Chapter Eleven
"Wait, Elena, what about this dress?" Caroline asks as she holds up a red halter neck dress with a handkerchief skirt.
"I think it'll look beautiful on you, Care," Elena replies, monotonously.
"That's what you said about the last four dresses, 'Lena!" Caroline protests, looking the dress over once again.
"Well, this time, I really mean it," Elena says with a playful grin. She laughs loudly when Caroline's eyes get as big as saucers but getting ambushed by a feather boa makes her shut up.
Formal parties aren't really Elena's thing. She doesn't like to flounce around in fancy outfits and discuss topics she really couldn't care less about. But of course, when they all got invited to Masquerade Ball at the Lockwoods', Caroline insisted that they all attend. And much to Elena's dismay, Caroline had also dragged her out dress shopping.
"So you really think this dress is the once?" Caroline inquiries hopefully.
"I do. You look good in red. And it matches your shoes," Elena retorts and then adds quietly, "Plus, I don't want to drag this shopping trip from hell out any longer."
"Now it's time to find your dress, 'Lena!" Caroline sings, either not hearing Elena's last words or just ignoring her.
"But I don't want a dress," Elena complains, looking disgusted at the dresses surrounding them.
"It's a ball, you have to wear a dress! Oh my god, Elena, look at this one. The opaque white would look amazing with your skin tone and the high-low skirt is to die for! Plus, it's a freaking wrap-dress!"
As much as Elena hated to admit, the dress did look beautiful. She had always admired the way wrap-dresses had fit and this one was sleeveless, which is something Elena had always preferred. Not being a fan of tight dresses, she was glad that this one looked loose and airy.
"Are we in another universe, or does Elena Gilbert actually like a dress?! It's a miracle! Go and try it on!" Caroline squeals with delight.
Not so begrudgingly, Elena takes the dress and enters the changing room. When she tried it on, she couldn't help but mentally high-five herself for not being completely closed-minded. The form-fitting bodice contrasted perfectly with the flowy skirt.
Stepping out of the dressing room, she bit her lip and waited for Caroline's reaction. Seeing as how Caroline's eyes lit up and her practically jumped in the air, Elena took that as a sign she didn't look half bad.
"So...what do you think?"
"I think that that dress is your soulmate, Elena! Ugh, it's so perfect! You are buying that one, whether you like it or not," Caroline says firmly.
Chuckling, Elena shakes her head. "Don't worry, Care, I actually really like this one. And I have a pair of heels that'll go with it, so don't bother making us go look for shoes."
"Fine by me," Caroline replies with a wink. "Damon will not be able to take his eyes off of you."
It's been a couple of weeks since her and Damon agreed to the conditions she lashed out. He was doing a pretty solid job on keeping his humanity alive, so Elena was slowly inching back towards him.
"And Stefan will not be able to look at anyone else if you're in the room," Elena tells her. "I'm so glad that guys are officially boyfriend and girlfriend. It took you long enough."
"Honestly, it did! It was like we kept waiting for the other to make a move, and that got annoying so I just asked him what we were in the middle of a tango in the sheets. And he said whatever I wanted us to be, that's what we were. So, we're together!" Caroline explains with a tinge of pink on her cheeks.
"Well, I'm happy for you guys. Bonnie and Jeremy are together, too. They just had to go on a few dates to realize how hard they were falling for each other."
"Oh my god, could you imagine little Beremy babies? They'd be so adorable!"
"Right?" Elena agrees, nodding her head. "We should head back, Care. The ball is at seven, and we went last shopping last minute."
As they walk towards the register to pay for their things, Caroline says, "Well, that's kind of your fault. Remember, you didn't want to come dress shopping but I finally convinced you that you were still going to this, even if I had to drag you naked."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're even more stubborn than I am."
"I like to think of it as strong-minded. Ugh, we aren't gonna have any time to do hair and makeup!" Caroline stresses as she looks at her watch.
"We have three hours," Elena deadpans, taking their shopping bags and starts towards the car.
"I know!" Caroline whines, following her.
—
Caroline puts the finishing touches on her makeup as Elena puts down the curling iron. After shaking her loose waves, Elena turns to Caroline with a smile on her face.
"Ooh, Caroline, you look hot," Elena giggles. "You really put a lot of effort in that updo of yours."
While Elena's hair is simply curled and cascading down her back, Caroline's is put in a low, messy bun with a side braid. Tugging at a few loose curls trailing down her face, Caroline grins sheepishly.
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah, it's pretty amazing," Elena says right before the doorbell rings.
"Wait, wait, I'm not ready! Tell the boys to hold their horses," Caroline muses while putting her jewelry on.
"I still need to put my shoes on, so you're fine," Elena sings, slipping into her heels.
"Alright, now I'm good to go!"
