It took me a little longer to finish, but at least it's longer than my usual chapters. Hope you'll enjoy it:)
The night took an unpredictable turn as far as Damon was concerned and the reason was, like it had always been for him these days, Elena.
No, it wasn't that Damon expected the night to be pleasant or even remotely easy. He was well- aware that coexisting in the same room with the woman that broke his heart so many years ago would be complicated, which is why their little pact had shielded them from the unnecessary risks and the awkwardness of it. Adding to the mix the big announcement he had to make was sufficient to guarantee an explosive outcome. Yet, Elena's attitude still took him by surprise.
Elena looked at him in a manner that he could only interpret as... smug. She seeked his gaze and whenever she found the chance she would throw jabs at him, making it obvious to anyone in the room how unconvinced she was of Damon's blissful act and of his relationship.
Elena's uncalled forwardness was noticed and seemed to make everyone uncomfortable but Stefan, who was more interested in Jeremy's stories about Europe. Bonnie made a great effort to conceal her friend's hostility and tranquil her. Lily resumed at any cost her small chat with Rose, shifting her future daughter-in-law's focus to anything but the embarassing family feud that was taking place before them. Caroline looked perplexed, troubled even at Elena's uncharacteristic behaviour, looking to get into whatever secret she was apparently left out of. And what Damon failed to recognise at the time was that his own reactions towards Elena were carefully examined by every single member of their small company as well.
Alaric shot Damon a concerned look and discreetly hit his friend's foot under the table.
"Do you want to play footsies, love?", Damon berated his friend in his signature smirk. His words hid a second meaning and alluded to their feared enemy's speech pattern.
"Do something", Alaric demanded, feeling that their plan would go to waste, if Elena continued to challenge them at that rate.
"What am I supposed to do, Ric?", Damon protested. "I'm just as surprised as you are".
"No whispering", Elena addressed to Damon and Alaric in disapproval, clearly wanting to raise a reaction from Damon. Her voice was stern, serious and the only thing that gave away her emotional upheaval was the way she fidgeted as she nervously grasped a glass of wine, along with the intensity her eyes hid as she made her remark. Damon had never seen Elena act in a similar manner and he had always taken pride in his ability to read right through her. Today she was a mystery to him, putting her best poker face on, surpassing everything he'd ever taught her about keeping her adversary guessing. What he could tell for sure was that she was standing against him and was clearly getting on the offence.
"That was amazing", Elena cheered as they convinced the tenth donor that night. Damon saw Elena turn in front of his eyes from the stiff, serious girl to a completely relaxed and even more entertaining version of herself. Her smile more radiant than he had ever witnessed and her shining eyes gave off the young woman's passion for life.
Damon couldn't help but respond to her with an unreserved grin, as he felt more and more drawn to the girl that was standing in front of him. It wasn't that he hadn't noticed beforehand how attractive Elena Gilbert was. She rocked that gold dress and she was the only one that managed to pull off the ridiculous gold and red theme that his mother so pretentiously asked for. And he surely wasn't the only one to notice, as Elena didn't fail to gather the attention of other men in the event. Not that she seemed to acknowledge the impact she had. That obliviousness was another trait that intrigued Damon. How could anyone be so irresistible without even trying to?
"Follow me, I have an idea", Damon urged Elena as he led her through the crowd towards the exit.
"Where are we going?", Elena asked.
"Somewhere fun", Damon pointed out vaguely as they walked out of the building and towards his car. And to his surprise, Elena followed without further explanations.
Damon took a moment to take a peak at Elena. She looked peaceful, happy even as they headed towards their destination in a comfortable silence.
There was palpable tension between them, something that Damon found extremely hard to ignore. Elena played along with Damon's scheme that night and even managed to enrich it and really contribute to his purpose. Once Elena was asked about the first time they met, her answer was so convincing that almost shook Damon, who recognised some truth blended in her beautifully constracted narrative.
"Stefan introduced us at the time. We were friends with Stefan back then and we run into his brother the day I dropped him to his father's business. Damon came out of the building, upset with his father for demanding him to work in the company. He barely looked in front of him and we bumped into each other. Once our eyes locked, sparks flew and I knew that this man was different from anyone I ever met. I could tell that he had been distraught by their argument, even if he hid it behind the typical Damon sarcasm when Stefan asked him about it. Even in his heated state of mind, he looked back at me apologetically as he left. He gave me a shy half-smile and promised me a proper talk the next time we would meet. And ever since there hasn't been a day that I have taken these beautiful blue eyes off my mind", Elena delivered her speech impeccably. Especially the last part, her reminiscent look and loving tone moved Damon in a completely unexpected way.
"I didn't expect you to play along", Damon admitted to Elena, "I thought you would flee every minute of our little act and you never did. Who knew Elena Gilbert could scheme like a pro?".
"Believe it or not Damon, there are a lot of things people don't know about me.", Elena confessed, surprising Damon another time that night with her trust "I wasn't always the good little Elena you all met. I used to be alot more fun before... before my parents' death. Now I'm just boring I guess."
"You still are a lot of fun", Damon reassured her, after sensing the apologetic tone of her latest admission."You are just a little more uptight that's all. And that doesn't make you boring, it makes you mysterious!"
"Mysterious?", Elena laughed at Damon's choice of words."Why?"
"You don't open up right away but there's always a hint of the sneaky little troll you are", Damon teased her and Elena couldn't help but crack up a smile.
