The memory of last night is still vivid in my mind this morning.
"Please, PLEASE, tell me that you two didn't just…?" Caroline asked, gaping openly at me and Damon. I quickly reached down and grabbed the scraps of my underwear off the floor and tucked them into the pocket of my dress.
"Awwww, I was kinda hoping that I could keep those." Damon's sarcastic voice echoed around the bathroom. I straightened up and gave him my best scolding look.
"Not. now." I demanded. Damon pursed his lips and shrugged in disappointment, pulling his jeans back up and securing them on his hips with his belt. My eyes panned down his body, and the sight of him putting himself back together made the reality of what I just did hit me with full force. I ran over to the sink, pushing past Damon. I wetted a paper towel and wiped the dried blood of my neck; I handed the paper towel over to Damon. Our fingers brushed as he accepted it and my breath hitched in my throat at the electricity that pulsed through my veins from the small touch.
"What did you do to her?!" Caroline exclaimed, breaking the little moment Damon and I were having. She ran over to Damon and slapped him hard across the face. I gasped and caught her hand before she could go in for another blow.
"Caroline! Stop!" I yelled, dragging her away from Damon by the arm. Damon flexed his jaw a couple times to make sure everything was still working. I was honestly a little surprised that he didn't lash back at Caroline.
"I'm trying to protect you, Elena!" Caroline yanked her arm out of my grasp.
"Protect me?!" I exclaimed; anger rushed through my veins. "Newsflash, Care! You don't need to 'protect' me from Damon; I was the one who dragged him in here in the first place, not vise-versa!"
Caroline paused, her eyes widening at me in disgust.
"What. the. FUCK, Elena?!" Caroline scolded. I sighed and started leaving the bathroom, deciding that I was done with the conversation. After all, I was already beating myself up enough; I didn't need Caroline guilting me too. Unfortunately, she followed me.
I stormed out of the Grille and when I reached my car, she grabbed my hand, forcing me to stop and look at her.
"What?!" I shouted. She narrowed her judgey little blue eyes at my tone, fueling my anger. I was so pissed at her for slapping Damon, for freaking out and judging me. And if she wanted confrontation, God dammit, I'd give her confrontation. "Yes, Caroline. I fucked Damon. And you know what? It felt good! Like really good! And I don't care that you hate him because guess what?! I don't hate him!"
"What's gotten into you, Elena?!" Caroline snapped. Her eyes bore into mine and eventually, she lowered her voice, trying to diffuse my palpable anger. She grabbed my hand, suddenly gentle. I looked down at the gesture and my brow relaxed a bit. Despite everything, she was still my best friend. "Remember when you walked in on Jeremy kissing Anna even though he was dating Bonnie?"
I sighed and lowered my eyes to the ground. I knew what was coming next, and the worst part was that I knew she was completely right. I nodded once.
"We were so pissed. That small betrayal was condemnable…Elena, you had sex with your boyfriend's brother." Caroline stated. I forced myself to look her in the eyes; guilt re-flooded my sense, washing out all the anger I had towards Caroline.
"I know." I whispered ashamedly.
"That's cheating."
"I know, Care," I said, slightly more confidently. "I'm not proud of what just happened…" I said, taking Caroline's small hand in my own and looking at her with sincerity. "But I promise you, I will tell Stefan first thing tomorrow and make things right." I sighed. "He deserves that much…we all do."
And that's what brings me here.
I exhale and drum my fingers anxiously on the steering wheel.
I've never had to do something like this before. I mean, how does one go about telling their boyfriend that you slept with their brother?
I sigh, running my fingers through my hair. I know that this isn't a cake and cookies, make-up and make-out kind of situation. No...this is real. This is a screaming and fighting, crying and shaming kind of situation.
I nibble anxiously on my bottom lip as I pull up to the Salvatore Boarding House. A sense of dread washes over me: has the drive here always been so short?
