AN: I'm back with another chapter. This is a deal breaker actually and I hope you'll like it. I'll leave you to it now. Have fun!

In the morning when I wake

And the sun is coming through,

Oh, you fill my lungs with sweetness,

And you fill my head with you

It was when the night was over and the cold and pale winter sun set in the sky that Elena opened her eyes, tired but feeling like she had slept for a week. Her gaze turned to the other side of her bed and her eyes lingered on the man's face. His arm was lazily draped over her stomach and his shirt was crumbled. Carefully, she took his hand and pushed his arm off her. Suddenly, she felt a burning desire to caress his face. Raising her hand up to his face, she stopped just a few inches away, scared that she might wake him up.

Lazily, Elena got up and walked to the kitchen. She opened the fridge and pulled out everything she had bought the other day. She wished she could cook something, at least an omelet, but she knew it would be horrible so she decided on what she had already. She sat on the counter and crossed her legs, patiently waiting for her unannounced guest to wake up. Of course, it was most likely for him to sleep all day long after the quantity of alcohol he consumed.

Seeing that an hour had passed and the house was still quiet, Elena decided to turn on the TV and flip through the channels, trying to find something worthy of wasting time. A few minutes later, she walked to the bathroom and opened the door to be welcomed by a wave of steam. She breathed into the stuffy air and carefully looked into the bathroom, thinking that it was a flood.

Instead, her eyes caught a glimpse of Damon's naked body, under the shower, hot water running all over his body. Elena tried to analyze every piece of him, see if she could find any flaws, but there weren't any. His toned abs were dressed in foam and she felt like they were practically yelling to her; come and touch. The way his hair looked when it was wet was purely excruciating. She wanted to touch it, to feel its texture, to tangle her fingers in it and never let go. She didn't realize how long she has been standing there because when he turned around and saw her, she quickly closed the door behind her and rushed to the kitchen, her face turning crimson red.

Elena paced through the kitchen, trying to take her mind away from the image her eyes captured. In fact, it was more like a mini video of an Adonis in her shower. A few beads of sweat appeared on her face and she took a glass of water, sipping from it from time to time.

"Uhm, Elena?" His voice scared her and she dropped the glass she was holding. It made contact with the floor loudly and the rest of the water splashed on her. She turned around slowly, scared that she might find him naked, with beads of water slipping off his chiseled body. Her gaze stopped on him and if she had to be honest, she kinda felt bad that he was fully dressed again.

"Damon...Look, I'm-I'm sorry for earlier. I didn't know you were in the bathroom." She apologized but truly, she felt no regret that she had walked in on him. If the opportunity presented itself, she would probably do it again.

"Pf, it's fine. I should've told you." Damon smirked his authentic smile and she blushed slightly.

"Anyway, let's have breakfast." Elena said awkwardly and she sat down, opening the milk and pouring some into a mug. Damon followed and while they were enjoying their breakfast in silence, Elena couldn't stop wondering what was he thinking, because clearly he was thinking about something.

"It's Christmas in a week. What are you going to do?" Damon finally broke the silence and she lifted her head up from the bowl of cereals.

"I'm going home." She simply stated and he frowned, like he didn't understand her. Well, of course, she should've been more clear about it. Home was Mystic Falls even if she wasn't living there anymore. "Mystic Falls. That's where home really is."

"Right. Sounds nice." Damon said and Elena noticed how his face changed. It wasn't very noticeable, probably anyone else wouldn't have noticed the change. But she was watching him so closely that she noticed every thing about him.

"What about you, where are you spending Christmas?"

"I don't know. Probably in my apartment, with my best friend; a bottle of scotch." He said and smiled, but it wasn't the same one from a few minutes ago.

"Or you could come with me?" Elena said and the next second she mentally slapped herself. Why would she do that? Of course, she loved spending time with Damon, but she wasn't sure she was ready to spend Christmas with him. "I mean, Caroline will come with me. She really wants to see her parents. I guess Stefan will come too. You know they cannot stay apart for too long." Damon rolled his eyes when he heard her last words and she smiled.

"That's a nice proposal, 'Lena, but I don't want to impose. Though I'd love to piss off Blondie a little bit." This time he smirked and it felt like it was real.

"Of course you would. Well, if that's what you want to do, I support you. But...boundaries. Okay?"

He nodded and then she thought about asking him what really happened last night.

"Do you want to talk about yesterday?"

"No. It's done. I now know the truth and I've told you. I don't want to talk about it anymore." He said and had some water.

"Are you going to go to the office today?" She asked and thought about showing him the script she'd been working on, but she wasn't sure he was in the mood to work.

"I don't think so. I thought we could spend some time together. What do you say?" He asked and smiled and her heart skipped a beat because she was happy he wanted to spend his day with her instead of spending it alone, drinking his worries away.

