"I need the food on this table" Caroline snaps at the caterers
I suggested to Stefan that we just plan a surprise party at a restaurant instead of letting her plan her own party, but Stefan insisted that would send more red flags up than anything else, and Elena had agreed with him so here we are…
Blondie is running around barking orders like a mad man, I swear you would think the president of the United States was coming for dinner with how particular she's being.
"These flower arrangements are too tall!" she huffs "How do you expect the guests to have a conversation when there's practically a tree in the middle of the table obstructing their view"
Stefan and I are leaning against a wall on the other side of the room observing the madness "Are you starting to rethink this yet?" I ask
He shakes his head "Nope"
"You've got it bad" I laugh
"Yup, I love her, all of her, even this crazy woman that makes an appearance every now and then"
Just then Elena walks by carrying a basket full of bread rolls, I reach out and stop her "Has she always been this nuts?"
"She's not nuts, she's just particular"
"Is that what the kids are calling it these days, cause in my day it was more like bat shit crazy"
"Be nice" she scolds "besides maybe if you two actually helped out instead of standing here trying out your best James Dean impersonations she wouldn't be freaking out so much"
"Hey we tried" I stand up straight "we were told, and I quote 'get the hell out of my kitchen before I strangle you guys' I don't know Elena, that friend of yours could sure use some manners"
"Were you sneaking food behind her back?" she asks
"We may have taken a roll or two" I reach my hand over and try to steal another one from the basket she's holding but she slaps my hand away "Hey! I'm hungry" I pout
"Everything will be ready soon… faster if you guys help set all of the chairs up"
"Yes mam" I salute her
Stefan walks towards the pile of chairs and starts setting then up without any hesitation, I'm about to join him when Elena stops me by grabbing my forearm
She leans in and lowers her voice to a whisper "this is a big night Damon, can you please try to be on your best behavior"
I'm taken back by the patronizing tone in her voice "I'm aware of that Elena, but thanks for the reminder" I pull my arm away and join Stefan
"What's got your panties in a twist?" he asks
"Nothing" I look back at Elena
"Then why are you scowling?"
"I'm not scowling" when I turn back toward him I try to put on my best smirk "tonight is not about me brother, let's just focus on you, you nervous?"
He nods "I don't think I would be if it was just her and I somewhere but with all these people… what if she says no?"
"Then she's even crazier then I thought"
"Damon…"
"I'm being serious Stefan, with the way you look at her; she would be crazy to say no"
"You're probably right" he sighs "I'm just freaking myself out"
I nod "Well a proposal isn't a proposal without a little bit of a panic attack, so I'd say we're right on track"
The sound of the doorbell chimes, interrupting our conversation
"I better be good co-host and go answer that" he smiles "thanks for everything Damon" he turns toward to door leaving me alone with the stack of chairs waiting to be put in their place.
I place the last chair in front of the table and look around the room for other things I can do, but instead my eyes land on Elena wrapping her arms around a tall man with dark hair.
My stomach suddenly feels sick.
I spot Stefan on the other side of the room so walk over to where he is "Hey, any idea who that it" I nod in Elena's direction
"No idea" he shakes his head "want me to ask Care?"
I shanke my head "No, it's uh… just forgot about it"
I walk towards the bar to pour myself a drink
"Damon, please watch your alcohol consumption tonight, this is-" Caroline starts but I don't let her finish
"A big night? Yeah, I've been told" I smirk "Happy birthday care bear" I tip my tumbler of whiskey in her direction and walk out of the room
Just as I reach the living my dad walks though the front door "Oh goodie" I groan
"Hello to you too Damon"
"What are you doing here" I ask
"You know why"
I nod "you're here to play the supportive father role"
"I'm not here to play anything Damon, have I not always supported you guys, did I not support you when Andie died? Speaking of which, I've haven't seen you since the funeral"
"And on that note" I turn back around and head out to the porch
I close my eye and let the cool New York breeze blow over my face
I need to get my shit together.
First Elena snaps at me, and then she's hugging some guy, and now my father…
"Hey" Elena's voice comes from behind me
"Hey" I greet without turning around to look at her, so she comes to stand next to me "Where's your date?" I know it's silly and it's petty, and it comes for a dark jealous place deep within my soul that I'm not at all proud of but I can't help but ask
"His name is Liam, and he's a friend"
I don't look at her when she responds; my eyes stay staring at the city lights below
"I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier, I was just a little nervous, I didn't know how inviting Liam would go over. I wanted to tell you when we had coffee last week, but I didn't know how to bring it up"
"Well if he's really just a friend then what's there to be nervous about?" I know I shouldn't be questioning her
"He is, for now"
"You don't have to answer to me Elena, we're friends" I sigh
"Oh come on Damon you and I both now that things are still weird, our friendship is built on a paper foundation and I don't want to destroy it, I like what we have"
"Maybe for you" I shrug
"What?"
