Chapter 8 (Day 4-Day 5)
Damon steps out of the showers after three days of not having water splashed against his skin. He chooses to go with his black shirt, dark washed jeans and his usual black combat boots without his leather jacket. He goes to the full-length mirror in the hallway and smirks, knowing how good-looking he is. He walks outside of the door and lock it before he makes his way to the nearest hospital to grab some blood bags. It's a good thing Alaric has an unused freezer with the lock in the garage. All he has to do is fix it a little and voilà, he'd be able to save some bags in the freezer.
It's been three hours after he'd make a stop at the hospital then comes back to the house to put it in the freezer. He has compelled some people to give him some money as well, and come back with at least three thousand dollars in cash. He hasn't seen Elena and it's already in the middle of the day.
He… misses her.
He misses the way her nose scrunches up when he tease her.
He misses the way she lets out a light giggle when he say something that she thinks strange or funny.
He misses her hair, her redden check when he tries to flirt with her, her wonderful smell that just scream Elena.
He misses her everything.
He lets out a sigh as he put down the blood bag that he has just finished on the coffee table in front of him. He leans to the maroon couch in the living room as he props his legs on the table. Elena would be in school by now, at least three and a half hours to go before she could go home.
"Elena… Elenaaaaa," Rebekah waves her small hand in front of the face of her best friend.
They are currently having a free period after lunch so they decided to hang out at the school's gym since they will have AP English in an hour. Rebekah is lounging as Elena is sitting Indian style with her backpack beside her.
"What?" the brunette turns to face the blonde.
"You've been out for ten minutes and lost in your own little world. What's wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong," she answers quickly. Too quickly.
"Liar," Rebekah half-whispers, half-teases.
"Honestly, I'm okay," she starts, "I'm just –"
"Just what?"
"I feel… weird. Like I'm not really in the mood for talking, yet I want to talk. I'm just… I don't want to be in school, I wanna leave. Though I can't or else the principal will call home and Jenna's gonna be nosy," she sighs.
"Has something happened? You're quiet, yet different kind of quiet as you used to."
Elena is debating whether it is wise to talk about Damon, the source of her odd moods since she doesn't have any idea about his whereabouts and what's he's doing right now, to Rebekah.
She sighs, "So, hypothetically, if you met someone, who claims to… like you yet you don't believe him, but you have spent a few days with him hanging out with you and now he's just… not present. Gone. How'd you feel? What'd you do?"
Rebekah knits her eyebrows together, "Okay, so hypothetically, if I don't believe him that he likes me but then feel like what you're feeling right now, I would go to him, hang out with him some more, get to know him. Then maybe, just maybe, I would understand that he likes me," she answers, "But, just hypothetically, right?"
"Right," Elena whispers quietly.
"Is that what's going on with you?"
She scoffs, trying to find her best feature to cover up the lie, "No, I said hypothetically."
"Okay, then," she lets go of the subject, for now.
They spend another ten minutes in quiet as they mull over things inside their own heads. Rebekah decides that she doesn't like the silence, so she takes out her pink iPod and press play on it. 'N SYNC's melodious voice comes from the speaker in an instant.
It's tearin' up my heart when I'm with you, but when we are apart I feel it too…
Elena snaps as the images of Damon's lounging on her bed with her stuffed animal comes to mind.
And no matter what I do, I feel the pain with or without you…
And the images of Damon's eye thing and smirk replace the one where he is lounging, making her smile involuntarily.
The upbeat music keeps going as Elena's head starts to bob up and down slightly earning a faint frown from her best friend.
"Since when do you like this kind of music? All you have in your phone all ballads."
"What's this one called? It's from 'N SYNC, right?" Elena totally ignores the girl's question.
"Tearin' Up My Heart. "
"I'm going to buy it on iTunes," she fishes out her iPhone latest model that Jenna had bought her a couple of months ago then goes straight to the app where she can buy songs.
Rebekah shakes her head, trying to overlook her friend's newfound love on upbeat songs.
"Would you like to go my house? Starting early our final project for Miss Henderson's class?" Rebekah questions as they walk toward the school's parking lot.
"That would be –"
Elena trails off as she watches Damon saunters toward where she and Rebekah are standing, not even four feet away from him.
"Hello, Elena," he smirks as soon as he gets to stand only inches from Elena's surprise face.
Rebekah notices he attractive man standing so close to her best friend and looks around to find many girls, even Caroline and her minions, with their jaw drop. She has to agree with them, the man is tall, dark, and handsome. It's like he just stepped out of every girls' wet dreams.
