There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.
Celia Thaxter

"So this is you being kind?" Elena asked, pressing her head back on the pillow.

Damon shrugged mindlessly beside her, his head on the pillow next to her. "To Caroline, yes." He said, looking over at her, and smirking his beautiful smirk.

"By not telling Caroline, we're being kind to her?" She asked, sitting up, slowly to look down at him. "We're not being kind we're being selfish, and I don't know how much longer I can do this with you." She was standing now, looking herself in the mirror in front of her bed. She fixed her shirt which had been ruffled and crumpled around during their make out session. She also fixed the jean skirt that was completely pushed to one side, her black tights slightly out of place. "What are we doing anyway?" She looked at Damon through the mirror as soon as he sat up to watch her. He was shirtless, and his black hair looked slightly damp in the morning light, which brought out his pretty blue eyes more than she thought possible. He got up, and walked to behind her to put his arms around her waist.

"We're having an affair. Isn't it fun?" He asked, kissing her neck and her shoulders and her back. She groaned, trembling pleasantly under his touch.

"Damon, Caroline is my best friend, I don't know how much longer we can keep this going. This guilt's going to kick in anytime soon." She whispered as he spun her around quickly, getting a giggle out of her, and picking her up and settling her on the counter below the mirror. She laughed and he smiled, a real Damon smile, which she's positive she's never seen before.

"Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are?" He asked, placing his hands on her waist.

"Damon," She warned, as he kissed her chest, smiling as he spotted the hickey she had on her neck.

"I really need to stop with these hickeys. Someone's going to notice them." He said, stopping the continuous kisses to her chest as he drew his head back to look up at her.

"I have been telling you that for a week, but you don't like to listen." She scolded.

"Never do." He smirked, wrapping his arms around her again.

"You are a horrible person." She said, pressing her forehead against his. She liked this strange sweet Damon. She'd never seen him before while he was around Caroline. He was usually just a total dick, but in this past week he was being so nice to her, she was just muffled by it.

"So are you." He responded, kissing her quickly, then pulling back, letting her hop off the counter.

"I have a serious question." She said, walking across the other side of the room to her closet, where she removed her shirt and replaced it with a gray dress. She then tossed Damon his shirt that was conveniently laid out on the floor. "Do you love Caroline?" She asked, walking into the bathroom, keeping the door open so she could still talk to him. The house was promised to be vacant for the whole morning, so Elena and Damon had until 12:00 to be with each other. She brushed through her tangled hair, and covered her hickey as much as she could.

"I…" Damon walked into the bathroom after her, splashing cold water on his beautifully pale face. "I don't know." He finished, drying his face with a towel, then tousling his hair a little. "What are you up to now? Caroline's with her mother all day long." He said, leaning against the counter.

"No can do. I have a lunch date with Mystic Falls' resident douche bag." Damon groaned looking down at her. "I don't get why you hate him so much. Tyler's actually sort of nice." She said, fixing her make up.

"Elena, he's a total asshole."

"Not unlike you." She mentioned, hitting him softly before leaving the bathroom, Damon followed, jumping on her bed. "You need to go." She said, throwing some contents into her purse before looking at him. "Get out of my house." She said, and he rolled his eyes, getting up and she followed his moping body down the stairs.

"Come over tonight?" He asked sweetly at the door.

"No."

"Elena" He begged.

"Fine." She agreed, and he opened the door, but not before kissing her softly. She watched him look around the yard and then disappear down the drive way and to the car parked on the street.

Tyler was already had just pulled around the corner when she watched Damon leave. He'd had a cute little date planned at the Grill, then they would play some pool, and he would take her home. She was sort of excited to see Tyler, and she'd never actually had a huge crush on Tyler. She liked that he was a little different than Damon. He was sweeter to female company, while Damon, as usual, was a total asshole to everyone.

Elena had spent the entire day laughing with Tyler, he'd already said a few hilarious jokes and she thought she would puke from laughing so hard.

"Wanna shoot some pool?" He suggested, after they'd both finished their meals. Elena smiled at him brightly, standing and nodding. They'd made their way over to the table and she saw a flash of raven hair. Damon sat with the high school history teacher, Alaric Saltzman, but he was looking at her while he swallowed a class of alcohol. She gave him a small smile before turning back to Tyler.

Nobody told Elena that Tyler was so much better at pool than she was, or else she wouldn't have agreed to play him. She was awful, and she hadn't played in a while. Tyler had sunk all of his balls, and he moved on to hers, where she had only sunk three. She always caught Damon watching her, but she did her best to enjoy herself without that notion.

"Hello!" she called, opening the door to the Salvatore house and letting herself in. She put her purse down, still wearing the outfit she had wore for her date with Tyler. Her hair was a little tousled from her habit of brushing it back.

"Baby, where are you?"

Damon appeared in the kitchen with an unhappy look on his face. His eyes flitted around his eye lids and his lips were caught in a stern line. Alaric appeared behind him with a curious expression on his face.

"Uh." Elena looked for an excuse but she couldn't find one.

"Stefan's not home, Elena." Damon said, then turning to Ric. "She'd in denial about the whole Stefan leaving town thing, she likes to come here and sit in his bed." Was Damon trying to make her sound like a creepy stalker? Elena nodded, and they both watched as Alaric frowned, shrugging and leaving the house.

"Elena Gilbert, you are such an idiot." Damon said, running his hands through his hair. She collapsed on the couch with a groan.

"Now my history teacher thinks I'm a total creep."

"Nah, Alaric isn't quick to judge." Damon said, crawling on top of her. She frowned, but didn't resist his kisses. He drew back and she huffed, shifting underneath him. "What's up?" He asked, rubbing her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"I hate all this doing nothing. All we do is make out. I don't even know what we are." Elena complained, and Damon rolled off of her, taking her hand and dragging her into the kitchen with him.

"Stop whining. How about I take you out tonight?" Damon moved around the kitchen, finding some ice and placing it equally between two glasses.

"Alcohol? Really?" Elena said, leaning against the counter.

"Umm, actually," He moved to the fridge, taking out a large jug. "Orange juice." He said pouring it in the glasses and handing her one. "So, what do you say? Let me take you out." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She nodded, smiling at him sweetly. She drank some juice, then kissed his lips.