Damon:
I hate myself for taking something so precious away from her. When I saw her blood on the sheets, I panicked and couldn't get out of that hotel room fast enough. I'm a complete jerk for treating Elena in such an abhorrent manner. God, I think to myself dropping my head into my hands after I sit down on my bed. How can I ever face her now? She's my next door neighbor? It's not like I won't ever see her again.
Despite it being her first time, it was honestly the best sex I've ever had. It was so much more than just sex, I felt a connection to her on a much deeper level. The way we fit together was mind blowing. Dropping my head into my hands, I'm aghast at myself. What kind of man slinks off with his tail between his legs like I did? I don't begin to know how to make it up to her for last night.
I'll have no one to blame but myself if she never again gives me the time of day. Even if that's the inevitable outcome, I know that I have to come up with the apology to end all apologies. After blowing out a puff of air, I strip off my clothes and hop into the shower, my skin still pricking with electricity when I think of her skin touching mine.
Elena:
"I'm sorry for abandoning you last night, Elena. Mason is just so fine. And don't even get me started on his hips," Caroline gushes, practically drooling.
"Really Caroline!" I scoff, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Well, where did you go after I left?"
"Poor little Elena lost her glass slipper and her carriage turned back into a pumpkin," I blurt out, my frustration quite evident.
"Don't be so melodramatic," she scoffs at me, turning her focus back to her perfectly manicured fingernails.
"When I couldn't find you, I came home and went to bed." I tighten my lips and cross my arms over my chest defiantly.
"Elena, Elena, we need to find you a man!" She mentions casually as if saying the sky is blue.
"Well duh!"
"What about Tyler Lockwood? We could go on a double date!"
"Tyler? Ugh."
"He's nice looking."
"I know that but he has the personality of a rock." Rolling my eyes, I drop my attention back to my ragged fingernails.
"Oh but that rock is hot." Shaking my head, I'm not in the least amused when she waggles her eyebrows at me.
Sighing, I pick up my pillow and throw it at her, hitting her in the face. Satisfied, I cross my arms.
"Really Elena?" Standing up in a huff, she walks over to the mirror to primp her already perfectly coiffed hair.
"Caroline, why do you bother? God help the person who stands between you and a mirror!" After scowling at me, she turns back to the mirror to start primping all over again. Rolling my eyes, I lay back down, pick up my book and lose myself in the pages of my epic romance novel.
A few days after that night when I get home from work, Damon runs across the street, accosting me just as I step out of the car. I can feel myself getting lost in those blue pools when a soccer ball slamming into my car breaks the up the moment.
"Sorry Elena," Johnny, the neighbor's child, says to me then picks up the soccer ball and runs back to his own yard. Taking a breath, I reach inside to grab my bag bumping into Damon when I stand up again.
"Um, did you want something?" Trying to feign indifference, it takes everything in me to keep a straight face.
"I... I wanted to apologize for the other night, Elena."
"What's there to apologize for? You were a perfect gentleman, after all. Getting my dress cleaned and letting me sleep it off in your room. Nothing happened so there's no need to apologize," I add, the lie coming so easily that my voice doesn't even hitch.
"Well, I shouldn't have left you without so much as a note the next morning. I'm really sorry," he says, his eyes appearing sincere.
"No worries. Was there anything else?" I add, pushing my car door closed.
"I guess not. Bye Elena." I watch as he turns around and walks back across the street. I keep watching his fine backside till he disappears inside of his house.
After that fateful night with Damon, I pretended that I didn't remember anything that went down that night. Truth be told, I drank way too much that night anyway which contributed to my decision to sleep with Damon. Feeling despondent that he left me, I put on a brave face whenever I see him, feigning indifference. Although I doubt that he believes me, I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he hurt me by leaving that night.
Somehow over the course of this year, with Damon being our next door neighbor, he and Jeremy have become quite close friends. When Jeremy is home from college for a weekend, he spends most of his time hanging out with Damon much to my dismay. From what Jeremy has told me, Damon has driven to Whitmore several times to spend a weekend with him too. If I didn't know better...
