Elena doesn't have a good feeling about how they parted last night, frankly, her stomach's in knots... but why?
No, no, no... that's nonsense. She's only known Damon for what... ten days?
But how is it that the time they've spent together has become that important? She clenches her fists tightly, until her nails dig into the palm of her hand, but she barely notices. The only thing she is really aware of, is the sound of her heart throbbing against the cage of her chest.
Why does she feel this way?
Because fear, panic, dread all blend together into something... bigger... After he died, she was determined to keep herself out of trouble or rather to keep any and all men that she may become attracted to out of harm's way. She knows how it feels to lose someone you love to fire and flames. It's not dishonorable to spare the people you love or grow to love from such overwhelming, paralyzing agony.
And what about the parents?
They suffer the most. And yet, she couldn't just leave her job and throw away Stefan's legacy. He was someone among the fire fighters. He was brave, unyielding, compassionate, loving...
She takes a shaky breath and forces back the traitorous tears that threaten to spill over. Reaching for her alarm clock, she can see it's almost six. Too late to go back to sleep, which she's sure wouldn't come anyway but it's also too early to get up. "Oh hell," she mutters to herself, throwing off the covers and her legs over the side. Dropping her face into her hands, she rubs her eyes, takes a deep breath, throws on her robe and goes into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Once it's brewing, she jumps into the shower, hoping to wash some of the uneasiness away.
She's almost ready to leave when her phone beeps with a message. "Call me when you can."
Katherine? What does she want?
She quickly returns the call, hoping that her sister in law doesn't want to cancel her Cassie weekend and she's sure Cassie is just as excited as she is.
"Hey, what's up?" she asks holding her breath when Katherine answers right away.
"Nothing, just wanted to let you know you can come whenever you want, Cass has been raring to go since early morning," she sounds annoyed even through the phone. "Her incessant 'Is the time yet?' is starting to wear on my nerves so if you don't mind..."
Elena's thrilled but she isn't sure whether Kat's forgotten she's supposed to have lunch at her parents. "I can be there in half an hour but... you know I'm going to that lunch?"
"Ah, your parents, I know you told me but maybe they'd..."
"Of course," Elena agrees quickly before Katherine can change her mind, "they'll be ecstatic if I bring her, I'll be there in a few." She ends the call rather excited about this unexpected turn of events. A few times in the past, she's offered to take Cassie to family gatherings or to her parents if Kat wasn't comfortable going herself but she always had some excuse. Elena isn't even sure why Katherine stopped coming to their get-togethers ...
She shuts the door behind her and is on her way in no time, Damon's kiss pushed to the background for the moment.
"Cassie!" Dad opens the door and Elena enjoys his surprise and lit up face when he sees his granddaughter. She knows he'd be just as much happy with "only" her visit, but Cassie, the only child that would ever carry his name, his son's name, is a special guest.
"Papa?" the little girl's just as happy jumping in his arms and giving him the biggest wettest kiss on his cheek. "I come for lunch with auntie Elena," she's chattering and John gives Elena a grateful smile over her little shoulder.
Elena smiles, pick ups the bags and follows them inside. "I didn't think you'd mind if I showed up with a surprise."
"Never," John confirms, "you can surprise us anytime you want."
"And who do we have here?" Elena turns in Isobel's direction, her mom is actually smiling.
"Grandma!" Cassie slips down on her feet and runs to give her a kiss. "I'm hungry! Elena said you have something good for lunch?"
"Of course," Isobel confirms. "I swear I must have suspected you're coming because I made... tater-tot casserole."
Elena knows it's no coincidence because it's her favorite too. It warms her heart that her mom was being so considerate, because of her. Or maybe dad asked her to... She turns to John and gives him a proper hug, deciding she doesn't need to harp on it. Although the holidays have been subdued in the years since Stefan died, they still make an effort for Cassie's sake. Inside the living room, the fire fizzles and spits. There is a funfair of smells drifting about the house. Her mother's favorite Nest Christmas candles are burning on the mantle. Other welcome fragrances make the room a sensory overload of pleasure, especially the pine scent of the Christmas tree.
"How have you been?" he whispers in her ear, pulling her out of her reverie.
"I'm great, thank you."
Why is it only now that she remembers how Damon's face fell when she turned him away last night?
