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Chapter 17

Damon's Point Of View

I slept over at Elena's house again after our date. I told her I just didn't want to be away from her. That was not a lie. I did want to sleep over and I didn't want to spend the night alone but I was also hiding. I knew better than to go back to the house because Stefan would rip my head off. We were already fighting. If I went back, who knows what either of us might do in anger? I was doing a good job of keeping Elena clueless. She didn't suspect that I had lied to her about the status of my talk with Stefan or that I was avoiding him. However, I knew that if we didn't make up soon, or if this fight got worse, Elena would start to suspect something. I couldn't let that happen. If Elena found out that Stefan and I were fighting or even why we were fighting, she would be dragged in the middle. I didn't want that to happen. We had gone through a hell of a lot of drama to get to the perfect place we were in right now and I would be damned if I let my brother screw things up again. Elena was happy and I would make sure it stayed that way even if it killed me.

Elena's Point Of View

Damon had dropped me off at school again after another one of our sleepovers. Today was the day that I was going to tell my friends about Damon and I. We had agreed on that last night on the way home from our magical first date. We decided together that it really was unfair to keep them in the dark especially since they are such a big part of our lives. Damon volunteered to tell them with me after school but I wanted to be the one to tell them in case there were any negative reactions to the news. I knew Caroline and Bonnie approved but I didn't know how Tyler and Matt felt. I couldn't let Damon get hurt or feel rejected by my friends.

So, during our lunch break, I got Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, Jeremy and Tyler together and we all sat down at a table outside. I could tell that both Caroline and Bonnie had an idea of what I was going to tell them by their sly smiles and random giggles but the boys were clueless.

"Okay. So firstly, thank you all for meeting me." I began. "Damon and I have to tell you guys something. Only I told Damon that I wanted to be the one to tell you lot in case any of you don't approve. I don't want Damon feeling rejected." I explained.

"Well spill it already!" Caroline cried.

Everybody laughed and Jeremy raised his eyebrows. "I know where this is headed..." He said softly but trailed off as I gave him a look.

"C'mon Elena. Tell us." Matt coaxed.

"Okay okay. So, Damon and I, we...we're a couple now." I admitted.
My announcement was met by squealing from the girls and muted cheering from the boys.

"Wow. You and Damon. Congrats!" Tyler said as he held up his fist for me to bump.

I smiled widely as I accepted the congratulations. My friends were okay with Damon and I. That was more than I could ask of any of them.

"I'm happy for the both of you Elena. Don't get me wrong. But are you sure? What about Stefan?" Matt asked.

I sighed. I knew that there was a strong possibility that one of them might bring Stefan up. "Stefan is okay with this. He understands and he's given us the okay. And I am sure about Damon. I know that what I feel for him is real and I know that he loves me just as much too. It's fine."

Matt nodded his approval and all of us began to talk again. During our conversation, I noticed that Jeremy was not participating much. When I looked up at him, he was staring at the table with a strange look on his face.

When the bell to signal the end of lunch rang clear across the parking lot, we started to gather our things.

"Jer. Can I talk to you for a second?" I asked quickly before he could leave.

"I'll be late to biology..." He replied uncomfortably.

"I'll be quick." I promised as I pulled him away from everybody.

"Elena! You want me to wait?" Caroline called out.

"No. Go ahead. I'll see you in class."

I turned back to Jeremy. "Look, are you okay? With Damon and I? I saw the way you looked after I announced it."

"Elena, why do you care what any of us think? If you are happy with him, then who cares?"

"I care. I care because my relationship with him affects the people around me. Especially you."

"I'm not a kid anymore Elena. I'm not going to throw a fuss. You're happy so I'm happy. Im not going to deny my sister of her happiness."

"You still haven't answered my question. Why do you have a problem with Damon and I? Is it because we were kissing in the kitchen? Because we'll stop with the PDA. I promise."

"No Elena. It's not because of the PDA. Though it did creep me out. My problem is that Damon does not exactly have a perfect track record of staying with one woman for very long. And not to mention that when he gets angry, he snaps and does stupid things." Jeremy admitted.

"What? You think Damon will cheat on me?" I asked incredulously.

"It's a risk that you can't ignore. Damon...I've just never known him to stay with any one woman except Katherine and he's snapped enough number of number of times in the past."

"You don't think I've considered that?" I asked bitterly.

"Frankly, I don't know what you've considered. I've been in love before, Elena. I know that when you love someone, you're able to overlook all their obvious flaws. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"He won't hurt me. I trust him." I replied softly.

"Alright. Fine. But as your brother, I have a duty to protect you and I swear I will kill him if anything happens." Jeremy warned.

"Nothing's going to happen." I assured him gently.

"Good." He said with a guarded smile. "Then I'm happy for you two."

I nodded happily and we parted ways.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of teachers and homework. When the final bell rang for the day, I gratefully rushed to put my books away and then hurried outside to meet Damon.

He got out of the car, kissed me and then opened the door for me before going around to get into the driver's seat.

"I missed you." He commented as he turned out of the parking lot.

"I missed you too. Today was such a stressful day." I groaned.

"Why? What happened?"

"The usual. Just times ten. Anyway, I talked to everybody today."

"You did? What did they say?" He ask hopefully.

"They were all very happy for us." I said with a smile.

"Really? Nobody had anything to say about it?"

"Nope. Not at all." I lied easily to protect his feelings.

"Good. That's really great." He muttered distractedly. "I'll cook dinner tonight then?"

"Again? Why don't we go over to your house and just hang out today? Jeremy will be home and after yesterday..."

"Oh! Don't worry. We'll just head to the Grill okay?" He countered.

"But the Grill will be crowded." I argued.

"Then lets just go somewhere else outside. I know every inch of Mystic Falls and baby, I'll make sure we have a good time." He said as he flashed me his million-dollar smile.

"Why don't you want to go home?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

I could sense the change in the atmosphere. Damon had tensed up. "You know what I mean. You've spent the night with me for nearly a week, you never want to go to your house to hang out, you always want to eat at my place or outside. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong Elena. I just like spending time with you."

I didn't buy it but decided to let it go because Damon looked so rigid and unhappy with my questions.

We ended up buying a take out pizza and going to the park to share it. The rest of the day was spent walking around town hand in hand and he slept over with me again.

While I was laying in bed next to him, waiting to fall asleep, I pondered over Damon's attitude to his house. It couldn't have had anything to do with Stefan could it? Damon had told me that Stefan had been alright when he had talked to him. Before I drifted into unconsciousness I decided that the only way I was going to get answers, was if I snooped around myself.