After several failed Caroline-arranged blind dates, she has been pushing me that much harder into going out with Tyler Lockwood. In an effort to contain her incessant yapping, I finally agree to go on a date him. I don't foresee anything everlasting with Tyler but I guess I may as well admit, it feels good to get out of the house sometimes. She and Mason have been together since last year's Lockwood Christmas festivities.
"Damon, that's not fair," I hear Jeremy say, throwing a throw pillow at him. He and Jeremy are playing video games in my living room. Caroline is on her way over to help me get ready for another date with Tyler. Alright, his personality isn't as dull as I expected but he doesn't get my blood pumping like Damon does just by being in the same room with him. Sometimes when I dream, I still feel that delectable ache between my legs, the ache that he put there. Deciding to bite the bullet, I walk into the living room and sit in the recliner, passing time while I wait for Caroline to arrive. Putting my feet up on the end table, I grab a magazine and start to thumb through it, looking over the top of the page every now and then to look venture a look at him.
"I'm going to get something to drink? Do you want something Damon? Elena?"
"Sure I'll take a soda or a bottle of water, whatever you have. Thanks Jer," he says, turning to face me at the same time Jeremy does.
"I...," Fortunately I hear Caroline's impatient voice calling for me. She comes in as she pleases without bothering to knock. Putting her arms on her hips, she glares at me.
"Well come on, I don't want to be late for my date with Mason."
"If it's such a hassle, why did you agree to come over in the first place?"
Realizing quickly that she pissed me off, she deflates, telling me she's sorry that she's just in a bad mood tonight. The two of us go up to my bedroom. She helps me pick a pretty dress then does my hair and a subdued smoky eye and a nude lip. I look pretty good if I do say so myself. However, if Tyler thinks he's going to get anything, he's sadly mistaken. He's been making unmistakable innuendo for quite some time already. I'm not about to go there a second time until it's what I want. After all I do have some self respect. I won't give myself to just anyone. Once I'm ready, I follow Caroline down the stairs, pretending not to notice the lusty look in Damon's eyes when I walk through the living room and out of the house.
I have been burying myself in work, picking up as many extra hours as I can to help pay for Jeremy's education. We did inherit the house when our parents died but owning a house comes with its own set of bills and responsibilities. My Aunt Jenna lives in Denver. She flew in, staying with us for a couple of months till we were on our feet before going back to her life. Honestly, I never expected that she would uproot herself for us anyway. She has her own life, one that we're not a part of. Although I know she cares deeply for us, she still needs to live her life the way she sees fit. I love working with the children. I specialize in working with the disabled ones, having gotten my degree in that field. I just feel such a sense of accomplishment when one of them does something big like take their first steps or learn a new word or when I teach them to read.
Feeling none of the Christmas spirit, I volunteer to work the holidays again this year. That way some of the employees who have young children can have it off. We haven't had Christmas at our house since my parent's died. I do my best to avoid Damon, as much as I can anyway given that he's Jeremy's buddy. We've seen each other in passing but other than a terse greeting, we always go our separate ways. Although I still feel drawn to him, I do my best to swallow it down when I'm near him.
Sitting on my perch in the window seat, I happen to glance outside just in time to see Damon pull into his driveway. I watch as he gets out and walks around to the passenger side extending his hand to help a dark-haired young woman out. They're both laughing, my heart dropping when they embrace. He gives her a kiss on the crown of her head before they separate. After which he takes her hand and leads her into his house. A few minutes later, he walks back out, retrieving a suitcase from the trunk. Feeling my heart sink, I reach up to wipe the tears that are beginning to gather in my eyes. When I hear the door starting to open, I quickly wipe them away with my fists, raising my eyes to Jeremy's when he walks in, taking a seat on my bed to face me.
"Did you want something, Jer?"