Thanks to Cassie, lunch goes much better than Elena could have ever imagined. Plying them with her natural charm, the little princess has her grandparents wrapped around her little finger. Watching her parents bending to their granddaughter's will, Elena fights to suppress the grin that's forming on her lips. Cassie however is genuinely happy, Elena can't help but wonder what her life would be like if her father had lived? How much of his personality would be shaping her choices and behavior now? Even without him, she's always in the spotlight when surrounded by her family. Turning away for a moment, she smiles to herself as she imagines Kai and Jeremy being her favorite uncles. Those two would certainly school her in mischief as they so often did with Elena herself.
After lunch Cassie insists she will help grandma with the dishes, meaning she'll sit in the kitchen, enjoy another piece of cake and chatter incessantly. With those two occupied, John gestures for Elena to join him in his study. She remembers spending hours and hours of time in there when she was a kid. Sometimes she'd hide under his desk, trying to be as quiet as a mouse so her daddy wouldn't find her and tell her to leave so he could finish his work. Other times she would curl up in one of his chairs with a good book. She grins again remembering how she'd steal a glance only to have him wink at her. Never once did he tell her to leave and thinking about it now, she's positive he enjoyed those moments just as much as she did.
"What's going on with Katherine?" John doesn't beat around the bush, pulling two cans of beer out of his small fridge. Elena takes one and nestles into the big armchair by the window, facing him.
"Truthfully dad, I don't know, she's... I'm not sure what changed exactly but she seems different. She called this morning asking me to pick up Cassie early even though she knew I was coming here. And just last week, she offered to let her spend the weekend when normally I almost have to get down on my knees to get her to agree.
John frowns. "Maybe she has a boyfriend...?"
Elena doesn't say anything and they both think about it for a few moments. That wouldn't be... unexpected.. It's been almost three years. None of them is prepared for it though. What if Cassie becomes a part of another family?
Cassie finds them deep in thought when she runs into the room a little while later.
Damon's been up since sunrise, working on the Mikaelson project. With it his primary focus, he'll have it done in no time, which will probably earn him a Christmas bonus from Ric - or maybe he should pay his buddy for providing a much needed distraction. Because that's what keeps him going right now.
Last night was a disaster, no doubt about that. He was certain, instinctively so, that Elena was just as much into the kiss as he was... For him it wasn't some spur of the moment lapse in judgment. Not at all... it was the kind of kiss that's all consuming, passionate and gentle at the same time. How will he survive without ever having a chance to experience another one just like that?
Pushing his chair back, he rubs his eyes for a moment and reaches for his coffee mug, swallowing what's left of the lukewarm liquid. After setting it back down, he gets up to stretch his legs. Stepping over to the window, he pulls the curtain back, his eyes landing on what's left of his home. One wall stands, black and ugly, the others are jagged and low, too stubborn to collapse just yet. After the winter storms it'll be gone entirely, the dark ash soaking in to enrich the soil below. Soon bulldozers will raze what's left and clear out the lot.
Sighing, he lets the fabric drop and plops himself back down in his chair. Leaning back, he closes his eyes for a second and there she is. It's not a newsflash that his instincts about women are wrong. He'll do what he's always done, drown himself in his work.
He finishes remotely programing the circuits and switches. When the phone lying on his desk starts to move, a light signaling an incoming call, he decides he needs a time out. Whoever it is, they probably don't know it's useless to wait for him to answer. His friends, well, contacts would just text him.
Wrong.
There is a message and the following call is meant to get his attention. Because the person that called knows him well.
Andie.
'Where are you? Damon stop sulking and let me explain.'
That's rich coming from her. As if he's the one acting like a spoiled child, angry that he was lied to. But then again, maybe if he lets her explain, it might be some kind of closure?
Reluctantly, he opens his messages. He's been avoiding them since the showdown at Ric's and it takes a few seconds for all the new messages to upload. Most of them are indeed from Andie. He doesn't bother to read them all, instead focusing on the newest one.
'Hi.'
"Where's that damn eyeroll emoji when you need it," he mumbles and types 'hi' back.
'Can we meet? Where are you?'
'No. I'm home.'
'Home where?'
'What do you want Andie?'
'Can we talk? I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about my husband, it wasn't intentional... I mean, my marriage has been over for a very long time.'
Except it wasn't over.
'There's no point, Andie.'
A minute passes when she doesn't write back and he thinks she might have finally given up.
No such luck.
'At least, have a drink with me?' she tries again. 'C'mon Dam, don't tell me you don't miss me... We had a lot of fun together, we can again.'
He hesitates. It's ridiculous doing this back and forth over the messenger. "Meet me at The Irish Embassy, I'll be there in twenty minutes.