"D… Damon. What… are you doing here?" she backs up a little to find fresh air that is not contaminated by Damon's masculine aroma.
"Told you I'd be seeing you everyday," he winks playfully, smiles so big that she can't help but return it.
"Well, how are you? Settling in just fine?"
"Not as good as my previous room though," he pouts, casting down his electric blue eyes to his feet.
"No take backs, Damon. You can't move in again once you move out," she imitates his smirk earning a lighthearted glare from him.
"Uh, Elena," Rebekah suddenly breaks their playful connection.
Elena blinks twice before she turns her head, making her hair flips which Damon enjoys watching it, "Yes, Bex this is Damon. Damon this is Rebekah."
Damon, for the first time, notices the environment and turns his gaze halfheartedly to the person next to Elena. His eyes widen a bit due to the familiarity of the face of Elena's friend, before he covers it up, and tips his head to Rebekah, "Hey."
Rebekah frowns, "Have we met before?" Elena shoots her eyebrows upwards to Damon.
"No, I just have one of those faces," Damon smiles tightly, completely ignoring Elena.
"Uh, okay," she turns to face Elena, "So, what about the project?"
Elena makes a face, "It's due in a month and a half. Don't worry about it, we can work on it next week."
"Okay, then. I'll see you tomorrow," she grins at Elena then faces the blue-eyed stranger, "Bye, Damon. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm sure," Damon breathes after Rebekah walks away.
"What the hell, Damon? You can't just show up here," Elena throws her hand wildly in the air, "You're making a scene."
"You're making a scene," Damon replies casually, "Look around."
Elena just realizes that almost every heads in the parking lot is directed to her and Damon with curiosity, amazement and soft sigh from the girls, which Elena is sure it is come from how attractive Damon is.
She can't help but notice how handsome he is, with his dark ensemble and startling blue eyes. But if what he has been saying is true, that Damon is her soul mate, she is the only one who allows to ogle him. She feels her protective and possessive side consume her and she decides to drags him to where she parked her car and push the unlock button.
"What are you doing here?"
"I told you I'd be seeing you," he frowns, sensing her unusual behavior. As if she doesn't like him to be here. Well, it's not new that she doesn't want her here but he feels off with the way her small right hand, adorns by her pear-shaped ring on her ring finger, still hanging on his left arm. He can't help but feel proud that he's the one Elena hanging on to.
"Gilbert," Caroline and her cronies come toward Elena and Damon.
The brunette girl instinctively squeeze Damon's arm harder and in response, Damon's free hand fall on top of her hand on his arm.
"Who's your new friend?" Caroline's eyes twinkle, gawking at Damon like he was a piece of meat.
"He's Damon," a squeak comes out of Elena's mouth that Damon notices makes creases appear on his forehead, "My—"
"Boyfriend. I'm her boyfriend," Damon cut off Elena's introductory of Damon as he senses unfriendliness from the blonde-curled hair girl in front of them. Elena's head snaps upward to Damon and finds him smiling softly at her as if he's saying 'play along'.
"Wow," Caroline's eyes widen in surprise, "You have a boyfriend?"
"She doesn't like to brag, this lovely girl," Damon sends her one of his mischievous smirks, "I've been traveling and I had a chance to pick her up for the first time today. Nice to meet you, Miss… "
"Forbes. Caroline Forbes."
Suddenly, a hurl of wavy brown hair comes toward them dressed in a cheerleader uniform as identical as Caroline's with a couple of books in her hands, "I'm sorry I'm late, Mr. Wyatt wanted to give me extra credit for his… Caroline?" Nadia calls, obviously oblivious to the intense scene in front of her.
Nadia turns to Damon and Elena with surprise written all over her face. This man is so delicious she could burst.
"Elena," she nods.
"Hey, Nadia," she replies meekly.
Damon, however, flabbergasts by the girl standing in front of him. A look that goes unnoticed by Elena.
Nadia Petrova.
The next day rolls around, Elena had let Damon hanging out in her room until sundown but she couldn't help but think that he was super quiet, he usually could not stop talking.
Just last night, after Damon had left, she resolves that Damon needs a phone so that she could call him or vice versa, and just confirming about each other whereabouts since she can't help but feel worry when Damon lives apart from her.
She decides to wear her white flowery skirt that stops just above her knee, her black sleeveless blouse and brown ankle boots. She let her hair falls down in waves and her face in natural make-up accentuate her beauty. She has no idea why she wants to wear the skirt, though she knows the skirt is pretty on her.