"Forgetting something?" Elena inquiries before holding up Caroline's masquerade mask. Eyes widening, she nods before taking the mask and dashes down the stairs.
Silently laughing to herself, Elena follows her and stands by the doorframe as the door's opened by an enthusiastic Caroline.
'Damn the Salvatore genes', Elena thought to herself as her eyes look Damon over. With both brothers donning suits, they looked devilishly handsome. From the perfectly messy hair to the striking blue eyes, Elena couldn't remove her gaze from his.
After they all stood in silence for a moment, Elena realized that Caroline was doing the same thing as she was with Damon to Stefan. When Elena knew that she was getting embarrassingly lost in his eyes, she blinked back to reality.
"Wow...Elena, you look...stunning. Wow…" Damon breathes, breaking the silence.
"I guess I can say the same thing back to you," Elena says with a blush.
"You guess?" Damon gives her a cheeky smile and wiggles his eyebrows.
"Yup," She replies, popping the p. Turning to Caroline, Elena sees that her and Stefan were exchanging quiet greetings as well. Noticing that they were grinning like idiots while gazing at each other, she bit back a laugh.
"We ready?" Damon asks, offering his arm to Elena. She nods, along with Stefan and Caroline, and slips her arm through his.
—
They all had put their masks on once they arrived at the ball. After stepping out of the car, Elena turned to close the car door. When she turned around again, she collided with Damon's chest
"Well, damn," Elena exclaims, her voice muffled a bit since she hadn't extracted herself from Damon's proximity.
"Damn right," Damon responds, wrapping an arm around Elena's waist.
Elena sees that Caroline was watching her and Damon's interaction and gives her a subtle wink. Maturely, Elena sticks her tongue out at before watching her dash off to Stefan.
"So, what exactly is one supposed to do at a Masquerade Ball?" Damon questions as they approach the entrance of the mansion, entering when Mayor Lockwood waves them in.
"Eh, chat with strangers with masks on. Dance, eat, drink, I guess. Be social," Elena teases.
"Pfft, nah, I prefer hanging out with you, little miss unsocial," Damon says, perching his mask on his forehead.
"Oh, so that means you get to do 'little miss unsocial's' bidding. Champagne and strawberries, chop-chop," Elena replies in a flirtatious voice.
"You're the only woman who gets to boss me around," Damon whispers in her ear seductively before going towards the drinks.
She smiles to herself and goes towards Carol Lockwood. "Mrs. Lockwood, hey," Elena greets, removing her mask.
"Oh, Elena, I'm glad that you could make it!"
"Guess I couldn't turn down the invitation," Elena says, biting her tongue. "So...how's it going?"
"You know, it's going. Are you friends with Tyler, dear?"
"Honestly, no. We never really got along."
"Ah, well, that's too bad. I see you've brought your handsome boyfriend tonight. Speaking of…"
Damon comes over to Elena and Carol with two glasses of champagne and a strawberry. He hands Elena a glass and the strawberry and turns to Carol.
"Carol, a pleasure," Damon smoothly speaks, taking her hand and lightly kissing it. Elena tries stifling a laugh when she looks at Carol's expression.
"Damon Salvatore, you're quite the charmer," Carol coos.
"Why, thank you. You know, you have a very lovely home. I've never been in here before."
"Hah, oh, Damon, flattery will get you everywhere. I hope you two enjoy the rest of your evening," Carol laughs before walking away.
"My, my, quite the charmer indeed," Elena jokes, batting her eyelashes. She looks down and pouts, holding up the single strawberry. "Just one?"
"One is better than none, 'Lena," Damon purrs before plucking the strawberry from Elena's fingertips. He places both of their champagnes on a table and dangles the strawberry in front of her face."Open that beautiful mouth of yours."
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Elena whispers but opens her mouth anyways, allowing Damon to feed her the strawberry. When she takes a bite, juice explodes in her mouth and some settles on her lips.
After letting out a satisfied moan, Elena's about to say something but immediately shuts her mouth as Damon's lips claim hers in a heated kiss. He gently sucks away the strawberry juice and then they engage in a passionate tongue battle.
Once their lips break apart, both of them look more than a little pleased. Damon still has his arms wrapped around Elena, nuzzling his face in her hair and inhaling deeply. "Mm, I love you, Elena."
Glad that he can't see her deep blush, Elena smiles and replies softly, "I love you, too."
"Remember three years ago when you were fifteen, and I was eighteen...and we had our first time…"
Elena's eyes widen and her face burns a crimson color. "I thought we agreed never to mention that completely embarrassing memory ever again."
"...in your brother's bed. Our first horizontal tango, pretty amazing although hilarious."
Elena pulls away and playfully smacks Damon's arm, smiling but hisses, "Shut your face."
Smirking, Damon responds with, "Gladly," before pressing his lips to hers again. They stop kissing when they hear giggling from behind them.