'Come outside.'
He startles... How in the hell did she get his address?
'What you mean?' he writes cautiously.
'I'm here, I'd rather not run into Ric again.
She's in front of Ric's house, Damon breathes a sigh of relief.
"I'm not at Ric's. Meet me at the pub.' He quickly disconnects before he can change his mind. He's many things but coward isn't one of them.
He chooses The Irish Embassy Pub because of the privacy it provides. The dim light and dark corners make it the ideal place for them to share a drink. For him it's just another silent place but Andie used to enjoy the atmosphere and the kind of music they play here. Maybe he's giving her exactly what she wanted by not letting anyone to see them together?
The pub always goes all out for the holidays. It takes him a moment to take his lingering gaze off of the enormous Christmas tree adorned with glistening ornaments and glowing fairy lights draped around it. Strolling alongside the magnificently structured bar, he watches as people swarm in and out of the bustling pub. The festively designed windows, illuminated with blinking Christmas lights, vibrant ornaments and brightly colored signs are flashing. Although he cannot hear them, he suspects Christmas carols are filling the air. The warm smiles of the people seated in their booths and tables as they enjoy their drinks and frosty mugs of beer. When he feels a slight brush against his arm, he shakes it off and scans the place, his eyes only now landing on Andie.
She's already sitting at their table, furthest from the entrance, close to the bar itself. She's facing him, giving him the brightest smile and waves as soon as she spots him. His favorite bourbon already on the table.
"Thanks for coming, Damon." She leans forward to kiss him but he turns his head, her lips ending on his cheek instead. This is a mistake, he should have ignored the call altogether.
"Hey," he sits opposite her and looks at her frown. "Look, Andie, I have no intention of continuing this," he uses his finger to gesture from her to him. "I'm only here to..."
"Stop please," she raises her hand. "Just let me explain and then you can decide."
Over the next half hour, Damon needs a lot more bourbon to get through this one sided conversation. Andie employs all her charms and he must admit that one time it probably would've worked. But that was before... It will take some time, probably a lot of time and maybe even a miracle before he's able to replace Elena's kiss with someone else's.
"Look, Andie, it's not gonna work. I don't want to go back to 'what we had' because I don't think it was worth fighting for. You can't resurrect something that never existed in the first place. We both got something from the time we spent together, but you and I both know it was never anything more than fun between two consenting adults."
He gets up, leaving a few bills on the table to pay the tab. She wants to protest but reconsiders when she sees his unreadable expression. Instead of a simple goodbye, she settles for "I'm sorry I hurt you..."
He knows he should leave it at that. For the first time he can see both sincerity and truth in her eyes. Nodding, he turns on his heels and walks out of the building and into the brisk air.
Pulling his collar up to shield him from the cold, he hurries down the sidewalk, feeling freer than he has for a long time.
Despite the frigid weather, he turns the corner before the fire station, intentionally avoiding it.
On the way home, after a wonderful day at her parent's place, Cassie makes Elena stop at one of Durango's tree farms. After browsing the lot, they pick out the most 'beautifulest Christmas tree'. Once it's firmly secured on the top of her vehicle, they run by the mall to pick up some ornaments, bright lights and other Christmas decorations. Of course Cassie insists on music too so they make a detour into the bookstore for some CD's to set the mood.
With their arms full they stumble into Elena's house and carefully set everything down on the end table. While Cassie takes off her coat and scarf, Elena returns to the car for the tree. After propping it up against the wall, she goes to the garage for the tree holder. Once it's secure, she puts Cassie in charge for the evening. In no mood to cook, they decide to call for pizza and while they're waiting for the delivery, they spend the time decorating not only the living room but also Cassie's room. When their food arrives, they plop down on the floor to eat so they can relax and admire their work.
"I'll be here on Christmas too?" Cassie asks moving dangerously close to smell the tree.
"I don't know Cas, I hope you'll come to visit. We'll have to ask your mom, alright?"
Cassie nods and Elena can see she's ready to fall asleep, it was a very eventful day for the little girl. "We can have the rest of the pizza for breakfast if you want? It's time to go to bed..."
"Can we sleep here?" the question is accompanied by a great yawn.
"Oh no," Elena takes her in her arms, carrying her upstairs. "We have to wash you up, put on your jammies and cuddle in bed, I've been looking forward to it the whole week!"
Cassie doesn't protest, she looked forward to it as well.