Damon's blue Camaro and Stefan's red Porsche are parked in the driveway and I swallow nervously at the sight. I internally kick myself: how did I ever get into this kind of situation?!
I park my SUV behind Damon's car and exit, walking slowly and carefully to the front door.
My mind searches for ways out of this confrontation. Maybe I should just run now: leave Mystic Falls for a decade or two, travel the French countryside, meet some nice French human guy and settle down with him in Paris.
I chuckle mirthlessly and shake my head at the thought. It's a nice fantasy, but that's all it is: a fantasy.
When I reach the tall oak front door, I push it open and slowly enter the house, trying to be as quiet as physically possible.
"Elena." Stefan's voice sounds from the parlor and I jump. What was I thinking? There's no sneaking up on vampires.
"Ste—fan." My voice breaks and I pause, trying to focus on my breathing: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. I finally calm down and enter the parlor. Stefan is standing at the bar, pouring himself a drink. I can smell it—bourbon…just like the taste of Damon's lips.
I gulp and shake my head to erase the thought from my mind. Now is not the time for arousing nostalgia, I need to get this over with.
"Do you want one?" Stefan asks me, raising the bottle of bourbon. I begin to shake my head in rejection, but then stop myself. Considering what I'm about to do, a little liquid courage could go a long way.
"Yes, please." I say. Stefan nods at me and begins pouring me a glass.
"You didn't come back after the party last night." Stefan observes, finishing fixing me a drink and walking over to me. He's now standing directly in front of me and my heartbeat pounds relentlessly in my chest at his proximity. I've never been more nervous in my entire life.
Stefan hands me the drink and I accept it graciously. I down the bourbon—the amber liquid burns my throat as it travels to my stomach. Stefan furrows his brow at me in worry. I flash him a quick fake small to dispel his doubts.
"Yeah…I slept at my place last night. I was—." I stop myself before I finish the sentence. What would I tell him? I was tired? I was drunk? I had a headache? No. I can't lie to him any longer. It's just wrong.
"You were…?" Stefan eggs me on. I exhale deeply and meet his warm green eyes. They are watching me softly and curiously, filled with love and appreciation. I don't deserve any of it.
"I—I need to tell you something." I finally spit out.
Stefan nods and brushes a loose strand of hair out of my face. His fingers touch my cheek and I quickly take a step back from him—his touch suddenly feels wrong. Stefan cocks his head to the side and slowly withdraws his hand.
"What's wrong?" He asks me. I shake my head. This is way harder than I expected it to be, and I expected it to be pretty damn hard.
I briskly walk back over to the bourbon and pour myself another glass, tossing it down my throat. The liquor warms my stomach.
Suddenly, I hear footsteps down the hallway. I'd recognize those footsteps anywhere: light-footed, long strides, more pressure applied to his right foot. I swallow nervously at the sound of Damon's approach. He's talking on the phone; my ears perk up and I catch a snippet of the conversation.
"You took advantage of her, Damon!" Caroline snaps on the other-end and I roll my eyes.
"Believe me, Blondie. I did nothing of that sort." Damon defends. He's coming closer to the parlor, and I begin to panic, knowing that I have to tell Stefan about my betrayal before Damon reaches us.
"Stefan. I did something terrible last night." I spit out. Stefan knits his eyebrows together and takes a step towards me.
"What did you do?" He asks me. I can hear the suspicion roll of his tongue.
"That's what you do, Damon! You take advantage of helpless little girls!" Caroline snips and I hear Damon grumble.
"Not Elena. Never Elena. And she's not helpless or a little girl." Damon argues. He's almost reached us. I need to do it and I need to do it now. My heartbeat spikes.
"I slept with Damon." The words fall from my mouth liked damned angels from heaven and I turn my gaze up to watch Stefan's reaction. At first, he remains unchanging—he's obviously in shock. Then, the shock wears off and hurt and anger crawls into his green irises and etches onto his perfectly sculpted face.
"Don't you have ANY shame?" Caroline's voice is louder now. Damon's directly outside the parlor, about to enter.