"Blondie, don't you have anything better to do right now? Where's my baby bro?" Damon mock-glares.
Shrugging, Caroline looks around. "He's somewhere. I was planning on looking for him, but then I saw you two and couldn't help myself."
"Heh, quite alright, Care. I'm actually going to go to the restroom real quick," Elena says.
"Hurry back, 'Lena," Damon winks.
Elena hurried up the stairs and enters the bathroom. She looks at herself in the mirror and grimaces. Her lips are pretty swollen and her cheeks are indefinitely blushing. She pats her hair down and splashes some water on her face since she decided not to put any makeup on. Feeling much more refreshed, she steps into the hallway and runs into someone.
"Oh, god, I'm sorry...Tyler."
"Lenaaa," Tyler slurs drunkenly. "How've you been?"
Awkwardly shifting on her feet, Elena says, "I've been good. You, uh, you don't look sober."
Raising an eyebrow, Tyler walks closer to her. "How did you know?" He whispers in her ear.
Elena holds up her hands and backs into a bedroom, which she realizes is a bad idea when he closes the door behind them. "Tyler, it's nothing personal, but I have a personal bubble. So, um, if you could respect that, I'd greatly appreciate it."
"You don't seem to have a problem with Damon invading your stupid bubble," Tyler responds lowly. "You know, Gilbert, I used to have a crush on you when we were little."
Crossing her arms over her chest, Elena cocks an eyebrow. "Is that why you destroyed my sandcastle?"
"Well, I was a little bit of a dick way back when," Tyler remarks, advancing on Elena quicker now. Her hands shoot in front of her to stop him.
"Tyler, what the hell are you doing? Stop it."
"Stop what? Stop this?" Tyler begins to move his hands down her body and he places wet kisses on her neck.
"Tyler, stop. You're drunk and you don't want to do this," Elena tries speaking in a rational tone while attempting to keep him at a distance.
"How do you know what I want? You don't know me, Elena," Tyler growls while pushing back and trapping Elena against the bed, keeping her arms and legs pinned down. He presses his mouth to hers and she thrashes, desperate to get him off her. She can taste the bourbon and it makes her feel sick.
"Tyler, get off me! Damn it, I don't appreciate being groped, Lockwood!" Elena violently squirms in his grasp but can't seem to get lose. She flinches when she can feels him touching her in all of the wrong places and the strong smell of bourbon on his breath makes Elena close her eyes in disgust. "Stop it, Tyler! You're not this kind of person, so quit trying to rape me!"
The door suddenly slams open and Elena can feel a gust of air. Realizing that Tyler's not on top of her anymore, she sighs a breath of relief. Sitting up, she sees Damon holding Tyler in a chokehold, his eyes flickering black every couple seconds.
"Let go of me, damn it!" Tyler seethes angrily.
"And why should I do that?" Damon asks, dangerously low. "You just tried to rape Elena, so tell me, Lockwood. Why should I let you go?"
Knowing that she should stop this before it gets too far, she places a hand on Damon's arm. "Hey, it's okay. I'm fine," Elena says quietly.
"Don't tell me you want this dick to go unpunished. Don't say that, Elena," Damon snaps.
"I'm fine," Elena repeats. "Apart from having his disgusting hands and lips all over me, he-" Elena mentally facepalms herself, realizing that was the wrong thing to say since Damon looked like he was going to snap. "Damon, I'm okay. Hey, look at me…" Elena puts her hand on his cheek and turns his face towards her. "Don't stoop, Damon. Be better than this. Better than him."
Slowly and reluctantly, Damon releases Tyler from his grip and shoves him out of the room. "If I see you touching her again, she's not going to be able to stop me from killing you."
Feeling a little uneasy about that threat, Elena sits down on the bed. She immediately shoots back up, not wanting to sit in the same spot she was almost raped. Elena looks over at Damon and she can feel the tension and anger radiating off of him from where she is. Taking shaky breaths, she closes her eyes and slides her hand down her face.
"I'm sorry, but seeing you in that position with the bastard made me feel so much rage, I felt like I was going to explode. I'm sorry," Damon says, running his fingers through his hair.
"You didn't hurt him, that's what matters to me."
"But I wanted to. God, Elena, you don't know what I wanted to do to him."
"You didn't. You were angry, and so was I. No one's ever really...no one's attempted to rape me before. And Tyler...he was stupidly drunk. It's no excuse, I know. I just...I don't…" Elena breaks off as tears fill her eyes and she's embraced in Damon's comforting arms on the floor. Her body racks with sobs as she soaks yet another one of his shirts.
"I'm sorry, I cry way too much," Elena whispers. "Denial is my excuse for so many things. I just want to pretend this didn't happen."
"Don't apologize. You're okay, you're okay…" Damon repeats words of comfort towards Elena and she eventually calms down.
They sit in silence for a few minutes before Damon speaks up. "You smell different."