While she's in the bathroom, Elena sits on her bed, her mind full with heavy thoughts. Should she confront Katherine, ask her what's wrong or different? She should also ask her if she can take Cassie to the Christmas party, she already said no to her father's invitation but maybe she'd be willing to compromise? Would she let her daughter come over so they can light the tree Cassie decorated? How does Damon spend the holidays? Probably with his friends who are also his family... Her thougts slowly drift into another direction and she once again regrets not explaining the reasons for her rejection to Damon. It was wrong to leave him in the dark about her motivations. Hopefully she'll get to talk to him sometime next week.
Her eyes wander around the room, she caresses her brother's picture with her look.
What would Stefan have her do, if he was here...?
"Why are you sad?" Cassie catches her off guard when she climbs onto the bed next to her. She supposes she deserves it for not being completely... present this weekend.
"I'm not exactly sad, Cas... It's hard to explain... I guess I just miss your dad. When I didn't know what to do about something, he always knew how to help me.
It's not a lie.
"I miss my daddy too," she reaches for the drawing on the bedside table. "Can I finish my picture?" Cassie purses her lips, focusing on the details of her art work. Elena looks more closely at what's in the picture.
"Is that your dad? And mom?"
"No, it's my dad and you."
"How did you know that I was thinking of him?" Elena tries to hide the shock that her niece chose to not include Katherine, her mother in this family picture.
In the end she doesn't say anything, she's just watching Cassie work on it for a few more minutes before her eyes drop closed. Ever so carefully, she removes the pencil out from the little girl's fingers and tucks her in. After Elena takes a hot shower, she crawls into bed beside the little girl, smiling when she presses the wispiest of kisses to her cheek. Cassie doesn't have to leave tonight and it's probably the only reason Elena's able to sleep as well.
"How was your weekend?" Tyler invites himself into her office Monday afternoon.
"It was good," Elena nods but continues sorting out the forms and reports on her desk.
"Really?" Tyler lifts an eyebrow skeptically.
Elena looks up, her face saying don't mess with me.
"Yeah it really was. Did you need something?"
Tyler can feel something happened, he's known Elena long enough to recognize her unspoken words, he should probably leave her alone. On the other hand if he does, it'll fester and eat away at her cause she'll keep it buried inside, unless maybe Rebekah can get her to open up?
Bekah...
"Nope, just checking on you. I can sense some angst," he adds dramatically.
Elena rolls her eyes and finally relaxes a little. "You can try the patience of the saints sometimes... And yes, I meant it when I said I had a nice weekend. Kat called Saturday morning to pick up Cassie and I took her to my parents. They were so happy to have her there, leaving no room for unpleasantness."
"Katherine called you?"
"She did, I was surprised too...," Elena confirms.
"Is that all?" he studies her. "How was your date?"
"What date?" she responds with irritation. "There was no date."
"No? You didn't go out with your little stalker?"
"Don't call him that. And you know I don't date," she insist but avoids his searching gaze, he's sure there's more to it. However...
"Okay," he gets up. "You're clearly busy now and maybe a little moody too, let me know if you want some company later."
Elena hardly acknowledges his departure and Tyler knows there's something seriously wrong with his ex slash friend slash adopted sister.
As the shift continues, Elena's keeping herself busy but every now and then her mind returns to Damon Salvatore and the kiss they shared. Tyler doesn't cross her path again and she only now remembers she should have asked him about his strange moment with Damon last Friday. She knows Tyler, he means well but he can appear rather demanding and she certainly wouldn't be happy if he tried his BS on Damon. She finishes her third cup of coffee, she should really cut down on this bad habit, and is about to go find him when the alarm goes off and the phone on her desk starts ringing. She grabs it and listens to Caroline barking information into the device.
"House fire at 202 Glenisle Drive. Neighbors reporting flames. Family of four, not known whether anyone is inside."
She hopes in won't turn into another tragedy.
Right before Christmas.
It's been a long and exhausting week. She had to pull two extra shifts because of the flu season. The fire department has had a couple of flu shot clinics, and more are scheduled. It's mandatory that they all get vaccinated unless they have a valid reason for refusal, there aren't many. Although it's still a few weeks before Christmas, there are almost daily fire alarms, most calls a result of damaged Christmas lights, frayed cords, and stupid stuff. Fortunately most of them ended with minimal damage and financial loss but not all. Two women and a man are still in the hospital, one medivaced to the burn center in Denver. That person probably won't be home to enjoy the holiday with their friends and family. And in another a twenty year old male died of smoke inhalation. Elena just hopes today, her last shift this week will be uneventful. Nothing would make her more happy than a boring shift.
