I stared at the heart shaped box of chocolates in my hand with disgust.
If there was one day I hated more than any other, then it was without a doubt the 14th of February. It was just such a sucky day! No pun intended.
Barely even taking two steps into the grocery store, I was already being smothered by pink, stuffed teddy bears, red roses and heart-shaped boxes containing a variety of chocolate everywhere I turned. It was ridiculous! Tossing aside the box I'd been holding with a huff, I moved to try and find something non-pink and non-related to this so-called 'holiday'.
It was a bigger challenge than I'd thought.
"Have you heard about the two for one discount?" the cashier asked me in a nasal voice, drawing in a loud sniffling before wiping their nose with the the sleeve of the store's mandatory shirt. "Valentine's day special only."
I simply bared my teeth, slamming my money onto the counter. The sniffle after that wasn't from any cold.
Ultimately, I managed to leave that store with nothing more pink than the apples I'd bought.
With my arms full of bags with groceries, I knocked my front door open with my hip. Really, I needed to invest in some proper bags with handles rather than this 'carry as if embracing' bullshit.
Dragging the door close using my foot, I noted the lights were all out in my entire apartment. Odd. But what was even more strange were the closed blinds; I could've sworn they were open when I left. Well, whoever had dropped by to visit me today would regret it. I slammed the paper bags down on the kitchen counter, gnashing my teeth as I walked further into my apartment. If this was Damon doing some–
"SURPRISE!"
I jumped when the serpentines popped, the light switching on to reveal glitter coating the floor. Colorful party hats, an enormous cake and a small pile of wrapped gifts had been laid out on my dark brown coffee table. Slowly, I turned to face the grinning crowd in my living room. It consisted of Jenna, Jeremy, John and even Elena – who had surely sacrificed watching over the recovering Stefan to show up.
"What's this supposed to mean?" I demanded.
One would think my family would be upset at my ungrateful attitude directed towards their little surprise party, but they all knew that this was far from my favorite day of the year. Which was why the entire little bunch just kept on grinning; even John. What was he even doing here, anyway? A look from Jenna told me to roll with it, meaning that he had forcefully invited himself. Of course.
"Open this one now." Jenna handed me a squarish box wrapped in red paper, embraced by a golden ribbon. Accepting it, I played along as I knew she wanted and shook the package carefully in an attempt to figure out its content.
Until now, the gifts had been pretty sucky; a new frying pan from John; a gift card to some small store whose name I had never heard of from Jeremy; and a book from Elena. Not super bad, but still pretty basic; nothing that I didn't already own. Nothing I really needed. But Jenna, on the other hand, had a knack for buying awesome presents. Which was why I was actually pretty excited for hers.
"Happy birthday, Parks." She grinned and nodded for me to unwrap the gift.
Beginning with ripping off the golden cord, I let the paper fly and add to the mess I'd created where I sat on the floor. An unassuming brown box was underneath the layer of christmas red wrapping paper, still no clue giving away to what could possibly be inside. Slowly, I opened the lid whilst keeping careful watch on Jenna's expression; it seemed as if she was about to burst at any given moment. I peered inside, and dropped my chin. No. Way.
"Are you serious?" I questioned in disbelief. Jenna nodded excitedly, just as I lifted the camera from the box, observing it in amazement.
"I figured it was about damn time for you to take that up again," Jenna explained proudly. "It's been ages. And I know how much you used to love it."
"You're right," I breathed out, speechless when carefully turning the camera to memorize every detail. It was a black SLR camera with endless possibilities, more and more settings discovered the longer I twisted and turned it, allowing my fingers to gently run over every curve.
"So, 24 now, huh?" John broke the silence with. "Welcome to the older generation!" I glared at him, together with everyone else at the table. But after that the conversation at least continued smoothly whilst I was free to admire the camera undisturbed.
Everyone were a bit distracted, I with the camera, Elena biting her nails while worrying about Stefan, Jeremy texting someone with a goofy lovesick smile on his face, whilst Jenna and John argued about selling the building where Dad's old medical practise laid; my aunt being for and my uncle firmly against it. In other words, a typical family night.
Once the cake was finished and the plates held nothing but crumbs, the small crowd drifted apart to achieve their own agendas. But I certainly didn't complain. John was a douche as always, Jeremy absent and Elena only had one person occupying her thoughts. However, Jenna stayed; but with an ulterior motive.
