A/N: Pretty please R&R since reviews help with the writing process!
Chapter 7:
Looks Like We Made It
The day had finally come, Friday. Everyone seemed to be a bundle of nerves, nervousness taking over each cell in their bodies. The girls had done each other's hair just as they had pictured it; Elena's hair was curled and slightly pulled back while Caroline's hair was in a tight bun, small pieces of curled hair purposely dangling, and Bonnie's locks were pulled to the side and formed into a crisscross pattern.
The dresses were gingerly placed on, their toes curling in excitement. Amidst the bustle to get prepared for the conference, there was a strange, growing feeling within the depths of Elena. She couldn't pinpoint it, but it was causing her to shift uncomfortably as she sat on the couch, waiting impatiently for her friends.
"Hurry up!" She practically whined, clutching her stomach from yet another wave of nausea.
Caroline peeked out from the bathroom, facial moisturizer plastered to her cheeks, "Geez, can't a girl have a few minutes?" She shook her head jokingly, watching as Elena's eyes curved inward for an eye roll. Bonnie was the first of the two to be finished, her dress flittering with each step she took. Her high heels contrasted with her dress beautifully, showing off just the right amount of leg. Caroline walked out shortly after Bonnie, her bright red fuck-me-heels shimmering in the lights from above.
A gasp escaped the lips of Elena once she caught sight of the heels, jumping to her feet, "You can't wear those!" Her eyes widened.
The bubbly blonde pouted, "And why not?"
"Because they send out the wrong message." Elena narrowed her eyes, daring her to argue.
She did just that, "What if I want to send out that messa-"
Bonnie stomped her foot, gaining their attentions, "Can we just go now? I believe Jessica is waiting in the lobby for us."
The hall leading to the critically-acclaimed restaurant was draped with beautiful décor, the chandeliers were on full-force, unlike the first time the girls had traveled down the magnificent hall. The paintings hanging from the walls were both so beautiful and modern that it gave everyone a small shiver down their spines, the adrenaline building up. The two waiters at the end of the corridor swiftly opened the doors, unveiling the grand room within. It seemed each person in the large group gasped at the beauty. It was far more magnificent than the hall; in fact, the hallway didn't even put up much of a competition compared to the grandness of the colossal room.
Neither of the girls recognized it to be the same room they had had the luncheon just days before. The room was larger, decorated obviously for this event.
The large table in the center of the room was the length of fifteen tables pushed together. Small flags were placed on each table, printed with the name of the group that is to be seated there. Bonnie searched around, eventually finding the name of their ballet company on the far end of the table, coincidentally seated right next to Carson Briggs' private table. Elena rolled her eyes as she took her seat, obviously annoyed with the idea of being seated next to the money-on-legs.
Caroline fidgeted in her seat, the identical feeling in the pit of her stomach, as if something either bad or good was about to unfold.
Damon took his seat at the opposite end, having arrived late thanks to Armand taking his sweet time getting up from bed. Glancing around to the other bands located on his end of the table, he recognized many big names such as Dukes of Monroe, Bloomsbury, and Viva. His eyes began to sparkle once he caught sight of the names on the flags, having wanted to always meet his idols.
Anthony had the fortune of being seated next to his favorite band growing up. All the while, he was itching to ask for an autograph, but immediately knew better. Armand sat memorizing the menu, as did Markus. The lights above flickered slightly, gaining everyone's attention.
Carson Briggs strolled into the room, not even concerned that he was close to an hour late. Raising his hands up slightly, he cracked a smile, "Ah, welcome everyone!" The waiter pulled his chair out in which he quickly took a seat in. Elena didn't bother a look towards the skinny man, but Caroline seemed to have the urge to hug him once again. It was strange, but something about him just screamed that he needed a good hug.
Damon leaned forward, opening his menu, having trouble deciding what to order.
"So, ladies, how has your time in Las Vegas been?" Carson gestured towards their outfits, "You all look marvelous, if I may add."
The girls managed weak smiles before muttering back answers. Quite obviously he was in the chatter-box mood, for he continued bothering them with multiple questions. The girls thanked the Lord when the appetizers were served, which immediately shut him up.
The entire band on the other end were shoving different varieties of foods into their mouths, not caring which country it originated from. Damon stared down at the squid, a small knot forming in his throat.
Anthony slurped up the squid tentacle, staring at Damon like he had three heads, "Aren't you going to eat your squid?"
Shaking his head and pushing the plate away from him, his face turned an unhealthy shade of green, "I'll eat anything but that." Anthony shrugged his shoulders before jabbing his fork into the abandoned squid. Damon looked anywhere that wasn't at him eating the tentacles, his eyes landing at the other end of the table. From where he was, which was pretty far away from the opposite end, he could see Carson Briggs with at least six plates of appetizers placed before him, sampling from each of the plates.
His boredom came to a halt when there was a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, his mouth fell agape when he saw the face of Caspar Ray, brightly smiling, wearing his signature leather jacket with the sleeves torn off. Damon immediately jumped to his feet, taking the hand that the rock legend had extended out, "It's an honor to meet you." He choked out, eyes still saucers.
Caspar chuckled, "No, no. It's an honor to meet you. I saw your band playing at the Red Jay. You got some talent, kid." He brought his freehand up to smooth back the side of his hair, smirked, and swiftly walked away. He was never known for long conversations.
Damon sat back down in his chair with a thud, numb and speechless. Anthony clapped him on the back, "Dude, you just talked with Caspar Ray. Ya know how fuckin' lucky you are?" He shut his mouth once the waiter began taking their orders for the entrée.
