Chapter 4
Someone left me a beautiful review for this story and convinced me to continue this. I'm so glad she did. Today was a hard day for me, so I sat myself behind the computer and wrote this next chapter…
An ocean of dreams
Damon stared at Elena, who was sitting next to him in the car and was staring out of the window. She barely said two words to him since the kiss. There was a tension between them now, that left Damon feeling very frustrated.
Why was she resisting him? Why couldn't they just enjoy each other and the time they had left? Why was she so afraid to let him in?
He sighed as he saw the park sign coming up. They were almost there. The third item on her list. Seeing the ocean. Another first for her, since she never left her home state.
The sun was going down now, Disney world taking up a lot of their time. He just hoped the sun would stay on the horizon long enough for them to fully enjoy the view of the ocean.
Damon parked the car and wordlessly stepped out of the car. As did Elena. They would have to walk a few more meters, and then they would see it. A fact that made Elena antsy. She seemed to fidget a little.
"Are you ready?" he asked her, breaking the silence.
She nodded and started walking. Still she didn't make a sound. Damon felt like strangling her. He did not appreciate the silent treatment.
He walked behind her, wanting her to be the first to see the blue water. This was for her, this was her experience. And this way, he could keep an eye on her.
She seemed so fragile, and not just because she was dying. There was an aura around her, that made him want to protect her. He wanted to keep her safe from the world. He wanted to keep her around him for all time. But with her, that wasn't possible.
She all of a sudden stopped dead in her tracks. Damon almost bumped into her. He frowned, wondering what was up. But as he stared ahead, he realised she could see it. It was right in front of them. She was looking at it as if it was the most beautiful thing in the world.
The Atlantic Ocean.
He came to stand next to her, watching her as tears rolled down her cheeks. She seemed in a trance. As if nothing existed except for her and that ocean.
Damon almost cried himself, seeing her so broken. He knew. He knew why she cried. This was the first, and at the same time the last time she would see it.
The rolling waves. The white sand.
The sun setting only made it worse. With the daylight fading, it made them realize how fast time was moving. Too fast. Damon wished he could freeze it. He wished he could spend years with her.
Elena quietly stepped forward. She took off her shoes and let her toes wriggle in the sand. A feeling that apparently brought a smile to her face.
Damon felt so honoured that she wanted to share these special moments with him. It humbled him.
Elena left her shoes where they were, and wandered down towards the water. She knelt down by it, dipping her hands in the water. Stroking it from left to right.
Damon watched from a distance. The fading sunlight made her so beautiful. She was like an angel. How could god take such a beautiful and pure angel from this earth? It was beyond his comprehension how the world worked sometimes. Why some people got to live, and others didn't. It brought back his own pain. He couldn't fight it anymore. Not with how intense today had been already.
He felt the tears coming to the surface. Why? Why did he have to go through this again? Why was Elena Gilbert put in his path, if she was just going to be taken away again? He had already lost so much.
He sank down in the sand and let go of his emotions.
He was so wrapped up in his own feelings, he didn't notice Elena had came back from the water and sat down next to him, until she put a hand on his shoulder. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, cleared his throat and put up a brave front.
It didn't work with her, of course. She saw right through him.
"Want to tell me about it?" she whispered.
Damon shook his head.
"This isn't about me, Elena. This day is about you. I'm sure you don't want to spend it talking about my feelings."
Elena gave him a strange look.
"You put yourself on the side lines for me today. You made it so wonderful, and it hasn't even ended yet. I owe you so much. The least I can do is listen to what you have to say. What you feel. What you think," she pressed.
Damon took a deep breath. He never talked about it. Save for his best friend Alaric, no one knew. He went through his life, never sticking around long enough so people couldn't ask questions. Maybe that's why he never settled down with a woman before. He never let anyone in. But with her it was different. SHE made everything different. He found himself opening his mouth and words came pouring out.
"I lost my mom 7 years ago. She had a heart condition that always put her in and out of the hospital. I took care of her. My father bailed out on us, before I even knew how to walk, so for years it was just me and her. We never needed anyone else. So when things took a turn for the worst, I was the only one left to help her. For years I studied for med school beside her bed. I thought she would live to see the day I graduated. She didn't.."
Damon swallowed back the tears that were threatening to spill. But it didn't help. Salty tracks were running down his cheeks.
"One day, when she was at the hospital, I managed to make it to the top of my class. I came rushing over to tell her. When I walked towards her room, a doctor was just walking out. He offered his condolences. I couldn't believe it. I refused to believe him. So I walked in. And there she was. She wasn't breathing. She wasn't moving. And she looked so pale. When I touched her.."