"I do. I want to have a normal Christmas this year. I want a tree and I want to decorate the house and I want to have a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings. I want to invite our friends but most of all, I want to invite my girlfriend to come home with me for Christmas."
"No. No way, Jer," I blurt out angrily, getting up to start pacing in my room.
"Elena stop. Do you really think mom and dad would've wanted you to turn into the female version of Ebenezer Scrooge?"
"That's not fair, Jeremy."
"But it is. Because that's exactly who you've become. If you're not out with Care or Tyler, you hibernate in here. You don't even like Tyler that much. Is it really fair to keep stringing him along when you're dreaming of someone else?"
"You don't know anything," I snap, turning my back to him.
"I've heard you say Damon's name in your sleep. You like him and you know it."
"So what if I do. It's not like he's interested in me in the least."
"How do you know?"
"It's not rocket science. I see him with different women all the time," I say, the fight fading from my voice.
"He isn't seeing anyone. He has to see a lot of women for his business."
"Some business," I scoff, sitting back down in my window seat.
"I intend to have a Christmas, Elena, whether you participate or not." After giving me a defiant look, he gets up and walks out of my room, pulling the door closed behind him.
Jeremy:
Frustrated with my sister, I grab my jacket and walk across the street to Damon's house. Raising my hand, I knock on the door. I smile widely when Anna is the one who pulls it open, stepping aside to let me walk in.
"Hey baby." Pulling her into my arms, I lift a heady kiss from her lips. Anna is Damon's half sister. His father remarried after his mom died. Damon's dad lives on the west coast but surprisingly, he grew not far from Mystic Falls. His father offered him a position in the business he still owns in town and Damon jumped on it, preferring the small town atmosphere. Anna decided to join him, having been accepted in Whitmore. She and I didn't get together till a couple of months ago. I didn't even know she was Damon's sister until after she and I got together. I always thought Damon was her boyfriend when I'd see the two of them together on campus, often with his arm over her shoulder. They're just really close for siblings.
"Jeremy, hey come on in," he says, nudging us into the living room. I notice him look up towards Elena's window just before he closes his front door.
"I told Elena that I wanted to have a Christmas this year. She's vehemently against the idea." I utter, dropping my chin onto my chest.
"Why does she hate Christmas?" Damon asks, sitting in the rocker, turning it to face Anna and I sitting together on the couch.
"Our parents died in an accident a few years ago. They went away for a long weekend. The hotel they were at had a cat walk that spanned the length of a huge atrium. It collapsed, crushing our parents in the debris. This year will be six years since they died and six years since a part of Elena died too. It's funny because she pretends to be all happy and excited with the kids she cares for. She's good at wearing the mask, rarely letting it slip.
"I'm really sorry Jeremy. That's really tragic," he says softly, his voice full of sincerity.
"Thanks Damon."
"I'm going to grab a soda. Do either of you want anything?" Standing up, he starts for the kitchen but detours to the window when a car door slams outside. I watch as Damon goes to look out of the window. Eyeing Anna curiously, we turn around to see what Damon is looking at. He's watching as Tyler holds the car door open for Elena. I see the same look on his face that I see on Elena's when she's looking at him when she doesn't know that I'm watching her.
"You do like her?" I blurt out. He stares at me for a moment before dropping his chin onto his chest.
"I do but she's with him. I blew my chance."
"What do you mean?"
"It's nothing, Jer. Now how about that drink?"
"Sure."
"Anna?"
"Yeah, I'd like a Coke, thanks big brother."
"You're welcome. I'll be right back." With his head hung and a look of melancholy on his face, he walks out of the room to get our sodas for us.
"He so likes her," Anna says softly so he doesn't overhear.
"I've seen him looking out of his window at night towards her room."
"I've seen Elena do the same."
"So what are we going to do about it?" I ask, lacing my fingers with hers.
"How would your sister feel about a Christmas surprise? I mean, didn't you tell me she picked up the night shift at the place she works?"