She's hardly time to check in with her dad or even call Rebekah. Nor would there have been any opportunity for her to share a cup of coffee or a piece of gingerbread...
Oliver knocks on the doorframe even though it's open.
"Yeah?" Elena looks up and... he doesn't have to answer. His eyes are blood shot, nose running and then he turns his head away to cough. "Don't even ask, just go home, we'll manage."
"I'm sor… El... I need..."
"To crawl into bed and sweat it out," she waves her hand in his direction. "Shooo, I don't want you scattering that virus here. Wash you hands damn good before you touch anything else. I'll call Ray to come in early, now get your hind end out of here."
Once he's gone, she calls Ray, curses when he tells her it's similar on his shift but promises to come.
She still has two more hours to go when Caroline finds her way into her office. "Sorry to interrupt, I was just wondering..."
For a brief second, Elena thought she might be coming to tell her that... a certain someone showed up to see her. She sighs mentally but gestures for Caroline to come in. "Sit..."
Caroline looks nervous as she sits on the edge of the chair. When she doesn't look like she'd start talking, Elena nods at her friendly.
"What's up?"
"You know, I wanted to explain about... Tyler. And Nik."
Elena does a double take, is she really about to be dragged into their drama, even more so than she already has thanks to Rebekah? "Look Care, you don't need to tell me anything, it's not really any of my business..."
"I know, and I'm sorry Elena, I have a feeling you've heard things, I know Tyler's been worried about your friendship and... well, this really isn't his fault."
This is really happening. Elena just nods unsure of what else to do.
"It's hard you know... I really like Tyler, he's nice. And hot, we had fun together."
"Caroline," Elena finds her voice again,"this is between you and Tyler, the problem that I have is someone else."
"I know," Caroline interrupts her. "It's that you're worried about Rebekah. But I disagree, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Tyler's fair, he's good, she's perfectly safe with him."
Elena opens her mouth to say something, but it really doesn't make sense. If Caroline sees Tyler this way, why would she break his heart in the first place? Is she having second thoughts, regret?
"It all comes down to the constant uncertainty, the shifts, fires... doing what I do, knowing how dangerous it is and how families often end up broken. And I'm not even talking about the ultimate sacrifice which, I'll admit I've tried not to think about. This job, it can damage you, change you, and I know there's a certain excitement, the rush of adrenaline, the need to be a hero... I admire the dedication, I really do. And I love that about you guys and I'm proud to be a part of it, even if I'm only on the periphery. The thing is, I just don't think I could live with it day in and day out. If that makes me weak and even a coward... so be it. I can't do it..."
"No," Elena interrupts her. "Just stop, we're all different, this job isn't for the faint of heart. You are a valued member of our team so don't denigrate what you do. And you're right, we're not all marriage material, this job is hard on the best of us." Her heart starts beating harder. Here. This is more validation of what she's always known. They should stay away from those they love.
Caroline shakes her head. "And then I met Nik. He's charming, a gentleman, he works when it's needed but there's no drama about it. I'm not worried that he'll gets severely injured, crippled or that one time where he doesn't come home, can't come home..."
Elena knows how charming Niklaus Mikaelson can be. All of the family actually. But he's a nice guy and she knows he will be good for Caroline.
"I'm not proud of it, Elena but it is what it is. I have to live with my choices. And I don't want to cause Tyler more pain or trouble than I already have. I also don't want you to hate me... but it's up to you," she adds uncertainly.
"Caroline," she doesn't hesitate to reassure her. "I understand. And I wish you the best. We all have to make difficult choices and own up to them. You're my friend. So is Tyler. And Rebekah. And also Nik. This doesn't change a thing."
Caroline leaves happy they talked, Elena has some more to think about though. It only confirmed for her that she's right about the need to be cautious about who she'll let into her life and how deep.
When the shift is finally over and after she and Ray fill the holes in the schedule, her thoughts inevitably return to her earlier conversation with Caroline. She realizes this week, it's been day by day of waiting, hoping he will show up and brighten hers and allow her to explain. Right now, she's sitting in her frigid car contemplating what to do. What she should do is start the engine, go home and sleep for the next 12 hours like she usually does. Or she could try to make things right. Perhaps she should flip a coin? Slowly, reluctantly, she sets the vehicle in motion and follows the well known route.