"What about Stefan?" Damon inquired, his tone implying he'd been hesitant on interogating her.
"What about him?", Elena asked as her widened eyes showed her confusion at the sudden change of subject.
"He's head over heels in love with you. You are the first girlfriend he introduced to our family and I can tell that he is serious about it.", Damon observed. His tone implied a sense of warning that Elena didn't fail to register.
"I don't get where you are getting with this", Elena retorted clearly offended with the implication,"he is as in love with me as I am with him. We are crazy for each other".
"Let's hope that's true, but it means nothing if you don't see this relationship going further . If you love him as much as you say you do, you should set him free.", Damon's words affected Elena. Her previous certainty was now tampered by Damon's innocent plead, driven by his love for his little brother. And while Elena was sure of her love for Stefan, she suddenly realised that she had never contemplated him as part of her future.
"How do you know?", Elena let her vulnerability show along with her admiration of the young man's perception, that had exceeded that of her closest friends and family.
"I've never seen you smile wholeheartedly next to Stefan. You aren't mesmerized when you look at him. I bet he's never listened your unreserved laugh or seen the way your eyes beam when you have fun. Plus, you aren't as good at pretending as you think you are.", Damon enlisted the reasons that led him to question Elena's intentions. The more he talked, the more sorry he felt for his little brother who was deprived of the beautiful sight he had been blessed with that night.
"For what's worth you are not that good at it either", Elena said playfully. "You claim to hate working for the company, yet back there you knew every single statistic you needed to impress these donors. You were passionate while doing it and there was something about the way you talked about the company's future, that told me that you see yourself as part of it. Why do you keep denying your parents something you want for yourself as well?"
"It's not about what they are asking", Damon responded honestly, "but about the way they do it".
Three years ago, he would have revelled in the naive and superficial explanation of her behaviour, the conclusion that anyone aware of their history would have drawn. Elena was jealous out of her mind and couldn't behave herself in front of her family. But the truth, that Damon had to come to terms with during these years, sinked any shimmer of hope that could have arose in his tormented heart. Elena never loved him, never was his and never would be." It will always be Stefan", Elena's voice echoed in his head , whenever he dared to consider the alternative.
Plus, he couldn't shake the feeling that Elena had somehow seen beyond the great performance he and Rose put that night. Her looks were almost calling him out, daring him to cut the act and man up. Her constant provocations, coming in the form of insults and passive aggressive statements and the confidence she exhuded while rendering them, spoke of an aspect of Elena's character that most people were unaware of. Damon knew that Elena's ability to scorn her enemies was only matched with the overwhelming compassion that kept her from unfolding the entirety of this dark talent.
What Damon saw that night convinced him that she wasn't holding back, facing him with a cruelty so evident that it hurt him and kept him wandering the source of it. Her angelic demeanor, a stark contrast to her harsh stance towards him, took his breath away the moment he first entered the room. Her silk black dress, a perfect combination of classy and sexy, hugged her figure perfectly. Her face, more beautiful than he remembered, drew him like a magnet, inviting him to explore every detail he had so deeply missed over these years.
He used to dream about a reunion, whenever his self-control cracked and his mind wandered in fantasies, despite knowing that it would only cause him harm in the long run. The night he ultimately got to be in the same room with Elena was far from the joyful reunion he had imagined all those times. What hurt him the most was that there was a moment, one single moment, one single look shared, that almost made him think that she had missed him as much as he missed her. The silent exchange, that passed between them for just an instant, told him a different story than Elena's words that evening. He could almost pinpoint the shift in her, once the reality of the situation settled, going from an elated lover to a wounded animal ready to return the blow she was given.
"Your imagination is running wild again you lovestruck idiot", Damon thought as he struggled to recollect himself, sick of this part of him that would crawl back to Elena at the slightest sign of affection.
He quickly set his eyes on his partner that was sitting next to him, currently having a conversation with his mother. Rose's natural charisma enabled her to win over everyone she talked to and his mother was no exception. Damon had always admired Rose's elegance and grace and tonight she was clearly set on making an impression.
Once her light green eyes found his, she shot him a compassionate look and smiled warmly, encouraging him to keep his calm. Damon couldn't have asked for a more understanding partner, as Rose never failed to meet his needs during this difficult period of his life. Unlike Alaric, who caved frequently under the weight of their situation, Rose never lost her faith and dedication to their goal. Together they drove Alaric nuts, who frequently joked about them making a pairing of doom. Rose's unfounded optimism and Damon's nonchalance combined was a guarantee for catastrophe in their friend's opinion.
"Is everything OK, honey?", Rose answered to his silent plea. They needed to be more convincing, to interact more, to show Elena in every way possible that it was the real deal. Caroline was observing them in the entire dinner and her suspicious relationship with Klaus had shook the trust Damon used to have in one of his oldest friends. And most importantly one of Elena's friends, who could be on the receiving end of Elena's suspicions. Therefore, it was crucial that EVERYONE believed them.
Damon got an idea. As unpleasant as it would be to him, he would have to do it to save his company. He proceeded to type a message to his phone, adressed to a person he hadn't contacted in two years.
MEET ME AT THE GARDEN IN 10 - D
Elena's phone beeped, a sound that startled her. She had seen Damon typing and the timing of it told her that he had probably texted her. She hesitated for one second to read the message, reached Damon's eyes that confirmed her suspicions and gathered her courage to read it. Ironically, they were both oblivious to Stefan's very subtle, yet successful attempts at spying his wife and brother.