"Sure. You know...I've tried to talk to Dylan. I told him that Katherine is no good for him, that she will ruin him, but he didn't want to hear it."

Damon closed his eyes and sighed and she regretted she mentioned it. Since they found out Katherine was Dylan's new girlfriend, they talked about how Elena should speak to Dylan and tell him she's no good for him. But now that she saw his face changing like that when talking about her, she realized that Damon might still have feelings for Katherine, because every time she was brought up, his face darkened and he changed the subject immediately. And somehow, that made her feel a bit of jealousy even though she had no reason to feel like that. It was just the fact that she had found out how hurt he's been and she had spent so much time with him that it felt really odd to hear him talk about other women, especially about Katherine.

"Then he's an idiot and I'm done with the subject. And you should be as well. Like I've already told you, I don't want to talk about Katherine anymore. She's out of my life and she's never coming back. Now I don't know about you and Dylan but-"

"No! We're done as well. There's no going back to what we had." Elena hurried to say, like her life depended on him knowing this.

"Good. So what do you want to do?"

"I want to watch a movie and eat ice cream. Can we stay inside?" She asked and smiled like a little girl who just got a popsicle.

"Now that you mentioned it, I'd prefer to stay inside." Damon said and got up, heading to the drawer where Elena kept her DVDs. He looked through them and every time he found a cheesy movie, he would laugh at her and say he doesn't know who she is.

"Oh shut up, Salvatore. Like you haven't watch a chick flick ever in your life."

"No, I have not!"

"Well, that is about to change. We're going to watch The Notebook, which is not a stupid chick flick, but one of the best movies ever made. And it's my favorite even after all these years." Elena said and took the DVD from the drawer, not waiting for Damon's approval.

"Okay, okay." He mumbled and sat on the couch, waiting for her to play the movie.

"I'll go fetch some ice cream. You can press play." Elena sing-songed as she headed towards the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and got a big box of Chunky Monkey and a spoon.

"Can we watch something else? I'm not sure I will like this." Damon deadpanned and Elena started to laugh as she sat on the couch and started to eat some ice cream.

"No. Don't be a chicken, Damon. You'll love it."

"Yeah, sure."

Half way through the movie, Elena ran to the toilet and tried to be back as soon as possible, because she didn't want to miss any part of the movie, even if she knew it by heart. She landed on the couch and snuggled up against Damon, who seemed to be really caught up in the story, though she couldn't really tell if he meant it or he did it only for her.

"This is really good." Damon said and she opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"I wish I could have a love like theirs." Elena sighed and she moved her gaze to Damon's face, trying to figure out what it was he thought about. His eyes met hers and they stared at each other for several moments. She could feel the atmosphere charging with energy and it was something that made her skin tingle and she didn't know why.

Elena leaned down towards him and put her hand on his chest. She had no idea why she was doing that but it felt so good, like her hand should've been there. Her face came closer to his and she kissed him. Just like that, in a simple move, she pressed her lips against his. At first it was a soft kiss and Elena was grateful for it, though her mind was so washed up and fed up with him that she couldn't say what she wanted and then it turned into a passionate one.

Damon was kissing her so feverishly that she swore she could see stars. She felt his tongue run across her bottom lip and she opened her mouth to let their tongues meet and fight for domination. He ran his hands through her hair and pulled her closer, that way she was almost on top of him. She ran her hands against his chest, this time curious to explore every inch of it. Elena grabbed the tips of his crumpled shirt and started to pull it off. In a matter of seconds, there he was, gloriously showing off his naked chest. They were kissing passionately and Elena was sitting over him, caressing his neck.

A knock on the door made their lips separate from each other and they looked at one another like they wanted to kill whoever was on the other side of the door. With a quick glance at the door, Elena decided it was nothing of big importance, so she leaned in and closed the distance between their lips. This time the knocks were heavier and it seemed like after a few moments, the person behind the door became impatient because the knocks transformed into sounds of the bell.

"Elena, open the damn door!" She recognized the voice and she pulled away from Damon, not saying anything for a second, just looking at him with her big eyes wide with shock.

"Don't open. You can talk to her some other time."

"I have to open. She'll know something's going on if I don't." Elena whispered and thought about what she was going to tell her friend about Damon being at her place so early.

"So what? You have to stop being so scared about what your friends think about you, 'Lena." He said and placed his hand on her leg, squeezing it.

"Elena! I'm going to use a hair pin to open this door and you know I can do it." Caroline threatened.

"Shit! I've seen her do that a million times. Put your shirt on. I'm going to open it." Elena said and got up, swearing at her friend in her mind because she knew that was probably the first and the last time she would have the guts to do that. Elena took a deep breath and opened the door, smiling at her friend as she did so.

"Finally. What took you so long?"