"So how's the love life going?" She slumped down on the couch next to me with a knowing grin.
"Can we please talk about something else?" I grunted and dragged a hand through my hair, which was all over the place as per usual. Apart from the unattended bird's nest, I'd probably scowled in all the pictures Elena had insisted to snap of us during the evening, using her phone. If I received a notification from her having published one…
"Why?" Jenna coaxed. "Don't you wanna share your deepest, darkest secrets with me?"
"Ha, ha. I'd rather have my life passing the Bechdel Test, thank you very much."
"Come on!" Jenna said, being extra persistent.
"Does this have something to do with a certain history teacher?" I inquired, attempting to steer the conversation another way.
"Don't do that." Jenna noticed my maneuver. "Yeah, I'm happy with what I might have going on with him, and I'd like it if my dear niece would experience the same thing. And timely enough, there so just happens to be walking around a very hot Salvatore brother in town."
Appalled, I gaped. "Are you saying that you want me to break Elena and Stefan up? That's outrageous, Jenna! Favoring between your nieces much?"
A dark greyish blue pillow was jammed into my face. "You know which brother I'm talking about!"
"Okay, okay!" I laughed whilst rolling off the couch to escape Jenna's attacks. Where I remained to lay on my back on the thick carpet, I stared up at the ceiling silently. Until a strawberry blonde head popped into my view, gazing down at me from the couch.
"Spill."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied innocently.
"Nice try. I saw you two at the Miss Mystic event, seeming awfully cozy."
"You're reading too much into it."
"Am I?" Jenna raised a cocky brow. With a sharp sigh, I brought my hands to cover my face.
"Let me come to terms with any potential feelings on my own, if you'd be so kind," I spoke, my voice muffled through my palms.
"Fine. But I'm just saying that it would be fun to double-date."
I withdrew my hands. "You're kidding, right?"
"Nope," Jenna stated. "I'm sensing a bromance blooming between the two."
"Damon and Alaric?" I asked, doubtfully. Jenna nodded. But she didn't know the story about the Salvatore killing and turning Ric's wife into a vampire; I doubted there was any hope of a potential friendship there. "There's no such thing as a bromance. It's just a codeword for gay."
"You watch too many tv-series," Jenna sighed with a roll of her eyes.
"I'm not hearing you denying it," I pointed out.
From there on we continued to discuss the term until the sky was dark and Jenna's phone revealed to have more missed calls than mine.
"Show-off," I muttered whilst Jenna grabbed her jacket as she flipped through the calls with an easy stroke of her finger over the screen.
"When are you gonna buy a new phone?" she asked when she noticed my, to say the least, jealous look directed at her touch screen.
I shrugged. "Would have been a good birthday present."
"I'll give the hint to Elena and Jeremy for next year," Jenna assured with a wink, before pulling me in for a hug. "Remember, you're not getting any younger. Take the opportunities that presents themselves and do whatever you want." I frowned in her arms. Was she referring to Damon? When we withdrew from the embrace, Jenna added, "Or do whoever you want," with a wink. Yep. Definitely referring to Damon.
"Good night, Jenna," I said with a sigh.
"Take my advice, Parks," my aunt answered and placed a hand on my head, wiggling it around as if to forcefully press in her statement. "You won't regret it." I only shook my head at her weird persistence. As she left, she raised her strawberry blonde brows as if to bang in her message one last time.
"Don't drink it all at once, sweetheart."
"Thanks for the concern."
As any birthday, I found myself at a bar with a bottle in my hand at the end of the day. Raising my drink to the girl tending to the Grill for the night – Kara, I recalled her name might have been – she left me to drown my misery with a tired shake of her head.
No matter the late hour, or where I found myself, at every year of my birthday, pink decorations blinded my eyes. Really, I should've known Bella wouldn't have been able to resist bringing in the cash from the local couples here, advertising with special prices and dishes.
A little to my right, beyond the end of the counter, a pink balloon swayed in the faint wind from someone opening the door. Paying no mind to it, I tilted my head back to get a good swig from the alcohol, hissing pleased as I sat the bottle back down.
"Wow. Should I be worried?"