She doesn't know if it is the soul mate inside of her talking or not, she doesn't even know if she believed that Damon is her soul mate, but she wants to know how he's doing everyday knowing he doesn't know anyone in this town. If any of the vampire movies that she has watched before were true, then who can guaranteed that there were no vampire hunter hunters who keep tabs on Damon? It's not like she wants him to be vulnerable and die without her knowing.
"Elena! Breakfast!" Jenna's voice snaps her out of her reverie then she grabs her backpack then walks down the stairs.
"I have cheese and broccoli omelet for you on the – what are you wearing?" Jenna startles as soon as she sees her niece in a girly attire. So not like her.
"What? You don't like it?" Elena looks at herself up and down suddenly feeling insecure and ugly.
"No, no, I love it," Jenna exclaims, "But you usually wear jeans and sneakers to school. What changed?"
"I just want to wear some things that you bought that I haven't had the chance to wear it," she shrugs, "Is this okay, though?"
"It is perfectly okay," Jenna beams, "I'll buy you more skirts and blouses on my home later, then."
"No, Jenna, it's fine," Elena blushes.
"Oh no worries, it's been a while since I go to Forever 21 at the mall," she waves, "I'll be home later than expected, though, maybe at 8 p.m or something. Or do you want to meet me at the mall so we can shop together?"
"No, thanks, I've got homework," Elena replies quietly. Well, she actually has an afternoon free, maybe she could ask Damon to hang out with her.
What?! What's wrong with her wanting Damon to be with her all the time?
"Okay. Eat your breakfast, honey."
They eat their omelets in silence for a few minutes. Halfway eating though, a loud honk comes from outside makes Jenna suddenly up on her feet and look through the window.
"What is it?" Elena approaches her aunt.
"That blue Camaro… is that Damon?"
True to her words, Damon strolls to the front door before knocking once then Jenna opens it up.
"Damon," she nods, "What are you doing here?"
"Elena asked me to pick her up since there is car trouble with her Prius. You about ready?" he tips his head to his soul mate.
Elena, slightly jaw dropped, gazes at his fine physique dressed in maroon Henley and dark jeans, "Wha—I'm… sure. Let me… grab my backpack."
She rushes to the kitchen then in a few seconds back to where Jenna is studying Damon curiously. Elena shoots her aunt an 'I'll tell you later' then practically drags Damon out of her front door.
As soon as they got into the car, Elena bursts out, "What the hell?! You can't just come and lie to my aunt."
"What, I'm just picking up my beautiful soul mate," he grins as he turns on the engine.
She shakes her head, ignoring his remarks, "Whose car is this?"
"Don't know, I borrowed it from some rentals two towns from here so they won't know for a while," he takes a rectangular piece of electronic from his pocket, "Also I got this… iPhone."
"You mean you stole both things?" Elena chimes sarcastically, leaning against the seat.
"I borrowed," Damon shrugs one of his shoulders.
After five minutes of silence, Elena notices something, "This is not the right way to school."
"We're not going to school," he simply says.
"What? No, no, no, I'm going to school. Pull over, please."
Eventually he does what he asked but keep the doors locked, "Look, five minutes timeout is not going to be a problem, okay? I wanna show you something."
"I do not want to have a timeout," she grunts, "Open up, I need to go."
"Nope," he pops the P, "We are going somewhere. It's a surprise actually but you'll like it."
"Damon," she sighs in defeat, "I have school, and Jenna'll have my head if she knows I'm blowing it."
"Jenna won't know, trust me," he looks directly to her chocolate orbs and she can't say no to those crystalline beautiful blues.
"Fine, one day. But have me back to my house before eight," she crosses her arms on her chest, making Damon look away from the amount of cleavage she shows.
Damon starts the engine again before they continue their way to Damon's surprise place, "You look gorgeous, by the way. It's not like you don't look gorgeous everyday," he pronounces softly, looking at her stunning face then down to her long tan legs, "I like the skirt."
"Thanks," she blushes, hiding her face with her long hair.
" You're welcome, beautiful," he smiles genuinely before turns his focus on the road, "Just enjoy the ride."
I am on a roll you guys, I guess the good mood still left in me a bit. I'm going to see Moana today which probably one of the reasons my good moods still hanging around.
Anyway, so many hints here and there about what's gonna happen :P Like Alaric's freezer and Nadia Petrove, Elena's friend. And yes, I used Tearin' Up My Heart by 'N SYNC because of Nina's latest instagram's story. Oh, she's such a wonderful dork, than Nina Dobrev.
So do not forget to review and let me know what you think! I've been up since 5 a.m to write this for you *wink wink*
See ya later!