"I'm sorry. We were just watching a movie." Elena mumbled annoyed and she tried to dissimulate as best as she could.

"We who?" Caroline asked as she got rid of her coat and hung it in the hallway. They walked in the living room and the blonde stopped and stared at Damon, who was sitting nonchalantly on the couch, his legs draped one over the other. He flashed Caroline a smile. "Of course it's him."

"Well, hello to you too little miss I Wish I Could Just Have More Friends So I Could Hang Out In Other Places As well And Not Always Interrupt." Damon greeted her sarcastically and Caroline just rolled her eyes. That was strange. Elena sat on the couch, pushing Damon a bit and Caroline sat on a chair.

"I wanted to tell you all the planes are booked to Mystic Falls so we're going to have to drive. But it's okay, we fit perfectly into Stefan's car. Actually, we could take Bonnie as well, if she wants to go." Caroline said and Elena looked over to Damon.

"Bonnie can't come. She's spending Christmas in New York. Her brothers are coming here. But don't save that seat for someone else. It's taken already." Elena announced and she giggled enthusiastically.

"By who if I may ask?"

"Me." Damon said and smirked.

"Alright." Caroline smiled and shrugged like nothing had been said.

"That's all?" Elena raised her eyebrows, expecting the blonde to snap every single moment.

"Yes, that's all. I've decided to take things more seriously and not pick up fight with Salvawhore at all times. We're going to be family soon. That doesn't mean I like you, though." She pointed to Damon who narrowed his eyes. He probably couldn't believe a word that came out of her mouth.

"Hmm, if you say so, Blondie. We're going to spend a great Christmas together."

"Have you two...?" Caroline pointed to the two and Elena realized that she didn't even bother to fix her hair and it probably looked like she has just got out of bed.

"No! Why would you think that?" Elena shook her head and tried to calm down, even though it was pretty hard. She was still longing for his kisses, for his touches.

Why was this happening to her? She couldn't feel something more than friendship. Elena was sure that from the moment they slept together, their friendship would be over and all she needed now was a friend and it seemed like he could be a better friend than Caroline sometimes.

"Okay. Well, I'll go find my way out now. Take care, Elena." The blonde said and flashed her a look that only meant one thing; she was telling her to be careful around Damon and that was her cue that she shouldn't kiss him again nor touch him like she had earlier. It wasn't right and that would only lead to something more; something she would regret later.

"You too." Elena smiled, reassuring her friend that it was all unicorns and rainbows, but it was anything but. She wished she could just act normally around her friends, but it seemed like she had to hide something from everyone.

Unsure of what to say to Damon related to Caroline's question, she just sat in her previous place and played the movie once again. She felt like he was watching her and she was right. Elena turned her head towards Damon and he had his eyes narrowed, like he was taken back by what just happened.

"What?" Elena questioned, trying to figure out what was he thinking, but she had no clue.

"Did you open the door because you really had to or because you regretted what happened and you found this the perfect occasion to stop it?" He asked and she felt like he was going to pull the words out of her mouth if she didn't answer.

"Damon, let's forget about this. It shouldn't have happened."

"Just tell me, 'Lena. What is it about you that you always hide something?" Damon asked and he was getting angry.

"What do you mean? I've told you everything about me."

"And yet you cannot answer this simple question that concerns me too." He stated simply and she knew he wouldn't stop bugging her.

"What do you want me to say?" She asked reluctantly, trying to avoid the direction this conversation was taking.

"The truth. Did you open that door for a reason, Elena?" He repeated his question, this time his tone got louder and she was taken aback by his mood swing. Of course, he was like a ticking bomb. Just say something he didn't like and he's going to explode.

"If I hadn't opened that door I wouldn't have stopped." Elena flat out admitted and he opened his eyes wide.

"Then why did you stop?"

"Because I don't want this!" Elena raised her own voice.

"I don't get you anymore. When I proposed to you that we should be sex buddies, you said it's a stupid thing to do. And then you kissed me and I thought that you changed your mind." Damon snapped and she literally jumped from the couch.

"Well, I didn't. I still think that it's the most stupid thing we could ever do and that it will ruin our friendship. You want that? Because if you do, I could simply have sex with you and then never see you again." Elena snapped, making it sound almost like a challenge.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I didn't jump on you. You did."

"And I said I'm sorry about that. It won't happen again."

"I don't think it's going to happen again either. Because I'm not sure I want to be around to see it happen." Damon mumbled under his breath and got up from the couch. He walked to the door and left her apartment without saying anything else.

For the next few minutes, the apartment was so quiet that she felt like she couldn't stay there anymore. She felt like she was suffocating and without even bothering to change her clothes, she put on her jacket and left the small apartment, going to a place where she knew no one would judge her.

"Elena! It's so good to see you. You didn't call me in almost a week."