With squinted eyes, I looked the figure seating himself to my left up and down. I took another gulp from the bottle.
"Are you capable of such?" I asked, raising my brows.
"You really are bitter," Damon chuckled, eyeing my demeanour shamelessly. "What's got you in such a mood?" He tried catching Kara's eye, but she seemed firmly inclined to lay all her attention on a brunette with long legs seated at the other end of the bar. Without a word, I offered my bottle for him.
"It's not bourbon, but I think you'll live."
"So generous," Damon commented, a gleam to his eyes as he took a sip. Right after, his face twisted into a grimace. "How can you like this?"
"Don't be such a baby." I snatched the bottle back, cradling it in my hands. As I stared at its label, I felt Damon stare at me.
"Okay, who stole your lunch money? You look absolutely broken," he stated. Absently, I fingered on the strand of the swaying pink balloon, whilst my thoughts were somewhere else entirely; damning Jenna's words from earlier tonight.
"Do you ever get tired of pretending?" I asked, not meeting his gaze. Still, I felt Damon tense, then stir a little in his seat.
"What do you mean?"
"Get tired of all the games and empty jokes? 'Cause I know I do. So fucking tired."
"Parker?" Damon checked, his confusion evident as I turned to look at him, releasing my hold of the bottle.
"Tired of thinking and planning and scheming." I stared at his lips. The sensual curve of the upper lip, the very faint coating of stubble above. "Don't you ever just…" Slowly but steadily, I raised my gaze to his eyes, the intensity staring back at me almost stealing my breath. "Just… wanna let go?"
Damon swallowed. It wasn't loud, but I saw it. Saw his throat bob. It was the only answer I needed.
With disregard of the bottle, I instead moved forward and cupped my hands around his face, firmly planting my lips to his. The response, the parting, was immediate. Before I knew it, his hands were on my waist, pulling me closer. Closer, closer, closer.
Just for a second, I had to break free, catch some air as my whole head felt light enough to soar away; leaving my body and its urges all to themselves.
"You remember the way?" I asked, breathing heavily against his face.
And just like that night, when he'd carried me home from the bar, his arms were around me. There was a rush of air, before my back slammed into the wall outside my door. I had only taken in my new surroundings for about the split of a second, when his lips found mine again. This time, they didn't part so soon.
As his hands slid up and down my back, tugging at my shirt, mine did the same to his. They found a hem, lifting it to then come across smooth skin and hard muscles. Damon drew in a sharp breath, releasing my lips for a moment. It was just enough time for me to push us off the wall, crashing the door open, to then be pinned to the wall inside of my apartment.
Boxed in by his arms, I stared at him as he stared back at me, both breathing heavily. Damon's gaze dropped from my eyes to my lips, then slowly drifted towards my neck, bare and exposed by my hair having been ruffled aside. With a firm grip of his chin, I pried his eyes away and back up to mine.
"Bite me," I began, hardening my grip a tad, "and you're dead."
A sideways smirk slowly unfolded on Damon's face, as he raised a brow. "How about a little nibbling?"
I only growled, before our lips crashed together again. The kisses were hungry, as if we were running out of time and couldn't get enough of each other. There wasn't enough time in the world for my hands, quickly raking over every part of his back and neck and head and stomach I could touch, to be satisfied. Not when I was losing foothold with what his touch did to me.
Kisses traced along my jawline; my fingers dug into his back. My hands getting inside his shirt again; Damon breathed sharply, releasing noises I could never have imagined coming from him. Begging for more.
There was no disappointment.
His lips carried on down my neck and along my collarbone, teasing across my chest. I couldn't wait any longer. With a quick motion, I helped yank his shirt over his head, and soon followed mine. As I got access to his bare back, I barely had any time at all to take advantage before Damon's hands found the hollow of my knees and lifted me up with ease. I wrapped my legs around his torso, as we left the wall to meet the bed.
The mattress shifted and groaned beneath the weight of the two bodies, but no mind was payed to it. Instead, the kisses grew deeper and slower, as taunting as the wandering hands stroking up shudders everywhere they went.
My whole body quivered, everything else despite the body and lips and heartbeat against mine withering away, until nothing else mattered. Nothing but the last clothes flying; the last space being eliminated; the last gasps turning into moans.
Nothing, but this moment.