"Nope." Damon replies and I can hear the smirk playing on his cheeks. He crosses the threshold to the parlor and stops dead in his tracks. His eyes switch between me and Stefan, reading the tension of the room. He purses his lips. "Yeaaaah…I gotta go, Blondie. I just entered the lion's den."
"Wait! Damon! No! Don't you dare hang up this—." Damon hangs up on Caroline. He spins his phone in his hand and places it slyly into his back pocket. My eyes scan his body—he's truly gorgeous, with smooth pale skin, electric blue eyes, mysterious black hair, and strong muscles that stretch across his lean torso. My heart jumps to my throat at the sight of him as memories of our time together in the bathroom creeps back into my memory.
"You…" Stefan begins, interrupting me from my reverie. His eyes switch between me and his brother. "You guys…"
He can't even say it. I don't blame him.
"We did." I say, glancing at Damon. His eyes meet mine and he nods in encouragement. I inhale deeply and continue. "I know you're probably really angry—."
"Angry?" Stefan repeats, making eye-contact with me. His once-warm eyes are now cold and I instantly know that the storm he's been brewing up is about to hit us. I swallow and brace myself. "I'm not angry, Elena…I'm fucking pissed!" Stefan then turns to Damon and begins prowling towards his brother. My heart jumps to my throat. There's a craze in Stefan's eyes that reminds me of when he was the ripper. "And you! Are there any of my girlfriends that you haven't fucked?!"
"Probably." Damon shrugs, as though nothing major is happening. I roll my eyes. A somewhat-demonic chuckle escapes from Stefan's lips, and I set my glass down on the bar, sensing danger.
"Hmm…'probably.' Damon, you're my brother! Brothers do not go around fucking each other's girlfriends!" Stefan yells.
"Well, that is kind-of our style, isn't it, brother?" Damon asks sarcastically. Stefan raises his eyebrows and cocks his head to the side, staring at Damon with a crazed evil in his once-loving green eyes. My heart beat picks up and I look at Damon; he looks back at me and I shake my head at him. He's made a huge mistake.
Within a second, Stefan vamp-speeds over to Damon, grabbing a stake from the firewood holder on his way and grabs Damon by the throat. He lifts Damon off the ground and drives the stake into Damon's gut.
"No!" I shout. Adrenaline and fear pumps through my system as I run over to Stefan; I grab him by the back of the neck and throw him off of Damon. Stefan falls on his back behind me with an audible thump.
Damon sinks to his knees and I kneel in front of him, pulling the stake from his gut and dropping it to the ground. He groans in pain and falls forward until he's fully braced by my body; he rests his head on my shoulder, breathing heavily.
I exhale in relief. The wood barely missed his heart. I know Stefan missed on purpose, but still, it was a close call. I've seen Damon and Stefan get into fist-fights over me before, but it's never been this extreme.
I nuzzle my nose into the crevice of Damon's neck and inhale deeply, enjoying his scent. He smells like leather, spicy body wash, and firewood smoke. I stroke Damon's hair to calm both him and myself. I love how his soft black locks feel under my skin.
"You're okay." I whisper into his ear, leaving a soft and secretive kiss on his neck.
I gently push him off of me, propping him up against the wall. I pull back and examine the wound—it's healing already. I raise my eyes up to Damon's face. His icy-blue irises are curiously watching the concern on my face. I bite my bottom lip and gently shake my head, indicating that now is not the time for him to psychoanalyze my feelings for him.
I turn my back to Damon and look at Stefan. He's watching me comfort his brother. Almost all the anger has regressed from his façade and his countenance is now fully occupied with hurt and remorse. His eyes switch between me and Damon and I stand up slowly, putting some distance between me and the blue-eyed, black-haired vampire.
I watch Stefan silently, still braced for the worst. His eyes scan my defensive posture and he stands up. He walks over to me and searches my face. I see tears building at the bottom of his pained green irises and my heart clenches. I relax my shoulders; I'm now confident that he's done with his blind rage.
