to loathe letting each other go. Damon slides his hand up to cup the side of her face, stroking his thumb across her lips briefly.

"Elena..."

Elena feels her breathing go ragged...She's grateful when the spell is broken by the sound of Enzo's voice.

"Thank you! Now we've got a very special treat for you tonight. We have rock superstar, Mystic Falls own Damon Salvatore in the house." Enzo states, leading the applause. "I'd like to invite him to join the band for a song. Come on up, Damon." Enzo crooks his arm.

He nods and joins Enzo on stage. One of his bandmates hands Damon his guitar. After a few whispers, they start to play and Elena backs off the dance floor and right into Bonnie.

"What are you doing, Elena?" Bonnie asks, looking at her friend pointedly.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Elena replies, watching Damon perform, something she hasn't seen since he'd pluck at the guitar when they were kids.

"Come on, I've known you since we were kids. You're falling in love with him aren't you?"

"He has a fiancé, Bonnie," Elena replies, not denying her accusation.

"Exactly, he's marrying someone else. I care about you, Elena, I don't want you to get hurt."

Elena watches Damon as he steps up to the microphone and begins to sing. She listens to his beautiful voice for several moments.

Wherever you go, I'll be with you
Whatever you want, I'll give it to you
Whenever you need someone
To lay your head upon

Remember, after the fire, after all the rain
I will be the flame
I will be the flame

Elena sucks in a deep serrated breath. With a nod to Bonnie, she leaves the bar and starts to walk home, her lips tingling all the way...

Elena sits on her porch steps when she gets home, trying to free her mind. It's beautiful outside, a little breezy and its clear skies save for the twinkling stars.

"Elena? Where did you go?" Damon approaches from the side of her house.

Elena locks eyes with him as she looks up at his face. "I started thinking about some things."

Damon can feel the energy between them shift and crackle with electricity. He saunters forward, smiling flirtatiously. "What kind of things?" he wonders, tucking her hair behind her ear and grinning when he hears her sharp intake of breath.

"Haven't you ever heard that a woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets?"

Damon cracks a smile as he moves even closer.

Her eyes sweep over his face before they land on the soft curve of his lips as he smiles gently at her.

Damon leans forward, his face hovering a hairsbreadth over her own. She can feel his warm breath on her skin.

"Are you going to kiss me again?"

"Do you want me to kiss you again?"

Elena blinks rapidly and desperately tries to get her wits about her. She tends to lose her train of thought whenever Damon's around, especially when he's so close- close enough to kiss. And God, she really does want to kiss him again-

"We kissed and now it's weird but we're both adults, it doesn't have to be. We kissed, so what? People kiss all the time. It didn't mean anything, right?" Damon asks, his eyes drifting from hers to look up at the sky.

It had been the best kiss of her life. But now she's aware of that sinking feeling in her stomach at his words. Elena can't kiss him again; it complicates matters. She doesn't need or want that.

"Friends don't kiss each other," Elena finally replies.

"That's what we are...friends?" Damon asks, his eyes searching hers.

"Yes, Damon, that's all we are," Elena states and walks into her house without daring a backward glance. She follows it with the snap of her front door as she closes it. She waits several seconds before quietly walking to the living room. With a subtle shift in the curtains, she watches as he walks away, his dark hair glistening under the moonlight.

It's a quiet summer night in late July when young Damon tip-toes out of his room. The clock had struck ten, two minutes ago and his father is still in his study. The coast is clear.

When the blue-eyed ten-year-old opens the door at the end of the hallway, a part of him had expected her to be there. His mom. Dressed in her nightgown, and pointing for him to go back to bed.

Damon knew she wasn't home. He had heard his parent's fight again and watched as she sped away from the farm.

The wooden floor cracks a little, as two bare feet gingerly made their way across the floor. A soft snap resounds as he pushes the door closed after sneaking outside.

"I saw your mom drive away," Elena mentions when Damon meets her at the tire swing.

"They had another fight," Damon says softly.

Elena smiles sadly as she climbs onto the swing and Damon starts to push it.

"Sshh," he cautions when she starts to squeal.

"I can't help it, it's fun," Elena giggles.

"Shut up. We're gonna get caught."

"Elena," her mother calls out and Damon looks up to see Miranda's head poking through an open window.

"I better go. I'm sorry I ruined it." Elena says softly.

"It's okay. Night, Elena," he replies as she starts to walk away. He's about to turn around to sneak back into the house when Elena runs up, kisses him on the lips, and takes off, not stopping until she's inside of her house.

Damon's stunned for a minute and smiles. When he notices the light of his dad's study go out, he runs pell-mell towards his house, and into his room. His dad, none the wiser.

Damon wakes up just as the last tendrils of his dream start to recede. He's curled up on the couch that sits outside on the porch. The sun's beating down on him and his forehead is already damp with sweat. From the pounding head, and the dehydrated feeling overall, he knows he drank last night when he stretches out and hears the sound of a bottle hitting the wood beneath him.

He blows out a breath before shifting to his other side. Sometime later, Damon again becomes aware of his cracking headache and the layer of dry saliva that coats his lips.

Glancing at his Rolex, he notices it's mid-afternoon. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he drags himself to his feet and stumbles into the house. After starting a pot of coffee, he goes up the stairs gingerly.

After taking a quick shower, he slips into a pair of jeans and goes in search of some greasy food to settle his stomach.

He pours himself a cup of coffee and stares out the kitchen window. He happens to catch a glimpse of Elena in her pickup as she passes. Everything from last night floods his mind. He kissed her last night. Not only that, he wanted to kiss her and he wanted to keep kissing her...and more.

And what does that mean for his relationship with Sybil?

Huge thanks to thanks to everyone. It makes us so thrilled that you're enjoying this DE. And to all of my anonymous reviewers, thanks to you too since I can't reply personally.

Chapter title: 'Not Over You' by Gavin DeGraw.

Enzo's song: 'Love Walks In' by Van Halen.

Damon's song: 'The Flame' by Cheap Trick.

I turned up with a positive Covid test again yesterday. :( it sucks. Have a wonderful day everyone. We'll see you soon with 8.