"I'm sorry, Jenna. I was so swamped with work that I've completely forgot to communicate." Elena lied. Well, it wasn't a lie entirely, but she couldn't call her aunt. She just had to admit that she was so busy dealing with her personal problems, that she couldn't be bothered to talk to her family. She was so selfish. She should appreciate that she still had a family, even if it was small and instead she couldn't even take a few minutes from her busy life to call them. There was no excuse for this.

"It's fine. Come on, let's sit. I want to hear what's happening with you lately." Jenna smiled warmly and pulled Elena in the big living room and sat her on the couch. She made herself at home, because it was her home. Elena felt so good to be back here that she wished she could stay there forever but she knew she couldn't. She would get nowhere if she continued to live with her aunt.

"Oh, Jenna. I don't even know where to start. You know Damon, right?"

"I believe it's the guy that brought you home that night, a few months ago. Is that right?" Jenna asked, a confused look on her face.

"Yes, that's him. We've been spending a lot of time together and since I'm working for his company now I'm going to see him every day. We're really good friends and I care about him." Elena said, whimpering. She was about to cry and she didn't want to. No, she wouldn't do it.

"So what's wrong sweetie? I think it's good that you have a new friend. That gives you a clean slate with someone new. It can be great." The woman explained and Elena wanted to say she's right, because she knew she was, but it wasn't that simple.

"That's what I thought too, Jenna. But he said we should have sex, you know, since we're both single. Actually, he said we should be friends with benefits." Elena said and she watched how her aunt remained with her mouth opened.

"Elena, I just don't know what do say about this. I don't think that's a good thing to do. It's going to break the both of you and it will most surely destroy your beautiful friendship."

"Exactly! And that's what I told him earlier and he left my apartment, saying that he isn't sure that he should spend his time with me anymore. I don't want to lose him. What do I do?" She asked desperately. Elena needed the advice of her mother more than anything right now and she was so sad she couldn't get it. At least she still had Jenna, who was great with advice.

"I think that you should give it time. He'll come around if he really cares about you." Jenna said and those last words made her think about what really Damon felt about her. Was he spending his time with her only because he wanted to sleep with her?

"And what if he doesn't?"

"Then you have to move on and forget him. It means that he never really cared about you and that he only wanted to sleep with you." Her aunt said and she wasn't lying to her, at least she was sure of that.

"Thank you, Jenna. You made things clearer. I don't know what I'd do without you." Elena said and pulled her aunt in a tight hug. Oh, how she has missed this.

"You're a big girl, 'Lena. You can deal with things on your own. You just don't get it yet."

"Where's Jeremy?" Elena asked and looked around, expecting for her brother to pop out out of nowhere and hug her and tell her that everything's going to be fine, that friends fight and that they always make peace. But he wasn't around, she was sure.

"He's with his mates from college. They're going to a drawing contest or something like that. You should see the things he did this week. They're simply amazing." Jenna said and this was another moment when Elena felt like grabbing her things and moving back in with her family. She got used to picking fights with Jeremy for stupid reasons, like who drank the coffee and checking in on him at night and find him listening to music and just watching him draw. Those simple things, those little things that for others had no meaning, made her feel good and at peace with herself.

"I'm so glad he's made friends and given up on drugs. This is definitely a pro. And if the price for his recovery and for him to be happy is for me to stop being friends with Damon, I'll gladly take it, Jenna."

"Elena, stop tormenting yourself. He's going to come back. I saw him that night, how worried he was for you. He seems like a great guy." Jenna smiled. Elena was amazed of how her aunt could notice all those things from a simple look at people.

"Well, he can be a douche as well. Mostly, he's a douche. But I don't want to lose him. I can live with him being a douche if he can live with being my friend without having sex."

"And that's my Elena!" Jenna cheered her up and in a matter of seconds, Elena was smiling again.

"Thank you, Jenna. I've really missed these talks. You always make me feel better. I love you so much," Elena said and pulled her aunt in a hug.

"How would you like to stay here tonight?" Jenna asked and smiled. "I can make you a hot chocolate with some cream and we can, you know, chit chat."

"I would love to."

When it's all said and done, what can people do to redeem things? You can just hope that it will all get better with the pass of the time and that the person you've hurt can forget it. It's not like she did anything wrong, but she felt guilty about telling Damon that she wouldn't take him up on his offer and then act like this, like she was a little spoiled child. Elena lay in her bed, looking at the ceiling and thought about what happened today. She pulled out her phone and wrote a message; Goodnight. I will always be your friend, no matter what.

She had realized it now. She couldn't sleep with Damon and it wasn't because she was his friend. She couldn't sleep with him because she liked him. She liked him more than a friend and sooner or later, sleeping with him will make things worse. Maybe it was for the best not to see him again, to end this friendship before she would get hurt. But Elena couldn't stay away.