He let the door close behind him before turning his head toward the manor hall.
Every thought about torturing Stefan with hints about his trip with Elena is put aside by the sound of her voice, which he instinctively follows like a sailor would follow the siren's call.
Bonnie is there sitting on his leather sofa, feet tucked under her, while Stefan stands in front of her. To meet her eyes, his little brother gets down on one knee and puts both his hands at her sides- on the cushions of the sofa- looking at her with that mastered I'm here for you expression of his.
For a moment Damon wonders if she will leave a scent of honey on the leather of the couch, like the way she did in his bed.
"There is no rush," he says, gently, "we can do this slowly."
Damon tilts his head to the side and looks at the scene with a confused face; there must be something he is missing because this clearly can't be what it looks like. It bothers him to not know what's happening right under his nose.
Maybe it's that he somehow believed that once he had Elena's attention, once he got close to her, the world would start revolving around him just the way it revolves around her. Instead, Bonnie has her back to him and Stefan is still Stefan, and they are totally oblivious of him.
"There's slowly, and there's immobile," she replies, unnerved.
Stefan reaches out to take her hand but Damon cuts in, stopping him.
"Interesting," he says, stepping into the room, "what do we have here?" he asks, watching her shake her head in annoyance, still without turning to him. "Sabrina, if you're here to ask me as your date to the 1920's dance I must-"
"Shut up?" she suggests, with a hopeful voice.
He circles the sofa and Stefan stands up to look him in the eyes when he tells him, "Please, Damon, I think you can find someone else to go play with."
Damon grins and then turns his eyes on the witch. "And where would the fun be in that?"
Bonnie stands, sensing her control starting to slip away. She supposes that's strangely the worst part of dealing with Damon - he makes her forget discipline and control. When Damon is around, every nerve in her body turns electric and she just wants to scream.
"I suppose we'll have to move our session to another time," she tells Stefan, who joins his hands behind his back and leans forward to offer her a keen smile and a soft reply.
"As you wish, Bonnie."
She smiles back. Damon snorts, rolling his eyes.
He hates that it is so easy between her and his brother.
"I'll see you, then," she says, turning to the door.
"I don't feel good being neglected, witchy," he scolds her.
"Imagine how good you'll feel if I make a flambè with you."
Her voice is ironic and her tone is so clear that it's like she spoke into his ear, or closer than that, but he doesn't pay attention to this detail because he wants to answer back and go on with their sparring session; he kind of needs it.
"Is that a subtle way to say that you want to make dinner for me?"
She stops at the door and turns around, clearly perplexed, and he grins at her.
"What?" Stefan asks.
"Mind your business, little brother. The girl was obviously trying to propose me a taste of French cuisine and... Maybe some dessert..." he says, winking at her.
She's not angry and he doesn't expect this from her. In fact, she's too busy watching Stefan. He feels like he's missing something. Again.
"You heard that?" she asks, finally looking at him.
"Of course. I am not an old m-"
"This is too much! He heard me!" she yells, pointing her index finger toward him like an accusation.
"Calm down, Bonnie," Stefan is the voice of the reason, as always, but at this point Damon is beyond confused. "This is good," he concludes.
"You're kidding me!"
"Are you drunk?" Damon asks, only a step away from being as pissed as hell. "Why does it surprise you so much that I heard you? It's not lik-" but he stops.
He gets it now; her voice was so close to him, not like speaking next to his ear, but more like speaking inside his head.
"Oh," he is very amused by how things turned out. "So you witchy-talked to me."
"This is a nightmare!"
It's enticing, her breathy words in his thoughts. It reminds him of the brushing of a gown against his legs; intimate and subtle, the way seduction was when he was alive, appealing to the most silent part of him.
Her spirit's voice touches his brain with a feather-like intensity and it feels good.
"Nope, Bon-Bon. Just the unavoidable truth."
"It must be because of your feelings for him," Stefan realizes, aloud.
"What feelings?" she asks back, "I have no feelings for him!"
Her reaction, so genuine and almost childish - something she usually never is - makes Stefan smile with fondness. His beautiful green eyes look even warmer then usual, and for a moment Bonnie understands why Elena will always be unable to let go of him.
"I didn't mean that kind of feelings," he explains, with an indulgent smile that suits him so well.
"I beg to differ," Damon says, grinning with satisfaction, but Bonnie and his brother just carry on with their conversation.
"No matter how unpleasant it can be for you, Damon makes you be in touch with the most instinctive part of you. He inflames feelings such as anger or frustration. Maybe this is the key."
"So I have to get mad?" she asks, almost incredulous.
"Something like that," Stefan says. He smiles again, and it makes her feel calmer, "I think you need to hold onto the feeling that the person you want to talk to arises in you."
She is always so in control, and Damon - with his infuriating personality - is the only one that breaks her strings. That much can't be denied.
Bonnie keeps her eyes focused on Stefan's and takes a deep breath, closing her eyes.
She tries to call to her mind the moments in which Stefan makes her feel warm, with that gentleness that always seems like some sort of promise that she knows he will keep.
She bites her lips, wishing desperately to be able to do this right because she needs to. Also because she doesn't want to be able to connect only with Damon - he would be so smug about this.
"I know."
Bonnie opens her eyes, unsure, but Stefan encourages her.
"I don't want that either," he says.
She smiles, and tries to reach out to him again.
"Can you really hear me?"
He just nods, his hands behind his back, his care on his face and she feels accomplished.
"It's rude to talk into someone's head when there are other people in the room," Damon tries to snap them out of their private conversation but she only turns her eyes briefly before concentrating on Stefan once again.
"I think our first actress feels left out."
"And it's good, isn't it?" the answer is quite equivocal and she knows he's doing that on purpose.
"I'm having the time of my life. In fact, I don't think I want to stop just yet."
"I don't want you to stop either," there's a gleam in his eyes, and she bites the inside of her mouth.
"What the hell are you doing?"
It's like listening to someone having telephone-sex - which wouldn't be so disgusting if it wasn't Stefan and Bonnie - and just like before, they both ignore him.
"We should turn this into a regular thing, you know. Our private 'Bother-the-hell-out-of-Damon-Club' or something."
"I believe there's hardly a man on earth that can refuse such a proposal," he replies with a lower voice, like he is about to lay her down on a bed and have his wicked way with her.
Stefan wouldn't do that, and she loves Elena too much to do that either, but it's good to know that they trust each other enough to play like that.
"You know, you're pretty good at this."
"If you'll be so kind to let me prove it to you, I can show you that I can be even better. I will not find rest until you are completely satisfied."
"Oh, for God's sake, stop it right now!"
Damon looks horrified and beyond annoyed.
Bonnie giggles, rolling her eyes.
"I don't know if he's about to have an aneurysm or he's just wishing for one."
"I know. You'd be surprised what can appeal to you once the mood is right," Stefan says, watching his brother massaging his temples.
"I'd better go now. I'll see you soon, Stefan."
"I sure hope so, Bonnie."
When she turns to leave she hears Damon's voice protesting.
"Hey, no one taught you good manners?" he asks, "aren't you gonna say goodbye to me?"
"Of course," she says, turning on her heal with the grace of a ballerina in the middle of a carillon. She looks into his eyes, smiling, and he waits to hear her voice inside of his head, but there's only silence before she turns again and disappears behind the door.
The only sound he can hear is an amused Stefan next to him.