Elena's forehead creases in confusion. "What?"
"I don't know how to explain it. You just smell different and I don't like it."
"Okay...well, I used the same shampoo and body wash that I always do, so I'm not sure what you're talking about…"
"...you smell like him."
"What?" Elena repeats, baffled. "Who?"
"Tyler. You smell like Tyler. I don't know, I guess I got so used to you smelling like...me. And you always smelled so damn good."
"So you're basically saying that you smell good since I always smell like you and I smell good?" Elena questions with a smile.
"I mean, I wasn't going to say that, but I guess," Damon replies with a chuckle. "I know it shouldn't be a big deal, but a part of me is really bothered by you smelling like him."
Elena leans her head forward and smells her neck. She squishes her cheeks near her nose and sniffs. "Huh. Guess it's a vampire thing, 'cause I can't smell anything. Maybe I'm just noseblind."
"Who knows. We'll just have to get rid of his scent, huh?" Damon replies before kissing Elena gently, unlike Tyler.
When Damon pulls back, his eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes are slightly darker. "His tongue was in your mouth. I can taste the hints bourbon."
"Yeah," Elena sighs. "God, it was really disgusting. I feel like I need to rinse my mouth with bleach or something."
"Or we can just do this." Damon tugs Elena back towards him and they kiss like there's no tomorrow. Threading her fingers through his hair, Elena groans in pleasure when their tongues take it to all of the right places.
They only break the kiss when they hear someone clearing their throat. Looking up, Elena sees Caroline standing there with her hands on her hips.
"And here I thought something bad happened! Damon was just talking with Stefan and me before he randomly disappeared. I didn't know you two were meeting for a secret rendezvous!"
"Actually, he was saving me from almost getting raped by Tyler Lockwood," Elena explains bluntly. She watched Caroline's facial expression shift from shocked to angry to upset.
"Oh my god, Elena, are you okay? Tyler is such a douchebag," Caroline shakes her head in disgust.
"I'm fine. He didn't get that far."
"Why...why would he try to rape you?"
"I don't know. He was drunk...and he said that he used to have a crush on me when we were little," Elena tells her unsurely.
"Pfft, is that the excuse he used when he trampled your sandcastle?" Damon spits out, annoyance clear in his voice.
"No, his excuse for that was he was a dick."
"I can agree with that one," Damon mutters.
"I think we all can agree with that," Caroline expresses wholeheartedly. "So, are you guys ready to get out of here? I'm so over this party, more so now that I know it caused you a traumatic experience."
"Yes, please. I have the urgent need to shower so the disgusting feeling of Tyler can be washed down the drain."
"Mm, care to make it a shower for two?" Damon whispers huskily in Elena's ear, causing her to blush uncontrollably.
"If you play the right cards, there's a possibility," Elena replies before she slips out of her heels and holds them by her fingertips.
"Elena, what're you doing? This floor might have germs and you could get a serious disease!" Caroline shrieks.
"My feet hurt," Elena shrugs her shoulders, "These shoes felt like hell."
Without a word, Damon sweeps Elena off her feet and ends up holding her bridal style. Her initial response is wrapping an arm around Damon's neck while the other dangles her hell-heels. Damon carries Elena downstairs, ignoring all of the stares people give them while Caroline follows with a huge grin on her face, gesturing Stefan over.
"Hey, Stef, you ready to go?" Damon questions.
"Uh, yeah. What's up with Elena?"
"Blondie, here, will explain to you. I'm going to take her to the house," Damon responds and then walks out of the house.
"Damon, the car's parked over there," Elena tells him, slight confusion visible in her features.
"Well, I'm not going to leave Stefan and Blondie without a ride. That'd be quite uncourteous of me, wouldn't it?"
"I guess so…" Elena mumbles tiredly into his chest. "So what are you-" Elena breaks off in a gasp as Damon uses his speed to travel down to the house.
"Oh my god!" She laughs as the wind hits her with full force, blowing hair in her face. When they arrive at the boarding house, Elena's hair looks like it was hit by a tornado. "That was amazing," Elena breathes and Damon responds with a smile.
"Didn't want you to walk on your sore feet, 'Lena. Plus, I remember you specifically asking, way back when, for me to do that more often. I just tried to make up for lost time," Damon says as he carefully sets Elena down.
"Well, you did a damn good job, and my hair thanks you for it," Elena giggles as she steps into the house and runs up the stairs. She steps into Damon's room and pulls out a shirt along with a pair of her own sleep shorts. After going into the bathroom, she strips, eagerly waiting to wash away the feeling of Tyler off her skin under warm water.
The knock on the bathroom door makes Elena unconsciously grin as she opens it. There stands an equally naked Damon with a smirk plastered on his face.
"Fancy some company?"
"Absolutely," Elena replies before pulling him in and slamming the bathroom door closed.