"What's churning in that pretty little head of yours?"
"We'll have to bring Damon in on it but..," she leans in and starts whispering her plan in my ear, my smile widening as she explains it to me.
"That's brilliant, Anna." Smiling widely, I lean in and steal a kiss from her perfectly shaped lips. When Damon comes back, he hands us each a soda before sitting back down in the recliner. Anna lays out her plan to him. He's hesitant but after a little convincing, agrees to play along. Now that the plan is set, Damon clicks on the TV, the three of us sit back and enjoy the movie that's playing.
Elena:
"Tyler, stop it," I demand, shoving him off of me. We're standing on the porch, Tyler rubbing his filthy paws all over me. The house is dark so either Jeremy isn't home or he's already asleep. But it's not that late so I'm sure he's out somewhere.
"Oh come on, Elena. We've been together for how long already? You know you want it."
"I don't want anything, least of all 'that' with you. I can't think of anything more wretched," I snap, narrowing my eyes in on him.
"Bullshit!" he growls, forcing his lips onto mine. Using my fisted hands, I hit him repeatedly. Finally he backs off. Sneering at me, he tells me we're over before stomping down the porch steps. He gives me one last scathing glance then jumps back in his car, guns the engine, leaving a cloud of white smoke as he disappears down the street. Sighing heavily, I walk into my house, finding Jeremy in front of the TV.
"By the sounds of it, Tyler left in a huff," he remarks, raising his eyes from the TV screen to my eyes.
"He was pissed because I didn't want to give it to him."
"TMI sis."
"I'm going to bed. I'm working the next few nights at the center. I'll talk to you in the morning."
"Night Elena." I just nod. Turning away from him, I walk up the stairs and disappear into my room.
Christmas Eve:
"Read us another story, Elena," little Madeline asks, showing me her pouty face that I'm unable to resist.
"Okay, only because it's Christmas eve but then you're going to bed. Santa won't come if you're not snug in your beds," I warn them playfully. Once I finish reading them another story, I lead the children to the bathroom to brush their teeth and use the toilet if they need to. After taking the time to tuck each of them in bed, I drop a kiss to their foreheads and turn out the lights. When they're all settled in bed, Bonnie and I go into the director's office to get the stash of presents and arrange them under the tree. Holding one of them in my hands, a flash of a memory pops into my mind as I look at the familiar pattern of the wrapping paper.
"This is for you, Elena," mom says, handing me a present, her smile ear to ear. The paper is so pretty. It's foiled with angels on it. Running my hand over the ribbon, I finally pull the ribbon, letting if drop to the floor. Carefully, I peel the paper off and find a little black box. My mouth drops agape when I open it up, finding a diamond-encrusted 'E' pendant.
"Mom, it's beautiful," I blurt out, my voice breathy with excitement. I hand the box to my mom then turn my back to her and raise my hair so she can put it on for me. Once I feel it drape on my chest, I clutch it in my hands.
"Do you like it?"
"It's perfect, I love it," I tell her then jump into her arms, closing my eyes when I feel her arms wrap around, holding me tight.
"Elena?"
"Hmmm?"
"You okay?"
"I'm fine. Let's go watch those movies of yours." Turning away from her for a moment, I reach up to wipe away the moisture that is pricking at my eyes before Bonnie notices. She and I settle down into the main family type room and turn on the TV. She wants to watch a holiday movie and who am I to dampen her Christmas spirit so I watch 'A Christmas Carol' right along with her. I remember enjoying these movies with my mom. She used to love everything about the holidays. As much as I want to love it again, I feel guilty because they died just before Christmas. Lost in thought, I don't even notice that morning has finally arrived. Standing up, I stretch my limbs then walk out into the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee for the morning crew.
The day shift people pile in to relieve us. It snowed during the night so their coats are all covered in light sheen of white. Grabbing my parka and scarf, I walk Bonnie to her car before climbing into mine. Driving slowly because the road is slick, I get home about a half hour later.