Bonnie fidgeted in her seat, bit her nails, all while nervously glancing towards Elena who was stuffing her face with each food that came in contact with her fingertips. Somewhere between getting the drinks and the appetizers, Caroline had picked up on Bonnie's suspicions.
It was when Elena announced, "I'm going to the bathroom," that all of her control snapped. Softly grabbing her wrist, Bonnie began to lead her away from the table. Elena whined, catching a certain black-haired, blue-eyed man's attention at the far end of the table. His eyes caught sight of her face as she stood up, his mouth falling open, the fork dropping to his plate with an echoing clink. Wordlessly standing to his feet, he slowly began to walk towards the two, not sure if he was seeing things.
"I'm not going to beat around the bushes Elena, but," she leaned in, "when was your last menstrual cycle?"
Elena's mouth dropped open, "Bonnie!" She brought her voice to a whisper, "This is not the place to be talking about that."
Bonnie sighed, "Just answer the question."
"I-I don't know, why?"
Ignoring the question, she continued pressing questions on her, "Do you know why you've been getting sick? Have you seen a doctor?"
Elena shook her head, "It's a stomach bug, I told you that already."
"But how do you know that?"
"What are you talking about?" Elena's eyebrows were furrowed, lost in the conversation. Damon had finally made his way to the two women, about to tap on the mystery woman's shoulder.
Bonnie snapped, completely frustrated, "Elena!" She gripped her shoulders, "Don't you realize that you're pregnant?"
Elena's mouth fell open, eyes wide as she counted in her head, "I-I can't be. My last…oh God." She gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth, "I'm pregnant," She felt as if she might just faint, "That means that guy f-from New York, the guy in that band, h-he got me pregnant."
Bonnie nodded, enveloping her friend into a hug when she started to sob, "It's going to be okay, Elena." She opened her eyes, seeing the man standing there, stunned.
"Can I help you?" Bonnie asked suddenly, watching as his eyes snapped to the back of Elena's head. Elena slowly turned around, wiping the smeared mascara from under her eyes. Once she looked up to the man, she froze, mixed emotions coursing through her at the sight of his face.
He couldn't dare look her in the eyes from shame that he had made her cry second handedly. It was his weakness; crying women. Clearing his throat and staring at a spot on the floor, he said, "Uhm," Thinking back to the name Bonnie had used, he continued, "Elena, I'm Damon, the guy you slept with in New York." He bit his bottom lip, not meaning to word it like that.
Elena tensed, "I'm presuming you heard what was said before?" He nodded, making her stomach churn, "Now you know, I guess you don't want to have a part in this, right?"
He snapped his head up, speechless by her sudden question. Mouth agape, he didn't know what to say, for he needed the time to mull this situation over. How is a man supposed to decide like the snap of fingers after just finding out that he's having a kid? Rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes were directed back to the floor.
Elena took this as his answer and stormed past him, pointedly colliding shoulders with him. Bonnie stood back, eyes narrowed towards the man who had upset her greatest friend. With a huff, she walked back to the table, ignoring the stares she got from Carson and others around the table.
Damon stood there, still rubbing the back of his neck. He could possibly lose the woman he was wild about, or he could feasibly lose his career if he chased after her. Looking back to the table, he caught the eyes of the rest of his band, all curiously tilting their heads, wondering what the hell he's doing. Slowly, he raised his hand up to his head and saluted them, their signal for farewell, before darting towards the exit and rushing down the hall.
Markus jumped to his feet, as did Caroline once Bonnie told her everything. The two dashed after their friends, not once glancing towards the person next to them. Once Damon reached the end of the corridor, his boots couldn't grip the ground, sliding against the marble until he caught himself and made a break for the entrance to the hotel where he could see Elena just walking out the rotating door.
Caroline had managed to beat Markus to the end of the hall, but was forced to bend over, completely out of breath, resting her hands on her knees. Markus, being the gentleman that he is, stopped to help her, resting his hand on her back, asking breathlessly, "You okay?"
"Yeah." She straightened her back before glancing to the man next to her, "Wait, Markus?"
He stiffened, a slight smile forming on his lips, "Mystery Girl?" Caroline smiled before he drew her in for a passionate kiss, only pulling back to whisper into her ear, "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment."
Managing past the rotating door, Damon's chest was heaving up and down as he finally came upon Elena's back, her body shuttering from her quiet sobs as she failed at trying to get a cab. Resting his hand on her shoulder, he choked out, "I want to be…a part of this."
Elena froze before turning on her heel to look at his face, the mascara streaks coating her pink cheeks, "R-really?"
He smiled slightly, brushing a piece of stray hair out of her face, "Of course, kitten."
She let out a small laugh that was dying to be released only to be cut off by his lips colliding with hers for a heated kiss. Pulling back, she wrapped her arms around his waist as they walked back into the hotel. Reaching the elevator, Elena could see Caroline and another guy getting into the neighboring lift.
"I wonder who he is?" She asked to no one in particular as they waited.
Damon smiled when he glanced over towards the two, "That's Markus. It seems he's found his Mystery Girl," Stepping inside the open elevator, he clicked the button for their floor and captured her lips once again, "And so have I."
A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! Unfortunately, I have no clue when I will be able to update any of my stories due to a tight schedule (which is why I took so long to update this) with rehearsals. If I had gone longer, I would have had to make you guys wait extended periods of time which would have been long and would have sucked for you guys. I will try my hardest to update as soon as possible.