Damon choked. He couldn't talk anymore. Before he knew what was happening, a sob escaped his throat. He collapsed. And for the first time in seven years, he cried like a baby. He buried his head in his hands and allowed the heaving sobs to overtake him, letting it all out.
Elena didn't say a word. She just pulled him close, held him in her arms and cried with him.
They sat that way for a long while, until Damon had no more tears left.
He relaxed, enjoying the feeling of Elena's fingers running through his hair. Soothing him. He felt her place a kiss on top of his head, and smiled. She was letting him in.
He sat up and stared at her. Elena searched his face and smiled at him.
"Now I know," she said.
Damon frowned.
"Now you know what?"
"Why this is so important to you. Why you want to help me. I even bet that this is the whole reason you became a doctor. You want to fix people. You want to fix them, because you couldn't fix your mother," she explained.
Damon thought about this for a second. She was probably right.
He sighed and took a look around. The beach was empty now, the sun so low now that it basked them in a red glow.
He looked back at Elena, who was smiling at him and right then and there he realised that this was the most beautiful moment of his life. Being here, with this girl who could bring so much out of him, alone on a beautiful beach.
He watched the waves crashing. He felt the wind blowing through his hair. It was perfect. He leaned into Elena, and she placed her head on his shoulder.
Quietly, they stared at the glowing horizon.
Damon knew he would never forget this moment for as long as he lived.
After a few minutes, Elena got up with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She started walking backwards as she took off her shirt in front of him.
"You know, I never swam in the ocean," she teased.
Damon grinned at her.
"As tempting as this is, Elena. It is getting dark and we didn't bring any swimming gear."
Elena laughed out loud at this.
"Who said anything about swimming gear?" she said, as she continued to take off her jeans.
Damon's smirk disappeared and he gaped at her as she ran towards the ocean in nothing but her bra and underwear.
"Well, are you coming or what?" she yelled over her shoulder. And then she jumped into the crashing waves.
Damon stood frozen for a second. But then he snapped himself out of it and quickly discarded himself of his clothes. He left his boxers on and ran after Elena, who was just coming up for air.
"Damon, come on!" she yelled excitedly.
Damon didn't waste anymore time and dove into the water.
He decided to play a prank on Elena. It was still light enough to see under water, so he saw her gorgeous legs kicking away under the surface. He stayed under and swam up to her. He then grabbed onto her from behind, lifted her out of the water and threw her back in, a few feet further.
She came up with a screech.
"You asshole! You're going to pay!" she snapped.
She swam his way, put her hands on his shoulders and tried pushing him under. It didn't work. He was too strong for her. She climbed onto his back and tried pushing him again. And again no luck.
Damon enjoyed her being all over him, and let her do whatever she wanted. She was finally letting loose. She really was enjoying life right now. And he wasn't about to interrupt her.
"Did anyone ever tell you, you're really strong?" she asked as she ran her hands over his biceps from behind.
Damon gulped.
"No," he squeaked.
Elena let go of his back and swam towards his front.
She started running her hands up and down his chest.
"You have the most perfect chest," she whispered.
Damon was confused. Didn't she just push him away a few hours ago? Was she giving up fighting whatever was between them? Was she giving in?
He groaned as she wrapped her legs around him. His arms automatically shot out to support her behind, as her arms locked behind his head.
She leaned in and let her lips linger an inch in front of his. He could feel her breath on his face. It was intoxicating.
"Do you know that my heart is pounding right now?" she breathed against his lips.
Damon felt his breath coming out in short pants and felt his member start to throb. She could probably feel it too, since her backside was resting on it. If she moved…
"Well, I'm not going to say what you are doing to me, then," he joked.
Elena wriggled against him for a second, causing him to choke.
"I know," she said breathlessly.
And then she closed the remaining distance between them and locked their lips. Damon couldn't remember a kiss ever feeling this way. So full of passion. So full of need. So full of hope…
As Damon touched his tongue to hers, she grinded against him a bit. A full blown moan escaped them both, and Damon felt himself hardening to the point of pain. He tightened his hold on her ass and pushed her even closer. He really needed to be inside of her and soon!
Elena released him for a second and breathed harshly. She leaned her forehead against his.
"So I just completed the fourth item on my list," she revealed.
Damon frowned. Fourth item? He thought the ocean was the THIRD item on her list?
"What's your fourth item?" he asked.
Elena quickly pecked him on the lips.
"Kissing someone I'm hopelessly and completely in love with…."
So Elena is giving in. Yay! Look out for the next chapter, where IT is probably going to happen between them. But first.. review this one!
Sandy1983.
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