"Maybe things are weird for you, but I'm fine Elena"
She scoffs "Is that why you're out here sulking by yourself, because you're fine?"
"No, I'm out here, because my father is in there" it's only partially the truth, the other half of it is that I have no desire to see her with whatever his name is, but I can't admit that to her, she deserves to be happy and I have zero ground for being jealous
"I thought we were done with half truths" she pushes
"Look Elena, I don't know what you want from me" I shake my head
"The truth"
"I told you that I can't be with you, that's it. End of story so if you want to date Liam, then date Liam, you don't need to come clear it with me. I came out here to clear my head before having to face my father for the evening because when I go back in there I don't want to be thinking about any of this, I just want to be there for my brother"
"So that's it?"
"Yeah, that's it" and it is, because she deserve a shot at happiness and who knows, maybe Liam is it.
"Ok" she turns around and heads back inside without another word
I close my eyes, take three long drawn out breaths and follow her lead.
Dinner went fairly seamlessly, dad has managed to keep his condescension to minimum, and I've manage to avoid glancing at Elena even though I've really, really wanted to; and the food was actually pretty damn good.
"Excuse me" Caroline taps her knife against her wine glass "I would just like to thank everyone for coming out to celebrate another year of life with me, it really means a lot to have each and every one of you here, so thank you. Without further ado let's bring the cake out"
"Uh actually, can we hold off on the cake for just a moment?" Stefan adds
"Why, what's…" she stops when she see Stefan getting down on one knee "Oh my god" she covers her mouth with one hand
"Caroline, I love you more than anything in this world, and I know that we haven't been together very long, and that there are people that think I'm crazy right now, but a wise person once told me that it doesn't matter what other people think or what society tells us is correct, all that matters is that it feels right to us, and I know I can't speak for you, but it feels right to me, you feel right to me, you feel like home, and nothing in this world would make me happier then knowing you were mine forever, which is why I'm here on one knee in front of all the people you love, asking you if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
"Of course!" she nods and wipes the tears from her cheeks
Stefan takes the ring out of the velvet box and places it on her ring finger
"It's so beautiful!" she exclaims "I love you so much!"
"I love you too" Stefan leans in and captures her lips with his own
In that moment my self-restraint snaps and I steal a glance at Elena
It's as if she can feel my eyes on her because she looks up from the camera in her hands and our eyes meet
Neither of us seem like we can look away or maybe we just don't want to, cause in that moment I'm a prisoner to her big brown eyes. Eyes that make me believe they hold all the answers to my problems, I just don't know how to access them.
Liam taps her shoulder, breaking our connection; she smiles at me sadly before turning her attention on him
I close my eyes for a moment in an attempt to clear my mind before approaching Stefan
"You did it" I pull him in for a hug "I'm proud of you baby brother"
"Thanks Damon, I couldn't have done it without you"
"You knew?" Caroline exclaims, and I nod "Man you guys are good" she laughs
"Come her Sister" I pull her in for a hug "Welcome to the family"
"Awe, I've always wanted a big brother!" she squeals
"Consider it done" I smirk
"Oh! Please tell me someone took pictures of what just happened" she says in a slightly panicked voice
I wink at Stefan and busts up laughing
"What's so funny?" she asks
"You had to be there" he says between laughs
"Elena got them" I tell her
"You knew too?!" she shouts at Elena "You could have given me a heads up; I wouldn't have worm this dress if I had known"
"Yeah, but admit it… this is better" Elena smirks
"I can't believe how sneaky you guys are" she shakes her head "Oh my gosh! There's so much to do! So much to plan!"
"How about we work on cleaning up this party before we start planning another one" Stefan chuckles
"The wedding craze has begun" I say with a sigh "Buckle up brother, you have a long road ahead of you, it's all flowers, color swatches, and cake tasting from here on out"
Elena's face falls slightly at the reminder that I've already been down this road
"The cake tasting doesn't sound too bad" he shrugs
"Oh no, that definitely has its perks" I smirk
"Good thing I'll have my maid of honor to go over those details with then" Caroline nudges Elena
"Seriously?!" she squeals
"Duh" Caroline nods "Who else could trust to do that job"
"I'm honored Care" Elena pulls her into a hug
"Yeah well my best man and I will be at the nearest bar while you guys do all that" Stefan claps me on the shoulder
"I'm happy to do it brother" I smile
Looks like my plan to keep my distance from Elena just went out the window; the next several months will consist of party attending, party planning and all things wedding… I sure hope Liam doesn't mind.
A/N: Hi Guys! I know this one wasn't as long as normal but, I really like the way it turned out, I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! I also want to tank you guys for your reviews on the last chapter, I read each and every one of them and they helped whip my muse back into shape! Let me know what you guys think, and have a fabulous weekend!