Completely exhausted, I unlock the door and go inside, hang my coat up on the rack then fall onto the couch. When I finally summon the energy to go upstairs, I quietly sneak a peak into Jeremy's room to see if he's home. Seeing his covers rise and fall and his mop of brown hair on the pillow, I smile then go to my room. After stripping off my clothes, I jump in the bathtub and then crawl into bed, the edges blurring immediately as I fall into a deep sleep.
By the time I awaken, I glance at the clock, flying upright when I see it's after four in the afternoon. After going into the bathroom to pee and put my hair in a messy bun, I lift my robe off of the hook and slip it on. I then slide my feet into my furry slippers and then pull my door open. The unmistakable aroma of turkey baking fills the air and I hear Christmas music playing in the background.
Slipping my 'Grinch' mask on, I march down the stairs to give Jeremy a piece of my mind. When I get to the bottom step, I'm taken aback because the house is all decked out in Christmas finery. There's a big beautiful pine tree adorned with lights and pretty ornaments. Presents are scattered at the base of the tree. Our old Nativity set is displayed on top of the fireplace. Walking over to it, I run my fingers along the pieces, closing my eyes remembering how much I enjoyed helping my mother put it out at Christmas time.
Feeling tears begin to prick at my eyes, I walk over to the tree, taking a deep whiff, the scent of pine filling my nostrils. Since I haven't seen anyone yet, I walk slowly to the kitchen, push the door open. Completely stunned, my mouth is agape when I see Damon, the dark-haired girl and Jeremy baking Christmas cookies.
"What's going on?" They all three raise their eyes to mine, a big smile on their faces.
"Merry Christmas, Elena," my brother greets me, walking over and dropping a kiss on my cheek.
"I... I ... don't understand?"
"Elena, you loved Christmas before. I wanted to help you get it back."
"Jeremy, I.., I don't know what to say."
"Do you like it?"
"It's perfect. Thank you," I whisper, embracing him, closing my eyes when he wraps his arms around me too. When he lets go, he extends his hand to the dark haired girl.
"Elena, this is my girlfriend, Anna. Anna, Elena," he says, introducing us.
"I'm so happy to meet you. He's told me so much about you," she says, taking my hands in hers, giving them a squeeze.
"I thought you were Damon's girlfriend?"
"No," she laughs. "Damon is my brother."
"Your brother?"
"Yeah, besides, I think he's more interested in you," she whispers, winking at her brother. Stunned, I raise my eyes to Damon's for a moment. As he moves closer to me, I feel butterflies doing somersaults in my belly. Swallowing thickly, I drop my eyes, staring at my now shaky hands. When I feel his hands cup either side of my face, our eyes meet just before he joins his lips to mine...
Thank you so much for your interest in this story. I'm really thrilled about the follows and favorites and most especially those of you who do leave me a review. Your support is what keeps me writing.
Thank you so much Eva. You're the best. I appreciate you so much.
Chapter title: 'Somebody to Love' by Queen. This and Bohemian Rhapsody are my favorite Queen songs. My husband has a framed Queen concert poster for a Denver stop on their first US tour in 1972. Tickets were $7.50! Although I think the guy on 'The Voice' did a very good cover of this song, he's not Freddy. That man is irreplaceable.
I did post my one shot for 'This Is My Escape' this morning. It's called 'The Christmas Shoes'. Please give it a look. I put a lot into that story. It would mean so much if you'd read and review it for me. I see some of you follow and favorite every one of my stories and please know that I'm very grateful for that but I do wish you'd review once in awhile especially when I see some of you reviewing other people's stories.
I will be updating 'Rainy Days and Mondays' once more this week. 'Tears in Heaven' and 'Midnight Clear' will be updating as well. My goal is to begin posting 'Angels Fall' after the first of the year. I'm on the final stretch now. I'll give you a sneak peak soon.
Don't forget to click the *review* button.
As always please be safe and have a beautiful weekend. See you next time.