"Stefan…" My voice comes out barely above a whisper. I reach up and place my hand tenderly on his neck. He swallows and turns his eyes to the ground. "I'm so, so sorry."
Stefan turns his gaze back up to me.
"About what?" He asks me. "The fact that you slept with Damon…or the fact that it happened when it did?"
I choke up. In one sentence, Stefan somehow pinned down exactly what I'm feeling. I'm not ashamed about being with Damon; I'm ashamed that I couldn't control myself long enough to break up with Stefan first.
I hear Damon stand up behind me, but I don't look at him. I can't. If I look at him, God only knows what emotion I will expose, and I can't risk such vulnerability right now.
"Wh—what are you talking about?" I ask, feigning ignorance. Stefan shakes his head and cradles my face in his hands. He looks at me with sincerity, wearing the exact same expression he wore the first time he asked me if I had feelings for Damon.
"Elena, if you tell me right here and now that the only reason you slept with Damon is because of physical attraction, I will forgive you completely and we can go on like nothing ever happened." Stefan promises. My heart jumps to my throat at his offer…not because it surprises me, but because I know that can't tell him what he wants to hear. I stare at him blankly with my mouth agape. I hear Damon walk over to us; he stands right next to Stefan, searching my face, trying to read me. My eyes dart between the Salvatore brothers and my jaw quivers. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that you aren't falling in love with him." Stefan finishes.
My eyes dart to Damon. He's watching me in interest, waiting for my response. The moment my eyes lock with those beautiful cobalt eyes, my heart clenches and starts beating rapidly. I turn back to Stefan. I'm at a complete loss for words. I know what my emotions are telling me, but I just can't articulate it. So, instead, I meet Stefan's waiting green eyes and slowly shake my head.
Stefan sighs and releases my face. He tucks his hands in his pockets and takes a step back.
"That's what I thought." His voice is laced with pain. I furrow my brow and take a step towards him.
"Stefan—." I begin sympathetically.
"No, Elena." Stefan says, lifting his hand to stop me. His eyes scan my body and he inhales deeply. "I don't think I can do this anymore." Stefan chokes out; the words are obviously very hard for him to say. I feel like I just got stabbed in the chest, but I understand where he's coming from. And honestly, it's probably for the best. I've obviously got a lot of things that I need to resolve with Damon.
"I know." I say. I sigh and look up at Damon. He's watching me with his jaw dropped, obviously still processing everything that just happened. Stefan turns his back on me and walks to the liquor cabinet.
"Please leave." Stefan requests heartbrokenly. His request throws me off. I've never been kicked out of the Boarding House before; in fact, I've started to think of it as a second home.
"What?" I ask, blinking rapidly to try to hold back the tears that are threatening to break through.
"Just go." Stefan insists. I feel a knot building in my throat and nod once quickly. I glance back up at Damon; he's still in his state of shock. I know I'm not going to get any help or sympathy from him at the moment. I turn from the brothers and begin walking away.
The moment I get out of the parlor, I break into a jog, desperate to leave. I burst through the front door and hot tears begin to stream down my cheeks. I grab my car keys from my back pocket and fumble with the lock. The tears are blurring my vision, making it hard to find the hole.
"Elena!" Damon's velvety voice sounds behind me. I grunt and throw my keys to the ground in frustration. I just want to fucking leave! I turn to look at him.
"What, Damon?!" I snap. He examines me from the threshold. His eyes stare at my face; he looks upset by the tears that are falling freely down my cheeks. His eyes slowly pan down my body and the sadness in his cobalt irises are quickly replaced with something else, something I've seen before—lust.
He doesn't say anything. He just takes three quick strides to close the distance between us and cradles my face in his hands, pulling me into a kiss.
A/N: So, I had to split up the chapter. This is now going to be a three-shot. Sorry it took so long to post, I got distracted. You can expect the next chapter today or tomorrow at the latest. Please review!