The gate isn't locked up which kind of surprises her. A tall hedge surrounds the house separating it from the rest of the world. She bets it suits him, his small island in the middle of the town. She steps on the porch not sure if he's home or awake, if the lights are on, they're not visible through the shaded windows. It feels rather ridiculous to push the doorbell when he can't hear it or can he? How could she not think about it when she decided to come? They didn't even exchange phone numbers.
What is she even doing here?
She's about to back away when the door cracks open.
Damon's been avoiding the fire station for a week now. Many times, he's come close to slipping his coat on and walking over there but then he'd remind himself that it's what she wants. If he keeps pushing, he'll only end up embarrassing himself and making it awkward for her. He's not imbecile and certainly doesn't need to be hit over the head for something to sink in. However, the empty feelings that come with it... well, it's hard sometimes but he'll deal with it, he always does.
Pouring himself another glass of bourbon, he's alerted to someone's presence when the green light on his desk starts flashing. Two days ago he interconnected the door bell with the display in the study, in the kitchen and the living room. After telling Ric about his ingenious idea, his buddy had to come over and put it to the test, making Damon ring the bell while he checked out each room to make sure everything was wired properly. Sighing, Damon puts his glass down then trots downstairs to open the front door.
To say he's surprised would be an understatement. It's more like an electric shock. Standing right in front of him is Elena Gilbert looking rather startled.
"Damon?" she looks surprised as if she was expecting someone else.
"Hey," he swallows thickly, how is it possible that she's gotten even more beautiful in the space of a week's time?
"I just wanted..." Is this the same Elena Gilbert? Always so confident and firm?
"Do you want to come inside?" he asks. The weather's not exactly conducive to outdoor chit chats.
"No, no. I don't want to impose, I just wanted to check on you. Flu season... I thought maybe..."
"No, I'm not sick, I've been quite busy. Ric makes sure of it. Also...," he takes a breath but doesn't back out of a honest answer, "I wasn't sure you wanted to see me."
"I didn't mean to…"
Hurt him? Why's everyone worried about hurting him? He known enough to last a lifetime and then some.
"It's complicated. I don't think I can risk letting it go too far. People like me shouldn't expose people they care about to this lifestyle or the possibility of the cruelest loss…" She gets agitated in frustration, Damon can see that, but how can he help her when he doesn't know where's she going with this?
"I'm not very good at it obviously but what I'm trying to say," she finally finds the words that need to be said, "I like you and it's not that I didn't like you kissing me, it's the exact opposite, I liked it too much... But I can't make promises that I might not be able to keep."
He knows it's nothing but foolish hope, he feels like a fool, but did she just admit she liked it when he kissed her? Technically he wasn't wrong about her feeling it too… Except it doesn't really matter.
She falls silent for a moment, wondering what he's thinking. She feels helpless, unable to decipher her own feelings, explain how much she missed him popping up at the station this long lonely week. How could she? There's no rational explanation why it suddenly matters that his eyes are on her lips. It should feel uncomfortable and yet it doesn't. If she's to be honest with herself, she likes to see him waiting for her to finish up her shift so they can have coffee or share a piece of cake at the mall. How can she make him understand why she rejected him?
"Damon?"
Why are they still standing outside? And now it's starting to snow once again. The white wet flakes stick on Elena's hair, like tiny stars on the night sky, before they melt and disappear forever. He fights the urge to sweep them off to keep her warm…
"Yes?" he's late to realize she probably expects some kind of response, he just doesn't know what to say. "I'm not angry, Elena. I am the one who should apologize. I just… threw myself on you, figuratively and literally without giving you a chance to say no, it was… selfish and rude. I do respect you and your choices, I didn't want to punish you and I wasn't having a fit, I was just giving you the space I thought you wanted..." When he wasn't who she wanted. In all honestly, he needed some space too.
"I like spending time with you," she admits reluctantly. She's not used to feeling this vulnerable.
"We're good," he gives her a small smile. "And I like spending time with you too, but you already knew that."
"So... friends?" she looks at him hopeful.
Having Elena as a friend, it's the last thing he wants, it'll be torture, he knows. But it's still far better than not having her in his life at all. And he doesn't exactly have many friends.
So he shakes his head in agreement. "Friends."
Day 3 of our SIMM Blitz.
Huge thanks to every one of your for the reviews, follows, favorites, kind words. They mean the world to us.
Lots of love and thanks to you, Eva. You're always willing to take the leap and help write these stories with me.
Chapter title: 'Don't Wanna Be Your Friend' by Nina.
Have a fantastic day and thank you again so very much.